Simply Fortran is an integrated development environment (IDE) specifically intended for Fortran programmers. Moreover, it includes a compiler and a graphical debugger for this programming language. Despite the complexities inherent to developing code, the program is quite easy to use thanks to its neat interface, which has a layout similar to those of many other IDEs. Moreover, it comes with various sample projects as well as with excellent help documentation.
Most of the working space is devoted to code writing. Luckily, there are tabs to help work on various pieces of code simultaneously. In addition, you can show or hide the side panels according to your specific needs at the moment. This way, you can manage the files that compose your project and organize its modules.
As most modern IDEs, Simply Fortran comes with various features that assist programmers while coding. In this respect, it is good to know that the code editor can highlight syntax of not only Fortran but other programming languages as well. Likewise, it can also autocomplete code while you type, which minimizes misspelling errors and reduces mental strain.
An important step in software development is debugging. So, it is great news that the program can help you clean the code by detecting various types of bugs. For this purpose, you can add breakpoints and add given expressions to the watch list. Moreover, in case you need to use any external tools, you can configure your own toolbox by simply specifying their names, the command line to execute them and the working directories.
It is a shame that it uses free GNU GFortran, which is reported for not fully supporting Fortran versions 2003 and 2008.
All in all, Simply Fortran contributes with a solution to help programmers in Fortran programming language, somewhat outdated now but still used in various fields, such as communications, science and entertainment. The product is not free but still can be tried at no cost. It is an advantage that there are versions for most operating systems as you can switch devices and still continue working on the same code.
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