Visual Perl for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET - Part 2
February 11, 2002
Creating a New Project
A project is a collection of Perl scripts and module files. Perl modules can
either be functional or object oriented. In either case, modules contain
collections of subroutines. When you create a new Perl project, you have the
option of using any of the project types listed in the window below.
If you happen to have the Perl Development Kit installed (sold separately by
ActiveState), you will be able to create COM objects, compiled executables,
and Windows services all within Visual Perl. Compiling a Perl script into a COM
object allows other Windows languages to utilize the Perl routines.
The Editor
The main editor window is a fast, clean, no-nonsense tool. You will find
configurable tabbing for exact placement of indented code (it translates
the Tab character to a specified number of characters). Visual Perl will also
automatically indent the code for you (you can turn this off if you like).
Program words and phrases are colorized based upon the type. This will
help you quickly pick out control statements from variable names and comments.
One of the things I appreciate about the editor is that it's fast. Other
programming tools can be sluggish. Being used to Emacs and vi, a sluggish editor
would be a real hindrance for me.
When I get in that programming groove, I tend to crank out code very fast, so
easy access to all of my code is important. It's not unusual for me to have ten
different files open and in various states of modification. The tabs at the top
of the editor allow me to switch between files rapidly.
Another feature that I haven't seen before is the ability to roll-up code
blocks, such as a foreach statement. I've used this a few times where I need to
look at code above and below another block of code (like a foreach). With this
feature, I can roll-up the code block in between the areas of code I'm
interested in and work on the code without having to page-up and page-down
frequently.
Visual Perl for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
Visual Perl for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
Visual Perl for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET - Part 3
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