Integrating structuring mechanism with a program editor
L.H.J. Adams · 1989
Module interconnections are an important aspect of large computer programs. The grid is a powerful, language-independent structuring mechanism that specifies what interconnections are valid and documents what interconnections actually exist. This thesis describes an editor for grids, named Ogre, that interactively checks the validity of new interconnections and finds inconsistencies in existing interconnections when grid specifications are changed. Additional information is stored with a grid to support this incremental processing. Ogre maintains the language-independence of the grid by communicating by messages with a language-oriented editor. This loosely-coupled integration of module and inter-module editing allows the programmer to access global structural information in the context of an individual module while supporting multiple source languages and module editors. We have implemented a prototype of Ogre using a simple editing environment for Modula-2 and a grid-manipulator that stores grids in text files. Our implementation demonstrates that the power of a grid can be brought to a programmer by interactive access and incremental update. The incremental-update algorithms described in this thesis make interactive grid access feasible. Loosely-coupled integration adds grid access to program editing without requiring a monolithic environment.