Code Review tools for VAST

[Livardo]

Hi all,

I've been tasked at researching any tools that would help us with reviewing Smalltalk Code in Visual Age (we have 7.0 here).

So far, I've only found the following:

Smalllint

http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/brant/Refactory/Lint.html

The Smalllint tool checks for over 60 common types of bugs. Some of these are from the classic bug list. When it suspects a bug, it opens a refactoring browser on the classes or methods in question.

http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/brant/Refactory/LintChecks.html

Does anyone have experience with the above tool, or any other tool that may help with code reviews?

The 2nd URL above has a pretty good list of items to check, what else would you check for when doing a code review?

Thanks!

[marten]

Hi all,

I've been tasked at researching any tools that would help us with reviewing Smalltalk Code in Visual Age (we have 7.0 here).

So far, I've only found the following:

Smalllint

http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/brant/Refactory/Lint.html

The Smalllint tool checks for over 60 common types of bugs. Some of these are from the classic bug list. When it suspects a bug, it opens a refactoring browser on the classes or methods in question.

http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/brant/Refactory/LintChecks.html

ENVY/QA ?

Does anyone have experience with the above tool, or any other tool that may help with code reviews?

The 2nd URL above has a pretty good list of items to check, what else would you check for when doing a code review?

Thanks!

[wembley]

VA Smalltalk ships both CodeCritic (part of the ENVY/QA feature) and Smalllint (part of the RefactoringBrowser feature). The rules that these 2 tools use overlap to a great extent, but not completely -- i.e., each of the tools will report issues that are not reported by the other tool. Each of the tools is extendable with new rules -- I suspect, although I have not tried to do it, that Smalllint is easier to extend than CodeCritic is.

[rjs]

... Smalllint is easier to extend than CodeCritic is.

I haven't tried to extend CodeCritic. However, I can attest to having used SmallLint for the last 7 years with great success. One of my colleagues added many checks to the standard version. I wish I could share them, but at this time, they are still considered proprietary.

One of the most compelling arguments in favour of SmallLint is that it is fast.

[Livardo]

I haven't tried to extend CodeCritic. However, I can attest to having used SmallLint for the last 7 years with great success. One of my colleagues added many checks to the standard version. I wish I could share them, but at this time, they are still considered proprietary.

One of the most compelling arguments in favour of SmallLint is that it is fast.

I've been playing around with SmallLint but haven't figured out what the heck the "Filters" are supposed to do, or how to use them. Searching Google does nothing. Any hints? Thanks!

[rjs]

I've been playing around with SmallLint but haven't figured out what the heck the "Filters" are supposed to do, or how to use them. Searching Google does nothing. Any hints? Thanks!

I haven't used them myself. However, when you open a browser on a given lint check, you can add filters for the class and method selector. I would guess the lint checker would then ignore whatever you had put in a filter, no matter how bad it is.

Philosophically, I am opposed to having exceptions to the lint rules. I prefer to write clean code, and live with it nagging me when I think I cannot get it clean.