Re: Javac settings

Hi Svata,

thank you for your feedback. Inline...

Svata Dedic wrote:
> Jan Rojcek wrote:
> 
>> Hello team,
>>
>> I am proposing the following javac customizer pane for use in Figures 
>> 2, 49 and 53 (in the space for rent) of java project spec. The 
>> components are in default state:
>>
>> +------------------------------------------------- +
>> | [ ] Enable JDK 1.4 Sources                       |
>> | [x] Generate All Debugging Info                  |
>> | [ ] Report No Warnings                           |
>> | [ ] Report Usage of Deprecated Members           |
>> |                                                  |
>> |  Additional javac Options:                       |
>> |  +--------------------------------------------+  |
>> |  |                                            |  |
>> |  +--------------------------------------------+  |
>> +--------------------------------------------------+
>>
> 
> [snip]
> 
>> Note:
>> "Optimize" is an option shown in the current (NB3.5) external compiler 
>> options. I haven't found such option listed between javac options. Was 
>> this option used with different external compilers?
> 
> 
> Try "javac -?". The option for optimize is "-O".
> 

I found it but not in JDK1.4.1. Was it removed? It isn't documented in 
manual pages of javac, either.

> Missing options:
> -encoding
> See "javac -?" output + documentation for more details.
> 

I would leave the encoding option for the additional options text field. 
Do you find it an important option?

> -J-Xmx for the javac's virtual machine: if large project is compiled, 
> the compiler may run out of memory with the standard heap size. This 
> option is adopted by other IDEs in the GUI.
> 

Fine, this should be exposed in the gui.

> Possibly missing:
> - way to generate NO debugging info at all (if you do not pass -g:none, 
> the javac will assume -g:lines,source). Having to type such obscure 
> syntax into the free-text area is clumsy, IMHO
> 

I think usage of no debugging info is rare. OTOH, the name "Generate All 
Debugging Info" doesn't say what info is generated when unchecked. So 
probably a checkbox "Generate Debugging Info:" with combobox containing 
two choices: "Sources, Lines, Vars", "Sources, Lines" would be better.

> Possibly overstrict:
> "Enable JDK 1.4 Sources" -- this one appeared first time with JDK-1.4, 
> but according to what is already known about the projected JDK-1.5, the 
> language will change again. At that time, the checkbox should be 
> replaced by a drop-down chooser of language flavours.
> If the checkbox should remain there, then maybe we could make the name 
> more "user-friendly": the only real thing it controls is whether the 
> compiler accepts "assert" as keyword (defined in JDK 1.4). So maybe 
> "Enable asserts".
> 

I am for keeping the specific checkbox for 1.4, and renaming it.

> Note: while "target platform" specifies tools, and libraries, "-target" 
> switch specifically affects the version number of generated .class 
> files, inner class translation etc. I am almost sure that the "target" 
> option would be always set to the value of the selected target platform, 
> but I would be glad if someone verifies the assumption.
> 

I hope this can be left for the free-options area.

So, the javac customizer would look like this:

+---------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                         |
| [ ] Enable Asserts           +--------------------+---+ |
| [x] Generate Debugging Info: |Sources, Lines, Vars| v | |
| [x] Report Warnings          +--------------------+---+ |
| [ ] Report Deprecations                                 |
|                                                         |
|                              +------------------+       |
|  Maximum Heap Size (MBytes): |                  |       |
|                              +------------------+       |
|                                                         |
|  Additional Javac Options:                              |
|  +----------------------------------------------------+ |
|  |                                                    | |
|  +----------------------------------------------------+ |
+---------------------------------------------------------+

Would that work?

Thank you,
Jano