PR# 5153 External Command $file_name no longer works for .NET classes imported from metadata

Problem Report Summary
Submitter: peter_gummer
Category: EiffelStudio
Priority: Medium
Date: 2005/07/20
Class: Bug
Severity: Non-critical
Number: 5153
Release: 5.6.1108
Confidential: No
Status: Analyzed
Responsible:
Environment: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4
Synopsis: External Command $file_name no longer works for .NET classes imported from metadata

Description
In http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eiffel_software/message/4365 I described how I have been using an external command that utilises $file_name in order to display on-line help for the .NET framework class that is currently displayed in the editor.

This isn't working in 5.6 because restructuring of the metadata consumer cache means that $file_name always resolves to "classes.info". My external command therefore always opens the help viewer on the wrong page.

I've tried using $class_name. This is better, but almost never works because the Eiffel class name is different from the .NET name.

Is it possible to make $file_name return something sensible, like it used to?

What I'm really after, of course, is a convenient way to get to the on-line help for a .NET framework class. In any other IDE I've used for the last 10 years it's so easy: just place the cursor on the class name and hit F1.
To Reproduce

										

									

								

							

						

					

				

			

		

	









	

		

			
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											From:peter_gummer   
											Date:2005/07/20   
											
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==== Manu: Wed Jul 20 15:19:53 PDT 2005 ===============================

Dear Peter,

What is your external command? I'm saying this because `file_name' will
not work anymore for .NET classes as we have now a more compact
storage for the metadata cache. So if it is of value we could add
your command as a predefined one in 5.7 or future releases.

For 5.6 unless you are saying it would be a major nuisance, we will
leave things as they are.

==== Manu: Wed Jul 20 15:19:53 PDT 2005 ===============================
From: Peter Gummer <pgummer@decisions-made-easy.com.au>
To: bugs@support.eiffel.com
Cc: 
Subject: RE: EiffelStudio/5153: External Command $file_name no longer work
	s for .NET classes imported from metadata
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 09:00:09 +1000

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 Hi Manu,
 
 The external command's name is ".NET Hel
....
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