The Sequence Diagram
The sequence diagram (see Figure 2) will highlight the
relationships between objects in a class. These diagrams are
quite useful in development, and are most likely to change as
applications evolve. They, of course, are rarely updated to
reflect such changes. Viewing a sequence diagram in CodeLogic
requires a user to select a class, then a method or object from
within that class. This can be done either from an IDE program
or using the class browser in the standalone.
The Execution Flow Diagram
I found the execution flow diagram to be the most useful (see
Figure 3). This diagram will show the inner workings of a method
in deeper detail. This can include if/else decision trees,
methods called on (and data passed to them), and other key
information that would require a complete reading of the Java
source file for understanding. A nice feature of this diagram is
a small navigator window which allows developers to quickly jump
around within a flow diagram, without having to zoom out first.
Conclusion
I think Logic Explorers has hit on a true need in the
development world. Eventually, like it or not, we all end up
working on someone else's code or even our own months later
that hasn't been documented since a significant amount of
changes have been made. In these circumstances, CodeLogic can be
an invaluable resource and time saver. Integration with popular
IDEs helps further. However, it should be remembered that this
is version 1 software; it is still fairly rudimentary. I look
forward to seeing additional features, better J2EE and Web
Services support and tighter IDE integration down the road, but
until then, I still think that most development teams could
benefit from having this software in their toolbox. In addition,
for those interested, CodeLogic is also available for C#.
Drew Falkman is
the author of the JRun Web Application Construction Kit and co-
author (with Ben Forta) of Reality ColdFusion: J2EE Integration,
both published by Macromedia Press. Over the past 6 years, Drew
has developed over 150 Web applications in all sizes using
ColdFusion and Java. Currently Drew consults, speaks at events,
writes for numerous publications, and teaches courses at
Portland State University. His latest project through his
consulting company, Veraison LLC, was a real-time cattle auction
using Flash Remoting and Flash Communication Server. In
addition, Drew is a member of Team Macromedia, a certified
ColdFusion Developer and a certified Macromedia instructor.
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