Emacs as IDE: Handling a project directory?

Question

I've always used emacs for small projects (and Visual Studio for large ones). I was wondering what the alternatives are for handling a directory structure within emacs, something like the solution explorer in VS. Thank you.

Answer 1

You should also have a look at eproject for something that's more lightweight while also allowing you do to some pretty cool stuff (like project-specific config settings, etc.)

Answer 2

ECB, the Emacs Code Browser, which is built on CEDET, if I am not mistaken, is one you should look at.

Myself, I've always found that I get by well enough using etags and ido-mode. You might also want to look at Speedbar (part of CEDET) as a halfway house between more minimalist solutions and ECB.

Answer 3

I don't use it myself, but it sounds like CEDET is what you are looking for:

Emacs already is a great environment for writing software, but there are additional areas that need improvement. Many new ideas for integrated environments have been developed in newer products, such as Microsoft's Visual environment, JBuilder, or Eclipse. CEDET is a project which implements several advanced features developers have come to expect from an Editor.

The Emacs wiki also has this page with some tips for IDE users.

Answer 4

See also: http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/Icicles_-_Support_for_Projects.