EXB programmers

[Ed in SoDak]

Anybody still creating and using EXB code? It was my passion for quite awhile, but I dropped off when I moved to Mac in the 90's. I kept up development of a couple of my apps but haven't done much since. I never removed my main TI system, but it mostly has become a shelf for excess desk items I'm too lazy to put away.

 

I've tried to learn other languages but failed. I can sorta follow along in a thread on assembly or java and I'm as lost as I am in awe of what you guys are doing. I'm really glad I found this forum and I Afind myself getting all interested again.

 

I wrote a few snippets of code for handling screen inputs that can save defaults to disk and automatically choose a default option after a short wait for a keypress. Everything was CALL KEY so you didn't even need to hit Return.

 

One of my most-used programs was for timining my darkroom photography processes. It required three or four choices from various menus before it would be ready to go. Just choices for using the timer or the various utility programs, selecting a process for timing the steps and such things.

 

I wrote it so it would wait a few seconds, then automatically select my most-used options. All I had to do was run it and go about my business and it would be ready to go when I was and not stuck at some prompt with blinking cursor.

 

I added the routine to most all of my own programs and other author's works as well; games I liked and such. I'll see about finding the routine to share. You can find it in use in the program files on my website that's listed in my profile.

 

What have you all been doing lately? I'm very out of touch with the community and need to get reinvolved.

 

 

[+hloberg]

between moving, starting a new job and setting up my TI-99 with a CF7 & F18 I have been working on a version of UNO in ExBASIC to work my way up to the MULE program I started a while ago which I decided will be in compiled ExBASIC.

[Ed in SoDak]

Sounds like a fun diversion from all the mayhem. I never took my TI much past standard PEB expansions. I was always interested in the CF card and many PEB cards over the years but never did pull the trigger.

 

I've gotta check out the new compiler options. I was always trying to code my EXB to at least seem to be doing ~something~ other than making you wait on purpose, lol.

 

-Ed

[Ed in SoDak]

To make a slow program seem like it was doing something useful, I'd run it through a pre-scan utility, then edit and maintain that list as I added more variables. That helped a bit. If there were arrays to be read and character def statments, I'd get the intro sreen up first and any initial user prompts out of the way and maybe break long routines up in the loading process so it wasn't a long hang before the program would respond.

 

I like using Mac V9T9 to emulate some of my favorites. If they run slow, I can set the emulator prefs to 300% speed, which really helps get sluggish code up to playable speed. I was pretty proud of how my own EXB programs running on a real TI were all pretty responsive and didn't keep you waiting too long. But a good compiler could make a lot of that moot.

 

-Ed

[+hloberg]

Harry Wilhelm's XB compiler is really good, check it out. The only limitation is it's integer based.

The CF7+ has been, interesting. It's a little flaky (have to unplug it ever now and then when it starts up to get it to work properly) but makes transferring files back and forth from the internet to your 99 easy. With all the files available for the 99 on the internet now, personally, I consider it a must have. And at ~ $60 not a bad buy.

[+hloberg]

You know, we need a place where we can post some of our programming creations. Someplace where we can share what we make without having to search all over the forum. Love to see some of the stuff you done in XB and others creations too.

[Ed in SoDak]

I've been in my own little world for quite awhile, just using Mac V9T9 or my tried and true TI setup. I'm trying to learn the ropes on .dsk image files and making my programs more portable to be easier to share.

 

My profile page has a link to a couple of my larger programs in various formats. When I get time I'll try to post some stuff directly to the forums and see if it works.

 

April's a tough month for taxes+bills, no hardware upgrades in the works till that's behind us! -arrgh!

[RXB]

XB is ez to write and ez to debug.

 

I would not recommend efforts to try and learn XB compiler as if you do not know Assembly it is a very hard step up in programming.

 

Most of the people on this site are Assembly Programmers so you could get a lot of help if you decide to learn it.

 

But like I said before it does not appear from your post that was your intentions. We do have extensive XB listings if you need them.

 

My own interest and programming is GPL and I do not recommend that approach either. But I do think you can run RXB in most of the emulators.

[senior_falcon]

XB is ez to write and ez to debug.

 

I would not recommend efforts to try and learn XB compiler as if you do not know Assembly it is a very hard step up in programming.

Rich, you make it sound as if one must know assembly to use the compiler. That's just not so - the whole reason for the compiler is to combine the ease of writing and debugging in XB and then be able to make the program run really fast. Lots of people who can't write a line of assembly code have used it successfully. As with any new tool, there is a learning curve, but as long as you remember its limitations when you are writing you will be able to make it work. As Gazoo found out, you can run into problems trying to convert an XB program that uses floating point math. Converting can be a challenge, but it can be done.

