[Anjuta-list] [RFC] Customizable Tools

[Biswapesh Chattopadhyay <biswapesh_chatterjee tcscal co in>]

Guys


Lately, I'm often having to resort to the command line when I need to
invoke a certain tool (say, Doxygen). I've also been using Eclipse a bit
these days and like the way you can define your tools with parameters.
However, the Eclipse Tools is a bit limited - what I'm proposing is
slightly more elaborate.

I'll try to give a brief statement of requirements for user-defined ools
before coming up with a design:

R1) The user should be able to define a program to execute and associate
a name with it.
R2) The user should be able to specify command line parameters.
Parameters might be fixed or variables (e.g. file name of the current
buffer, top project directory, etc.)
R3) The user should be able to specify the directory from which the toll
would be invoked. This should also expect variable names (e.g. directory
of the current file, top project directory, etc.)
R4) The user should be able to define the use tools which are like
filters, i.e. take the current buffer from standard input (e.g. indent)
R5) The user should be able to direct the output of the tool. I can
think of the following options here:
	1) The tool is invoked in a seperate terminal and the output goes
there.
	2) The tool output goes to one of the message panes (e.g. Find/Build,
etc.)
	3) The tool modifies the current buffer (replaces, inserts at current
cursor, appends)
	4) The tool output pops up as a message box.
	5) The tool output opens a new buffer.
	6) Too output is discarded.
Similar options should exist for standard error.

Please feel free to addto/discuss the above. I feel that the above
should not be very difficult to implement in the current Anjuta1
architecture. Of course, we should strive to write it in a way so that
it is reusable for Anjuta2.

I'll probably start implementing it (at least the design) in a day or
two.

Rgds,
Biswa.