ECB - the Emacs Code Browser: Overview

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# 2. Overview

ECB is a global minor-mode which offers a few ECB-windows for browsing your sources comfortable with the mouse and the keyboard. These "special" windows are also called tree-buffer in this manual. Every item in such a tree-buffer, i.e. every line, is also called a node of this tree-buffer. There are currently three different types of ECB-windows/tree-buffers:

- ECB-Directories
- ECB-Sources
- ECB-Methods

In addition to these "special" ECB-windows you have always one or two edit-windows (see section 4.3 Working with the edit-window) in the ECB-frame and at the bottom a compilation-window (optional), where all the output of Emacs-compilation (compile, grep etc.) is shown (see section 4.4 Temp- and compile-buffers display in ECB).

The following "ascii-screenshot" illustrates the typical layout of the ECB-frame(2):

    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    |              |                                                 |
    |  Directories |                                                 |
    |              |                                                 |
    |--------------|                                                 |
    |              |                                                 |
    |  Sources     |                                                 |
    |              |                                                 |
    |--------------|                 Edit-window(s)                  |
    |              |        (can be splitted in two windows)         |
    |  Methods     |                                                 |
    |              |                                                 |
    |--------------|                                                 |
    |              |                                                 |
    |  History     |                                                 |
    |              |                                                 |
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    |                                                                |
    |                 Compilation-window (optional)                  |
    |                                                                |
    ------------------------------------------------------------------

In the following subsections the "special" ECB-windows will be explained in detail.

> 2.1 ECB Directories |  | Contents of the ECB Directories-buffer
> 2.2 ECB Sources |  | Contents of the ECB Sources/history-buffer
> 2.3 ECB Methods |  | Contents of the ECB Methods-buffer

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## 2.1 ECB Directories

- Select directories (and - if enabled - source files) in the ECB-Directories buffer by clicking a mouse button on the directory name or by hitting RETURN when the cursor is placed on the item line, See section 4. Usage of ECB.

- Directory names with a "[+]" symbol after (or before) them can be expanded/collapsed by clicking on the symbol, pressing the TAB key when the cursor is placed on the package line or clicking a mouse button on the item, See section 4. Usage of ECB.

- Right clicking on an item will open a popup menu where different operations on the item under the mouse cursor can be performed.

- Pressing F2 will open the ECB customization group (see section 5. Customizing ECB) in the edit window. F3 shows the online help in the edit-window. Pressing F4 in the ECB-directories buffer will offer adding a new source-path.

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## 2.2 ECB Sources

- Source files can be selected by clicking a mouse button (see section 4.1 Working with the mouse in the ECB-windows) or hitting RETURN (see section 4.2 Working with the keyboard in the ECB-windows) on the source row in the ECB-Sources or ECB- History windows.

  IMPORTANT: If you hold down the SHIFT-key while clicking with the primary mouse button (see section 4.1 Working with the mouse in the ECB-windows) or RETURN (see section 4.2 Working with the keyboard in the ECB-windows) on a source row in the ECB-Sources or ECB-History windows then the source will not be displayed in the edit-window but it will be scanned in the background and all its contents (e.g. methods and variables) are listed in the ECB Methods window (see section 2.3 ECB Methods. So you can get an overlook over the source without changing the buffer in the edit-window.

- Clicking on the source file with the secondary mouse button or C-RETURN (see section 4. Usage of ECB) will open the source file in the other edit window.

- Right clicking on a source file will open a popup menu where different operation on the item under the mouse cursor can be performed.

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## 2.3 ECB Methods

- The ECB-Methods buffer contains the methods (and variables, if you want) in the selected source file. When a method/variable is selected with the primary mouse button or RETURN (see section 4. Usage of ECB) the edit buffer will jump to the method/variable.

- Clicking on a method/variable with the secondary mouse button or C-RETURN (see section 4. Usage of ECB) will jump to the method in the other edit window.

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