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There are a lot of code in open source projects, looking at all of the code is time consuming and can be confusing to a novice like me. Are there any sections of open-source projects that should be focused on?

What should I focus on when I look at code?

I'm asking this in general because if I ask this specifically, the question will only apply in one or two projects rather than an entire group of projects ranging in different types of games and difficulty.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Funny you ask this, I was just looking at the Triple A source code and didn't know where to start... \$\endgroup\$
    – Russell
    Apr 12, 2012 at 14:01
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    \$\begingroup\$ -1 ... you focus on the parts of the code that are relevant to whatever problem you're trying to solve? \$\endgroup\$
    – Tetrad
    Apr 12, 2012 at 15:57
  • \$\begingroup\$ Some projects have a section/part of the documentation designed to give new developers an overview over the project. Unfortunably, documentation is often neglected. \$\endgroup\$
    – Exilyth
    May 4, 2013 at 10:35

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I'd recommend running doxygen: http://www.doxygen.nl/ Here is a list of the features: http://www.doxygen.nl/manual/features.html Doxygen uses the Graphviz tool kit to generate include dependency graphs, collaboration diagrams, call graphs, directory structure graphs, and graphical class hierarchy graphs. I find these types of diagrams helpful when trying to understand a large codebase.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ thanks, but in addition, why wont the doxygen work with project folder rather than just working with the sub-folders \$\endgroup\$
    – Blue
    Apr 14, 2012 at 18:53
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Focus on what you're trying to get from the code. Are you looking for examples of design, for a working sample of how to do a particular thing, or anything specific like that?

Outside of that, have a look at the more general things around the code. Is it readable? Can you follow the program flow? How well commented it is? Do the comments provide useful info in addition to the code, or do they just repeat what is already evident from the code?

Other general factors might include: does the project actually compile as released (a surprising number don't)? What are the dependencies? What is the end-user installation experience like?

You might also find it useful to step through the code in a debugger to get a closer look at what it's doing and how it's doing it.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I'm looking for examples. It's hard for me to look at too much code because I won't understand the code without having to look at it closely. I'm trying to figure out the important parts code in any project. \$\endgroup\$
    – Blue
    Apr 12, 2012 at 18:46

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