Inheritance, a type of relationship between objects, allows one object to share behavior with one or more other objects (sharing with more than one is known as multiple inheritance). Inheritance provides the basic mechanism for the reuse of code. The Hierarchy Browser helps you to understand class hierarchy trees, which in turn helps you to reuse existing code.
Start the Hierarchy Browser in one of the following ways:
The Hierarchy Browser can display the entire class hierarchy, including the superclasses and subclasses of a selected class.
The Tools -> Hierarchy menu contains the following items, which control how the class hierarchies are displayed.
Show Superclasses
Limits the hierarchy to the superclasses
(and their subclasses) of the selected class.
Show Subclasses
Limits the hierarchy to the subclasses of the selected class.
Show All
This is the default for this menu.
Display file name
Displays the file names of the superclasses and subclasses.
Many of the settings that control how the Hierarchy window functions are located in the Class/Hierarchy tab of the Preferences dialog. To find this window:
Go To
Select Declaration if you want the Class Browser to display
the prototype of the function; select Implementation if you want
to see the actual code. Use Ctrl+Shift+D and Ctrl+Shift+I
in Windows or Alt+D and Alt+I in UNIX to toggle between them.
Orientation
Select Horizontal to have the Hierarchy appear below of the
Class Browser; select Vertical to have the Hierarchy appear to the
right the Class Browser.
Display members
Select First to cause instance variables to appear before methods
in the Class Browser; select Second to cause methods to appear first,
with the instance variables after them.
Display order:
Left to right displays the hierarchy from left to right in the
main window; Top to Bottom displays the hierarchy from top to bottom.
Display layout style:
Select Tree to display the hierarchy in tree layout; select
ISI to display the hierarchy in ISI layout.
Vertical space:
Enter the number of vertical pixels between symbols in the Hierarchy
window.
Horizontal space:
Enter the number horizontal pixels between symbols in the Hierarchy
window.
These shortcut keys are available for use with the Hierarchy Browser.