[lazarus] Design question to everyone

[Mattias Gaertner]

Hi all,

The question is simple:
Where should I put the search path for Sources?

Don't mix up Source Path with Unit Path.
The unit path is used by the compiler to search for .pp/.pas/.ppu/.ppw files.
For example an LCL program needs $(LazarusDir)/lcl/units to find the compiled .ppu/.ppw files. The lcl sources are in the $(LazarusDir)/lcl directory, but you will probably never add this path to the unit path.
But 'Find Declaration' needs this path to find the sources. That's why the codetools distinguish between Unit Path and Source Path. The Source Path is an extended Unit Path.

So, the source path is needed by the codetools, not by the compiler. Hence, it should not be added to the compiler options. Eventually there will be one or two dialogs for all the codetool options. Logically, it should be added there.
But I'm not sure, if a user expects this option to be there. Perhaps most users think, that a search path for pascal sources belongs to the search paths in the compiler options.

Where should I place the Source Path?


Mattias