[Lazarus] RFC : "Resolved View"

[Michael Van Canneyt]

Hi,

I've been thinking about a recent problem posed by Anthony Walter on the fpc-pascal
mailing list: the abundant use of include files and IFDEFS and the ensuing
lack of 'overview'.

So I asked myself: what if we somehow "invert" the problem ?

How hard would it be to create a 'resolved view' of a unit in the IDE ?

By this I mean a view of a unit as the compiler will see it:
- Correct include files included
- IFDefs properly resolved.

The IDE groks include files and can already syntax highlight conditional code, 
so the necessary mechanisms surely are in place.

This view can be read-only for all I care, can optionally have gutter markers 
for 'special' locations (where includes occur or IFDEFS were observed). 
Maybe gutter colors/folds to indicate includes, etc.
How this view is to be entered is also up for discussion.

Just running an idea up the flagpole...

If it's pure balderdash, feel free to say so.

Michael.