[cfe-dev] Source code cross reference tool based on libclang

[Stefan Seefeld]

On 2011-02-07 14:50, Ehsan Akhgari wrote:
>
>
> I had actually looked at Synopsis (not the libclang-based version, of 
> course), but looking at the web site, it seemed to me that the project 
> is not maintained any more.  I'm happy to hear that is not the case.  :-)

I'll take a note to restore the server ASAP, to make it clear that the 
project is still alive. Sorry for that.

>
> It would be really interesting for us to see your tool.  It's OK that 
> you're working off of LLVM/clang trunk, that's where we are too!  :-)

Fine. I'll take another note to check my work in and give you enough 
information to try it out. Let me follow-up offline, unless anyone else 
here is interested in this.

>
> In terms of features, what I think we would need is a class library, a 
> global function library, call graphs (list of callers, callees), type 
> information (what's the type of this variable), macro expansion 
> information (what does the compiler see here?), macro instantiation 
> sites (where in the code is this macro used?), inheritance 
> information, and maybe some other things which I'm forgetting.

I believe all of the above but call graphs are already supported. (You 
can already ask where a symbol is used, and it will give you the source 
location. It won't generate a call graph though, and tell you what 
symbols are used in a given scope. But, that's a natural thing to add, 
and I'd be happy to see Synopsis grow support for this.

>
> There's this tool called dxr that some of the folks here at Mozilla 
> have built on top of Dehydra/gcc <http://dxr.mozilla.org/>, but 
> unfortunately it has a lot of rough edges, not enough documentation 
> (or even people who can guide others through getting started), and 
> it's Mozilla specific.  What we have in mind is replacing it with a 
> tool which is better maintained, and is more fit towards the needs of 
> other projects besides Mozilla as well.
>
> I would love to contribute to SXR if we have the same general picture 
> in our heads.  :-)

Great. Let's talk a little more about that picture to see whether we can 
converge on something useful. What you are saying sounds exactly like 
the kind of tool I had been aiming for right from the start.


>     PS: Unfortunately the Synopsis website is partly broken right now,
>     since
>     the old server was replaced and I haven't managed to set up and adjust
>     all the services yet that it relies on.
>
>
> Yes, this is very unfortunate.  I think it would be a really good idea 
> to add a note to the main page saying just that, so that others 
> looking at it don't get the impression that the project is dead.  :-)

OK. I'll do that if I can't fix it quickly.

I'll follow up in a private mail to send you some code, so you have 
something to look at while I'm fixing the website.

Thanks,
         Stefan


-- 

       ...ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin...