Re: [Ql-Users] RET_STK and debugging SBASIC code
Hi Michael, PICK$ will select the nth item from the list that follows the n. Consider PICK$(n, "aaa", "bbb", "ccc", "ddd", "etc") If n is 1 then PICK$ will return "aaa" because it is the 1st item in the list. If n is 5 then "etc" would be returned because it is the 5th item. The parameters of PICK$ can be of any type: they will be coerced into strings. Expressions can be supplied, for example, dev$ & file$. Ah OK, thanks. There is a particular problem that PICK$ may help us to solve. Occasionally, we may want to iterate through a list of items. If these items are strings, then we may well reach for a FOR loop and do something like . . . (...) Which version do you prefer? I'd probably use an array. Thanks though, this looks like an interesting keyword! Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] RET_STK and debugging SBASIC code
Hi Wolfgang, PICK$ will select the nth item from the list that follows the n. Consider PICK$(n, "aaa", "bbb", "ccc", "ddd", "etc") If n is 1 then PICK$ will return "aaa" because it is the 1st item in the list. If n is 5 then "etc" would be returned because it is the 5th item. The parameters of PICK$ can be of any type: they will be coerced into strings. Expressions can be supplied, for example, dev$ & file$. There is a particular problem that PICK$ may help us to solve. Occasionally, we may want to iterate through a list of items. If these items are strings, then we may well reach for a FOR loop and do something like . . . FOR x$ = "aaa", "bbb", "ccc", "ddd", "etc" Unfortunately, this is not allowed. The identifier for a FOR loop has to be numeric, either floating point or integer. This leaves us with a problem: how to do the above? There is a way to do this. A normal numeric FOR loop could be used, and then assign values to x$ depending on the FOR loop index, like this . . . FOR n = 1 TO 5 SELect ON n = 1 : x$ = "aaa" : = 2 : x$ = "bbb" : = 3 : x$ = "ccc" : = 4 : x$ = "ddd" : = 5 : x$ = "etc" This can also be done using PICK$ . . . FOR n = 1 TO 5 X$ = PICK$(n, "aaa", "bbb", "ccc", "ddd", "etc") Which version do you prefer? The version using PICK$ may be more readable, but please bear in mind the following. PICK$ will evaluate all of its parameters before deciding which value to return, so, in terms of efficiency, this would not be the best choice. If outright execution speed is top priority, then the Select version should be chosen. What I like about PICK$ is the readability factor. I use PICK$ in my own programs and can recommend it. Michael ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] EasyPointer 4 query.
Hi, Having recently returned to the QL and more specifically, to SuperBASIC programming with EasyPointer 4, I am trying to avoid doing a lot of time consuming work to no avail. I understand that there is a limit to the number of objects (loose items, application windows, etc.) Ummm, yes and no. Leaving aside memory constraints, loose menu items have an item number, which is word sized. So, presuming the item number to be a signed value, a max nbr of 32768 items with unique item numbers are possible. Mind, the documentation doesn't state that the item numbers have to be unique, but if you're programming in SBASIC under QPTR, they'd better be, because I believe that is what is returned as the item hit. I'm not sure what Easyptr does in this respect. As to application subwindows themselves, there is no limit to the number of these appsub windows I'm aware of. For objects (menu items) in a menu application subwindow : again, there is no linit of objects per se. Objects, too, have an item number, but several objects may have the same item number. However, here again, the QPTR basic interface returns the item number and if two objects have the same number you won't be able to tell which menu item was hit... Finally, at least as far as QPTR is concerned, the objects or loose menu items are created using arrays, which means that there is a maximum of 32768 loose menu items you can create, and 32768 objects for a single application menu object list (You could have several objects lists - but only one loose menu items list). As an indication : I use my backup program sometimes to copy all files of one qxl.win container to an empty one. The program creates a list of all files that need to be backed up (and if the destination is empty, that means all files on the source need to be backed up). The list is then sorted and made into objects in a menu application subwindow. So far, no problem with about 15000 objects. HTH Wolfgang ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] EasyPointer 4 query.
