Starting the tool

RefactorErl can be started either as a standalone or as an embedded application.

Standalone application

Normal mode

To start the tool, simply execute our startup script from the base directory of your RefactorErl copy:

(In Linux)

bin/referl

(In Windows)

bin/referl.bat

Note that if you do not specify the back-end to be used, the tool uses the mnesia-based database by default. If you would like to use another back-end, for example, the NIF-based C++ graph, you should start the tool like this:

bin/referl -db nif

Options

The following table details the possible startup options. You can get this list any time by using the -help option.

-base PATH	Path to the RefactorErl base directory
-browser_root	Set the file browser root directory
-build TARGET	Build TARGET (e.g. tool, doc, clean)
-client	Start in client mode (no server is started)
-db [mnesia|nif]	The database engine to use (default: mnesia)
-dir DIR	Sets the RefactorErl data directory
-emacs	Start as an Emacs client
-erl PATH	Path to the Erlang executable to use
-g++ PATH	Path of the g++ compiler to use
-help	Print this help text
-images_dir	Set root directory where generated Nitrogen images will be written
-name NAME	Full name of the Erlang node
-nitrogen	Start with Nitrogen
-no_nif	NIF code will not be compiled (use with -build tool)
-server	Start in server mode (no shell is started)
-sname NAME	Short name of the Erlang node
-srvname NAME	Name of the Erlang server node to connect
-yaws	Start with yaws web server
-yaws_listen IP	Set yaws IP
-yaws_name NAME	Set yaws server name
-yaws_path PATH	Path to the Yaws ebin directory (need /ebin at the end)
-yaws_port PORT	Set yaws port

Server mode

RefactorErl can be run as a server, you only have to specify a name with -name or -sname when starting the tool. If you do not need a command line access to the server, you can use the -server option, which starts the tool in server-only mode.

Client mode

If you already have a running RefactorErl instance (a running "server") started with -name or -sname, then you can connect to this server with a command line client and you can enter Erlang commands that will be executed on the server. To start a client, use the -client option and specify the name of the server (the name you have used in -name or -sname while starting the server) with the -srvname option.

Embedded application

User interfaces like Emacs and Eclipse are capable of starting their embedded instance of RefactorErl. For further information visit the pages of various interfaces.