If you have alot of code, say, 20 000 lines, how would you begin to understand it. I mean, would you just try to figure it out on the computer or would you print it out and study a copy on paper?
i normally start at the top, i mean if i want to find out how a certain output is created i try to find some static part of it in the code and trace back from that
it's harder if i don't, then i have to scroll through the code semi-quick until i find something i recognize, then i work from that, it's actually pretty simple, it just takes time sometimes
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Anonymous2008-01-03 17:26
Assuming I want to get familiar with the whole program, I model the program structure using high level software development models. I use different models to document the lower level part of the code.
If I just wanted to tinker with a couple of parts of the program, I would run the code through the debugger and follow the logic that way.
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Anonymous2008-01-03 17:36
I draw UML class diagrams of the entire system.
It worked for the Source SDK.
>>18
we don't want your kind around here, go away.
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Anonymous2008-01-03 22:27
>>1
``[...]the code is obvious.''
-Expert programmers.
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Anonymous2008-01-03 23:54
>>18
Yep, though I did use that valve developer wiki a lot http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Category:Interfaces
In hindsight, I suppose I could have used doxygen or some other tool to generate the uml, but this way was more educational.
Another technique as someone else said, is to run the code under a debugger and see how things interact with each other.