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Getting Help as
You Write Code
With Total
.NET XRef you can quickly see every place that refers to a
specific object, allowing you to:
Getting Help as
You Plan Changes
Total .NET
XRef is invaluable as you make changes to existing code.
Whenever you make changes to existing code, there is the very
real possibility that you will introduce new defects, or
otherwise destabilize working features. Before you make a change
to code, it is valuable to have an idea of how big an impact you
are going to make.
For example, if you are going to rewrite a
private member within a class, you need to know all of the
places in that class that use the member. Depending on the size
and complexity of the class, this change can be simple, or
difficult. However, when you plan a change to a public member of
a class, the risk potential of new defects increases
exponentially—many other classes throughout your project may use
that public method. One change quickly grows into multiple
changes, and each change ripples through other classes, objects,
and code.
Before embarking on a code
change, you need to be able to associate a cost or risk factor
to that change. You could do this by simply making the change
and then seeing what breaks (a process that requires quite a bit
of testing), or you could do a detailed manual analysis of your
code to determine the number of changes that will be needed.
Neither of these approaches is optimal. Total .NET XRef gives
you invaluable help in making change decisions.
When you are contemplating
making a code change, run Total .NET XRef. Instantly, it shows you a count of the
number of places that refer to that code item. Armed with this
information, you can make a more informed decision about the
cost of the change. Additionally, with the detailed list of
references that Total .NET XRef provides, you have an automatic
roadmap of all the places you need to visit to ensure the change
works.
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