Also, don't forget that it is not restricted to emulation - it works fine on a real TI system provided you have 32K, XB and a disk drive.

[Retrospect]

Senior Falcon is entirely correct - I do not know Assembly language at all .... but I was able to use the Wilhelm XB compiler v2.1 quite easily.

RXB is a good language .... it lets you print out on 32 characters instead of 28, it has better sprite manipulation, and a whole host of other cool stuff.

 

Missing Link ... there's another cracking program ... this one lets you do all sorts with the bitmap screen.

 

I think it's all in the development resources thread - check it out and have fun.

[matthew180]

There have been quite a few programming challenges or contests, in the past, here on the forum. Most were BASIC or XB oriented, some had a theme, some had limitations, etc. You might want to read back in the forum and check out some of the results. Maybe someone will start another contest soon, since most people seem to enjoy them and quite a few people participate.

[1980gamer]

The compiler is very easy. You can even find youtube videos for step by step use.

The only adjustments I had to make was branching with "if then" you must branch to a line number and as stated, no decimal's.

These are easy to deal with, just getting this old dog to learn a couple of new tricks.

 

It has given new life to the TI for me.

 

I was never happy with collision detection or overall speed of any xb programs I made.

But now... Wow, what a game changer... Ha, GAME changer.

 

I wish I had all the old games I made back in the 80's... they would be pretty playable compiled.

[Ed in SoDak]

Speeding up program execution is one thing I really like about the V9T9 emulator. I set it at about 3x and my Poker and solitare favorites run at a decent clip. The advantage is you don't need to compile or change the program.

 

On my real TI, I was always trying to code for speed, or at the least show some screen activity so you knew it hadn't locked up on ya, lol. Harry's compiler is on my list to check out soon!

 

I dinked around and came to the conclusion that a screenshot was the easiest way for me to share the listing for my Auto-run XB utility without retyping it. It's really just a loop with Call Key statements, but for chosing your favorite program from a list, it saves keypresses. Boot XB and ignore it till its ready to go.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2014 by Ed in SoDak

[RXB]

Speeding up program execution is one thing I really like about the V9T9 emulator. I set it at about 3x and my Poker and solitare favorites run at a decent clip. The advantage is you don't need to compile or change the program.

 

On my real TI, I was always trying to code for speed, or at the least show some screen activity so you knew it hadn't locked up on ya, lol. Harry's compiler is on my list to check out soon!

 

I dinked around and came to the conclusion that a screenshot was the easiest way for me to share the listing for my Auto-run XB utility without retyping it. It's really just a loop with Call Key statements, but for chosing your favorite program from a list, it saves keypresses. Boot XB and ignore it till its ready to go.

 

 

Using RXB you could replace lines 130 to 170 with this single line as it only allows keys 1 to 6 and ignores all other keys.

 

130 FOR DELAY=1 TO 120 :: CALL ONKEY("123456",3,A,S) GOTO 200,210,220,222

 

Also the ONKEY routine uses the GOTO to correspond to the keys in the order in the string in the command.

 

Video from 2011 before the release of RXB 2012 that you can use from Classic99

 

[Ed in SoDak]

I've used On A Goto and made use of the other input options. This way seemed simpler to edit menu entries by keeping them on separate lines. SXB has something similar to your Onkey. Somehow I knew I'd get called on my "less elegant"programming, lol.

-Ed

[Retrospect]

dont worry about not being elegant you should see the state of my code ... im telling ya the day i found that compiler i was jumping for joy because nobody could list my programs anymore once compiled.

[senior_falcon]

dont worry about not being elegant you should see the state of my code ... im telling ya the day i found that compiler i was jumping for joy because nobody could list my programs anymore once compiled.

Dang it - the secret is out! Now you know the real reason for the compiler; the speed increase is just a bonus!

[Ed in SoDak]

I ran my code through one of those pre-scan utilities, the name of it escapes me. You'd save your program in Merge, then run the prescanner. It would shorten variable names and combine lines to make it shorter and faster. Optionally it would remove REM statements, maybe other things were options, too. All variables and things needing prescanned were copied to the beginning of your listing, then it would rewrite it out in Merge format again. Load that, resave it and your program would run a little quicker and use less memory.

The downside was it bore little resemblance to your original listing, especially if you used descriptive variable names, so you'd often have to refamiliarize yourself with where the various routines began.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Ed in SoDak