As of build 523, the .udb extension on Windows is associated with Understand and when a .udb file is double clicked it will open the Understand Project. Some users have asked for similar functionality with code files. In the past if you setup Understand to open a code file, by default it would open a new instance of Understand. As of build 525 it will open up in the existing instance of Understand instead of a new one. Keep reading for instructions on registering Understand to open code files.
We’ve developed a UML Class Diagram for Understand. You can grab it from the plugins page. Update: This diagram is now shipped with Understand and is available in the Graphs menu.
Refactoring is a disciplined technique for restructuring an existing body of code, altering its internal structure without changing its external behavior. Its heart is a series of small behavior preserving transformations. Each transformation (called a ‘refactoring’) does little, but a sequence of transformations can produce a significant restructuring. Since each refactoring is small, it’s less likely to go wrong. The system is also kept fully working after each small refactoring, reducing the chances that a system can get seriously broken during the restructuring. — Martin Fowler http://www.refactoring.com/
In other words, refactoring is making your code cleaner, safer, and easier to use. Understand can be a very powerful tool in your re-factoring arsenal. Here are a few ways you can use Understand in your refactoring process.
Understand has many different metrics, including a large number that focus on counting the number of statements and lines of code, including Lines of Code (LOC or SLOC), Lines with Comments (CLOC), empty lines (BLOC), Number of Statements, Number of Executable Statements, etc.
The short C/C++ example below shows how each line and statement contribute to these metrics in Understand. You can view the larger version here.
We have made a lot of changes to the licensing in Understand 2.5. How does this affect you?
These changes require a new license key.
All Understand features are now available to all users
As always, as long as your maintenance is up-to-date, there is no cost for the new version of Understand, we just need to generate a new license for you. The dialog that pops up when you start Understand has three options for getting that new license, whichever you choose, we will get the license to you quickly and without any hassle.
What if your maintenance is not current? You can still use any of these options, and we will get you a quote for getting back up-to-date. Also, the 2.5 install does not overwrite your previous version, so you can continue to use Understand 2.0 with your previous license.
We’ve added a new dependency graph with some great interactive capabilities. If you’ve been looking for a way to visualize your high level code layout and intra-project dependencies, this is it. Watch this short video to get a taste of how useful these graphs are.
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 GUIwith 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.
