Python Impact Analysis Tool ?

[Paul McNett]

Terry Hancock wrote:
> On Wednesday 25 May 2005 08:27 am, dcolford2000 at hotmail.com wrote:
> 
>>Is there an impact analysis tool out there that can cross reference
>>python -- VB has a couple of these tools (eg. Visual Expert)
> 
> I could be wrong, but my first impression is that that must be
> VB jargon for something we might know under another name.

Yep, I think we know it as 'unit testing'.

 From the Visual Expert site (http://visual-expert.com), impact analysis 
refers to taking a given variable or function name, and finding 
everywhere in the project where that name is referenced, for the purpose 
of determining what bad things will happen when that variable or 
function is changed somehow. The tool won't tell you what bad things 
will happen, just list other code segments that depend on the name in 
question.

While such a tool may indeed be helpful in quickly understanding a 
project, and there may indeed be such a tool for Python, I think that 
most Pythonistas would find unit testing has a better impact on 
developer productivity, for the common case of wanting to make a change 
and also fix any dependent structures: just do it and then discover/fix 
any repercussions!


-- 
pkm ~ http://paulmcnett.com