| Edit from the Web |

Surveyor-generated web sites give you easy-to-surf documentation for a given code base. Edit from the WebTM is a productivity-boosting feature that gives you direct access to the code base—header files, source files, and Genitor objects—right from your web browser.

This page describes Edit from the Web capabilities and provides details on configuring your workstation to take advantage of this feature. The following topics are presented.

- Editing Files
- Editing Genitor Objects
- Locating Files on Your Workstation
- Anyone can use Edit from the Web
- Configuring your External Editor
- Directory Mappings
- Recommended Browsers

## Editing Files

Edit Source | Once you have generated a web site, you are ready to navigate the code. Many of the web pages contain the Edit Source toolbar button to automatically invoke your editor and load related header and source files.

When you use Surveyor to generate a web site, it includes locations (file name and line number) of item declarations and definitions. This information is used when someone browsing the web clicks on the Edit Source button.

In general, when you click this button from a page that documents a function, the relevant source file is loaded into your text editor and the cursor is placed on the line where the function is defined. Holding the `Shift` key while clicking loads the header file and places the cursor on the line where the function is declared, while holding the `Ctrl` key loads both header and source files into your text editor.

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## Editing Genitor® Objects

Edit Genitor Object | When you use Genitor Object Construction Suite to generate a web that documents Genitor objects, the web pages contain toolbar buttons that give you direct access to objects within the Genitor database. The Edit Genitor Object button invokes the Class Editor and loads the relevant object.

Note: If you have more than one Genitor database, Edit from the Web uses your active database.

Other toolbar buttons for Genitor objects include:

Object Information | The Object Information button displays a property sheet containing real-time details about the object including: development stage, lock status, lock owner, version control status, keywords, source and header file status, creator, sample code, description, and so on.
Quick Doc | The Quick Doc button generates WinHelp documentation for the object using up-to-the-second database information on the object.

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## Locating Files on Your Workstation

Since webs can be generated without the presence of both the declaration and the definition, and since some items are only declared and never defined (like data members), header and source file are not always specified in the HTML. In this case, clicking the Edit Source toolbar button leads to the single location that is specified regardless of the state of the `Shift` and `Ctrl` keys.

If you are browsing the web from a machine other than the one from which it was generated, the Edit Source command may not be able to locate a header or source file on the exact same path as specified in the HTML. If a file can not be found, you are prompted to browse for a new path.

Example: The person generating the web may have analyzed files that were located in `R:\Production\CommLib` but on your machine these files are located in `E:\Working\CommLib`.

When you are prompted to browse for a new path, the Edit Source command automatically updates a table that maps the inaccessible path to the path you specify. You generally only have to answer a few prompts before you are able to use the Edit Source toolbar button for all objects without being prompted. Refer to the topic Directory Mappings below.

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## Anyone can use Edit from the Web

Even if you have not licensed Starbase software, you can view web sites generated by Starbase tools and still use Edit from the Web to edit files. If you do not already have Surveyor or Genitor OCS installed on your workstation, you need to install the Edit from the Web client-side support. There are two ways to obtain this feature for free:

- On a network with Surveyor or Genitor OCS: Run the Workstation Setup program from the network. When you are prompted for a license key, enter one of the Edit from the Web keys shipped with the software. Each user must enter a unique key.
- Outside the network: Give your business associate (coworker, client, etc.) access to the appropriate source code, and communicate the URL of the generated web site. Then direct your associate to visit our download page. The Edit from the Web client-side capability is available as a free download. Once installation is complete, your audience can view your object web site and directly access pertinent source code from the web.

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## Configuring your External Editor

By default, Edit from the Web is configured to use Microsoft Visual C++ with Genitor OCS Add-In or Surveyor Add-In as your external file editor. You can use the Genitor OCS Workstation Setup program or the Surveyor Workstation Setup program to change this to use a different editor. Click here for more details.

