10 replies to this topic

[Vulpes Virago]

I am a very new ClassPad user, so please be patient with me as I ask a stupid question (or two, or three...)

I use programs a lot in my daily work, as a lot of what I do involved running the same test or measurement over and over with a different data set. The math involved in my programs is fairly simple as a rule, but I usually have a lot of results to label and display, and a lot of numbers to input.

Please don't get angry at this next part-

On my TI-89, there are commands in BASIC that allow the user to easily construct dialog boxes, with such features as text fields and dropdown lists. It is also easy to make boxes that contain large amounts of formatted text.

I don't see anything like that in the ClassPad's BASIC.

I've looked throught the manual carefully, and I have tried searching through these forums, but I can't seem to find anything in the ClassPad's BASIC that is well suited for these tasks. Am I missing something, or is ClassPad BASIC really that limited in this regard? Is it left to the user to author to draw out these things somehow on their own?

Any help would be appreciated. As things stand now, in order to make equivalent programs to the simple ones I use on my TI-89, I'm going to have to write a lot of code!

[Colombia]

everyone in this forum know that basic on CP300 s*cks . So, try to learn CPLua.

[afshin_electronic]

sorry to ask .. but what is CPlua?!
have you got any link or information about that?!
I'm an old classpad user .. but I know nothing about CPlua!!!!!

[PAP]

Am I missing something, or is ClassPad BASIC really that limited in this regard? Is it left to the user to author to draw out these things somehow on their own?

Well, I have to say that widgets are gadgets (IMHO, of course). Anyway, you didn't missed something, and hear an advice from an old user: forget CPBasic once and for all. Run, do not walk, to the CPLua forum. You will not regret it, and you will never want to write a single line of code in CPBasic again. And no, I'm not advertising CPLua, I'm just a user who was ready to sell my ClassPad, but I changed my mind when CPLua 0.1 was released, about 1.5 year ago...

sorry to ask .. but what is CPlua?!
have you got any link or information about that?!
I'm an old classpad user .. but I know nothing about CPlua!!!!!

Well, as a good French proverb says, "mieux vaut tard que jamais" ("better late than never"). Run to the CPLua topic as well .

[Vulpes Virago]

Well, I have to say that widgets are gadgets (IMHO, of course).

Well, they're handy for organizing both input and output. But widgets aren't essential. But it seems difficult to even do a multi-line prompt.

As long as I know I haven't missed anything. I'll work around the limitations, I guess.

[Vulpes Virago]

Well, okay-

I've worked a little more with CP BASIC. It definately has it's limitations, but everything you really need is there. I've translated a few of the programs I use most often on my other calculators, and the ClassPad versions I've made work pretty well. I just have to remember to hit EXE twice when I finish with my entries in the input dialogs.

Actually, I'm beginning to like using the ClassPad versions of my programs better. On my TI 89, the BASIC commands used to build dialog boxes are very easy, but there's really annoying quirks- The worst one is that when you go to fill in a field in a dialog, it always assumes you want alpha characters. I can't tell you how many times I've gone through three or four fields, typing away at number keys and hitting the arrows, only to look up at the screen and see I've filled in a bunch of gibberish. Not a problem with the ClassPad!

Also, despite the TI 89's vastly superior screen contrast, reading my programs' results on my ClassPad is actually easier. This is because I usually send my results to a dialog on the TI 89, and the font it uses in dialogs is very, very, very small and blocky. After using the ClassPad for a bit, and sending my output to the output screen, I may re-write my TI 89 versions to use the program I/O screen for output. In other words, PAP, I'm beginning to agree with you about widgets, at least in some applications.

As for CPLua, I think I'll wait. CP BASIC seems adequate for what I do for now, and I really don't want to mess with CPLua in it's present unstable state. To paraphrase an old French saying:

Better late than beta.

[Casio Calculator Factory]

hello Vulpes Virago, check this page:
Program Examples

[Vulpes Virago]

Thank you for the link. That's sweet of you!

I'll have to study those program examples carefully. I only speak English, so it will be difficult, but I think I might be able to cull some useful code.

Thanks again! It's helpful people like you that make visiting this forum worthwhile!

[PAP]

I've worked a little more with CP BASIC. It definately has it's limitations, but everything you really need is there.

Have you tried to define a function in CPBasic? It only permits one-line functions. This is not just a limitation, this is unacceptable. CPBasic has also several (less important) limitations, but there is also a big problem: it is slow, horribly slow, and deadly slow.

As for CPLua, I think I'll wait. CP BASIC seems adequate for what I do for now, and I really don't want to mess with CPLua in it's present unstable state. To paraphrase an old French saying:

Well, CPLua is not so unstable. I use it systematically, I had some few problems in the past, but in general it's not unstable, and it's much faster.

Better late than beta.

That's obviously the French proverb "mieux vaut tard que jamais". I will paraphrase it as well:
Better anything else than CPBasic

[The_AFX_Master]

In my opinion.. there are a few users that crashed CPLua on this forum. PAP, Orwell, Vanhoa, Kilburn.. and me

And we crashed the calculator doing heavy tasks.. mine, doing some 80*80 Gauss Jordan reduction.

Do you do that huge calculations?? the only crash sources on CPLua that i know are related to memory usage close to 380Kb, for sure

[Vulpes Virago]

Thank you for your advice, PAP And AFX Master. If I ever find myself needing something more advanced than the ClassPad's BASIC, I'll take CPLua into consideration. I feel much more assured of it's stability now. I still don't need it.