30 December 2005
It's difficult to reference external .jar files in the classpath passed to the Java compiler by Xcode. Or, at least, it took me a long time to figure out how it works. The secret is adding the .jar file to the "Java Classes" search path of the project's target. The tricky part is that the dialog box that appears when you press the "+" sign will only let you select a directory - pick the directory containing the .jar, press "Add", and then double-click the newly added entry. Simply append the name of the .jar file to the directory path. Then it will be added to the classpath passed to the Java compiler. (In the expert view, the JAVA_CLASS_SEARCH_PATHS variable will display a space-separated list of the .jars.)
Note that this won't add the .jar to the runtime classpath. You'll also need to add it to the Classpath list in the "Pure Java Specific" section of the Target properties.
06 December 2005
A breakdown of problems and difficulties in the software development process. My thesis will consist in picking some of these, identifying potential solutions to them, and designing tools to implement those solutions.
The trouble is...
- No one knows how this code works.
- I don't know where (in the code) to look.
- I can't tell what's happening.
- I don't know what will happen if I change this.
- My assumptions are wrong.
- I can't penetrate the abstractions.
- I'm getting lost in the details.
- I can't tell what connects to what.
- I don't know what this functon does.
- I don't remember the name of...
- I make lots of typos.
- Abstract thinking/generalization is hard.
- Everyone's code looks different.
- I don't know why this code is the way it is.
- The concepts about which I think don't match the concepts I can manipulate.
- I need a place to explain code, its design, and its connections.
- I'm using the wrong tool for the job.
What did I forget? What part of software development makes you go "argh"?