Put in your request

[Rock Ridge Farm (Larry)]

I will shortly start working on Ebasic V2.

Consider this the wish list for features, changes, or anything you would like to see in future releases.

So if you have request - post them here.

I will evaluate each one and see where I can fit it in if possible.


Larry

[Blue Steel]

i'd like to see a command built in to do similar to this.

http://www.purebasic.fr/english/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=30657&hilit=sfxr

which is based on this

http://www.drpetter.se/project_sfxr.html

http://code.google.com/p/sfxr/

its what i've been waiting for for years ..

their base project generates the.wav file. but someone in Purebasic has done it so that it can be used directly in the program to generate and play the sound effects directly without having to generate a .wav file

[tbohon]

I'd really like to see an expansion of the ftp/sftp capabilities that Paul started on with his network pack.  I do a LOT of ftp work and being able to do it in EB would be marvelous ... 

[ZeroDog]

A way to disable/enable different command paks would come in handy....

[aurelCB]

Defenatly missing REDEF or REDIM  command especialy for arrays.
Many other basic languages have this command....

[yoko]

Mac support?
j/k

Truly Unicode Friendly please (can edit unicode directly in the editor and outputs correctly in compiled program)

[WSG]

I second Mac OSX support.

[friet]

Some suggestions :

- .NET support
- x64 code output + x64 assembler ( a newer version of NASM should do the trick i guess)
- integrate the Visual Designer (i'm sure the two Larry's can get to terms ?)

- separately : rewrite the package so it depends less on OS specific stuff...so in the future it becomes possible to have multiplatform support (and i am very much aware this is long term thinking..)

Q. : are you also switching to newer versions of the C/C++ compiler used ?

Regards,

Frank

[mannybass]

A database grid control would be great, Paul once mentioned he had one in the works.

[zaphod]

XP theme + version infos + icon setting into the executable are good additions ....

[YouLongKix]

I wish to request a few points added to Emergence BASIC for backward compatibility with antic QB programs.

Primarily, I'd like to see elementary console-emulating functions within immediate reach in Windows exe mode.
As you know, ancient programs mostly comprise of functions like Locate, Print, Color (in QB-like 16 colors),
and, Inkey$ for user-interaction.
Such functions are more or less emulated in console exe mode,  But, when exported to Windows, they are
not supported I suspect. You'd make my life comfortable with console-emulating functions for self-compatibility.
Among my tools, GFA Basic (32bit) and Power BASIC Windows have such functions. Well, they lack console.

Secondly, I wish Emergence BASIC could accept array parentheses. Conversion is not self-evident over here.

Above notion to make Emergence BASIC more relics-friendly are based upon information as far as I know.
PowerBASIC-like workaround functions are just to clarify my above contentions. No usefulness is warranted.

Code Select Expand


' Moonlighted examples for QB-like console functions
SUB GraphicColor(Fgd as INT, Bgd as INT)
' Sets foreground and background in QB 16 colors
FRONTPEN w1, QBCToRGB(Fgd)
BACKPEN  w1, QBCToRGB(Bgd)
RETURN
ENDSUB
'---------------------------
Sub QBCToRGB(QBCol as INT), INT ' returns RGB color for QB 16 colors
  DEF RGBqb: INT
SELECT TRUE
CASE QBCol =  0
RGBqb = RGB( 0x00, 0x00, 0x00)
CASE QBCol =  1
RGBqb = RGB( 0x00, 0x00, 0x7F)
CASE QBCol =  2
RGBqb = RGB( 0x00, 0x7F, 0x00)
CASE QBCol =  3
RGBqb = RGB( 0x00, 0x7F, 0x7F)
CASE QBCol =  4
RGBqb = RGB( 0x7F, 0x00, 0x00)
CASE QBCol =  5
RGBqb = RGB( 0x7F, 0x00, 0x7F)
CASE QBCol =  6
RGBqb = RGB( 0x7F, 0x7F, 0x00)
CASE QBCol =  7
RGBqb = RGB( 0xAF, 0xAF, 0xAF)
CASE QBCol =  8
RGBqb = RGB( 0x5A, 0x5F, 0x5F)
CASE QBCol =  9
RGBqb = RGB( 0x00, 0x00, 0xFF)
CASE QBCol = 10
RGBqb = RGB( 0x00, 0xFF, 0x00)
CASE QBCol = 11
RGBqb = RGB( 0x00, 0xFF, 0xFF)
CASE QBCol = 12
RGBqb = RGB( 0xFF, 0x00, 0x00)
CASE QBCol = 13
RGBqb = RGB( 0xFF, 0x00, 0xFF)
CASE QBCol = 14
RGBqb = RGB( 0xFF, 0xFF, 0x00)
CASE QBCol = 15
RGBqb = RGB( 0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF)
ENDSELECT
RETURN RGBqb
ENDSUB
'--------------------------------------------------------
Sub GraphicLOCATEYX(LTY as INT, LTX as INT) ' CW : font width, CH : font height
Move w1, CW * (LTX - 1), CH * (LTY - 1)
RETURN
ENDSUB
'--------------------------------------------------------
SUB GraphicBox(LTx as INT, LTy as INT, RBx as INT, RBy as INT, ECol as INT, FCol as INT)
IF FCol = 255 THEN ' Box without edges
RECT w1, LTx, LTy, RBx - LTx, RBy - LTy, QBCToRGB(ECol)
ELSE                      ' Box with edges
RECT w1, LTx, LTy, RBx - LTx, RBy - LTy, QBCToRGB(ECol), QBCToRGB(FCol)
ENDIF
RETURN
ENDSUB
'--------------------------------------------------------
Sub GraphicCLS() ' Clears 640 X 480 screen to white background
RECT w1, 0, 0, 640, 480, QBCToRGB(15), 255
RETURN
END SUB
'--------------------------------------------------------
Sub GraphicGetKey(), STRING ' currently detecting only numbers
sKY = ""
SELECT TRUE
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x30)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x60)  <> 0
sKY = "0"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x31)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x61)  <> 0
sKY = "1"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x32)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x62)  <> 0
sKY = "2"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x33)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x63)  <> 0
sKY = "3"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x34)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x64)  <> 0
sKY = "4"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x35)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x65)  <> 0
sKY = "5"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x36)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x66)  <> 0
sKY = "6"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x37)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x67)  <> 0
sKY = "7"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x38)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x68)  <> 0
sKY = "8"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x39)  <> 0
CASE& GETKEYSTATE(0x69)  <> 0
sKY = "9"
  CASE  GETKEYSTATE(0x13)  <> 0 ' ENTER
sKY = sEn
END SELECT
RETURN sKY
ENDSUB

