Imagix 4D User Guide |
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
Using Imagix 4D
Imagix 4D helps you analyze, document and improve complex, third party or legacy C, C++ and Java software. It speeds your comprehension of programs that are large, complex, unfamiliar or old, by automating the browsing and analysis of your code. You can use the tool to rapidly review or systematically study your software on any level -- from its high level architecture to the detailed program logic of individual functions. You can visually explore a wide range of aspects about your software - including control structures, data usage, and class inheritance. Through this process, you can achieve faster, more accurate program understanding, resulting in higher productivity and fewer software defects.
The quality analysis features of Imagix 4D help you to identify potential problems in the development and maintenance of your software. A series of analytical verifications of variable usage, task interaction and interrupt protection enable you to spot potential conflicts in real-time embedded and multi-tasking, multi-threaded systems. You can use source checks to find exceptions to generally agreed upon design and coding standards for clarity and portability. And software metrics help you manage your development process and spot areas of your software that don't meet your organizational criteria for testability and maintainability.
Imagix 4D also eliminates much of the drudgery involved with creating documents for structure analysis, code reviews and system design documentation. You're assured of comprehensive, accurate, up-to-date information through automatically generated documents, available in a number of formats, including RTF and HTML.
This section of the User Guide describes the underlying data model upon which Imagix 4D is built. Converting this data into useful information that speeds your program understanding is the focus of the Imagix 4D user interface.
The main Imagix 4D display is divided into three panels. The Main panel is located in the upper, right side of the display. Probably the most significant part of the user interface, the Main panel contains a series of display windows. Each of these is optimized to speed your comprehension of a specific aspect of the software you're studying. As you use the tool, you're able to refocus these windows or invoke additional instances, in order to delve further into your examination.
Two complimentary panels, the Project panel and the Symbol panel, lie to the left and below the Main panel, respectively. The Project panel provides broad overview and navigation though a series of tabs that pertain to the full scope of the software being analyzed. The Symbol panel contains detailed information about one specific symbol, aiding in understanding many different aspects of that symbol; it also serves as a navigation center.
This section describes each of the various displays and query mechanisms that are available. These descriptions are included primarily to provide a general familiarity, and, in the case of the reports, reference information about the report contents. The best way to learn about actually using the displays and queries is through Imagix 4D's Context Sensitive Help (KEY [F1]), which provides more complete information about the displays and their controls.