Source Insight

Source Insight is intended to help programmers edit, analyze and manage source code. In this regard, the program supports dynamic analysis of code written in various programming languages, like C++, C#, Java, Objective-C Perl, and many others.

The tool has a Spartan interface that does not have any “bells and whistles”. However, it is easily navigable. There is the main work area where the code is edited as well as a window that shows a tree structure of the component elements. In addition, the tool has a group of auxiliary panels that allow quickly browsing through your code as well as consulting other sources.

Source Insight has the ability to parse the code and build a database of symbols. This way, it can assist in the process of analyzing your code by displaying automatic contextual information. Another useful feature is the Relation window, where you can find the relationships between the symbols, in the form of hierarchies, call trees, and reference trees.

Fortunately, the program comes with various editing functions. For instance, it lets you find and replace strings, change between upper and lowercase and substitute spaces by tabs. As it indexes your source code, it can quickly find references to symbols in all your project. Besides, the product can complete identifier names automatically. In this respect, it is excellent that it allows navigating through function and variable names. The program also allows you to spot differences between two versions of the same code by displaying them side by side.

Finally, when you are done, you can generate a snapshot of the code to make it available for online browsing. It is possible to save all the files in a project to HTML files, which has the advantage of showing almost the same formatting as in the program itself.

All in all, Source Insight is definitely not a program for beginners. In the hands of expert users, it becomes a powerful tool for code editing, browsing and analyzing. The product is shareware and can be tried at no cost. However, if you are running on a low budget, its price may be well beyond what you are willing to pay.