[Geany-Devel] [FT-plugins] Proposed "Features"

[Matthew Brush]

On 2016-08-31 06:30 AM, Thomas Martitz wrote:
> Am 31.08.2016 um 13:23 schrieb Lex Trotman:
>> [...]
>>
>> Both of these are C++ specific semantics, (types generated by template
>> instantiation and argument dependent lookup).  I don't believe TM
>> should be be expanded to include such knowledge.
>>
>
> Why not? TM could have separate tags for each known template instance
> and know which of these applies to someAs, based on information provided
> by a ft-plugin. Then the rest would work.
>
> Besides, template instantiation requires compiling the units IIUC, which
> is probably not gonna happen ever? At least not on every keystroke as
> done currently.
>

I can't speak to all compiler libraries, but at least libclang, 
libpython and libvala "compile" the source (well just the front-end of 
the compiler is needed). They literally use the built-in compiler front 
ends to understand the code. In the case of libclang, it additionally 
provides helpful methods for performing IDE-related features on the AST, 
while say with libvala, the ft-plugin would be required to perform it's 
own analysis of the AST to implement those feaures, which is still a lot 
less work than in Geany/TM since it has access to the full AST/context 
and the ft-plugin need not fear encoding language specific semantics 
into its logic.

Cheers,
Matthew Brush