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Getting Started

The Python API runs on your 3.x installation of Python, you can grab it from here if you need to install it.

Once you have Python installed you need to tell it where the Understand module is. The easiest way to do that is to add/modify the PYTHONPATH environment variable to include the module location, which is SciTools/bin/<System>/python. Also if you did not add Understand to the Path variable during installation, you will need to add the SciTools/bin/<System> directory to PATH.

Finally, to use the API you will need to put ‘import Understand’ in your script.

Documentation

The most up-to-date documentation will ship with Understand and can be accessed from the Python Console with:
   import understand
  help (understand)
A more readable version can be obtained with the python ‘pydoc’ command, which can generate an html version of the documentation. We also try to keep a current version of the Python documentation on the Manuals page.

Sample Scripts

The documentation includes some samples. More detailed example scripts are shipped with Understand in the SciTools/scripts/python folder.

Happy Scripting!

As with the dependency graphs, you can change what data these graphs display by using the graph customizer pane, to the right of the graphs. With this, you can show and hide nodes and edges, highlight nodes and edges of interest, and aggregate edges going into a file or architecture.

We hope this graph will provide a useful tool in helping you visual your code.

After the parse is complete the parse log will have a new button, Undefined Macros, that leads to this new tool. You can access the previous parse log from the View menu if you have already closed it.

And you get the Undefined Macros dialog, which lets you sort and filter the list of macros that are referenced in your project but not defined. It also shows the number of times that macro is used and the number of files it is used in. To give a macro a global definition, simply select it and enter the new value in the text box near the bottom.

If the macro needs to have different values in different folders or files, the Detail View button at the bottom will provide access to the the Override dialog that will let you specify the value for a macro for any file or folder.

Once you have sent the macro values you want, the save button will prompt you to reparse the project, and large swaths of inactive (pink) code will be activated and the results of the analysis will be even more accurate.

The commands have been standardized and the tool should be much easier to use. Because of the extensive changes, this new version is not backwards compatible with older versions of und. The old und will still ship and has been renamed ‘undlegacy’ – current users will need to change the name of the binary for scripts to continue to work.

In general the syntax for running commands are similar to Subversion and should be much more intuitive than previous versions.

The new version also includes a cool new interactive mode that lets you specify a database and then continually run commands in it, similar to MySQL.

The help documentation has been flushed out extensively and should be much more useful – just run und help for a complete overview of how to use this great new tool. Also this post steps through each different method of using und and demonstrates some of the most common commands: Integrate Understand with your build system.

The above dialog will appear on the parse log after analyzing your project, you can also access the log via View->Last Parse Log

Once you hit the Improve Parse button, you will be presented with a list of include files referenced but not found in the project:

Hit the Search button to begin finding those files. You will be presented with this dialog:

Where you can navigate to a directory where the missing files reside, or select a directory that contains header files and hit the large Search button to descend through it looking for missing include files.

Select the directories you want to add, and they will be added to the project include paths. When you are finished you can save those include paths and choose to reparse the entire project, or just the files that were parsed on the previous parse. That’s all there is to it. Let us know if you have have any questions, problems or feedback – support@scitools.com

New in Understand 2.6 are:

• 64 bit Linux installation kit. This is a native kit, and does not require 32 bit compatibility libraries.
• UML Diagram. Class diagrams are now available for the Project and individual classes.
• Treemaps. A new way to visualize metrics.
• Codecheck. Implement coding standards and easily browse results.

For more information on these new features. Click below to see the details.

64 Bit Linux kit.

This is a native 64 bit Unix installation, for those with 64 bit Linux systems that do not want to install the 32 bit compatibility libraries.

UML Diagram.

Implemented via a plug-in script, this feature is available on the Right click menu for any class.

and draws a UML Class Diagram for the class selected:

A global version, drawing all project classes is also available via the Graphs->Project Graphs-> menu:

Graph drawing options can be found by right clicking in the “gray” area of the graph.

Treemaps

Available via the Metrics-> menu, Treemaps show metrics information via size of graph nodes and color gradient. Different metrics can be tied to size or color to help visualize the code:

Here node size is tied to the metric “CountLine” and color to “MaxCyclomatic” with dark blue representing the highest complexity:

So we learn that unzip.c is large, but not particularly complex, while inflate.c is large and highly complex.

By default the maps are nested by directory structure, although if you have built other architectures then they can be used as well.   Another example, using “SumCyclomatic” and “CountStmt” will show what files do a lot of work and are also complex:

SumCyclomatic, CountStmt -  “See where work and complexity reside”

CodeCheck

Many customers use Understand and Understand scripting to implement coding standards or to perform quality control checks on their source code.

With Understand 2.6, we’ve implemented that feature directly into a tool called “CodeCheck”, which is available from its own top level menu.

