Plan for Sam Bacsa

I don't mean for this to completely push my other .plan from the importance-ness, so please read that, too, if you get a chance.

Since I had to release an update to fix some issues with Windows 2000 systems not generating the hardware key correctly (and consequently causing an exception), I'm also releasing a feature that I wanted to save for the next delta... but here it is anyway.

First off, list of major changes:

- Fixed issue with machine code generation causing exceptions on certain Windows 2000 systems
- Fixed the method by which projects are opened to speed up loading time
- Fixed the fact that class properties weren't showing up in member completion (auto-complete)
- Added Snippeter

So, just to dive into Snippeter for a second:

Snippeter is a codeblock management system. It allows you to store code for re-use in a convenient, searchable interface which then writes to an XML file for easy modification or access outside of TorqueDev.

If you download the update using the update wizard, you should see the Snippeter docking panel on the right-hand side:



If you can't see it, go to Window->Show All Developer Tabs, and it should appear.

You can store codeblocks in three different ways:
- Right-click on the Snippeter treeview and click "Add New Snippet"
- Highlight any code in the code editor and click "Create Snippet"
- Right-click on the Snippeter treeview and click "Import Snippet"

(The latter method will be discussed in greater detail in a bit)

Regardless of which approach you take, you should have the following dialog appear:



You can fill out all the fields here and edit your code snippet should you need to do so (you'll get a blank codebox if you didn't use method #2 or #3 above). Note that the codebox in the snippet window does not have autocomplete or any other enhancements. It simply syntax-highlights. The only fields that are requred are title, category, and the code.

The words you place in keywords will be used when searching, so desciptive words.

When you click Create (or Import via method #3), your snippet will appear in the Snippeter menu.




You can now paste your code snippet in any active editor by double-clicking on the snippet in the list. You can copy the snippet's code to the clipboard by right-clicking and selecting "Copy Code to Clipboard".

The most powerful feature, however, is the "Copy Shortcut" feature. If you right-click on the snippet and select "Copy Shortcut", your snippet will be automatically uploaded to the TorqueDev Snippeter database and a URL will be placed into your clipboard. You can then pate this link to anyone, and they will receive all the information about your snippet (including the metadata details), plus a syntax-highlighted representation of your code.

Click the link below to see a sample codeblock:
http://www.torquedev.com/network/snippetter.php?op=showcode&id=1


If you want to import someone's snippet, complete with metadata, you can utilize the "Import Snippet" function in the right-click menu. Enter the snippet ID that is listed on the web page and it will be automatically imported.


Snippets are cached in the TorqueDev repository indefinitely so long as someone visits your snippet once every thirty days. If there is no activity on a snippet after 30 days it is cleared. A snippet can be re-uploaded easily by selecting "Copy Shortcut" again in the context menu. The system will recognize that the snippet was deleted and will upload a fresh copy.


This service is provided free of charge to all TorqueDev users. I sincerely hope that it is useful and fills some sort of niche.

Any questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome via the forums or e-mail. Bugs should go to the bug reports site.


PS - The maximum size of a code snippet is 20 KB to be able to utilize the Copy Shortcut feature.


The update is available through the update wizard application. You can grab a copy of TorqueDev here.