Magik Development Tools (MDT) provides an Integrated Debugger as a premier feature for GE Smallworld GIS developers.
This tool is specifically designed for the Magik programming language and includes several core functionalities to streamline high-quality software development:
Advanced Stepping & Breakpoints: Developers can set breakpoints and step through Magik code line-by-line to pinpoint errors.
Variable Inspections: The debugger allows for real-time inspection of variables and values during execution.
Multi-Session Debugging: You can run and debug multiple GIS sessions independently, which is critical for complex Smallworld environments.
Eclipse Integration: As an Eclipse-based IDE, MDT offers a modern interface that includes "comfort" features like seamless Subversion and GIT integration and efficient code analysis.
Automated Code Generation: MDT includes wizards that semi-automatically create Magik elements like Mixins and Slotted Exemplars, including method stubs and comments. MDT - Magik Development Tools magik development tools top
If you are developing for the GE Smallworld GIS platform, your choice of tools can significantly impact your productivity. While Magik is a niche, object-oriented language, the ecosystem has matured to include modern IDEs and open-source utilities. 1. MDT (Magik Development Tools)
The most comprehensive environment for professional Magik development is MDT (Magik Development Tools)
by ASTEC. It is built on the Eclipse platform and brings modern features to the language: Magik Debugger: Allows for real-time code inspection and debugging. Intelligent Search:
Offers a "Magik Search" integrated with the Eclipse platform, featuring query history and results that are easier to read than traditional class browsers. Stack Trace Console:
Formats stack traces with hyperlinks that lead directly to code definitions. External File Access:
A wizard-driven tool to open and associate files outside your workspace with current projects. 2. Magik-Tools (Open Source) For those looking for lightweight or modular tools, the magik-tools Automated Testing: Write unit tests for your Magik
collection on GitHub provides essential utilities for modern workflows: Language Server: Enables IDE-like features in various text editors.
Includes both a standard linter and a "typing linter" to catch errors early. SonarQube Plugin:
Useful for analyzing code quality and coverage in larger projects. 3. Text Editor Extensions
If you prefer not to use a full IDE like Eclipse, several extensions bring Magik support to popular editors:
There are dedicated extensions available for Smallworld Magik, offering syntax highlighting and basic support.
Historically the "classic" choice, Emacs extensions for Magik are often provided directly with Smallworld installations to support traditional GIS development. 4. Specialized Environments Magik | Software Development - Howdy Community plugins for editors (syntax files
About Magik. Magik was created in the late 1980s by Smallworld Systems, a company specializing in geographic information systems ( www.howdy.com MDT - Magik Development Tools
The DevOps Accelerator
Modern Magik development requires modern DevOps. SwToolkit is an open-source Python-based tool designed to interact with Smallworld databases.
What it does for you:
.magik or .mth) that you can store in Git.Verdict: Without SwToolkit, you are manually exporting code via a clunky GUI. With it, you have a modern CI/CD pipeline.
The Forensic Analyst
Magik developers write verbose logs. The default Smallworld logs are dense, filled with timestamps and memory addresses.
ERROR and WARNING while excluding GC_INFO. A good log parser turns a 500MB magik.log file into a 5-second root cause analysis.