Komodo User Guide

Getting Started

Getting started with Komodo is as easy as opening a file and beginning to edit. However, to ensure that you don't miss any of Komodo's features, take a look at the components of the Komodo workspace described below, or take a visual tour of the Komodo workspace.

Next, Get Started Fast with Komodo's Sample Project. Use the Sample Project to familiarize yourself with Komodo's project management, editing features and debugging functionality.

The Komodo Workspace

The Start Page

Komodo's Start Page is displayed by default when Komodo is first opened, and whenever there are no files open in the Editor Pane. The Start Page provides quick access to recently-opened files and projects. By default, the Start Page also displays links to tutorials and Komodo's Sample Project, as well as the Tip of the Day. Select Edit|Preferences|Appearance to change what is displayed on the Start Page.

To configure the number of recent files and projects displayed on the Start Page, use the Appearance page of Komodo Preferences.

To clear the names of selected files or projects from the Start Page, check the boxes next to the filenames, then click Remove. To clear the complete list of files or projects, click the "X" button at the top right of each list.

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Title Bar

The title bar displays the path and name of the active file. During debugging, the title bar indicates the state of the debugger. For more information about using the debugger, see Debugging Programs.

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Menus

The Komodo drop-down menus include File, Edit, View, Debug, Project, Toolbox, Tools, Window, and Help. The functions accessed from each menu are described in detail in the relevant section of the User Guide. For example, the items accessed from the Debug menu are described in the Debugging Programs section of the User Guide.

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Context Menus

Komodo displays different context menus when you right-click, depending the location of the mouse pointer. Use the left mouse button to select items from context menus.

  • Menu Bar Areas and Toolbar Areas The context menu has options to view or hide individual toolbars and toolbar text.
  • Projects Tab (Project Name) When you right-click a project name, the context menu has options to open, save, activate, and close the projects, and to add a file to the selected project. On Windows systems, you can add several files to a project by selecting a group of files in Windows Explorer and dragging them to the Projects tab.
  • Projects Tab (File Name) When you right-click a file name, the context menu has options to edit or remove the selected file from the project.
  • Toolbox Tab When you right-click the tab at the top of the Toolbox pane, a context menu with the same commands as the top-level Toolbox menu is displayed.
  • Editor Pane (File Editing Area) The context menu has options to cut, copy, and paste text, to set a breakpoint, and to edit the file properties and settings.
  • Editor Pane (Tabs) The context menu has options to close the selected file and to view the file's properties and settings.
  • Output Pane The context menu contains a subset of the top-level View menu.
  • Help (Contents Pane) The context menu has options to go back, forward, home, to print, to select all the text, and to copy the selected text.
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Toolbars

The Standard Toolbar below the Menu bar provides quick access to common editing functions. In addition, the Preview in Browser command, the Rx Toolkit, and the Visual Package Manager are available from this toolbar. You can also launch the Komodo User Guide by clicking the question mark button.

The Debug Toolbar below the Standard Toolbar provides quick access to common debugging functions, such as Step In and Step Over. For more information about debugging programs, see Debugging Programs.

To hide or show toolbars, or to hide or show button text, do one of the following:

  • From the View menu, select Toolbars.
  • Right-click on a menu bar or toolbar, and toggle the check mark beside the pertinent option.
  • From the Edit menu, select Preferences. Click the Appearance option and check or uncheck the desired options.
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Projects/Toolbox Pane

The top left pane of the Komodo workspace contains the Project Manager and the Toolbox.

Projects Tab

The Projects tab displays projects that are currently open. Hide or display the list of files associated with the project by clicking the symbol to the left of the project name. When the symbol is displayed as plus sign, the file display is collapsed. When the symbol is displayed as a minus sign, the file display is expanded. To display the Projects tab, click on the tab itself, or press Ctrl+Shift+P.

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Toolbox Tab

The Toolbox tab is used to manage and store a variety of items for easy access. For example, you can place frequently-used files, code snippets, commands, and URLs in the Toolbox. You can add items to the Toolbox, as well as to folders within the Toolbox. You can import items into the Toolbox and export items as Komodo project files. Items that can be added to the Toolbox are displayed with associated icons for easy identification. To display the Toolbox tab, click on the tab itself, or press Ctrl+Shift+T.

Related Topics:

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Editor Pane

The large pane in the middle of the Komodo workspace is the Editor Pane. The Editor Pane is used for editing and debugging. Each open file has a corresponding tab at the top of the Editor Pane. You can open numerous files at the same time. Change the order of the tabs by clicking and dragging tabs to the desired position. The name of the active file (that is, the file that is currently displayed in the Editor Pane) is displayed in bold text. Use the left and right arrow buttons on the right side of the tabs to scroll though open files. Use the close button "X" on the right side of the tab display to close the active file. An asterisk beside the file name indicates that the file has been changed since it was opened, and needs to be saved.