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## Directory Mappings

When a web site is generated, it includes the location of relevant header and source files in the HTML. If you are browsing the web and you click on the Edit Source toolbar button those files are automatically loaded into your text editor.

If you are browsing the web from a machine that differs from the one on which the web was generated, the Edit Source command may not be able to locate the header and source files in the exact same path as specified in the HTML. When this happens, the Edit Source command uses a set of directory mappings that allow it to automatically map file names specified in the web page to appropriate locations on your workstation.

Mappings are constructed using the following steps:

1. If the filename exactly matches a file on your workstation, the file is opened.
2. If the file specified in the the generated HTML page can not be located, a directory map is consulted to see if the file can be located using mapped directories.
3. If the file cannot be found using the map, various implicit mappings, based on the explicit mappings, are checked.
4. If the file still can not be found, you are prompted to browse for the file.
5. If you locate the file by browsing, a new directory mapping is created based on the results of the browse operation.

The set of directory mappings for a workstation is built automatically as you use the web site.

Example: The person generating the web may have analyzed files that were located in:

    R:\Production\System\CommLib

but on your machine these files are located in:

    E:\Working\CommLib

Perhaps the Edit Source command is unable to find a file called `R:\Production\System\CommLib\serial.cpp`. After prompting you to browse for the file, an explicit mapping is created as follows.

`R:\Production\System\CommLib` → `E:\Working\CommLib`.

The next time you try to edit the header or source file for any object in the web, if the HTML indicates that the object is located in `R:\Production\System\CommLib` the Edit Source command will look for it first in that directory and then in `E:\Working\CommLib`.

If a file can not be found in an original directory or in any explicitly mapped directories, the Edit Source command tries various implicit mappings based on the explicit mappings it knows about.

Example: After creating a map entry to edit the `serial.cpp` file as described above, suppose you try to edit a file that was originally located in:

    R:\Production\System\Services

Before prompting you to browse for this file, the Edit Source command looks for the file in:

    E:\Working\Services

That is, the following implicit mapping is used.

`R:\Production\System` → `E:\Working`

You are only prompted to browse for a new path if the file is not found using its original path as specified in the HTML, or in its any explicitly mapped directories, or in any directories that are implied from the explicit mappings. In most cases, you are only prompted a few times before the Edit Source command learns how to consistently locate the header and source files on your workstation.

Directory maps are stored in your user profile file, Genitor.ini.

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## Recommended Browsers

Generated object web sites created by Surveyor or Genitor OCS have been tested using Internet Explorer (V3.0, V4.0, and V5.0), Netscape (V4.7), and Mozilla (V5.0 alpha) browsers. Browser compatibility details for each browser type are provided below.

### Internet Explorer (IE)

Object web sites are best viewed using IE 4.0 and above. IE 4.0 and above automatically supports all features of generated web sites.

Internet Explorer V3.0 does not fully support the style sheet features used by generated web sites. While it is possible to view the contents of an object web using IE V3.0, this browser does not recognize most font, color, and formatting styles. If you are using IE 3.0, you should upgrade to V4.0 or V5.0.

### Netscape

Netscape V4.7 supports most, but not all style sheet features used in generated object web sites. Some font, color, and other text formatting styles are not recognized by the browser. This does not affect the ability to read or navigate generated pages.

Netscape does not, by default, provide support for ActiveX controls. To utilize the Edit from the Web feature of object web sites, you must install a third-party plug-in for ActiveX support.

### Mozilla

Mozilla is an open-source web browser, designed for standards compliance, performance and portability. Testing with Mozilla 5.0 (alpha) has shown that this browser provides more complete style sheet support than Netscape 4.7. Like Netscape, however, Mozilla does not contain built-in support for ActiveX controls.

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This web site was generated using Surveyor V4.50.811.1. Click here for more information. | Site content copyright © 2001 Barak Weichselbaum. See the About page for additional notices. This page last updated: 27 Jun 2001.