ESC/Java2 GUI - Issues and Release Notes
This is the first and current version of this program. Details of its use
are shown by the "Documentation" menu item. Ideas for improvement are
welcome.
Problems
- The text of a text field is saved when a return is typed or when focus is lost. Focus is not lost if one simply types in a text field or in the input text area and then selects a menu item. For example, changing the classpath without
typeing a return and then selecting the Save menu item may result in the change
not being recorded.
- There is currently a race condition between the running of checks and various GUI
operations. You should wait for checking to complete or stop checking using the STOP
button (and wait for the stop to take effect), before saving, loading, or reinitializing
the project.
- When an editor is requested for a given error message or routine, the
editor scrolls to the appropriate place in the file as well. It should also
highlight the appropriate line. However, the highlighting does not appear to
work unless the user manually highlights something first.
- When a compilation unit is type-checked, it initiates the type checking of
compilation units upon which it relies. Hence the time taken for the first
item type-checked may be extraordinarily long. The status message will not
show that these nested checks are being performed.
- The documentation window's scrollbars cut off some of the text sometimes.
Features
It would be nice to integrate the tool with the JML tools and with Daikon.
Some of the color coding could be cleaned up.
It would be nice if the title showed the current project name.
It would be nice to coordinate the showing of the files of a refinement sequence.
It would be nice if, when input files are reloaded, the tree of classes and methods was not totally regenerated. In fact it would be great if parsing
and type-checking could be done incrementally, so simple chagnes in specs
would not necessitate a total restart.
The tool should integrate with the system Preferences.
The tool should say something useful in response to the About menu item.
Accelerator keys should be implemented.
Should be a way to select an editor window by browsing.
It would be nice to be able to adjust the L&F
Changes since the limited edition alpha release
- Fixed the use of spec path so that it is now properly used before the
classpath or the application jar file.
- Fixed handling of type designators on input entries. Now they remain
as the user specified them, both in the GUI window and in project files.
- Changed the defaults to be -source 1.4 and -nowarn Deadlock .
- Made error handling, especially of parser errors, more robust.
- The verbose option was added to the ESC Options pane.
- The testMode option was removed.
- Implementation of a menu providing a choice of look and feel.