Related Topics:

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Output Pane

The Output Pane spans the width of the Komodo workspace and displays at the bottom of the screen. The Output Pane has a tabbed view with the following elements:

  • Debug Output Tab Displays the output of the debug process.
  • Debug Variables Tab Displays the call stack, the active variables in the debug process, and has a pane to watch variables change. For nested variables, click the plus symbol to the left of a variable name to view the contents of the variable. For more information about the call stack and watching variables, see Debugging Programs.
  • Find Results Tab Displays the results of the "Find All" function. See Finding Words or Expressions for information about the "Find All" function.
  • Command Output Tab By default, displays the results of commands run in the Run Command dialog box.
  • SCC OutPut Tab Displays details of source code control commands, such as editing or checking in files.
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Collapsing and Resizing Panes

All panes in the Komodo workspace can be resized or minimized.

Collapsing and Resizing the Projects/Toolbox Pane

  • To hide or display the Projects/Toolbox Pane, select View|Projects/Toolbox Pane, or press Ctrl+Shift+P. You can also hide the Projects/Toolbox Pane by clicking the close button "X" at the top right of the pane.
  • To change the width of the Projects/Toolbox pane, click and drag the right frame to the desired position.
  • To change the height of the Projects/Toolbox Pane, click and drag the center frame to the desired position.

Resizing the Editor Pane

When you are focusing on coding alone, you may want to maximize the Editor Pane. To increase the size of the Editor Pane, hide the Projects/Toolbox Pane and the Output Pane.

Collapsing and Resizing the Output Pane

To hide or display the Output Pane, select View|Output Pane, or press Ctrl+Shift+O. You can also hide the Output Pane by clicking the close button "X" at the top right of the pane. To resize the Output Pane, click the top edge of the pane and drag up or down.

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Enabling Full Screen Mode

To take advantage of as much of the Komodo workspace as possible, select View|Full Screen. When Full Screen mode is enabled, the workspace is maximized, and the toolbars and status bar are hidden. To restore the previous view, select View|Full Screen again.

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Getting Started with the Sample Project

Komodo's sample project includes a number of programs in different languages. Use these sample programs to familiarize yourself with Komodo's functionality.

Open the Sample Project and File

On Komodo's Start Page, click Open Sample Project. The Sample Project and its associated files will display on the Projects tab in the Projects/Toolbox Pane.

To open a sample program, double-click the file name on the Projects tab. The contents of the file will display in the Editor Pane.

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Edit a Sample Program

Komodo includes sample programs written in Perl, Python, JavaScript, PHP, Tcl, and XSLT. Each program is extensively annotated with comments and exercises that describe the Komodo's language-specific features. Open the sample programs for languages that interest you, and read the comments to explore Komodo's editing functionality. For a complete description of Komodo's editor functions, see Editing Files.

As an example, a brief description of the Python sample program (python_sample.py) follows. (For other languages, open the applicable sample file and review the comments.) Below, a brief description of each function in the sample Python file is annotated by line number; to display line numbers in the sample program, select Edit|Current File Settings, then, in the General section of the dialog, select Show line numbers.

  • Line 7 describes Code Folding (the ability to collapse and expand blocks of code)
  • Line 18 describes Background Syntax Checking (the indication of syntax errors with a red line)
  • Line 27 describes Syntax Coloring (the colorization of language elements)
  • Line 32 describes AutoCompletion and CallTips (hints for quick entry of methods, properties and parameters)
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Debug a Sample Program

Komodo provides debugging support for Perl, Python, PHP and XSLT. Komodo works with the core language distribution for Perl, Python and PHP to provide interpreter support. XSLT, on the other hand, is entirely self-contained. To debug the sample files for Perl, Python and PHP, you must configure the location of the language interpreter. See Configuring the Perl Debugger, Configuring the Python Debugger, or Debugging PHP for instructions. Then open the sample file for the desired language, and view the comments in the "Debugging" section. General debugging functionality is discussed below.

  1. Breakpoints In the sample program, click on the grey margin to the immediate left of the Editor Pane. A green circle will appear, indicating that a breakpoint has been set. When you run the debugger, program processing will stop at lines where breakpoints have been set.
  2. Start / Step Over / Step In To start debugging, click the Go button on the debug toolbar. When debugging begins, the Output Pane will be displayed beneath the Editor Pane in the Komodo workspace. The program will run until a breakpoint is encountered; when program execution pauses at a breakpoint, click "Step In" to move through the program in single line increments, or "Step Over" to execute the entire function (as applicable), or "Step Out" to execute the remainder of a function (as applicable).
  3. Debug Output Tab Ensure the tab labeled "Debug Output" is at the front of the Output Pane. The program output will appear on this tab.
  4. Debug Variables Tab Click the Debug Variables tab on the Output Pane. On this tab, you can view the Call Stack, variables, and variable values, modify variable values, and add variables to the Watched Variables pane.
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