To use Codecheck, you specify what files you want to check, and then what checks to perform. It runs and then integrates the results into an easy to browse/organize results viewer:

Selecting Checks

Scripts are explained in the Rationale section and can be configure.

Results ordered by file. Note counts of violations on left.

Results ordered by violation

Violations in table, and filtered to find a .cpp/.h pair

Treemap of violations (size) and number of distinct violations (color).

Abstract:

Recent studies have repeatedly found that smaller modules are proportionally more defect-prone. In this article, the authors formulate and test a hypothesis stating that smaller modules are proportionally more coupled, given that dependencies caused by coupling have been consistently associated with defect-proneness. Strong evidence supports this hypothesis. Furthermore, refactoring exacerbates this effect. On the basis of this study’s highly consistent results, the authors state the empirically based theory of relative dependency. That is, in large-scale software systems, smaller modules will be proportionally more dependent compared to larger ones. These findings have two implications for practice. First, we now have an empirically supported mechanism explaining the observations that defect concentration is higher in smaller modules. Practitioners can use this mechanism as evidence while seeking resources and support to revise or amend their organizations’ quality assurance and quality control practices. Second, particularly for the projects that refactor extensively, such as those using agile methods, focusing defect detection activities on smaller modules will increase their efficiency and effectiveness even more.

They used Understand to generate the C++ measurements of many large open source projects.  We donate licenses of Understand to worthy research projects frequently. We’ve e-mailed many times with Dr. Koru to support his efforts and are pleased his work was accepted by IEEE.

The team extensively used the DIT (Depth Inheritance Tree) and CBO (Coupling Between Objects) that Understand provides.

We’ve noted a few ideas for product enhancements from reading their article.

This weekend we released Understand 2.5 (build 507).  Its main changes include:

• Instant Search – a new feature which permits instant searching in even the largest bodies of code. Indexing starts after parsing ends. It operates in the background without holding up any other activities. When complete the search box in the upper right instantly answers your queries.
• Dependency Graphs -  these replace our old dependency graphs with new layout, saving, and cool clustering, save, undo, and redo options. They use a much updated layout engine, which we will roll into our other graphs and use to create new ones in the coming months.
• Simplified Licensing – Understand 2.5 includes all languages and all features. The only licensing difference, in terms of price, is the use of floating or specific developer licenses.  Understand 2.5 does use a new license – your old one will not run it permanently. Instead, it will operate for 30 days, giving you time to request a replacement license if you are under maintenance. This is done directly from Understand or via our website.
• Pricing -  we’ve removed all levels and language variants. Understand 2.5 has it all. This will be our path going forward with new features as well.  The new price is a little higher and the only differentiation is if you need a Single Developer or Floating License.   If you are under maintenance you can update to Understand 2.5 without any cost. Nor will the higher price affect your maintenance going forward. It will remain 18% of your purchase price annually.
• TrackBack Removed – this will be missed by many users, but we needed to focus on core analysis capabilities.
  Take heart, the engineer who wrote much of it will be taking it open source very soon. Look for an announcement here. To be notified by e-mail send a request to support@scitools.com.
• Menu Revamping – menus were moved about and standardized to be more in common with most applications. Additionally, edit menu items are now contextual with editor and graph operations. As an application ages, menus become complex and suffer from bloat. We wanted to simplify and reduce clutter.
• License Manager GUI with Improved Diagnostics – our old license manager does not need to be updated. If it is updated, or for new installations, a new License Manager GUI simplifies operation. Additionally, the server and clients have many more diagnostics embedded to diagnose any licensing manager problems.
• And many hundreds of bug fixes and minor improvements.

We know change can make winners and losers. We’ve tried to make every user a winner with Understand 2.5. If we failed for you, let us know how, and we will try to sort it out and make you as happy as we can.

Customers tell us frequently that they appreciate our weekly builds. They provide a constant stream of new features and bug fixes to Understand users. We like weekly builds because it means we don’t have to provide patch binaries to customers in dire need of an update and also because we hate the idea of a crash or bug existing in the wild longer than necessary.

But what do we do with new capabilities that we want feedback on, but aren’t quite “production ready”? We faced this with Understand 2.0, which had lots of new features/capabilities.  Frankly, I think we took too long getting feedback and had to redo more than we would have liked once we did get user experiences.

Going foward we have big plans for Understand and the core technology it is based on. And so that we can get rapid feedback, we will be exposing features much earlier than we have in the past using a vehicle called “Scitools Labs”.

Scitools Labs isn’t some effort to make us look bigger than we are. We are still the 20 something person company we’ve always been.  Instead, it is our way of asking… “this is where we are heading, what do you think?”.

