more 2.1

["Carl L. Gay" <cgay@skinner.cs.uoregon.edu>]

   Date: Wed, 13 May 92 17:23:29 -0400
   From: ferrante@world.std.com (Richard D Ferrante)

   I'm generally very pleased with the system, but here's more desires
   for MCL 2.1 (I'm using MCL 2.0b1p3 currently, some items may be
   addressed in the final version) 

I agree with all your suggestions (especially a callers/xref database
integrated with the compiler) and would add:

- Either of
  a) Add a Listener "pane" to the Backtrace window so it's possible to
     manipulate locals and do minor computations without switching
     windows.
  b) Non window-based debugging (a la the lispm).  Then I don't have to
     keep switching between the Backtrace window and the Listener (and
     hence between the keyboard and mouse), I can look at two stack
     frames at once, I can see a debugging history, etc.  (a) is
     probably easier.

- Integration of Edit Definition, Apropos and Documentation commands
  with the debugger.  (i.e., When a stack frame is highlighted in the
  backtrace window that frame's function becomes the default for those
  commands.)

   *ability to paste into the edit definition window

If you're typing in the symbol each time, you might be interested in
the following kludge-o-rama.  I would like to see the folks at Apple
add this feature (in a non-kludged way of course).

;;; ________________________________________
;;; Make M-. alway prompt for the definition name.
;;; Default to the current symbol under the cursor.

(defmethod ed-edit-definition ((w fred-window) &optional position)
  (declare (ignore position))
  (multiple-value-bind (sym sym-found-p previous-char)
                       (ed-current-symbol w)
    (declare (ignore previous-char))
    (when sym-found-p
      (setq ccl::%edit-definition-string (prin1-to-string sym)))
    (ccl::edit-definition-dialog)))

-Carl