Visual Lisp Ide

The Visual Lisp Ide (VLIDE) is the lisp editor that AutoDesk bundles with AutoCad.

Good Features:

.lsp files are plain text.
Commands called (by scripts written) in this editor have immediate access to the AutoCad command-line pipeline. This means that the commands run immediately and predictably. For example, as of AutoCad 2002:
- "draworder" (which changes the z-order of objects) can be run in lisp but not in VBA.
- "gc" (garbage collection) can be run in lisp but not in VBA.
The "find in files" feature is very well integrated.

Features:

If you line up your parentheses, they stay lined up. (It does not have an aggressive pretty-printer.)
There is a pretty printer, which supports AutoDesk's post- rev 11 code standard.
Break points are preserved between sessions.
The algorithm for displaying or hiding scroll bars (in the frame window of the MultipleDocumentInterface) is clever. To demonstrate this:
- Open two edit windows.
- Move a window so that both scroll bars are needed, and let go. Both scroll bars appear.
- Move the window to where each scroll bar is needed only iff the other scroll bar is present. For example, the bottom right corner of the window is in the intersection of the scroll bars. Both scroll bars disappear.
The "open file", "save file as", "load file" and "find in files" functions all remember the last folder used (per function).
- The last folder is saved on a per active window basis.
  - For example, using "find in files" from one active window will not necessarily provide the same last folder as some other window within the MultipleDocumentInterface.
- The default last folder will be the file location of the currently active window, windows without a filename will use the last folder of the VisualLispIde.
- All this can be reconfigured by setting the REMEMBERFOLDERS system variable within AutoCad itself.

Limitations:

It does not have context-sensitive help. Highlighting an AutoCad function name and pressing F1 brings up a generic help page, not a help page specific to the function.
It is not a RefactoringBrowser.
It does not have StarUnit-like support for automated testing.
It does not have JavaDoc-like help authoring functionality.

Annoyances:

The "open file" function doesn't support opening multiple files at once.
VisualLispIde runs in the same process as AutoCad; which means one can't configure 3rd, 4th and 5th mouse buttons to do 'editor' type things, and the AutoCad configuration is forced upon you.
Individual editor windows (in the MultipleDocumentInterface) do not have splitter bars. That is, a single editor window cannot show two different parts of the same file. (As of AutoCad 2002.)
The "find" dialog does not have a button to convert it to a "replace" dialog.
Saving a file wipes out the editor's "undo" list for that file.
The pretty printer does not have a mode to support vertical alignment of parentheses.

Bugs:

Code formatting only works in monospace fonts, but printouts default to a proportional font. This can be fixed using menus -> tools -> environment options -> page setup options... -> font... -> (choose new font, style, and size) -> OK -> OK

Flaws:

The debugging features are not as advanced as in the VisualBasic IDE (VBAIDE). For example, an error in a script does not automatically stop the script, highlight the faulty line, and let the programmer view the status of all local variables.