Build 471, which will be released tomorrow, includes three Scitools Labs features:

• Dependence Analysis, Graphing and metrics for files and architectures
• Stack Analysis specific to Microchip Corporation’s compiler/micro-controllers
• UnderstandYourCode.Com – a website hosting free tools, online analysis and new web oriented features we are putting into Understand.

I’ll write more specifically about each new Scitools Labs technology in blog postings prefixed with “Scitools Labs:“.

And remember, your input is the whole idea, so don’t be shy – let us know what you think.

Build 470, released today, introduces beta support for VHDL.  E-mail support@scitools.com for instructions on how to enabble that support.

• quite low unit pricing
• easy availability of Understand to when engineers move in and out of projects
• much easier licensing (no license manager, it just works on your IP ranges or domains)

If your site might be interested just contact Sue or Kevin at sales@scitools.com to learn cost and technical options.

Our goal for 2.0 was to make a tool that is a “must have” if you are maintaining code (and who isn’t??). 

Understand 2.0 has a totally re-written GUI with modern GUI conveniences. It enhances our leading capabilities in code understanding/maintenance with new features like the “Entity Explorer” and vast improvements to our existing ways of telling you about your code.

You can now analyze any language we support together using “combined language analysis”. If Java calls C and then C calls Ada, Understand 2.0 can follow the chain.

It has a much improved programmers editor with code completion, macros, foldable structure bars and dozens of other improvements. 

Understand 2.0 also introduces key new capabilities  not available in any other tool. Things like Architecture, continuous change knowledge, semantic change analysis, a nifty overlayed differencing tool,  automatic metrics charting/graphing, and maintenance estimation.

We are very proud of Understand 2.0. All of our engineers use it all day every day. New hires tell us “I don’t know how I programmed without it”. 

Finally, we would like to thank the thousands of Understand users that sent suggestions over the years. We take your ideas very seriously. Understand 2.0 is built to do what you asked us to have it do.  Also, many thanks go out to the few hundred users who participated in our 2.0 beta program, using sometimes flakey builds but always giving us gentle and excellent guidance. 

It’s been a long and hard three years, but I’m confident Understand 2.0  sets us up for another successful decade helping engineers maintain their code.

Regards,

Ken Nelson
President
Scientiific Toolworks, Inc.

P.S.

If you own Understand 1.4 and are under maintenance then go ahead and download Understand 2.0. You can install them together and your existing license will work. And you can run either one.

If you aren’t under maintenance, go ahead and try it for 15 days. If you like it, contact our sales@scitools.com folks and ask for a maintenance renewal quotation. They can also tell you if you are under maintenance or not.

Towards that end we’ve created a Professional Services group within Scitools. Currently it is a Lead Engineer (Rob Shurtliff – a senior engineer with a number of years experience providing professional services) and three other engineers. We can matrix a variety of other engineers with special skills through the group as well.

So what can the new Scitools PSG do for you?

http://www.scitools.com/products/proservices.php

has the details.  But in short, anything related to improving your benefit from using our tools. That could include training, special scripts, new metrics, adding an assembler or other language, helping you create architectures, a multi-site metrics collection system. Whatever you need that depends on our technology.

Our new Scitools PSG works in these ways:

•  fixed price deliverable – we agree on a deliverable. You pay when we deliver and you are happy.
•  on going hourly  – this is for ongoing work; a budget or contract is set, we bill against it.
•  retainer – the group sells 40, 80 and 200 hour retainers. There are also product bundles that include licenses and service hours. When you have a need they tell you the hours required and after your e-mailed approval they proceed.

If you have something in mind e-mail our support@scitools.com folks.

I hope you like it. If you notice anything bogus, please e-mail.

2.0 adds a lot of features, but not all those features are of interest to all engineers.  Or if of interest, then some do not need the same level of functionality.  And not all features require the same support (one of our major expenses).  And, frankly, some of those features are worth more to some customers than others (I’m not going to hide that we do hope to make some more money).

To make sure that customers can buy tools closer to their exact needs Understand 2.0 is offered in four different levels. The “lowest”, Understand Engineer offers what 1.4 offered.  So the segmentation mainly involves new features only. The four levels are:

