CMaster Version installs into THINK 5/6/7 and Symantec C++ for Macintosh, and enhances its editing environment. Users from around the world have declared on their registration cards that CMaster both improves their productivity and their enjoyment of programming. CMaster 1 was first introduced for THINK 4 in 1991, and free updates to it have been posted to online services since that date. CMaster 2 was introduced in June, 1994.
CMaster 1 received a 5-mouse rating from MacUser.
Read on for CMaster 2 feature information, a screen shot of CMaster in action, how to contact the publisher (Jersey Scientific Inc), and a review of CMaster posted on the Internet.
BENEFITS:
CMaster installs inside THINK Project Manager, and enhances its environment. It provides programmer tools which reduce the time it takes to navigate and build code.
Also, it lets you modify the programming environment in ways that best suit your desires; for instance, you can access almost all features from either the keyboard, menus, or by pressing on icons. In addition, you can decide where to put various window widgets, and color then as well as window text and the background.
CMaster was designed by developers who use CMaster and THINK compilors several hours a day, and whose goal is to have their computers do the tedious tasks so they can concentrate on the creative aspects of programming.
FEATURES:
CMaster's features can be accessed through a menu bar located in the window title bar, through an icon bar located on the left side of text windows, or through keyboard equivalents. Several dialog boxes chock full of checkboxes and radio buttons provide customization options, and allow disabling of either or both the menu and icon bars.
CMaster Version Features:
• Jump to any function, #pragma marks, start and end of file and functions, and index through a file function by function
• Function prototyper works on an individual function or a whole file; accepts both ANSI style and older first edition function declarations
• Save and retrieve text using push-down stack style clipboards
• MPW-style window position save and restore
• Comment/uncomment with /*...*/ or // style comments, or #ifdef blocks of text
• Set and goto markers with one mouse click
• Paren/brace/bracket/comment "kissing"
• ENTER key returns you to previous place of editing
• Make windows outside the project tree hierarchy read-only
• C-oriented double clicking selects expressions like "(*foo)->goop[i].val" quickly
• Double-click a word and quickly search forwards or backwards for other occurrences
• Keyboard functions like line join, select line, move forward one word, etc
• 'vers' resource editor
• Multiple monitor zooming and cleanup.
• Record and playback keyboard macros.
• Glossaries that expand varaibles such as the time and current file name.
• Develop your own CMaster externals with the enclosed developer kit.
• Keyboard equivalent feature lets you map key strokes to most features, including Macros, Glossaries, and AppleScripts.
See the README file in the CMaster Demo folder for more information. You can write us for more information at:
Jersey Scientific, Inc
291 Springfield Ave Ste 201
Berkeley Heights NJ 07922
USA
However, the best way for you to contact us is by emailing us at one of the below addresses:
CSI: 70400,3361
APPLELINK: JERSCI
INTERNET: 70400.3361@compuserve.com
You could FAX us at:
FAX: 908.464.3458
If all else fails, you can call us at:
PHONE: 212.736.0406
CMASTER VERSION 1 REVIEW #1:
I've had a couple people ask me about the CMaster package I mentioned,
so I thought I'd post a more thorough explanation of what it is and
what it does.
First of all, CMaster installs (when you install the package) a couple
of resources into THINK C and modifies two others in order to patch
itself into THINK C when a project opens (including a new WDEF and a
couple of code resources). It patches a couple of system routines
(e.g. GetNextEvent/WaitNextEvent) and a couple of THINK C routines --
all of this so that CMaster sees Events before THINK C and can modify
or handle them first. The bulk of CMaster is stored in a file in the
System Folder, along with a prefs file, and is loaded in as necessary.
Basically, CMaster is an extension to THINK C, adding a number of
editing capabilities that are (in my opinion) quite useful to the
programmer.
When you open up a file (source or headers), you get a window that is
somewhat modified from the standard editor window. There CMaster puts a
row of clickable icons down the left side of the window (each performs a
different function -- more on this later), the title bar is modified to have
one or more popup menus, and one menu (called, not surprisingly, "CMaster")
is added to the menuBar.
