Among its features:
1. Source code versioning
- handle multiple projects or libraries with the same program;
- allow source code versioning with detailed commits;
- can access to a PVCS tracker (more trackers are coming) and link the commits to the tickets;
- allow automated source code backup (without any commit to document: it's like a daily snapshot of your files);
- backups can be local (on your hard drive) or remote (on a distant drive);
- you can make a visual "diff" and compare source code versions side by side in the graphical user interface;
- you can see pictures (png jpeg bitmap icon) within the main user interface;
- diff storage between version is very optimized, and use little disk space;
- storage is based on .zip files and plain text files, so it's easy to work with.
2. Automated Documentation
- follow a typical Design Inputs -> Risk Assessment -> Software Architecture -> Detailed Design -> Tests protocols -> Traceability matrix -> Release Notes workflow;
- initial (marketing-level) Design Input can be refined into more precise Software Requirement Specifications;
- Design Inputs can evolve during the project life: all documentation stay synchronized and you will have to maintain the DI and their description only at one place;
- therefore, the process is meant to be compliant with the most precise documentation protocols (like IEC 62304);
- only one text file, formated like a wiki, contains the whole documentation;
- it's very easy to add pictures, or formated source code (pascal, C, C++, C#, plain text) into the documentation;
- word files are created from this content, with full table of contents, picture or source code reference tables, unified page layout, customizable templates;
- it's easy to add tables to your document, or link to other part or external resources - you can even put pure RTF content into your documentation;
- pictures are centralized and captioned, people involved in the documentation are maintained once for the whole documentation;
- document version numbering and cross-referencing is handled easily;
- for pascal projects, the source code is parsed and all interface architecture is generated from the source;
- it's easy to browse classes, variables and functions from the documentation, and add reference to them to your document;
- all references are cross-linked: Software Architecture Document is created from the source code, and also is able to highlight the classes or methods involved in implementing every Design Input, from the Software Design Document;
- integrated GraphViz component, in order to create easily diagrams from plain text embedded into your documentation;
- integrated fully featured text editor, with word wrapping, wiki-syntax buttons and keyboard shortcuts, and spell checking;
- a step by step Wizard is available to create a new project, from supplied template files;
- another Wizard is already available, to browse your documentation workflow, and check its consistency or set up its parameters;
- the documentation is integrated to the Versioning system above.
Of course, it's a full Open Source - GPL licensed - project.
See the SynProject folder in the Files part of our source code repository. More details and
documentation to come on our forum.