iDevGames

Introduction

Metrowerks’ CodeWarrior Learning Edition (CWLE) is a product targeted at beginner programmers and schools who wish to teach programming on the Macintosh. On the surface the CWLE 3 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is similar to version two, which I reviewed back in 2000 for iDevGames. To that end, I recommend that you read the review of CWLE 2 since I will be taking a closer look at what separates CWLE version three from the other editions of CodeWarrior family in this review.

As with the previous version I reviewed, CWLE 3 includes not only many examples and tutorials, but also a video collection that explains all aspects of programming with the CodeWarrior IDE. To test those learning tools I enlisted the help of my girlfriend, who is not a programmer, in order to observe how a novice would approach the installation and use of CWLE.

Installation

As always, the installation of CWLE is very straightforward. You can choose either the Easy Install option, which will install all the necessary files for both C/C++ as well as Java development, or you can choose to install either the C/C++ or the Java development tools only. A full installation weighs in at about 677 MB, mostly taken up by examples and tutorials.

The Tools

As previously mentioned, since most of the tools were present in version two of CWLE, I won’t go too deeply into each one here; instead, I’ll provide a short overview of what tools are installed, what they look like, and how they work.

The Programming Tools

The center of CodeWarrior is the CodeWarrior IDE application. It encompasses the project management utility, the compiler, the linker, the debugger, and the source code editor.

The box includes a “Quick Reference” sheet for the IDE which illustrates the various interface elements with numerous screenshots, tells where they are located, and what they are for. This reference is well structured and covers all necessary parts and goes even a step farther to explain how to customize the IDE. Although a thoughtful feature, including the customizing section in the Quick Reference might not be the best approach considering the level of the intended market. It’s possible that this feature could lead to some hair pulling and some more work for system administrators within a classroom environment. Speaking of schools, if you need additional reference sheets, contact Metrowerks about obtaining more for each workstation—a must in my book. Finally, a Quick Start guide is included which shows how to set up a project in a few simple steps.

The Learning Tools

The great benefit of using CWLE is the excellent tutorial. It consists of a virtual textbook and several QuickTime movies that are started from within the textbook. The movies explain the various aspects of the CodeWarrior IDE as well as basic knowledge about what a project is. This textbook and the movies it contains enable a teacher to let the students work independently and still be sure that they are taught everything they need to know about the basics of programming with the CodeWarrior IDE.

In addition to the interactive tutorial, the Installer application will install several books in electronic form (both HTML and PDF versions) that cover programming in C/C++ or Java as well as books on PowerPlant and, of course, the user manual for the CodeWarrior IDE.

Returning to the classroom environment again, teachers will surely welcome the ability to easily create project templates from which the students then start their assignments. Simply place all the files needed for the homework project into a folder and move that folder into the Stationery folder in your CWLE folder. When you create a new project you can then choose the newly added template. Using this mechanism, teachers can prepare the whole semester in advance, and focus their attention on students who have questions regarding the task while the other students work independently.

The New Stuff

The most obvious change, apart from the interactive tutorial, points to CodeWarrior’s new support for the Cocoa API. However, you will still need Apple’s Interface Builder to edit the .nib files. This leads to the question, “Why use CodeWarrior to develop Cocoa applications when installation of Interface Builder is still required?” This question is even harder to answer when one considers the established integration between Apple’s Interface Builder and Project Builder. It remains to be seen if Metrowerks can create an interface designing tool that can rival Interface Builder, however, in their defense, perhaps focusing their efforts on the areas where they have shined in the past might be wiser.

CWLE 3 comes with lots of examples covering various kinds of applications. There are example projects for Cocoa as well as Carbon applications and there are even example projects for CLI (Command Line Interface) applications. The Cocoa examples show how to program toolbars or drawers, among other things.

Checking in on my girlfriend’s progress at this point, I found that she really liked CWLE 3 and made a little progress in her quest to learn how to program. No doubt due to the excellent tutorial, she now understands what projects are, and why it is a good thing to have them. She also mentioned that the interface was very clear and easy to understand—once again proving that Metrowerks is on target for the market to which they are selling. Her only criticism concerned the pace of certain sections of the tutorial, at times a bit too slow for her taste.

Conclusion

With Apple providing free tools in the form of Interface Builder and Project Builder, is there a market for CWLE 3? Indeed there is; Apple’s tools are free, but they won’t teach you how to program and are less suitable for cross-platform development. Schools and complete novices should seriously consider this product—an excellent launching pad for getting into the world of programming. CWLE 3, like the earlier version I reviewed, is easy to understand and includes abundant learning examples. In addition, my experience with Metrowerks has always been quite positive as they are a very forthcoming company if you have problems with their software. Intermediate-level programmers would also be wise to give a closer look to CWLE 3. The price is very competitive and provides enough power to write full blown applications in Java or C/C++.

One drawback is that, unlike with the Pro edition, you cannot fully optimize your code, and some features found in the Pro edition are missing in the Learning Edition. For any educational or hobbyist purposes, however, that should not be a problem. For anything CWLE can’t do, or if you wish to distribute your applications, the more expensive CodeWarrior Pro from Metrowerks should be used.

As I already mentioned, having to install and use Apple’s tools in order to develop Cocoa applications does not make CWLE the best solution for beginner programmers or students wishing to learn Cocoa. If Cocoa is the only framework being used, I personally would use Apple’s tools, not Metrowerks’, and get myself a good book on Cocoa like ‘Cocoa Programming on Mac OS X’ by Aaron Hillegass. However, programming Cocoa with CWLE is possible, and as a method of illustrating the way to program with Cocoa, or as a way to avoid learning two separate IDEs, it is definitely a useful solution.

If you want to write Macintosh applications or games but lack the knowledge, are coming from IDEs that are based on BASIC, or you’re on a budget, CWLE 3 is definitely for you. If you need a good and simple IDE for your school class then CWLE is the best choice as it doesn’t limit you to one language and it also offers you valuable assistance with its tutorials and examples. Experienced developers or those only interested in Mac OS X’s Cocoa framework, on the other hand, will be better off using the CodeWarrior Pro edition or Apple’s free developer’s tools.

• Rated 7
• Version: 3.0
• Category: Development Environment
• Developer: Metrowerks
• Url: www.metrowerks.com
• MSRP: $79 ($59 Academic)

codewarrior,le,3,metrowerks

Further Resources