From: Greg Hauptmann <greg.hauptmann.ruby@...>
Date: 2009-12-08T08:47:11+09:00
Subject: how to understand Ruby code? (noting various mixins/includes) Is 	there a tool to assist here?

Hi,

I seem to spend a good deal of time trying to make sense of open
source ruby code due to the way it is very dynamic.  There are various
code files that are really just ready to be "mixed in" to other files
(e.g. with the class methods & instance methods ready to go).  Just
trying to make sense of the final object structure and where methods
resides seems to be a challenge.  The latest one I've been looking at
are things like AuthLogic and Paperclip which are used in the Rails
world.

QUESTION 1:  Is there a tool that could assist here?  I'm thinking of
one that could do things like walk the code base and then:

   * Give a hierarchy structure where various files methods are loaded
into which objects

   * Perhaps something that analyses code and then added comments to
the various files highlighting where that files methods will reside in
terms of the final object structure.

   * Given sample walk throughs of methods hit in which files for a
given use case (e.g. like how the java IDEs can auto-sequence
diagrams)

QUESTION  2: Should of nothing be available for the above, and tips/
tricks people have re understanding a new ruby codebase?  (although in
particular with a rails bent)

thanks