Navigating Code and Git with GNAT Studio

The purpose of this exercise is to discover and use GNAT Studio to navigate the code.

This lab uses the Getting Started lab (default).

Question 1

We want to get familiar with the Mage package, and we’re going to use GNAT Studio to help with that. From getting_started_main.adb, navigate to the definition of Window_ID, then to the private completion of this type.

Question 2

Notice that Window_ID is created through a call to Create_Window. Navigate to the completion of that function.

Question 3

The Renderer_Flag constant depends on Mage_Config.Hardware.Enabled. Navigate to the definition of this constant.

Question 4

Notice that the package Mage_Config.Hardware doesn’t bare the same name as its file. This is due to a custom compiler setup, which happens in mage.gpr. Open that GPR file.

Question 5

The package in question in the GPR file is the package Naming. Find it, and reading what it does, try to get to the related call to external. This declares a scenario variable. Go to the Scenario view and find the variable and its current value. Change the value, see that the compiled value of Mage_Config.Hardware.Enabled changed, and recompile and re-run the app to see what happens.

Question 6

Open mage.adb and locate the use of Unbounded_String, jump to its declaration. Using the outline view, notice all that the package Ada.Strings.Unbounded exports.

Question 7

Locate Ada.Strings.Unbounded.To_Unbounded_String (Source : String), and list all of its callers.

Question 8

Open the git history of getting_started_main.adb, then the git history of labs_solar_system.gpr (hint: this second one may require opening another view than the Project view).