Topic: Software Planning Software

[Daniel J. Ellis]

I've been working on a new LISP programme which is quickly becoming too complicated for me.

I've tried planning it out as a sequence of hand-drawn flow-charts.

But I've been thinking there must be software out there to help with this.

Does anyone have anything they can recommend?

dJE

[Crank]

I use MindManager, but there are more.

[Maverick®]

Ya think that calender printing places have their production schedule written out on a calender somewhere?



Sorry, made me think of it.  You know how I am.   

[JohnK]

Whats wrong with Pseudo code?

[MP]

Whats wrong with Pseudo code?

I don't think he wants to learn python.

[Daniel J. Ellis]

Whats wrong with Pseudo code?

Not entirely sure lol

As I said the programme's getting pretty complicated (for me, at least).

I guess in an ideal world I'd do the flow chart, then do pseudo code for each element of the chart, then the actual coding...

I never really got on with mindmaps at school - and would never have thought of them as a solution in this case!

I've downloaded VUE (does it include a cinema app?), and will investigate Mindjet on the iPhone when I get home to iTunes.

Attached are a couple of the pages I've produced so far.

Oh, and Mav, don't worry about it, if you'd've asked I probably would've said the same!  I'm sure they must do, somewhere!

dJE

[CAB]

I often start with a narrative or overview for each process.
Then proceed to pseudo code for that process. Most times I skip the pseudo code & go directly to code.
I haven't used the flow charts in many years, but I did when I first started.
Perhaps if you posted a sample DWG so we can relate your flow chart to the objects you are dealing with.

[dgorsman]

For the complex stuff, I develop by hand on a scratch pad (but the best is a whiteboard).  Once the overall process is refined enough to generate pseudo code, I do that in the LISP file with comments.  For simpler stuff, or modularized pieces of the complex stuff, I go straight to the comments.  From there its just a matter of fleshing out the blank lines between the comments with the appropriate code.  I usually end up with comments every 5-10 lines of code, maybe more if its straightforward or would interfere with the general flow of the document.

[JohnK]

Whats wrong with Pseudo code?

I don't think he wants to learn python.

lol

Whats wrong with Pseudo code?

Not entirely sure lol

As I said the programme's getting pretty complicated (for me, at least).
...

Looks at attachment:
*gack* good luck with that. lmao

[MP]

Comedy aside, I just use my white board, sketching flow charts / guis as applicable, take pics w/my blackberry and mail them to myself. If I need additional notes / embellishments I mod them with paint shop pro and distribute as required for peer review. Low tech but has been serving me well for a long time. There are lots of gui designers / software planning software apps but my experience is that it takes far longer to use them with no substantial benefit compared to quick sketches -- unless you're working on a large development team. However I concede that mileages vary widely.

[Daniel J. Ellis]

Looks at attachment:
*gack* good luck with that. lmao

lol ta hence this thread!

dJE