tools / IDE that highlight function definition on which files [just wondering]

Question

hi guys

is there already any IDE / tools that if you highlight a function name, it will open the file where that function is defined on the next window so we could understaand what that function does?

you know just wondering.

Answer 1

Visual Studio has a "Go To Definition" feature available in its text editor. When the cursor is on a varible, function, class, and so on, you can right-click and select the "Go To Definition" menu item and it will take you to where the function is defined. If the definition is part of the .NET Framework, the feature will "jump" to the definition in the Object Browser for VB.NET projects or to the "meta-data" of C# projects

Answer 2

In Netbeans you highlight the function -> right button click -> Navigate -> Go To Declaration and it will open the file where this function has been created.

Answer 3

Are there any IDEs that don't do this? Every IDE I have ever used had this feature: several Smalltalk IDEs, Hopscotch, several Lisp IDEs, NetBeans, Eclipse, Visual Studio, VisualAge for Java Micro Edition, VisualAge for Java, VisualAge for Smalltalk. Even many text editors can do it: TextMate, Vim, Emacs, Notepad++.

Answer 4

By using something like ctags this is definitely possible, provided of course your favourite editor also has support for ctags. The good thing about ctags is that with a bit of tweaking it can be made to work with almost any language.

Answer 5

I use Eclipse as my Java IDE and find the F3 key to be the quickest way to open the declaration. Good description of this functionality below (from here):

F3: Open declaration. Alternatively, you can click on the Declaration tab (in the Java perspective, go to Window, then Show View, then Declaration). This key shows entire method declarations in the declaration pane when you click on a method call in the code.

I haven't used this with other languages editors in Eclipse (Perspectives in Eclipse), but I'd guess the functionality is similar.