The icons along the left edge of the window perform a number of functions,
including:
- forward/reverse searches
- commenting/uncommenting the selected text (or, if a user-definable
modifier key is pressed, inserting/removing #ifdef/#endif around the
selected text)
- multiple clipboards, each of which can be a first-in-first-out stack
(and can be modifier-clicked to show what is in the clipboard)
- several markers (allows you to mark a location in your code by clicking
on the icon and return to it later by clicking in the lower half of the
icon later -- on a mouseDown for longer than some definable number of
ticks, this icon will show the context of the mark)
- produce function prototypes of all of the functions within the current
selection (or the whole file if no selection), pushing the prototypes
onto the clipboard for pasting wherever you want
- scroll the window until the cursor is at the {top,middle,bottom} of the
screen OR with a modifier key, go to {top,middle,bottom} of the file
(with command key) or the current function (with option key).
The menus that are available to be put on the window's title bar are:
- C -- the same as the CMaster menu put in the main menubar
- Actions -- menu equivalents to the icons
- Markers -- a list of all of the C functions in the file, lines
beginning with "#pragma mark", and any THINK C 5.0 marks
(listed in the order in the file, or, with a modifier key,
in alphabetical order); selecting one of these items jumps
directly to that function, line or marker
- Files -- a list of all #included files (don't need a modifier key)
The CMaster menu has several items that put up dialog windows to modify
CMasters actions, including which icons to show, which menus to use, etc.
Furthermore, CMaster has user-definable key-equivalents to all of its
functions and to some of those of THINK C and to some other functions
(e.g. forward character delete, line join, etc.).
Some other functions that I've gotten very used to having (i.e. I would
be frustrated if I had to go back to programming without them) are:
- "Kissing" -- when you type a right {parenthesis,bracket,brace},
CMaster briefly highlights the matching left {parenthesis,bracket,brace}
or beeping if it cannot find the matching one (this is definable --
you can turn off any of ')', ']', or '}', and the beeping function).
- Window location memory using the same resource ('MPSR' # 1005) that
MPW uses (also includes the position of the scrolling of the file and
the current selection). CMaster allows you to use, ignore, or
selectively use this info.
- CMaster includes a "SnapBack" function -- if you use the Marker menu
or THINK C's "Find..." to go to another part of your file (such that
the old selection point is off the screen), then the Enter key will
SnapBack to your old insertion point.
- "Animated Thumb" -- the thumb of the scroll-bar allows you to scan
through the file in real-time as you drag the thumb.
- THINK C's double-click selects an alphanumeric word. CMaster modifies
this so that if it is a CONTROL-double-click, it uses more of a C
oriented definition of "word"; for example, a CONTROL-double-click on
either "foo" or "bar" of "foo[0]->bar" would select the whole string.
- a 'vers' editor (it assumes you use the convention of naming your
project's resource file as projectname.rsrc) to create and modify
both ID 0 and ID 1 'vers' version resources.
Well, this is a summary of CMaster. On a more subjective level, I have
found it very useful, especially the prototype generator (with THINK C 5.0
having the option of requiring prototypes, it is WONDERFUL to be able to
quickly generate the prototypes of all the functions in a source file),
and the {[(-kissing feature (highlighting the matching left one, beep if
you forgot to put one in :-). And the Markers menu is invaluable --
especially in debugging code -- it has saved me much time being able to
jump directly from one function to another without the necessity of
searching for functions in long source files.
Oh, the last price I heard was [CMaster 1 Price] (but that was some time ago, so
don't hold me to it). Address, phone number, etc., for Jersey Scientific:
Jersey Scientific, Inc.
545 Eighth Ave., 19th Floor
New York, NY 10018
(212) 736-0406
FAX: (212) 947-4981
e-mail: Applelink: jersci
Internet: jersci@applelink.apple.com
Compuserve: 70400,3361
If you send e-mail to them, include your USMail address in your e-mail so
that they can send you whatever info you need. (Apparently it costs them
$$$ to send stuff from Applelink.)
(Standard disclaimer: I have no connection with Jersey Scientific other than
being a satisfied CMaster customer. And as for the AAE Dept of UIUC or the
UIUC in general ... I'm just a grad student ... they hardly know I exist. :-)
Erik A. Johnson \ Internet: johnsone@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu \ |
