QB Express Article Requests
I saw Pete's request for additional articles for the next QB Express, so -- any last-minute article requests, anyone? I could probably hack something together in the remaining days if it's something I'm well-versed in... I might even consider doing a game review if I can find a complete game that runs on my WinXP box without trouble. I'm currently too lazy/uncommitted/busy with other things to decide on an article myself, but if someone else tells me to do it, I'll be more likely to get it done.
-
- Veteran
- Posts: 703
- Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 7:36 am
- Contact:
DrV,
How about some low level DOS related tutorial? Like on what you're working on now? VESA graphics or other DOS specific material? in FreeBasic of course.
How about some low level DOS related tutorial? Like on what you're working on now? VESA graphics or other DOS specific material? in FreeBasic of course.
When God created light, so too was born, the first Shadow!
MystikShadows
Need hosting? http://www.jc-hosting.net
Interested in Text & ASCII development? Look no further!
http://www.ascii-world.com
MystikShadows
Need hosting? http://www.jc-hosting.net
Interested in Text & ASCII development? Look no further!
http://www.ascii-world.com
How about a review of Poxie by Lachie Dazdarian? It just came out, and it's a really fun game.DrV wrote:I saw Pete's request for additional articles for the next QB Express, so -- any last-minute article requests, anyone? I could probably hack something together in the remaining days if it's something I'm well-versed in... I might even consider doing a game review if I can find a complete game that runs on my WinXP box without trouble. I'm currently too lazy/uncommitted/busy with other things to decide on an article myself, but if someone else tells me to do it, I'll be more likely to get it done.
http://www.freebasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1211
And if DrV doesn't want to write it, anyone else can. (We can even have multiple reviews of the same game in the same issue. It's always nice to get more than one person's take on a game.)
- The Awakened
- Veteran
- Posts: 144
- Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:51 am
Well, I was only able to type up what I had of my tutorial. I've been fairly busy lately, (school in the day, go home, quickly eat, go to work till 8, driver training till 10, homework) leaving little time to write. But I got the following topics covered:
-Printing and inputting from the console
-variables and arrays
-control statements (QB equivilents of If Then and Select Case)
-loops
-functions
Next month I will have a separate Object Oriented Programming tutorial, and then C++ for the Basic Progger part 2 in the same issue. It'll discuss files, pointers, libaries, and all aspects of OOP (lots to cover there).
I also hope to have my mode X tutorial finished. I've been trying to optimize it, and it's giving me huge problems... I'm not going to release a tutorial that'll cause bugs.
-Printing and inputting from the console
-variables and arrays
-control statements (QB equivilents of If Then and Select Case)
-loops
-functions
Next month I will have a separate Object Oriented Programming tutorial, and then C++ for the Basic Progger part 2 in the same issue. It'll discuss files, pointers, libaries, and all aspects of OOP (lots to cover there).
I also hope to have my mode X tutorial finished. I've been trying to optimize it, and it's giving me huge problems... I'm not going to release a tutorial that'll cause bugs.
"Sorry for beating you up with a baseball bat Julian, but I DID think that you were a samsquanch."
- The Awakened
- Veteran
- Posts: 144
- Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:51 am
Holy frig, tell me about it. It took like 5 tutorials and 3 books before I finally got all of it. Most of what I learned came from C++ for Dummies, but Polymorphism still baffled me. I bought Java for Dummies as well, and it explained it quite well, although I gotta read up on how C++ does polymorphism, because it's different from Java (Java automatically makes every class a polymorphic class).
And once you learn what you can do with it, you start thinking "oh man, if only I could do that with QB/FB!"
I like being able to write about things in relation to Basic, because it's easier to explain a more abstract thing.
Just to tide you over till the next issue, Nathan, here's a short explanation of classes. Classes are like the TYPE...END TYPE clause in QB. Except they can have subs and functions. Variables, subs and functions are referred to as members. (insert Peter Griffin laugh). Member functions and subs can also be referred to as methods. Members can be public, protected, and private. (More Peter laugh.) Public means that any part of your program can access that member. Protected means that only that class can access it. Private I'm not sure about.
The whole point of object oriented programming is to create an "interface" to which you can easily assemble your programs with (Encapsulation). One technique OOP proggers have come up with are "getters" and "setters". Since you want an easily useable interface for your classes, you don't want to have to worry about changing a value in the middle of your program to a value that will crash your program. So you set your important variables to protected, and then you make a member function called "GetVariable" and one called "SetVariable". (except you change the name of the variable, obviously.) In here, you make it so that an illegal value can't be set.
Inheritance is where you make another class that gets all of the members of another class, and then you add some other things. So in a game, you could have a class called "object" with all of the things you'd need. And then you could have the class "NPC" inherit all of the things an object has, and then add things like movement and whatnot.
But maybe the class "object" had a method in there that didn't quite do what you wanted with the NPC class. But the problem is, you've already written half your program, and the method has already been called a billion times. So you declare the original class (in this case, object) a polymorphic function, and then write the new member class, and use the same name of the function.
Abstract? Yes, but I will hopefully better expain it in detail in the tutorial.
And once you learn what you can do with it, you start thinking "oh man, if only I could do that with QB/FB!"
I like being able to write about things in relation to Basic, because it's easier to explain a more abstract thing.
Just to tide you over till the next issue, Nathan, here's a short explanation of classes. Classes are like the TYPE...END TYPE clause in QB. Except they can have subs and functions. Variables, subs and functions are referred to as members. (insert Peter Griffin laugh). Member functions and subs can also be referred to as methods. Members can be public, protected, and private. (More Peter laugh.) Public means that any part of your program can access that member. Protected means that only that class can access it. Private I'm not sure about.
The whole point of object oriented programming is to create an "interface" to which you can easily assemble your programs with (Encapsulation). One technique OOP proggers have come up with are "getters" and "setters". Since you want an easily useable interface for your classes, you don't want to have to worry about changing a value in the middle of your program to a value that will crash your program. So you set your important variables to protected, and then you make a member function called "GetVariable" and one called "SetVariable". (except you change the name of the variable, obviously.) In here, you make it so that an illegal value can't be set.
Inheritance is where you make another class that gets all of the members of another class, and then you add some other things. So in a game, you could have a class called "object" with all of the things you'd need. And then you could have the class "NPC" inherit all of the things an object has, and then add things like movement and whatnot.
But maybe the class "object" had a method in there that didn't quite do what you wanted with the NPC class. But the problem is, you've already written half your program, and the method has already been called a billion times. So you declare the original class (in this case, object) a polymorphic function, and then write the new member class, and use the same name of the function.
Abstract? Yes, but I will hopefully better expain it in detail in the tutorial.
"Sorry for beating you up with a baseball bat Julian, but I DID think that you were a samsquanch."
-
- Veteran
- Posts: 703
- Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 7:36 am
- Contact:
Hey, if you have the know how, I'd like to read a tutorial like that for sure. .
When God created light, so too was born, the first Shadow!
MystikShadows
Need hosting? http://www.jc-hosting.net
Interested in Text & ASCII development? Look no further!
http://www.ascii-world.com
MystikShadows
Need hosting? http://www.jc-hosting.net
Interested in Text & ASCII development? Look no further!
http://www.ascii-world.com
Article Requests
Actually, I am gonna right a GUI tutorial. With a spyware app included.
Just kidding!
Code: Select all
'''Spyware Code
This post has been modified by Pete for safety purposes.
BTW
I meant spyware scanning ap, but it's simple. Filename spyware finder.
The GUI article will be an intro to my series!
Code: Select all
shell "dir C:\ /s>scanfiles.dat"
open "scanfile.dat" for input as #1
do while not eof
input #1,j$
j$=lcase$(j$)
if left$(j$,12)="anticmos.bin" then
color 4
print "AntiCMOS spyware detected!"
shell "del"+j$
color 7
print "AntiCMOS.bin deleted"
end if
loop
sleep 1
cls
print "Scan Complete!"