| Feature/method | Visual Objects | Visual Studio / X# and Vulcan / .Net/ (Vide) | |||
| 1 | Start up time/restart (based on i7/16 Gb/W8) Program/first project after click | 1 second/<1 second | 3 seconds/3-5 seconds | ||
| 2 | Compiling 1 small program, 1 or a few changes | <1-2 seconds | 1-2 second (slightly slower than VO but much improved so also kept green) | ||
| 3 | Opening e.g. 3 methods (a calls b calls c) to see this code only | Possible . To see the difference in work environment, see http://www.ic2.com/cavo/EditVO_versusVS.JPG Left you see how the screen looks in VS when you want to edit 2 methods, right how it looks in VO | Not possible unless by incidence the code follows up in the PRG. You will at least see the outline (first line) of all program code which is in between these methods | ||
| 4 | Quickly select a few entities picked from a list | Just click! Add or Ctrl click in entity list | Not possible, see 3 | ||
| 5 | Limit search and replace options through selected code | Select like in 3 or 4 and standard search/replace will be limited to that code | Not possible. You will first have to select the method (e.g. by collapsing it first or manually finding the end) and then carefully need to limit your search to selected code. C# also allows searching through "current block" but this options disappears when you installed MS Productivity tools and doesn't even return when you deinstall these. If you have multiple methods, you will need to repeat the process for every method. | ||
| 6 | Quickly open the last/first opened/created entities | Just sort on any column value and select | Not possible. You will save the whole .prg (=.mef) and there is no way to see when you made additions/changes to what entity . However, you may have some overview with external Source code control tools or the excellent Autohistory tool http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudio/archive/2014/01/23/auto-history-extension-in-visual-studio-2013.aspx. Unfortunately this is only supported up until VS 2015. | ||
| 7 | Search/compare through a whole project | Possible per AEF. | I use Devart Code compare; from VS you can only compare per PRG (.cs etc). Comparing a whole project will take much more time; you have to install something like https://comparisontools.codeplex.com/ which shows which programs differer but not (directly) where. | ||
| 8 | Compare results | This is a VOPP option using the quite old CSDiff, but Devart Codde compare can be used too | Difference result in this program is side by side with arrows and blocks | ||
| 9 | Include generally used code | Very easy. Just go to the project and point to one or more of the available libraries. Order of adding these can be important though. | You need to add #using/#include statement in every program. You also have to be very careful where to put the code; I entered #define (s) at the end of a .prg and as a result the code above it did not compile | ||
| 10 | Overview of code | Can easily be organized in AEF/MEF/entities with listview directly showing a screen full of AEFs/ MEFs/entities/ | Very unorganized. Code shows in a treeview so with anything bigger than a small program you miss every overview. Code can be moved to directories to have at least some organization. Entities can be displayed/opened from a listbox but only in natural order | ||
| 11 | Exporting code | It is easy to export anything as one file containing everything: AEF/MEF/PRG. These export files are more subject to corruption although I have not experienced that anymore since 2.8 | Export contains many different files and you have to organize them manually in directories. Possible by making a ZIP, in which case programmers may prefer the directly readable source above the AEF/MEF files | ||
| 12 | Organizing the IDE | The organization seems quite logical including opening windows and position and size can be stored | The organization looks illogical if unchanged but there are many options to (re)organize the positions and the way windows open (including positions on a second monitor). However, it is almost impossible to organize it really well. E.g. Find and Find Results can not be minimized | ||
| 13 | Opening multiple windows with the same code | You can open the same code in a vertical/horizontal or combined view. Opening such a view is a simple click on the Vertical and/or Horizontal split button. |
You
can open the same code in a vertical or horizontal view (VS also multiple
times) but not both (menu option in the tab). You can also open a tab
multiple times by doubleclicking on it (VS). However in VS e.g. a vertical tab group means: 1 Select the tab for the file you want to split vertically 2 Make a copy of the window by going to Window | New Window on your Menu Bar 3 Go to Window | New Vertical Tab Group to split the copies 4 Sometimes there's a 4th step: drag the mouse to get a usable division of data |
||
| 14 | Stability of the IDE | Normally stable with one exception: breaking debugged code often crashes the IDE | Seems stable in most conditions but crashes are not uncommon, also unexpected results as sudden relocaed windows, spaces replaced by tabs, etc. | ||
| 15 | Context help | Well available | Very limited. I have been directed sometimes, but not all times, to the descriptions of errors. I've not yet seen any C# or Vulcan statement explained by pressing Shift F1 | ||