Certainly, in my time I have written some programs with a very large number of loose items and I don't remember running into a limit with any of them, or for that matter seeing the answer to your question anywhere, John. Since application window menus are usually created using arrays, those menus can be no bigger than the arrays (or the free memory available), but apart from that, I have never run into problems. One example I will cite is that of creating a menu to select a file from the entire content of my hard disk. Creating an array big enough for that list of files can be, ummm, a bit of a problem, as the emulator quickly runs out of memory!!! Of course there is the practical issue that writing (or trying to write) a program big enough to run into limits on array size or number of loose items and info windows in SuperBASIC is likely to be a bit clumsy and impractical anyway. While I appreciate it would be handy to have the limits documented, in practice - apart from what Tobias mentioned - you are very, very unlikely to run into any such limits. Dilwyn -Original Message- From: tobias.froesc...@t-online.de Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2014 5:28 PM To: ql-us...@q-v-d.com Subject: Re: [Ql-Users] EasyPointer 4 query. John, to my information, ther really is only one limitation built into the pointer environment (and no additional one in EasyPtr), which is the ability to selectively re-draw information sub-windows. As this call takes a 32-bit bit field as argument, you can only selectively re-draw the first 32 information sub-windows per window definition (WM.IDRW would be the relevant call). Other than that one (which you are not very likely to hit and if hit, wouldn't be a severe limitation), I'm not aware of any other limits. Tobias -Original-Nachricht- Betreff: [Ql-Users] EasyPointer 4 query. Datum: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 17:11:45 +0200 Von: John Gilpin An: ql-users Having recently returned to the QL and more specifically, to SuperBASIC programming with EasyPointer 4, I am trying to avoid doing a lot of time consuming work to no avail. I understand that there is a limit to the number of objects (loose items, application windows, etc.) that can be drawn onto one menu. I am convinced that I have read about this recently either in the EasyPointer 4 Manual or in Norman Dunbar's splendid tutorial articles in QUANTA Magazine in May, June and July 1994, but having re-read these repeatedly, I still cannot find the reference I am looking for. Can anyone out there help me not only with this information but also where it can be found. (Something like this, I like to highlight in the publication (manual etc) so that if I need it again, it stands out, thus avoiding having to re-read with great concentration, to find it.) Thanks in advance, Kind Regards, John Gilpin. QUANTA Membership Secretary and QUANTA Treasurer membership @quanta.org.uk treasurer @quanta.org.uk ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] EasyPointer 4 query.
John, to my information, ther really is only one limitation built into the pointer environment (and no additional one in EasyPtr), which is the ability to selectively re-draw information sub-windows. As this call takes a 32-bit bit field as argument, you can only selectively re-draw the first 32 information sub-windows per window definition (WM.IDRW would be the relevant call). Other than that one (which you are not very likely to hit and if hit, wouldn't be a severe limitation), I'm not aware of any other limits. Tobias -Original-Nachricht- Betreff: [Ql-Users] EasyPointer 4 query. Datum: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 17:11:45 +0200 Von: John Gilpin An: ql-users Having recently returned to the QL and more specifically, to SuperBASIC programming with EasyPointer 4, I am trying to avoid doing a lot of time consuming work to no avail. I understand that there is a limit to the number of objects (loose items, application windows, etc.) that can be drawn onto one menu. I am convinced that I have read about this recently either in the EasyPointer 4 Manual or in Norman Dunbar's splendid tutorial articles in QUANTA Magazine in May, June and July 1994, but having re-read these repeatedly, I still cannot find the reference I am looking for. Can anyone out there help me not only with this information but also where it can be found. (Something like this, I like to highlight in the publication (manual etc) so that if I need it again, it stands out, thus avoiding having to re-read with great concentration, to find it.) Thanks in advance, Kind Regards, John Gilpin. QUANTA Membership Secretary and QUANTA Treasurer membership @quanta.org.uk treasurer @quanta.org.uk ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] EasyPointer 4 query.
Having recently returned to the QL and more specifically, to SuperBASIC programming with EasyPointer 4, I am trying to avoid doing a lot of time consuming work to no avail. I understand that there is a limit to the number of objects (loose items, application windows, etc.) that can be drawn onto one menu. I am convinced that I have read about this recently either in the EasyPointer 4 Manual or in Norman Dunbar's splendid tutorial articles in QUANTA Magazine in May, June and July 1994, but having re-read these repeatedly, I still cannot find the reference I am looking for. Can anyone out there help me not only with this information but also where it can be found. (Something like this, I like to highlight in the publication (manual etc) so that if I need it again, it stands out, thus avoiding having to re-read with great concentration, to find it.) Thanks in advance, Kind Regards, John Gilpin. QUANTA Membership Secretary and QUANTA Treasurer membership @quanta.org.uk treasurer @quanta.org.uk ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
