Difference between revisions of "Category:Projects"

Revision as of 12:27, 8 August 2007

There are many ways to contribute to EiffelStudio through projects large and small. Check the list of open projects below; if you feel none covers your special interest, see below how to add your own project.

Libraries (other than EiffelVision graphics)

Eiffel is all about reuse of quality components. The best way to get started as an Eiffel contributor is to extend an existing library, or start a new one to fill a need.

EiffelVision-related developments appear under graphics and user interface.

• Eiffel LEGO NXT Commumication Library and EiffelStudio Integration

Remote communication with LEGO NXT Mindstorms "bricks"

• Multiplatform editor component: Scintilla

Encapsulate Scintilla multi-platform editor

Language and compiler

This is the heart of the Eiffel environment: providing the best possible implementation of the Eiffel language.

• Full ISO/ECMA support

The Eiffel standard developed by the ECMA TC39-TG4 committee and approved in 2006 by the International Standards Organization is the definitive reference on the Eiffel language. Work is progressing quickly to include all ECMA-ISO mechanisms into the EiffelStudio compiler; you can help fill the remaining gaps.

General environment mechanisms

There are always new ideas to improve the user experience with EiffelStudio.

• Integrating AutoTest into EiffelStudio

AutoTest is an automated testing framework taking advantage of Eiffel's Design by Contract to provide far more automation than current solutions such as JUnit. Currently it is a separate tool; ideally it should be part of EiffelStudio.

• Advanced class and feature wizard

Improve ease of use, for both novice and advanced users, by refining the tools that create classes and features from templates.

• Editor

Improve the EiffelStudio built-in smart editor.

• More refactoring mechanisms

While Eiffel doesn't need some of the refactoring mechanisms of other languages, the environment could benefit from new refactoring mechanisms in addition to the ones currently supported.

• Eiffel Mutation Testing Tool

Build a high-quality mutation testing tool (for evaluating the quality of test strategies, fault detectability and redundancy) taking advantage of Eiffel's mechanisms, especially Design by Contract.* Eiffel Multi User

Integrate a repository mechanism

Graphics and user interface

Make the user interface of EiffelStudio more appealing. Much of the work is to be done in the underlying EiffelVision library, with the added benefit that improvements will be available to user applications as well.

• EiffelVision Accelerators

More keyboard accelerators for EiffelVision applications.

• Unicode support for EiffelVision

EiffelVision support for the character set of any human language.

• EiffelBuild Integration

The graphical user interface builder, EiffelBuild, is currently a separate product. Ideally it should be completely integrated with EiffelStudio.

• Cocoa for EiffelVision

Provide EiffelVision with a Carbon back-end to make it truly native on the Mac.

• Multiplatform layout engine component: Mozilla/Gecko

Encapsulate Gecko html multi-platform engine component

• EiffelStudio UI for other languages (internationalization)

EiffelStudio provides support for changing the user interface messages and dialogs to any language. If you are a fluent speaker of a language other than English, you can help the localization into that language.

Build infrastructure

Developments in this category are intended to help produce new versions of EiffelStudio faster and better.

• Build tool
• Debian packages
• OSX release infrastructure

Script the release of Mac universal binaries for OS X

• Standards and tools for Eiffel based components

Other Stuff

• Eiffel Studio for Teaching

Unstarted project ideas

The projects in this list are mere ideas which do not yet have a project page. Feel free to start it!

• Unicode support improvement
• Porting to new platforms (OSX Intel, OpenBSD)
• IDE improvements
• Extended static checking
• Direct code checking (red squiggly lines)
• Integrated learning support
• Editor macro recording and playback
• Inserting and navigation of editor breakpoints
• Adding trace points (output a trace statement indicating a trace point has been hit without writing code or stopping execution)
• Update notification

An update notification service to let developers know there is a new version available

• Integrated support for configuration management

Completed projects

Adding your own project