Читать книгу Beginning Programming All-in-One For Dummies - Wallace Wang - Страница 93

Whether you prefer a stand-alone editor or an integrated development environment, most editors offer the following features:

 Multiple undo/redo commands let you experiment with making changes to your source code. If they don’t work out, you can undo your changes. Typically, editors let you undo a large number of changes you made, such as the last 100 changes.

 Multiple file editing comes in handy so you can view different files in separate windows and copy code from one window to another, or just study how one part of your program will interact with another part of that same program.

 Syntax completion and highlighting is when the editor recognizes certain programming languages, such as C++ and Java. The moment you type a valid language command, the editor can finish typing that command for you at the touch of a button, thereby saving you time. So, if you type a typical if-then statement, the editor automatically types in a generic if-then statement (complete with necessary parentheses), so you just type in the actual data to use.

 Syntax highlighting occurs after you write a program; the editor highlights valid language commands to help you separate language commands from any data and commands you create. Without syntax highlighting, source code can look like a mass of text. With syntax highlighting, source code can be easier to read and understand.

 Automatic indentation and parentheses matching where indentation can align your code to make it follow a standard indentation format while parentheses matching helps you identify where an opening parenthesis, square bracket, or curly bracket begins and ends.

 Macros let you customize the editor and essentially program the editor to repeat commonly needed tasks, such as always displaying program commands in uppercase letters. If the editor doesn’t offer a feature you want or need, its macro language lets you add that feature. Without a macro language, an editor won’t give you the flexibility to work the way you want.

 Project management helps you keep your source code files organized. Most programs no longer consist of a single file but of multiple files. Trying to keep track of which files belong to which project can be confusing, so an editor can help you store and organize your files so you won’t lose track of them.