Fifesoft Blog

If you’re using the JavaLanguageSupport in the RSTALanguageSupport trunk, I’d appreciate it if you checked out the latest and tried it out.  It has a nice new feature in that, if source is attached to jars on the classpath, code completion suggestions for methods will include the methods’ parameter names (assuming they can be found in Javadoc for the method):

Method param names in choices window

Method param names in parameter assistance

Previously, parameter names were grepped out of the source file being edited’s methods, but for any compiled classes on the “classpath,” method parameters were identified by their type only.  The only way to know what each parameter was (short of having the API you’re using memorized) was to read the information in the description window.

Now, Java support has taken the next step.  It’s already reading the Javadoc for each method to put it into the description window, so why not grep the parameter names out of it, and use them everywhere else, such as the main code completion choices window?

If you point your application to a JDK, it’ll automatically locate the source zip (actually, it already did this). and this feature will work out-of-the-box!

My only concern is performance.  This is an un-optimized feature, and it does result in significantly more I/O (reading from the source zip or directory) than was done previously.  Memory consumption should be about the same, though there may be a lot more smaller temporary objects created (i.e. more GC).  So I request that if you grab the latest, you report back to me if there are any performance issues.

Have fun!