1. Understand 2.0 Non-Commercial
   This version has all features of the highest Understand level, but only supports C/C++/Java and C#.
   We are still finalizing license agreements for this version, but it is intended for use by students and open source developers.
   If you wish to be notified when it is available, just e-mail sales@scitools.com.  We can supply temp codes to permit use until the final shrinkwrap agreement for this version is finished.  The eventual license will be an annual license.
2. Understand 2.0 Engineer
   This version supports C/C++/Java and C#.  Understand Engineer provides similar capabilities to Understand 1.4 including the excellent navigation, graphics, maintenance editor, reporting and project metrics. 2.0 adds combined language analysis, basic change analysis, single scenario maintenance estimations and metrics charts/graphs.  Our standard for this version was that it be better than 1.4 but cost the same. One key difference, Understand Engineer will not be offered with a floating license. For that, get Pro or Analyst.
3. Understand 2.0 Pro
   This version comes in two language variants – L1 (C/C++/Java/FORTRAN) and L2 (L1+Ada, PL/M, Jovial). It provides all the capabilities of Understand Engineer, but offers advanced snapshot based change analysis, a full set of metrics, broader metrics charting capabilities, and multi-scenario maintenance estimation.  We envision Understand Pro as what a team would typically outfit an engineer with if they are trying to create a rigourous programming environment.
4. Understand 2.0 Analyst
   This version also comes in L1 and L2 language variants. It provides Pro capabilities, plus advanced multi-snapshot change analysis and change metrics, detailed multi-time metrics charting, and multi-scenario/multi-plan maintenance estimation. We’ve also placed API development in Analyst, although scripts or API programs built with Analyst can be used by Pro or Engineer versions of Understand 2.0 .  We envision Analyst as what an IVV, QA, Test team members would use, and also as something a team operating in a rigorous environment would have a license or two available as team members rolled through IVV/metrics analysis/change analysis roles. 

THe exact differences can best be seen by running 2.0 and alternating Run Levels via the Help menu.  Or you can check out the feature comparison matrix on our revised website.

What about 1.4 licenses?   Understand for C++, Java, FORTRAN map to Understand 2.0 Pro with their respective languages and API usage enabled.  Understand for Ada, JOVIAL and PL/M licenses map to Understand 2.0 Analyst licenses with their respective languages enabled.  Combined language analysis is avialable but will consume a legacy license for each language. No new license is needed, your existing ones will work.   If you want to have your licenses upgraded to L1 or L2 language packs then our sales@scitools.com folks can help with quotations for that.

What about TrackBack?   TrackBack is a cool product that helps us every day. We are fully committed to TrackBack and plan near term improvements for it.  But it will be part of Understand 2.0 going forward.  We just think it is something that every engineer should have.  It will be in each Understand 2.0 kit.  Customers who have TrackBack but not Understand will be sent a download link for updating separate from Understand.

I’ll caveat that the features between the versions can change, and probably will, once we get feedback from customers and experience selling this way. 

In particular, if you are a Unix user you will want to at least update to B448 released today. It has a fix in it for the problem of lost application settings (fonts, font sizes, window locations, etc…) on systems that have daily or more frequent clearing of their /tmp directories.

Thanks,

Ken N.

That download page change reflects how close we are to taking Understand 2.0 off beta.  Remaining features we want to add before doing that are:

• external editor integration (for instance using EMACS as the source editor)
• external application control of Understand (permitting other apps to launch Understand views/graphs)
• user tools (permitting users to integrate with make, CM and other external system commands)
• poster / n-page printing of graphics

All of these are 2–3 weeks away… so the time is approaching.

Naturally most of our development effort is directed at Understand 2.0, but Understand 1.4 will not be ignored:

• we will continue to release new builds of Understand 1.4 for 4–6 months. These builds will include:
• all parser changes
• crash fixes
• no new features will be added except for parser and things common to 2.0, like the PERL and C APIs
• after 4–6 months, we will stop making new builds of 1.4 weekly. However, we can and will make new builds as we encounter and fix critical errors reported by users still depending on it.

Note that all current Understand 1.4 licenses will operate 2.0 as well. If you are under maintenance, enjoy 2.0. If you aren’t, give it a try and see if coming back under maintenance is worth the money. If so, e-mail sales@scitools.com to ask for a maintenance renewal quotation.  As usual, it is an honor system. We hope you understand doing things like 2.0 (and 2.1, 2.2, so forth) takes money and we hope you feel Understand 2.0 and our support efforts are worth the cost.

I hope this plan seems reasonable to you. None of this is cast in stone, so feel free to send concerns, compliments or suggestions  to support@scitools.com.

Regards,

Ken Nelson
President
Scitools

Why have a blog?  We feel, strongly, that an educated customer base is a purchasing customer base – so call it enlightened self interest.  But even more so, we go to great lengths to write our tools and we want our users to know as much as they can about how they work and what they can do.

In keeping with our usual “just the facts” approach, this blog will be relatively void of marketing hype. I bill it inside the company as the “Engineers Blog” – a place where our product developers can give and get information to help make using our tools a better experience for all.

From time to time there may be a marketing thing or two, like when we introduce a new product. But mostly it will be ‘just the facts”.

My initial use of the system (Moveable Type 4.1 hosting and BlogJet posting) has shown posting to be very easy. So I expect in a few weeks we should have all Scitools engineers involved.

Regards,

Ken Nelson
President
Scitools