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(idlwave)Routine Info

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Routine Info
============

   IDL defines more than one thousand procedures, functions and object
methods.  This large command set makes it difficult to remember the
calling sequence and keywords of a command.  IDLWAVE contains a list of
all builtin routines with calling sequences and keywords(1).  It also
scans Emacs buffers and library files for routine definitions and
queries the IDLWAVE-Shell for the properties of modules currently
compiled under the shell.  This information is updated automatically.
If you think the information is not up-to-date, use `C-c C-i'
(`idlwave-update-routine-info') to enforce a global update.

   To display the information about a routine, press `C-c ?' which
calls the command `idlwave-routine-info'.  When the current cursor
position is on the name or in the argument list of a procedure or
function, information will be displayed about the routine.  For example,
consider the cursor positions in the following line

     plot,x,alog(x+5*sin(x) + 2),
       1  2   3   4   5  6  7    8

   On positions 1,2 and 8, information about the `plot' procedure will
be shown.  On positions 3,4, and 7, the `alog' function will be
described, while positions 5 and 6 will select the `sin' function.
When you ask for routine information about an object method, and the
method exists in several classes, IDLWAVE queries for the class of the
object.

   The description displayed contains the calling sequence, the list of
keywords and the source location of this routine.  It looks like this:

     Usage:    XMANAGER, NAME, ID
     Keywords: BACKGROUND CATCH CLEANUP EVENT_HANDLER GROUP_LEADER
               JUST_REG MODAL NO_BLOCK
     Source:   SystemLib   [CSB] /soft1/idl53/lib/xmanager.pro

   If a definition of this routine exists in several files accessible to
IDLWAVE, several `Source' lines will point to the different files.
This may indicate that your routine is shadowing a library routine,
which may or may not be what you want (Note: Load-Path Shadows).  The
information about the calling sequence and the keywords is derived from
the first source listed.  Library routines can only be supported if you
have scanned the local IDL library (Note: Library Catalog).  The
source entry consists of a _source category_, a set of _flags_ and the
path to the _source file_.  The following categories exist:

System      A system routine, but we do not know if it is Builtin or
            SystemLib.  When the system library has bee scanned (Note:
            Library Catalog), this category will automatically split
            into the next two.
Builtin     A builtin routine with no source code available.
SystemLib   A library routine in the official lib directory `!DIR/lib'.
Obsolete    A library routine in the official lib directory
            `!DIR/lib/obsolete'.
Library     A file on IDL's search path `!PATH'.
Other       Any other file not known to be on the search path.
Unresolved  The shell lists this routine as unresolved.

   You can define additional categories based on the file name and path
with the variable `idlwave-special-lib-alist'.

   The flags `[CSB]' indicate if the file is known to IDLWAVE from the
library catalog (`[C--]', Note: Library Catalog), from the Shell
(`[-S-]') or from an Emacs buffer (`[--B]').  Combinations are
possible.  If a file contains multiple definitions of the same routine,
the file name will be prefixed with `(Nx)' where `N' is the number of
definitions.

   Some of the text in the `*Help*' buffer will be active (it
highlights when you move the mouse over it).  Clicking on these items
will have the following effects:

Usage       If online help is installed, a click with the _right_ mouse
            button on the Usage: line will access the help for the
            routine (Note: Online Help).
Keyword     Online help about keywords is also available with the
            _right_ mouse button.  Clicking on a keyword with the
            _middle_ mouse button will insert this keyword in the buffer
            from where `idlwave-routine-info' was called.  Holding down
            <SHIFT> while clicking also adds the initial `/'.
Source      Clicking with the _middle_ mouse button on a `Source' line
            finds the source file of the routine and visits it in
            another window.  Another click on the same line switches
            back to the buffer from which `C-c ?' was called.  If you
            use the _right_ mouse button, the source will not be visited
            by a buffer, but displayed in the online help window.
Classes     The Classes line is only included in the routine info window
            if the current class inherits from other classes.  You can
            click with the _middle_ mouse button to display routine info
            about the current method in other classes on the inheritance
            chain.

 - User Option: idlwave-resize-routine-help-window (`t')
     Non-`nil' means, resize the Routine-info `*Help*' window to fit
     the content.

 - User Option: idlwave-special-lib-alist
     Alist of regular expressions matching special library directories.

 - User Option: idlwave-rinfo-max-source-lines (`5')
     Maximum number of source files displayed in the Routine Info
     window.

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) This list was created by scanning the IDL manual and might
contain (very few) errors.  Please report any detected errors to the
maintainer, so that they can be fixed.