The main theme of our latest round of compiler updates is increasing productivity. With version 6.6.0, mikroC, mikroBasic and mikroPascal for PIC get the improvements.
If you, the programmer, were a Formula 1 driver, we’d be the pit stop crew. We’re constantly coming up with ways to tweak and improve your machine (compiler), but we can’t turn you into a better driver. It’s up to you to make the most of the tool you have.
The updated PIC compilers have all the time-saving IDE improvements we started implementing since the introduction of FT90x compilers — and more. You could easily ignore them and just continue working in the IDE as you did before. But if you get into the habit of using all the new features, your productivity will reach new heights.
Download the new version and try out these features one by one:
Wild card “*” in code completion and Routine lists:
Try typing, say, *can and hit ctrl+space. You’ll get a complete list of identifiers that include CAN anywhere in their name. (It works with multiple asterisks too, e.g. phrase1*phrase2.) Here's a quick demo:
Adding local variables by identifier:
Instead of having to track back everytime you have to declare a new variable in your code, simply hit CTRL+SHIFT+V to bring up a “declare variable” dialog, fill it out and you’re good to go (the local variable is automatically added). In the long run you’ll save miles of scrolling with your mouse up and down the editor. See how it works:
New back and forward navigation:
When you move around break points and multiple editors, you can now easily track back to where you started from, without losing any work (which could potentially happen if you used Undo and Redo).
Drag and drop functionality:
Instead of typing them out, simply drag and drop functions directly into the editor.
Synchronized editing
And lastly, something exclusive for the PIC compilers (for now): Synchronized editing. Change a variable name in one place, and the changes will be automatically applied throughout the code. Like this:
There’s a few more features, along with regular minor bug fixes. See them all in the specification tab of your preferred compiler: mikroC, mikroBasic or mikroPascal.
Yours sincerely,
MikroElektronika