6.7 The symbol browser

The symbol browser allows to nd all occurrences of a symbol. A symbol can be a variable, type, procedure or constant that occurs in the program or unit sources.

To enable the symbol browser, the program or unit must be compiled with browser information. This can be done by setting the browser information options in the compiler options dialog.

The IDE allows to browse several types of symbols:

procedures: Allows to quickly jump to a procedure denition or implementation.
Objects: Allows to quickly browse an object.
Modules: Allows to browse a module.
Globals: Allows to browse any global symbol.
Arbitrary symbol: Allows to browse an arbitrary symbol.

In all cases, rst a symbol to be browsed must be selected. After that, a browse window appears. In the browse window, all locations where the symbol was encountered are shown. Selecting a location and pressing the space bar will cause the editor to jump to that location; the line containing the symbol will be highlighted.

If the location is in a source le that is not yet displayed, a new window will be opened with the source le loaded.

After the desired location was reached, the browser window can be closed with the usual commands.

The behaviour of the browser can be customized with the browser options dialog, using the "Options|Browser" menu. The browser options dialog looks like gure (6.9).

Figure 6.9:

The browser options dialog.

The following options can be set in the browser options dialog:

Symbols

Here the types of symbols displayed in the browser can be selected:

Labels: labels are shown.
Constants: Constants are shown.
Types: Types are shown.
Variables: Variables are shown.
Procedures: Procedures are shown.
Inherited

Sub-browsing

Species what the browser should do when displaying the members of a complex symbol such as a record or class:

New browser: The members are shown in a new browser window.
Replace current: The contents of the current window are replaced with the members of the selected complex symbol.

Preferred pane

Species what pane is shown in the browser when it is initially opened:

scope
Reference

Display

Determines how the browser should display the symbols:

Qualied symbols
Sort always: sorts the symbols in the browser window.

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