Code relations

Start from one definition in an application’s code and walk to everything connected to it.

The Relations tab lets you follow an application’s code one connection at a time. You choose a node – one definition in the code, such as a function or a class – and it sits in the middle of the screen. Everything that points at it appears on the left, and everything it points at appears on the right.

Use it to understand what a piece of code depends on, what would be affected if it changed, or whether two parts of the system are connected at all.

Before you start

• Open an application, select Open code graph, then select the Relations tab. See Application detail.
• The version must have finished processing.
• Use a wide screen. This tab is designed for larger displays.

Understanding the page

Kinds and nodes

The left-hand panel is where you pick a starting point.

• Kinds – each chip is a kind of definition, such as a class or a function, with how many of that kind this version has.
• Nodes – the definitions of the kind you chose, each with the file it is in. The panel says Showing X of Y so you know how many there are in total.

The centre

The chosen node sits in the middle. It shows:

• its kind and name
• the file it is in and the lines it covers
• its signature – the line that names it and what it takes in, where there is one
• its description, where the code includes one

On the left is everything that points at it. On the right is everything it points at. Connections are grouped by type:

If the node has no connections, the page says Nothing is attached to this definition.

The trail

Above the centre, the trail lists every node you have centred, in order. It is a record of the path you have walked.

Explore from a node

1. Select a kind from the chips.

2. Search with Find a node… to narrow the list, if you need to. Select Load more to see the next batch.

3. Select a node.

   It moves to the centre, with its connections on either side.

4. Select any neighbour on the left or right to make it the new centre.

5. Select an earlier node in the trail to go back to it.

   The trail is cut back to that point.

6. Select Open in files to read the centred definition’s code in the Files tab, at its place in the source.

Look further out

Below the centre, Further out widens the picture beyond direct neighbours.

1. Choose how far to look: 1 hop — the picture, or 2, 3 or 4 hops. A hop is one step from one node to the next.
2. Choose a direction:
   • either way
   • what points here – useful for seeing what would feel a change here.
   • what this points at – useful for seeing what this needs.

The number of nodes reached appears beside your choices. Capped — there is more than this. means the result was too large to show in full.

Check whether two nodes are connected

1. Enter one node’s full name in From and another’s in To, under Is there a path?
2. Select Find a path.

What to expect

• If counts are not ready, the kinds panel says Counts are not available for this version yet.
• Until you choose a node, the centre says Choose a node to see what is attached to it.

Good to know

• No path is still an answer. It tells you two parts of the code do not depend on each other within that distance.
• The version carries across. The version shown in the top-right corner is the same on all three tabs.
• Take the tour. The help (?) menu in the top bar replays this tab’s guided tour.

Related pages

• Code files
• Code map
• Application detail
• Applications