1. Introduction

IDLWAVE is a package which supports editing source files for the Interactive Data Language (IDL(1)), and for running IDL as an inferior shell(2). It can also be used for editing source files for the related WAVE/CL language, but with only limited support.

IDLWAVE consists of two main parts: a major mode for editing IDL source files files (idlwave-mode) and a mode for running the IDL program as an inferior shell (idlwave-shell-mode). Although one mode can be used without the other, both work together closely to form a complete development environment. Here is a brief summary of what IDLWAVE does:

• Code indentation and formatting.
• Three level syntax highlighting support.
• Context-sensitive display of calling sequences and keywords for more than 1000 native IDL routines, extendible to any number of additional routines in your local IDL libraries.
• Routine name space conflict search, likelihood-of-use ranking.
• Fast, context-sensitive online help.
• Context sensitive completion of routine names and keywords.
• Easy insertion of code templates.
• Automatic corrections to enforce a variety of customizable coding standards.
• Integrity checks and auto-termination of logical blocks.
• Support for `imenu' (Emacs) and `func-menu' (XEmacs).
• Documentation support.
• Running IDL as an inferior Shell with history search, command line editing and all the completion and routine info capabilities present in IDL source buffers.
• Compilation, execution and interactive debugging of programs directly from the source buffer.
• Quick, source-guided navigation of the calling stack, with variable inspection, etc.
• Examining variables and expressions with a mouse click.
• And much, much more...

Here are a number of screenshots showing IDLWAVE in action:

• An IDLWAVE buffer
• A keyword being completed
• Online help text.
• Routine information displayed
• Debugging code stopped at a breakpoint

IDLWAVE is the successor to the `idl.el' and `idl-shell.el' files written by Chris Chase. The modes and files had to be renamed because of a name space conflict with CORBA's idl-mode, defined in Emacs in the file `cc-mode.el'. If you have been using the old files, check 6.3 Upgrading from the old `idl.el' file for information on how to switch.

In this manual, each section ends with a list of related user options. Don't be confused by the sheer number of options available -- in most cases the default settings are just fine. The variables are listed here to make sure you know where to look if you want to change anything. For a full description of what a particular variable does and how to configure it, see the documentation string of that variable (available with C-h v). Some configuration examples are also given in the appendix.