Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

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Summary:

I wanted some input before I dive in!

Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 28 Apr 2012 21:09

Hello TI-Basic Developer members,

As some of you might know, I've been working on the Grammer project for nearly a year know. The second phase is starting to wrap up with Grammer 2 closing in ont eh 1-App page limit that I have set for it and it is now time to bring in Grammer 3. For those not familiar with the Grammer Project, here is a short summary:

Grammer 1 started as just an interpreted programming language. It was packaged as an assembly programming language that would read programs created in the BASIC program editor. It is a very fast alternative to TI-BASIC, especially with graphics.

Grammer 2 evolved from Grammer 1 to include not only the programming language, but also a shell. It then had its language expanded to include many more commands and it attained a much higher speed than the original.

If you are curious, check my signature to see a few screenies in action :)

Anyways, what I need to figure out is what you guys are looking for. I only have one week until I am gone for the summer, so before I leave, I will copy all the comment here and use them for reference. Here is what are currently in the plans for Grammer 3:

• Grammer 3 will be a two page App.
• It will feature its own program editor, menus, and command lists and token sets.
• The program editor will possibly have a copy/paste function, search/replace
• It will have quick keys and at least one customisable menu
• Programs will be preparsed to allow faster execution (meaning things like numbers will be converted before running). This will boost speed a bit.
• A legacy mode will be available to run older programs. These will be preparsed, so older programs will run faster.
• The programming language will allow you to load in custom command sets (up to eight at a time per program)
• The programming language will manage its own custom variable types, too. For example, string structures, sprite images, bitmaps, matrices, and a few others if you people can think of them.

So what else should I add? Ideas?

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

blue_bear_94 28 Apr 2012 21:33

More custom variable types: perhaps stacks, queues, maps, heaps, complex values, and user-defined data structures?
VAT reading? And if you're crazy enough, OOP?

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Sunrise 3 Progress: 30%
Size: around 20 KB, not including the save lists and in-game RAM.

Last edited on 28 Apr 2012 21:37 by blue_bear_94 Show more

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 29 Apr 2012 00:00

A stack is definitely a good idea to add. Custom variables might be a bit more difficult, but I can give it a try. I don't know about the rest XD

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Mr Dino 28 Apr 2012 22:54

Compiling, decimals, rotating sprites to degree precision, and an Input command.
EDIT: Yeah, I get that degree precision would be a little too hard. But could you make it 15 degrees? PLEASE. I've resorted to using circular sprites and using sin/cos to determine a small point outside of it to indicate the direction it's pointing.

Last edited on 29 Apr 2012 18:26 by Mr Dino Show more

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 29 Apr 2012 00:04

For compiling, I won't be compiling to stand-alone programs, but I will be compiling to code that can be run by Grammer. This will cut down the size a bit and boost speed.

Decimals will probably be reserved for a custom command set.

Rotating sprites to a degree precision might have to be a custom command, too, but maybe in 8 different degrees I could add a command for that. Just as a heads up, that would even be slow in assembly, especially since sprites can be large.

A better Input command is definitely a good idea, too :)

I also want to have some menu commands.

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

blue_bear_94 29 Apr 2012 18:03

Flips on sprites would be nice too.
Also use a hook to run a Grammer program using real("name").

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Sunrise 3 Progress: 30%
Size: around 20 KB, not including the save lists and in-game RAM.

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 29 Apr 2012 20:05

Hmm, that could be useful. Are you thinking in order to run Grammer programs from inside BASIC programs? That would be an excellent solution!

EDIT: And I agree, flipped sprites should definitely be in this version

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Last edited on 29 Apr 2012 20:06 by Xeda Elnara Show more

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Wolfgang47 29 Apr 2012 21:40

This sounds amazing. I don't know if this is feasible, but I think incorporating aspects similar to 68K Basic would be great. In particular, picture variables that can be any size and be displayed with various forms of logic. This would certainly enhance graphics.

