Developing an IDE

[serena5]

Hi All,
I was wondering if you could advise me on what books/resources to use to learn some aspects of computing that really interest me.

I would like to get more information on creating an IDE. Obviously at this point, I am not talking Netbeans or the like, but an editor with useful features like syntax highlighting, code completion, compiling and running programs.

I have done extensive search online, but cannot get a good book or articles that cover those principles.

I understand that creating a proper IDE require teams of many developers, but seeing that I have a lifetime on planet Earth, I might as well put it to good news, and learn the things that drew me into Software Engineering.

Thanks

[jwenting]

You won't find any "How to write an IDE in 24 hours" kind of book.
Rather you'll have to figure out what skills you need and search for dedicated material for each of them.

[serena5]

Oh trust me if there was such a book, I would have found it by now, lol.
I know roughly what components are needed. I was thinking on investing in a book about compilers and interpreters, but I am not sure whether it was the right move or not as it might not be as useful as I may think. Hence me posting here to get more suggestions before starting buying resources.

You won't find any "How to write an IDE in 24 hours" kind of book. Rather you'll have to figure out what skills you need and search for dedicated material for each of them.

[Salem]

Most of the IDEs I know save the compilation/interpretation to external tools.

So a simple wrapper around
- edit file using an editor
- pass file to compiler
- gather error messages.

All of this is mundane stuff compared to writing a compiler.

Maybe grab the source code for code::blocks and start reading.

[abhimanipal]

If you are looking for a direction to get started at least .... Try making a text editor first which has the basic functionality like Notepad ....
Once this is done (and you are still determined to move ahead) then you can think of more advance functionality

[jonsca]

Oh trust me if there was such a book, I would have found it by now, lol.

If you're also looking into designing IDEs that you can use with an existing compiler check out http://damieng.com/blog/2007/11/08/dissecting-a-c-application-inside-sharpdevelop -- the book is free and legal.