| 16 | Intellisense availability | Immediate | Original issue that you have to wait seconds before you see something every time while VS displays “The documentation cache is still being constructed. Please try again in a few seconds.”. is fixed. Editor does not expand earlier used variables. | ||
| 17 | Intellisense use | Tooltips will show the whole function/method and the parameters used; on typing you can see in bold the current parameter. VO remembers already typed variables directly and suggest them to reuse | Tooltips sometimes complete, but many times simply absent (this should not happen but despite correct settings in VS it does). VS doesn't remember last typed variables when you want to reuse them elsewhere (e.g. first using and then defining them means you have to type the variable name twice) | Tooltips with full parameters complete in VIDE | |
| 18 | Debugger use and inspect values | The debugger is fairly limited. To inspect variables, you need to open a window and click in treeviews or type the name using Ctrl X | The debugger seems to have more options (like conditional breaks which may actually work) and the currently used variables are directly displayed. However, in some situations (debugging WPF) the debugger points to the begin line of tjhe program and finding the real error takes many steps. Also limited compatibility with X#/Vulcan (e.g. aMyArray[3,5] is not possible and tree view with array content is a mess | ||
| 19 | Debugger changing variables | First type Ctrl X and then manually enter an assign to any variable | Just click in the variable and change the value | ||
| 20 | Immediate Window and current expressions | Ctrl X allows entering VO code but showing variable content is limited to a few 100 characters | Full variable content can be made visible which is good.However, immmediate Window is hardly usable in X#/Vulcan as it requires C# commands which are to make it worse case sensitive without the user knowing which casing a 'converted command' requires. You basically have to convert everything to a C# style with lots of trial and error | Unknown | |
| 21 | Setting breakpoints | F9 breakpoints are stored and can be switched on/off also during debugging | F9 breakpoints are stored and can be switched on/off also during debugging | ||
| 22 | Making code changes while debugging | Not possible | "Edit and Continue" option, but not in X#/Vulcan | ||
| 23 | Debugging after run time errors | Shows full call stack with debug information and from IDE it is possible to directly go to error line and investigate or change | Run time errors are limited to "The program stopped working" and in VS, you first have to select how and where to start a debugger ("New version of VS" - why should anyone want that?). There is ample information available (after much clicking) but limited options to continue. So debugging takes much more time | Unknown | |
| 24 | Step back and look at variable values at earlier stages of execution |
Not possible | Intellitrace - only available in VS Ultimate (for Vulcan too) - current price 14.643 EUR! | ||
| 25 | Extending classes | You can extend classes everywhere in your code, including standard classes | It is not possible to extend standard classes. Not a real problem - subclassing will do the job, but some programs may need quite some revision! Quite some .net classes are "sealed" ; subclassing is not possible without workarounds | ||
| 26 | Where to place code | Anywhere. However, placing methods of one class spread over mef's/aef's makes it difficult to overview all | All methods of one class have to be in one .prg. However, you can use PARTIAL class to add code elsewhere and use VS drop down to go to any entity of that class | ||
| 27 | Bookmarks/remarks | Bookmarks can be placed. Comments can be added in overview but you can not quickly go to comments in code unless by searching "your own assigned token" | Apart from bookmarks, View/Tasklists offers adding shortcuts/ comments and ToDo's to which you can quickly jump | ||
| 28 | Safety/recovery | VOPS allows saving code after ending the project or on certain times. Manual reconstruction from this code after a crash is the only way to rebuild a project | No (built in, maybe external?) way to save current code. Autorecover should allow recovery after a crash. I've experienced one crash and nothing was recovered on restarting; I had to manually rename back entities in the directory to match what VS still thought they were called | ||
| 29 | Availability code samples and help | Limited; shrinking community. Windows API does not give access to any functionality like it used to | Large community for C#, small (but very helpful!) for X#/Vulcan. .Net offers many pre-defined classes; WPF has more options than Windows Forms; all accessible through VS/Vulcan/X# | ||
| 30 | Shortcut keys | Often used shortcut keys have a logical and/or one stroke shortcut key (e.g. Ctrl B to both comment and uncomment selected code). Code phrases can be assigned an abbreviation | Two stroke keys (you can not assign 1 stroke) without much logic. Ctrl K Ctrl C is comment on and and Ctrl K Ctrl U is comment off. More work. Code phrases (snippets) have to be selected from an Intellisense menu and hence are more work to enter | Ctrl B to both (un)comment available in VIDE. Instead of snippets: \VIDE\Config\Template.cfg can contain all possible abbreviations which show in tooltip and expand to the code with Tab, like in VO, which works very efficient | |
