GroovyEclipse Wish List

This is a wish list to help guide further development of GroovyEclipse. Please add your own entries, and increment the vote count for features that interest you.

Refactoring

rename method/variables (+9)

extract method (+5)

extract variable (+1)

inline method/variable

Groovy Source Editor

Code Formatting (+12)

Typing

Automatically insert braces at the right position.

Quote insertion. Either automatically step over the second quote when typed or don't do it at all. Perhaps a disable property would work. (+2)

The Java preferences are now honored so one can disable this property

Tab indenting with spaces (+3)

Pressing the tab key to create an indent should honor the formatting settings, i.e. if "use spaces" is set, the tab key should insert space characters, not a tab. A workaround  for this work could be the plugin AnyEdit which can convert Tabs to spaces.

Code Assist

Any type of automatic insertion of code falls under this category.

Code Complete

Complete within Method Scope (Implemented)

Typed and simple inferred typed completions within method scope for types, properties and methods.

Complete within Module Scope (+7)

This is where completions of packages and imports.

Code Assistance

Code Templates (Implemented)

As with Java, type 'for' and get 'for (i in 0..n) { }'.
At this time there are formatting issues

Override Method (Implemented)

Within the scope of the class, type the start of the method to override and hit ctrl+space.

Implement Getter/Setter (Implemented)

Type 'get' or 'set' and choose from a list of possible getters and setters to insert a default implementation.

Quickfixes for Compiler Errors (+8)

Auto Import on Completion (Implemented)

Imports are not inserted in sorted at this time. Sometimes completion doesn't work

Organize Imports (+1)

Code Browsing

Hyperlink To Type (+9)

This features exists but does not function fully. Ctrl + Click sometimes works. It needs to be rewritten and 'done right'

Find All References (+7)

Type Hierarchy (+2)

Groovy Search (+2)

Much like Java search.

Outline View

 Enable sorting (alphabetical order/Order of appearance in File) and filtering (show or hide: private, public, fields, getters & setters, constructors)

Testing (Implemented)

Ability to run Groovy based tests in a similar fashion to standard JUnit tests, with matching green/red runner results view.

This would be the familiar "Run as Groovy test" and has a view recording the test results.

Testing (Not Implemented Yet)

Ability to run Groovy based integration and unit tests for Grails applications.

Debugger

Grails application testing

Should be able to start a Grails application from Eclipse and set break points that would break when the execution of the web application would reach that break point. Should be able to inspect Groovy variables. Would be nice if code changes in a method when saved would set the current execution point at the first line of the method.

Filtering of Stack Traces (+3)

This should be selectable (somewhere something like a Checkbox or so) either you see the full stack or you see only Groovy classes in your project.

A Groovy-aware Display view (+2)

Like the Java "Display" view in the debugger, but able to evaluate groovy expressions within the current context.

Step directly into target method (+1)

When debugging in groovy code, stepping into should if possible bypass all the reflection and metaclass stuff, and take you directly to the target method 

Documentation

On-line Help (Done)

The definitive documentation for the Groovy Eclipse Plugin should be available in the Eclipse on-line help.

Showing documentation (+8)

Method documentation of the function or the class documentation while hovering over the word (just like in the Java plugin)

Add Doc in the style of the Java Plugin (+3)

When sitting on a method definition or class definition, and opening the popup-menu there should be an entry: "Create Block Comment", which should result in something like:

/**
* @param
* @param
* @return
*/

There should be another popup-menu Entry: "Update Block Comment",  which should check if the comment is there already it should check, if all parameters are there and add or delete if necessary (just dreaming
 

 

Miscellaneous

Running/managing groovy scripts

The IDE understands a groovy script that is not a class, showing it's attributes in the object browser, allowing the user to run it and see the results, etc.

Support for PDE

Add the ability to write plugins using Groovy. Should support execution, debug and build of Groovy language made Eclipse plugins.