by Chris Power >> Thu, 27 Jul 2000 22:04:12 GMT
Hi, developers (this time with my name and email address)
This is a notice of a Jade add-on that's available for browsing instances. It's simple to use, let's you quickly locate objects, scan collections and check for invalid data such as incorrectly null references.
ObjectBrowser differs from the built-in Object Inspector in that ObjectBrowser uses a single window with hyperlinks, allows you to navigation back and forward through a history list, and interprets
simple Jade expressions, such as Employee.firstInstance.headOffice. You can also delete instances! Clearly, this is a developer's tool, not for users.
I expect that ObjectBrowser will be useful in teaching Jade, because it reveals the underlying structure of a data model in a way that's not immediately obvious from looking at a class hierarchy. You can explore the dynamic relationships between objects, inverses, collections, etc.
On the other hand, it may prove to be useful to commercial developers, too.
You can download ObjectBrowser from http://hyperdisc.unitec.ac.nz/staff/cpower.htm.
The current version is 1.4. It could do with some serious testing and evaluation. If your feedback indicates that this is or could be of use, then I'll put some more time into it with refinements and making it (more) bulletproof.
Please send feedback directly to the author: cpower@unitec.ac.nz.
Regards,
Chris.