README for the Emacs Code Browser (ECB) version 2.40.1 About ----- This package contains a code browser for several programming-languages for (X)Emacs. For instructions on how to use the browser read the online-help either with the shipped info-manual (see "Usage" below) or direct from the ECB-Homepage at http://ecb.sourceforge.net. The latest version can be found at: http://ecb.sourceforge.net ------------ Requirements ------------ The short story: With Emacs >= 23.2 there is nothing to do. With XEmacs or Emacs < 23.2 you have to install the CEDET-suite by hand. The long story: 1. Emacs-version: ECB works only with (X)Emacs >= 21! If you have an older one, please upgrade. 2. CEDET-suite: If Emacs >= 23.2 is used then CEDET is already integrated into Emacs and there is nothing to do. For users of any XEmacs-version, any Emacs-version < 23.2 or the latest author CEDET version: Get it from http://cedet.sourceforge.net, read the setup-instructions in http://cedet.sourceforge.net/setup.shtml and read also the shipped file `INSTALL'. *Please note*: If ECB detects an author version of CEDET (as available at http://cedet.sourceforge.net) then ECB will ALWAYS try to use that one even if you use Emacs >= 23.2! This is for users who want to use latest Emacs >= 23.2 but still prefer using the latest author version of CEDET instead of the Emacs-integrated one. So if you want to use the Emacs-integrated CEDET-suite of Emacs >= 23.2 you have to ensure that no author-version of CEDET is in the `load-path'! This means that the library cedet.el of the author-version MUST NOT be loaded into Emacs (as described in the file INSTALL of CEDET)! This is a valid check: (locate-library "semantic-ctxt") must return nil! 3. Only for XEmacs-users: If you use XEmacs you must have installed the package c-support (contains hideshow.el). If you want to read the online-help of ECB in HTML-format you must have the library browse-url (part of the mail-lib XEmacs package) installed; this package is also needed for submitting problem-reports to the ECB-maintainers! 4. Optional for Java-coding: ECB works very well with the JDEE package ( http://jdee.sourceforge.net) but JDEE is not required by ECB. Do not install ECB before you have successfully installed the requirements! ------------ Installation ------------ *IMPORTANT*: ECB is no longer runnable as XEmacs-package via the package-manager of XEmacs. This is because CEDET is not available as XEmacs-package. Therefore ECB can also not be run as XEmacs-package. If CEDET will later become a XEmacs-package then probably ECB will come back as XEmacs-package. But in the meanwhile you have to install ECB "by hand". 1. Fulfill all requirements ECB needs (s.a. Requirements) ECB performs two autom checks: - At load-time: It checks if the cedet-suite is at least installed so ECB can be loaded. If not it reports an error. - At start-time: It checks if the correct versions of cedet and semantic are installed and gives you proper feedback. So if you are not sure if you have installed the required packages at all or if you have installed the correct versions of these packages then do not worry about this, just go on with the following installation steps: If ECB is missing something it will give you proper feedback and support not later than at load-time or start-time! 2. Download and unpack the ECB archive (probably you have already done this :-) 3. Add the new ECB-directory to your `load-path' variable. You *MUST* add the ECB-install-directory to the `load-path' either by changing the `load-path' variable directly in your `.emacs' or `site-lisp/site-start.el' or by working with a file `subdirs.el'(1). So for example the needed entry for your `.emacs'-file could be: (add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/your/ecb/installation/directory") *ATTENTION*: ECB is NOT properly installed if it's directory is not added to `load-path' and for example just loaded by (load-file "/path/to/ecb/ecb.el") Do not do this! It will not work! 4. Load ECB by adding code to your `.emacs': If you want to load the complete ECB at (X)Emacs-loadtime (Advantage: All ECB-options available after loading ECB. Disadvantage: Increasing loadtime(2)): (require 'ecb) If you want to load the ECB first after starting it by `ecb-activate' (Advantage: Fast loading(3). Disadvantage: ECB- and semantic-options first available after starting ECB): (require 'ecb-autoloads) This loads all available autoloads of ECB, e.g. `ecb-activate', `ecb-minor-mode', `ecb-byte-compile' and `ecb-show-help'. Regardless which method you prefer: In both cases the used statement must be placed *after* the statement of step 3! Only for users of a manually installed author version of the CEDET-suite (not that one integrated into Emacs >= 23.2): Instructions for loading CEDET into Emacs must be placed somewhere before the statements needed for loading ECB (s.a.)! 5. Restart (X)Emacs. ECB is now ready for use and can be activated by calling `M-x ecb-activate' or `ecb-minor-mode'. Now you can either starting using ECB or you can do these optional installation steps: 6. Reading the online help with `ecb-show-help' Maybe you are interested to read the online-help of ECB before first start. 7. Bytecompiling ECB with `ecb-byte-compile' This byte compiles ECB. You can safely ignore all messages if there are any. (You can also bytecompile ECB from the command-line either by using the `Makefile' or by using the batch-file `make.bat'; just read the comments in that file you choose.) 8. Installing the Info-help of ECB The ECB distribution contains a subdirectory `info-help' which contains the online-help of ECB in Info-format. You can install this online help so it's available in the Top-directory of Info. There are two ways to do this: - Use "install-info" (recommended): 1. Copy the files of the subdirectory `info-help' into the info-directory of Emacs 2. Install the file `info-help/ecb.info' with the command "install-info" (if available on your system) in the `dir'-file. The supplied `Makefile' offers a target `install-help' which does both of these steps. You have just to call `make install-help' with the correct EMACSINFOPATH set (see the comment in `Makefile'). Here is an example: make EMACSINFOPATH=/path/to/emacs/info install-help - Manually Installation: Copy the files of the subdirectory `info-help' into the info-directory of Emacs and modify the file `dir' manually. But it doesn't matter if you do not execute this step (8.) because the online help of ECB is always available though, see `ecb-show-help'. -------------- Using Makefile -------------- Makefile can be configured using Makefile.conf, for which there is a template in Makefile.conf.template. Usually it's enough to set a path to CEDET (if you use repo version) and EMACSINFOPATH to local (e.g. ~/.emacs.d/info). For Linux, Makefile tries to use reasonable defaults. You can print configuration used in Makefile using `make printconf'. ----- Usage ----- Call "M-x ecb-activate" to activated ECB. Call "M-x ecb-customize-most-important" to get a list of the most important options of ECB. These are options you should at least know that they exist. Call "M-x ecb-show-help" to get a detailed online-help for ECB. If you are using ECB the first time you should read the online help accurately! -------- Contacts -------- Send comments, bug reports and improvement suggestions to: ecb-list@lists.sourceforge.net *IMPORTANT*: Cause of extra appearance of SPAM in the mailing-lists, SourceForge has changed its policy: Now it is only possible to post to the mailing-list for users who have subscribed this mailing-list. So please be aware you will not be able to send comments, bug reports and improvement suggestions before you have subscribed the ECB-mailing-list. See the section "Mailing-list" at the ECB-website at http://ecb.sourceforge.net how to do this.