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—Wolfgang

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 29 Apr 2012 23:57

Currently, Grammer supports sprites. Not of every size like in 68K BASIC, but size can vary between any height 1 to 64 pixels and any width that is a multiple of 8 from 8 to 96.

It will be quite feasible to make it do any size sprite and I had a beta version that actually did that properly. I was also thinking that in the program editor, you could pull up a sprite editor, too, to help make sprite data while coding.

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Wolfgang47 30 Apr 2012 10:08

Cool :D

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—Wolfgang

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

blue_bear_94 30 Apr 2012 19:57

I'd also like to be able to draw in the large font, as well as to be able to modify the font.

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Sunrise 3 Progress: 30%
Size: around 20 KB, not including the save lists and in-game RAM.

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Wolfgang47 30 Apr 2012 21:43

What do you mean by "draw" in the large font?
(I understand the modifying bit, but not the first part).

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—Wolfgang

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 30 Apr 2012 23:22

Cool to here, Grammer currently supports custom fonts and has two fontsets built in (it doesn't use the OS fonts, though).

@Wolfgang: In Grammer, text is displayed by drawing it to the graph buffer. Just like other drawing techniques, you then need to update the screen once all your drawing is ready :)
(Text is drawn like a sprite, anyways)

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Wolfgang47 01 May 2012 00:42

So in the current version of Grammer, only the small font is supported for use on the graph screen?

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—Wolfgang

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 01 May 2012 01:20

There is a fixed size small font and a variable sized larger font, and you can use Omnicalc/BatLib fonts :) The default is the fixed width small font, though. It can be changed to the built in fonts or custom fonts using the Output( command.

Also, this reminds me that I will be creating better named tokens for some of these.

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Boba_Fox (guest) 30 Apr 2012 19:47

Binding stacks of commands to a custom command, as well as zstart- and ominicalc-like tools.

Boba_Fox (guest) 30 Apr 2012 19:48

Oh, and I'm not sure if this was included already, but custom greyscaling. I lost my calc to computer cord a while back, so I haven't been able to work with any apps yet.

Wolfgang47 30 Apr 2012 21:42

I'm not sure if you have a TI-84+ or if you are using the I/O Cable, but if you are using the USB, then I find it hard to imagine that you don't have a micro-USB to USB cable lying around. Of course, nothing wrong with it if you don't, but I know I have at least 7 of these, because sooo many devices use them.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that the cable is nothing special; any micro-USB to USB will do.

If you were using the I/O cable then disregard all this.

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—Wolfgang

Xeda Elnara 30 Apr 2012 23:23

It uses mini USB as opposed to micro >.>

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Wolfgang47 01 May 2012 00:40

Whoops. You're right of course. My bad.

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—Wolfgang

Boba_Fox (guest) 01 May 2012 19:44

I have a couple micro-usb cords, but for some reason, none of them work (even though they fit properly). It's just my calculator though, since one of my cords works on my friend's calculator.

Xeda Elnara 30 Apr 2012 23:25

Grey scale will be supported. Grammer currently supports 3-level gray, but I plan to include 4-level as well in Grammer 3 :)

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 30 Apr 2012 23:26

That might be possible if I understand it correctly. Also, I plan to add in the ability to easily use functions that you can pass arguments to and whatnot.

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

blue_bear_94 30 Apr 2012 23:36

I have yet another idea: modifying the physics for the particles (gravity strength and direction, nature of particles) and different types, perhaps.

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Sunrise 3 Progress: 30%
Size: around 20 KB, not including the save lists and in-game RAM.

Re: Grammer 3-Concepts, Ideas, Requests

Xeda Elnara 01 May 2012 00:00

For the particle engine, I definitely plan to add a few different versions, one based on basic custom rulesets, but extremely custom ones will be more difficult. I also have a basic gravity engine created (not implemented in Grammer, yet).

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Z80 Assembly>English>TI-BASIC>Python>French>C>0