

         README.TXT                                            June 1999

         Welcome to CXT - the C EXPLORATION TOOLS!

         The  C Function Tree Generator  (CFT) and the  C Structure Tree
         Generator  (CST) are powerful  program development, maintenance
         and  documentation  tools.  They  provide  the  programmer  the
         ability to analyze the C source code of applications, no matter
         how  big or complex  they are. CFT  and CST are  very useful to
         explore new, unknown software and to support software reuse and
         maintenance.

         By  preprocessing, scanning  and  analyzing the  program source
         code,  these programs build  an internal  representation of the
         function  call hierarchy (CFT) and of  the data structure (CST)
         relations. The  analysis is done with the original source code,
         no  additional editing to mark  functions or data  types in the
         source  code is necessary.  Several features  and options allow
         the user to customize the generated hierarchy tree chart output
         and  to get a large set of  useful information about the source
         code.

         The  analysis  results  can  be  viewed  with the  Windows 95 /
         Windows NT versions with a tree and list browser. An integrated
         source  code  browser  with  code  colorizing  can  be used  to
         navigate inside the source code by double clicking on function/
         data type names.

         An  important feature is  the database  generation which allows
         the  recalling of information without  reprocessing the source.
         This  database can again  be read from  CFT and  CST to produce
         different  outputs or  to add  new files  to the  database. The
         database  format is  dBASE compatible. Special  recall programs
         called  CFTN and  CSTN allow  fast searching  for items  in the
         database.  These programs can  be used  within any environment,
         for example from inside editors like BRIEF, QEDIT or MicroEMACS
         (DOS  and WINDOWS version), to provide  a full software project
         management  system with access to all  functions and data types
         with  just  a  keystroke.  This  feature  makes  a  comfortable
         "hypertext  source code browser and locator"  system out of the
         editor.  The windows version  provides an  additionally DLL for
         database access.  It is also possible to read Browse Info Files
         ('.BSC') generated  with Microsoft Visual C++ as input database
         (32 bit Windows 95 / Windows NT only).

         The  generation  of  HTML  output  files  compatible with  WWW-
         Browsers  like Netscape  Navigator / Communicator  or Microsoft
         Internet Explorer  is supported. It is also possible to produce
         RTF  output files (which can be compiled  for Windows Help) and
         output  for the Rational  Rose CASE tool  as well  as input for
         graph layout programs like Graphlet, VCG, DOT or daVinci.

         Other  features are  the calculation  of the  critical function
         call  path and deepest  structure nesting level  or the support
         for byte offset calculation for selected structures / unions by
         CST.  For C++ code a class inheritance  graph can be generated.
         It  is possible  to generate  formatted  ASCII text  files with
         lists of the functions / data types and the scanned files which


                                        1

         can be used as input for other programs like word processors or
         spreadsheet calculators.

         This  software package  is provided  as  a ZIPped  archive file
         CXTnmm.ZIP  (C  EXPLORATION TOOLS  version  n.mm).  The Windows
         version is  named CXTWnmm.ZIP (C EXPLORATION TOOLS version n.mm
         for  Windows).  These files  only contain  the  Windows 95 / NT
         versions.  The  versions  for  other  operating  systems  (DOS,
         DOS386,  Windows 3.1,  OS/2, LINUX) are  packaged as  add-on in
         separate archives.

         All documentation files are ASCII files and should be printable
         on every printer. The PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

         For more  information about usage, hardware and software system
         requirements, installation, trademarks, warranties, license and
         registration   details   see  the   appropriate  documentation,
         especially   SXT.DOC,   INSTALL.DOC   and   REGISTER.US   resp.
         REGISTER.GER.


         This  software is Copyright  (C) 1988-1999  by Juergen Mueller,
         Eastleighstrasse 14, 70806 Kornwestheim, GERMANY. This software
         is NOT public domain or free software, but is being distributed
         as SHAREWARE.

         Email: sxt@bigfoot.com
         Homepage: http://www.bigfoot.com/~sxt
































                                        2