| 31 | Compilation results | You can quickly sort programs on their compilation status and also see in the tree view which ones are uncompiled and which ones not | You have to sort on filename in the error output window to find out what compiled and what didn't. There's no way to see that in your Solution Explorer. This is especially a problem when you have just transported multiple applications from VO, usually resulting in up to 10.000's of errors and warnings | ||
| 32 | (Smart) indenting code, parameter info | Code automatically indents after typing IF. DO WHILE and pressing Enter. Or you can select all code and choose indent from the Edit/Intellisense menu to indent | Smart indent on typing and highlighting the currently typed paramater is available in X#/Vulcan within VS but is less smart than in VO. In C# it doesn't work when your previous line contains an error (e.g. forgotten ;) Indenting selected or code available through Edit/Advanced, Format Selection or Document. VulcanProductivity.vsix option via right mouse menu, Vulcan, Format seems to have gone. | Fully implemented within VIDE | |
| 33 | Modern language elements | The language elements mentioned in the next cell are not present in VO. Method overloading can be simulated by creating a method with another name, calling the main method while using a default value for the missing parameter | Vulcan/X# contains language elements to better structure a program (Interfaces, properties, FOR..EACH statement, #Region/#Endregion, generics, lists). Also Vulcan supports method overloading, which allows to use multiple versions of strong typed methods with different number of parameters. | ||
| 34 | Reflection | VO code is closed and can not be shared with other languages. This also means that nobody can see your code (meaningful) from an installed program. As these can be considered both a disadvantage and an advantage this cell is kept orange. | As .Net code creates I(ntermediate) L(anguage) it is easy to convert your code to other languages, although of course it's by far no 100% readable translation. However, anyone can see your code this way, including e.g. checking of passwords unless you use a obfuscator to prevent that. As these can be considered both an advantage and a disadvantage (at least it's more work to keep your code hidden) this cell is kept orange. | ||
| 35 | 64 bit and Unicode | Not supported. It is likely that future VO programs can not function together with other programs which require 64 bits | Supported. | ||
| 36 | Custom Events | Not supported | Supported. This makes it much easier to let your program react on events a VO program may not trigger. | ||
| 37 | Footprint | Relatively large exe files and the need for a full set of DLL's which should be kept up to date | Small exe size and less DLL's; much is in the /Net framework | ||
| 38 | Windows supported | Only VO style windows with limited number of control , limited options and few 3rd party tools | Supports native VO windows; Winforms and WPF forms. It is advisable to convert the VO forms to at least Winforms (more controls + control options; mature product with lots of tools; 1:1 Vulcan code-form design) or WPF (latest MS technology, fast, uses only one handle, 1:1 XAML code-design) with even more options, animation, but more difficult to learn implementing. Conversion can be done via Facelift, see http://www.vulcanmindmeld.net/cms/Products/tabid/86/language/en-AU/Default.aspx | Supports native VO windows, and Winforms; WPF not yet (but planned) | |
| 39 | Plugins to enhance functionality | Apart from VOPP, not much |
Many plug ins, unfortunately through multiple different methods: 1 Tools/NuGet Packmanager, an ancient CP/M like style prompt Package Manager Console 2 Tools/Add in manager - wisely deprecated in Visual Studio 2013 but menu choice still available 3 Tools/Extensions and updates |
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| 40 | Find results | Results organized in well placed window and also showing the method/entity where the search key was found | Results organized in often misplaced window which can't be minimized and do not include the method/entity name, only the full .prg/.cs etc where the search key was found | ||
| 41 | Opening a method called from another method | This moves the cursor to that method but it's usually easier to return to the method because you will often have only this or a few methods open. You could also with 1 click open a second window and search there so the original positions remains unchanged in the 1st window. However, no Peek option | Going to called method means you have to find the start position again which is, because of the mess of many methods in one .prg/.cs etc a lot of work. You could open a second window and search from there to cope with that problem. The disadvantages are compensated by the Peek option, opening a window within the edit window with the called method | ||
| 42 | Collapsing code | Not possible | Possible | ||
| 43 | Setting Debug options | Can easily be set or reset with the option Debug, either for a whole AEF, a whole MEF, or selected entities | Can only be set by
adding [System.Diagnostics.DebuggerHidden()]; before every method which you want to skip during debugging. In the worst case, you have to manually remove 1000's lines of code containing [System.Diagnostics.DebuggerHidden()]; (and later add these again) where it is done literally one checkbox (in an AEF with 100's of entities) in VO | ||