More cTags Questions

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mgag
Posts: 70
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:09 pm

More cTags Questions

Post by mgag »

I have some confustion about how to <best> configure Zeus to handle my working environment, specifically when it comes to ctags.

Maybe the shortest route to an answer is to understand the difference between setting up ctags thru the Workspace versus thru Tags Database (in the OPtions menu). It seems to me that sometimes these two things are different, but conflicting...?

Ideally, I would have different ctags databases loaded for different workspaces that I have configured.

When opening a new Workspace, I don't want the ctags database updated; I only want the database updated when I set the "timer" (a new feature you are working on) in the Workspace options.

Recall that my environment has a huge number of files (>100k), and my ctags database is also large, >100MB.
jussij
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Post by jussij »

Maybe the shortest route to an answer is to understand the difference between setting up ctags thru the Workspace versus thru Tags Database (in the Options menu).
The first thing to remember is the tags database is used for searching (i.e Tags, Find menu) and for display (i.e. in the Classes panel of the workspace).

So the first difference is only the tags database of the workspace can be displayed in the Classes panel but both databases can be searched.

By default the tag database for the current workspace is always searched, but for any other tag database, they only get searched if the database is defined in Tags Database section of the current document type or the default document type.
It seems to me that sometimes these two things are different, but conflicting...?
Both methods will create a tag database and really the major difference is the Workspace method has options to keep the tag database up to date.

The Tag Database Builder option should only be used to create a static tag database from a code base that never changes, for example from C runtime library headers, Java JDK 1.6 source files, Win32 SDK header etc.
Ideally, I would have different ctags databases loaded for different workspaces that I have configured.
Because the code is changing it is best to use the Workspace method to create and maintain the tag database.
When opening a new Workspace, I don't want the ctags database updated;

Go to the Workspace, Options, Tags section and turn of the automatic update option.
I only want the database updated when I set the "timer" (a new feature you are working on) in the Workspace options.

This option will be in the next patch release ;)

Cheers Jussi
mgag
Posts: 70
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:09 pm

Long Load Times

Post by mgag »

I create the Workspace, and build the tags database (which takes ~1 hour), and set the Workspace options not to update automatically, and set the timer to Zero minutes.

However, when open the Workspace it still takes ~15mintues for it to load. I can see from the Task Manager that it is not rebuilding the cTags, but I see the memory resources for Zeus getting larger. So it must be loading some portion of the cTags databases that was created by the Workspace Builder.
jussij
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Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:10 pm

Post by jussij »

However, when open the Workspace it still takes ~15mintues for it to load. I can see from the Task Manager that it is not rebuilding the cTags, but I see the memory resources for Zeus getting larger. So it must be loading some portion of the cTags databases that was created by the Workspace Builder.
Zeus still loads the high level structure of the tags database into the workspace and class browser panels of the navigator dialog.

With such a long load time I would expect these two panels to be quite full in terms of number of items.

What happens if you use the View menu to hide the navigator all together :?:

Cheers Jussi
mgag
Posts: 70
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:09 pm

Workspace cTags

Post by mgag »

The time to load is the same regardless of whether the Navigator is open or not.

My smallest project that I could define that it useful to me took about an hour to build in the Workspace builder, and the memory resources consumed about 2GB at one point. When I load the workspace, it takes ~330MB to load it. My PC has 2GB of memory. The loading time for this project is about 2min - which is not too bad.

Larger projects that I have tried don't build, the PC seems to crash.

Does a workspace always have to create a cTags database? It would be nice to opt out, have it build the tags later as specified in the Workspace options for the Tags.
jussij
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Posts: 2650
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:10 pm

Post by jussij »

Larger projects that I have tried don't build, the PC seems to crash.
This is probably some sort of memory issue :?
Does a workspace always have to create a cTags database?

Just untick the Options, Editor Options menu, Tags panel, Use the built-in Workspace ctags builder option ;)
It would be nice to opt out, have it build the tags later as specified in the Workspace options for the Tags.
This option does exist. It is found in the Workspace Options menu in the Tags panel.

Cheers Jussi
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