Bumble Bee Soft Blog

Virtually every part of Object Outline 2.1 has been improved. The major improvements are the following:

* Visual C++ 5.0 integration.
* Complete user control over the layout, fonts, and organization of the generated documentation.
* The private parts of a class can now be documented.
* HTML tags in the comments are now recognized and preserved in the final documentation.
* Several new comment filtering options have been added, allowing even greater control over the final documentation.
* A new HTML report format that utilizes cascading style sheets. Classes, structs, enums, and functions are placed in their own files for fast access.
* Microsoft WinHelp support. The Object Outline generated WinHelp file can now be integrated into Microsoft’s Visual C++ ʽ help.
* Several new RTF report formats, including a format that does not add pages between classes and functions, and several style sheets that can be imported and used in programs besides Microsoft Word.
* Support for generating HTML documents that are compatible with 16 bit Windows clients, and Novell 3.1 file servers.
* Object Outline can be configured to ignore comments in header files generated by other tools, such as IDL compilers, and the COM MIDL compiler.
* External documents can now be given verbose names.
* Inline chapter descriptions can be entered directly into the tool rather than requiring a separate text file.
* Comments for function and member function parameters can be excluded from the final documentation.
* C++ exception specification support, C++ namespace support, plus many smaller improvements to the C/C++ language support.
* The tab size can be specified.

Object Outline generates useful, up to date, documentation for software written in C and C++. Object Outline generates HTML, RTF, and WinHelp documents that seamlessly combine the project’s source code, the comments in the source code, any design or analysis documents, and source code metrics. The result is a single coherent document unifying all of the information available about a program.

Object Outline is now free!

The major features of Object Outline are:

* Its Free and you have the source code.
* Advanced comment extraction technology, directly supports most common commenting styles.
* Complete user control over the layout, fonts, and organization of the generated documentation. Users can modify the style sheets that come with Object Outline, or completely new ones can be generated.
* Generate documentation as a HTML file set. The HTML files generated by Object Outline do not require a WEB server.
* Generate documentation as a Microsoft help file (.hlp). The help files can then be integrated into Microsoft’s Visual C++ F1 help.
* Generate documentation in RTF (Rich Text Format) for printing and importing into word processors like Microsoft Word.
* Imbedded HTML in the comments are recognized and preserved in the final documentation.
* An easy to use comment filter gives you control over how the comments look in the final documentation.
* Support for generating documents that are compatible with 16 bit Windows clients, Novell 3.1 file servers, case sensitive UNIX servers, Windows 95, and Windows NT.
* Document header files generated by other tools, like the Microsoft MIDL compiler.
* Advanced C++ language support, including exception specification support, namespaces, and templates.
* Complexity metrics. Count the number of independent testing paths through functions and classes.
* Size metrics. Count the number of statements independent of the coding style (LOC).
* Generate a report listing the largest and most complex functions and classes in the program.
* Nested chapters allow the documentation organization to match the software design.
* Aggressive hyperlinking in the generated documentation.
* Indexes by class, function, chapter, and header file.
* A4 page size RTF reports.
* Import graphic files and word processor files into the generated documentation.