RE: IDE

[Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com>]

> > TAGS files are typically for definitions, but they can be for
> > anything, including "usages of fields, methods, types".  You
> > could have different TAGS files for each of these "usages",
> > and use (search) them selectively or together.
> 
> What if different objects have fields or methods of the same name?
> 
> E.g. there is field called 'name' in lots of classes and I want to
> find all usage of a name field, but only with certain object types
> and there is code like:
> 
>    obj->name

That's why I mentioned creation of TAGS files that make such
distinctions.  Separate files for separate such usages, for
example.  (The files can be mixed-and-matched when used.)

A TAGS file is just an index.  It can index anything you like -
not just function and variable definitions.  Of course, as I said,
code to write such sophisticated TAGS files would need to be written.

> TAGS files have considerable limitiations compared to techniques
> which actually understand the code.

TAGS files are written by programs that "actually understand
the code".

The understanding of the existing tags-file-creation programs
is not up to the task.  Granted.  But a program that does
understand the code in a deeper way could write better TAGS
files.  That was my point.

IOW, the answer is not there yet, but TAGS files were designed
for precisely this use, and they have been used for it for a
long time.  What's needed is code that writes the TAGS files
needed today, for the languages and contexts used today.