With best regards.


[barry]

I've been trying to think of what I might want added and I can only think of two things.  I'd like improved help and an improved debugger.

I'd like to see the help reorganized in such a way that it's easy to find what I want and when I look up a word everything I need to know about it is right there on the page, or at least is linked directly to on the page.  For example if I don't know about buttons there's no page that has everything about buttons.  There should be a button page with the switches, styles, etc.  If I look up button in the Find window it doesn't find anything.

If I want to find out about making a window I look up Window and find a very long list of things about windows but no single "window" item that ties it all together.  If I recall that OpenWindow is the command to open one, I can find it if I scroll down but maybe I've been working in other languages and I have to just try to remember the command.  Probably I'll think of CreateWindow.

I think a good help file is important with a compiler.  This one seems to have all the information and for the most part it's clearly explained but it's not always easy to find and it's not always where it should be.

I think the debugger is a little bit less a problem.  It works pretty well.  But it's really a lot of trouble to use.  To debug a program you have to first change the code, then recompile and when you're done you have to change the code back and then recompile again.  Yes I know about conditional compiling but most times when I want to set a breakpoint I'll do it once or twice, find out what's going on and never do another one there.  A provision for real breakpoints without changing the code and recompiling is needed.

Once in the debugger there should be a provision for setting watches.  That's much handier than the long list in the variables window where the 2 or 3 things you want to keep an eye on might be way apart from one another.  Sometimes it's nice to have that variable window but watches are also needed.

I've always heard that relying on a debugger is a bad habit.  When I started programming a debugger came in the form of a hex dump of memory on a stack of paper a few inches thick the morning after the test run crashed.  I can't tell you how many hours I spent debugging by digging through those hex dumps.  Yeah that was fun but I like to think I outgrew it!

As it stands, I think Ebasic is a good solid language.  I agree it's important to always be working on the next version because by the time that's done the world of computers will have changed and so will our expectations.

Barry

[mrainey]

Closing the IDE seems to take a lot longer than it should, like 5-10 seconds on my system.  Is it just me?

It's a small thing, but becomes irritating after a while.  If the slowness is a universal problem, fixing it would be a nice thing.

[LarryMc]

That's odd Mike.

I had/have that same problem with IBasic Pro (I still use it to look at the source code files)

But I don't have that problem with EBasic; it always closes within a couple of seconds.
XP machine

LarryMc

[aurelCB]

I dont have this problem by closing IDE.
On my computer EBasic IDE close in a second.

[Haim]

Hi,
On my T60 Laptop with XP SP3 the IDE closes almost immediately

Haim

[friet]

Hi Larry,

Another 'idea' : i'm one of those old school guys that like to print out listings of the programs i'm working on, during development to use for manual debugging, and to use as scratchpad for noting modifications and additions. when i finish a program i tend to print it , and put it in a binder.

Now, what i feel is missing in most 'modern' compiler environments (and this is not just Ebasic) is a way to structure listings, eg. add custom headers & footers, a way to subdivide the printouts etc (eg. adding $page ; $header; $footer preprocessing commands)

That would be a 'nice to have' feature..

just another 2cts..

Regards,

Frank

[RitchieF]

Hi Larry,

a block comment / uncomment command would be nice .

Richard

[LarryMc]

a block comment / uncomment command would be nice .

You mean something besides what is already available?:

Code Select Expand

/* blah...

blah....

blah.....
*/
or am I not understanding?

LarryMc

[billhsln]

I would like to have an option to force Upper or Lower case on all Keywords.  It might also be nice if the Lexer handled "\\" correctly.

Thanks,
Bill

[jayelbee]

1.  Break / Exit for early escape from loop structures
2. EXIT SUB
3. Byte oriented i/o for binary files in addition to the current record oriented methods
4. Formating for numeric and dates on data entry into field/text boxes
5. Currency data type with native multiply/divide w/o changing to real types

[RitchieF]

Larry,

You mean something besides what is already available

I know about this. I mean I select some lines of code and have in the context menu on the right mouse button a comment / uncomment command.

Then the IDE adds /* in front and */ and at the end of the selection.

Richard   

[LarryMc]

Richard

Interesting.  I've never come across that before.

Larry

[RitchieF]

Larry,

could be a nice feature for the Visual Designer, too

Richard

[celphick]

From billhsln

I would like to have an option to force Upper or Lower case on all Keywords.

I second this!

Colin