dales@Apple.COM (Dale Satterfield) (11/02/89)
I have a friend who is learning to program in basic on a Mac. He is using some version of Microsoft basic. He is having a problem with autonumbering lines. Any help would be appreciated. Please email replies to dale@apple.com. Thanks.
siegman@sierra.Stanford.EDU (Anthony E. Siegman) (11/03/89)
In article <5007@internal.Apple.COM> dales@Apple.COM (Dale Satterfield) writes: > >I have a friend who is learning to program in basic on a Mac. He is using >some version of Microsoft basic. He is having a problem with autonumbering >lines. Any help would be appreciated. Please email replies to dale@apple.com. >Thanks. Someone at Apple going OUTSIDE to find help on MS BASIC for the Mac -- sad!!! I keep trying to tell people (despite scornful laughter from the "BASIC is for kiddies" snobs) that Microsoft QuickBASIC is an extremely modern, neat, fast, effective language; and probably THE single best all-around Macintosh programming environment for working scientists, engineers, and many others who want to program real Mac-like applications for the Mac, but have other responsibilities to fulfill in life also. Your friend should acquire MS QuickBASIC for the Mac, which is the latest version in the series of MS BASICs for the Mac. It's essentially and extension of and compatible with the earlier MS BASICs 1.0 through 3.0, but it's cheap enough and enough better that he should throw away the earlier versions. Then acquire whichever of the following books are available and sound interesting. They all predate QuickBASIC, but QuickBASIC is enough similar to the earlier versions that they will still be useful. I'd especially recommend Zardetto Aker's "MACBits" and the Waite Group's "Macinations". ********************************************************** References on Programming the Macintosh in BASIC ********************************************************** Sharon Zardetto Aker, MacBits: Utilities and Routines for the BASIC Programmer (Compute! Publications, 1986, paperbound, $16.95). This slightly specialized but useful book describes some 100 programming tools and utilities written in BASIC which can be used to simplify writing other programs in MS BASIC 3.0. Includes 18 code-writing utilities to generate BASIC code for making windows, programming buttons, etc., plus approximately 80 other routines which can be copied and used in finished programs. The programs are also available on a Macintosh disk. Sharon Zardetto Aker, Microsoft BASIC Programming for the Macintosh (Scott, Foresman, 1985). Haven't seen this one. Perhaps now out of date? James S. Coan and Louisa Coan, Basic Microsoft BASIC for the Macintosh (Hayden Books, 1985). Also probably now fairly out of date. Philip Calippe, Advanced Macintosh BASIC Programming (Compute Publications, 1985, paperbound, $16.95). This is a reference guide useful for programmers already familiar with elementary BASIC programming. It discusses and gives examples of the more advanced Macintosh-specific features of Microsoft BASIC, including especially the Macintosh ROM routines that are available directly from BASIC. However, it does not cover the many additional Macintosh toolbox routines that become available by using the MS BASIC ToolLib. A program diskette is also available. Walter A. Ettlin and Gregory Solberg, The Microsoft BASIC Book (Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1985, paperbound, $18.95). This seems to be primarily an elementary introduction to BASIC programming, with only a very little on the special features of BASIC on the Macintosh. Larry J. Goldstein, Garry Helzer, and David Schneider, Microsoft BASIC for the Macintosh (Brady Books/Prentice-Hall, 1986, paperbound). This is essentially a fat handbook giving an introductory tutorial on BASIC, and then a detailed description and summary of all the standard commands in MS BASIC, presented in alphabetical order. Contains little or nothing on the toolbox routines accessed through the MS BASIC ToolLib. David Kater, Macintosh Graphics and Sound: Programming in Microsoft BASIC (Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1986, paperbound, $17.95). One of the many paperbacks giving a simple introductory description of how to use the graphics and sound capabilities of the Mac from MS Basic 2.0 This one is OK, but nowhere near as detailed or extensive as Microsoft Macinations described below. Steve Lambert, Creative Programming in Microsoft BASIC (Microsoft Press, 1985). Also now likely to be out of date. Richard C. Vile, Jr., Macintosh Programming Using MS-BASIC 2.0 (TAB Books, 1985, paperbound, $16.95). This is intended to (and appears to) give a good introduction to the more sophisticated Macintosh capabilities available through MS BASIC, for programmers who already know elementary BASIC programming. It contains numerous helpful hints and demonstration programs, and a separate program disk is also available. It is primarily limited to the commands built into BASIC itself however, plus the ROM routines, and does not cover the additional toolbox capabilities provided by the MS BASIC ToolLib. It does have an interesting QuickDraw Trainer program for demonstrating the ROM QuickDraw routines accessible from BASIC. The Waite Group (M. Waite, R. Lafore, and I. Lansing ), Microsoft Macinations: An Introduction to Microsoft BASIC for the Apple Macintosh (Microsoft Press, 1985). Now partly out of date because of the emergence of QuickBASIC; but still a clear and fairly detailed coverage of how to use MS Basic and the Toolbox extensions on the Macintosh. Still recommendedQclear explanations for the beginner, clever illustrations and examples for the advanced programmer. The Waite Group (M. Waite, D. Putterman, D. Urquhart, and C. Blanchard), Macintosh Midnight Madness: Utilities, Games and Other Grand Diversions in Microsoft BASIC for the Apple Macintosh (Microsoft Press, 1985). An earlier version? Haven't seen this one myself. ***************************** End of list of references **********
stores@unix.SRI.COM (Matt Mora) (11/03/89)
In article <362@sierra.stanford.edu> siegman@sierra.UUCP (Anthony E. Siegman) writes: >In article <5007@internal.Apple.COM> dales@Apple.COM (Dale Satterfield) writes: >>I have a friend who is learning to program in basic on a Mac. He is using >>some version of Microsoft basic. He is having a problem with autonumbering >>lines. Any help would be appreciated. Please email replies to dale@apple.com. >>Thanks. > >Someone at Apple going OUTSIDE to find help on MS BASIC for the Mac -- >sad!!! > >I keep trying to tell people (despite scornful laughter from the >"BASIC is for kiddies" snobs) that Microsoft QuickBASIC is an >extremely modern, neat, fast, effective language; and probably THE >single best all-around Macintosh programming environment for working >scientists, engineers, and many others who want to program real >Mac-like applications for the Mac, but have other responsibilities to >fulfill in life also. The best part about QuickBasic is that you can write Pure code resources for any Rom call that is not supported by Quickbasic. I will be releasing libraries for Quick Basic that lets you call most of the major managers in the macintosh rom very soon. (probably Dec or Jan). Each will be a separate library package based on the manager that it calls. I just finished dubugging a major part of what will be called list manager pkg. Yes the real List Manager not the stupid brain dead Scrolltext statment. It works very well. Also have the Menu manager pkg. This will contain MDEF's (pattern menu), an automatic Font and Size menu.Get menu allows you to have the menu stored as a resource instead of being hard coded. Popup menus and Hierarchical (yuch) menus will also be supported. I might even have a real edit menu working. Text edit package will contain all the TE routines that Microsoft left out. Sound manager There will be a lot of other library routines that will be available. list of things I might support is below. Please Email me if you are interested in these libraries. Also let me know what routines that you would like to see supported. I will try to finish those first. Some ideas: OffScreen grafports Text edit window Wdefs Page Set menu command a faster print manager animated cursor get modifiers Real Edit menu File Manager GetAppFiles GetAppParms If your interested let me know and if you have any ides I would like to hear them. -- ___________________________________________________________ Matthew Mora SRI International stores@unix.sri.com ___________________________________________________________