[Phoenix-pm] Meeting Announcement - Wed March 14, 2007 @ 7:00pm

[Scott Walters]

>   * Visualizing code with graphviz

I assume this is a reference to my recent addition to the ideas list on the
Wiki.  Very well then.  Even Brock is allowed to make requests.  

Let me give some more background and try to sell the presentation a bit
better.  A certain large shopping comparison site [1] recruited me recently
and I've been trying to come up to speed on the code.  The codebase is about 
200,000 lines of code that's been worked on by many people over several years.  
While trying to make heads or tails of it, I decided I needed something 
like the what the Linux community did with the Linux Kernel Graphing
Project:  
http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/project_details.cfm?id=261&index=261&domain=

The idea is to plot out, on paper, which method calls which other methods, thus
creating a visual "map" of the code structure.  The presentation will be 
about how I collected the data inside of mod_perl (I had help, using work
he'd already done), processed it, and turned it into a giant poster, spread
across 30 printed pages.

Initially, I tried to plot on a method level resolution of which method calls
each other method in the system.  That turned out to be entirely too much
data.  The result of the first poster attempt looked like a sewing machine
exploded, sending thread everywhere in big knots and balls.  The poster
was half ink and half white with unreadable labels.  The second version
was a lot less fun but a lot more readable.

My approach uses a similar approach to http://www.ida.liu.se/~vaden/cgdi/
where profiling data is collected, rather than the LKGP approach, where
a full static analysis is done (though that was my first approach).

I brought an unassembled print out of the 30 pages with me for the "class"
to assemble if they wish ;) 

These techniques should be useful to anyone confronted with a dauntingly
large or complex codebase they have to work on.

-scott

Footnote 1:  Name withheld on the 'net to disassociate them from any "this is 
what really pissed me off at work today" posts I might make.


On  0, Brock <awwaiid at thelackthereof.org> wrote:
> We have a meeting tomorrow! We don't have a specific presentation at
> this point, but we do have several discussion topics:
> 
>   * mod_perl -- your experiences and a technical overview
>   * Visualizing code with graphviz
>   * Short scripts you can't live without (I'll show my music player wrapper)
>   * Show off code you've been working on recently!
> 
> See you there!
> 
> --Brock
> 
> On 2007.03.02.17.14, Brock wrote:
> | Greetings Fellow Perl Addicts,
> | 
> | Inspired by Tony's good example (hosting a social meetup, which is
> | taking place tomorrow (see his previous email for details)), and prodded
> | by Scott and Jon, it seems to be about time to have a Phoenix.PM
> | meeting. We were up in Scottsdale last time, so I'm shooting for Tempe
> | this time.
> | 
> |      Time: Wednesday 14 March 2007 7:00pm-9:00pm
> |  Location: Mill's End Cafe, Tempe, AZ
> |            http://maps.google.com/maps?q=310+S+Mill+Ave+tempe,+az
> |            North-West corner of Mill and 3rd (N of University Ave) in Tempe
> |            Parking off of 3rd (free with validation)
> |     Topic: News in the Perl World (Brock)
> |            Level I topic: TBA
> |            Level II topic: TBA
> |     Other: Free wireless, bring your laptops!
> | 
> | I was thinking that a good level I topic (beginner/intermediate) would
> | be closures (anonymous subroutines). But if that is too much another
> | great one would be showing off that 10-line program you whipped together
> | in an hour that you can't live without (mine is my mp3 player). And
> | there are all sorts of advanced topics... topic leader volunteers,
> | unveil yourselves!
> | 
> | I'm also dragging in some fresh blood (Mike and maybe Brian from my
> | work)... and I encourage y'all to do the same :)
> | 
> | So lets hear those topic ideas, so I can then cross post this all over
> | the interweb.
> | 
> | --Brock
> | 
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