QL Tinkering

[qbits]

Hi Andrew
Thanks for taking your time to review the code and your suggestions. Its not always easy to follow someone else’s configurations. Less haste more speed on my part. I keep a lot of temp backups while developing code themes and truth is I coped across and uploaded the wrong one. This morning I have a clearer head and hopefully have uploaded the corrected version of QBITS_FontEddit _v5SE.

Apart from some errors on my part in setting some variables to 0 not 1, most of the problems were to do with adding code to cope with SubDirectories. Dealing with the variable string lengths I can best describe my efforts as perhaps putting the cart before the horse with use of LEN and INSTR. As to a 256 code QL Font Editor for now, it remains as two sets 32 to 127 (96) & 128 to 191(64) but I’ll look into.

Deleting FList is not a problem, but as I use it with other programs notably QBITS FTidy I have no reason to delete it. It also maintains a reserved space on the drive. QBITSProgs_v3 is the latest set up I have to access my QBITS SuperBASIC Progs Menu. I’m working on a release with the updated set of Progs and pdfs with also a set of standalone versions.

QBITS Font Editor Settings and Options
Code Line 1002 Set gx gy for High Resolution screen such as with QPC2 emulator
Code Line 1009 Set dn% to default of listed drives: reference to Code Lines 1011 to 1013
Code Line 1008 Set Dev$ to default Drive/SubDirectory for QLFont1& 2 _fnt
Code Lines 1011 to 1013 Set to user’s local drive / subdir set up
Code Line 1047 replace STOP at end of line with LRUN win1_Boot for example
Code Lines 1060 & 1062 Remove REMark’s for faster QL Platforms
Code Line 2008 Note: SpaceInvaders_fnt NOT SpaceInvader_fnt

Tinkering is what this thread is all about and I rely on you and others to point me in the right direction.
Thanks again for you time spent on reviewing and advising it is appreciated.

QBITS

[qbits]

Hi,
I’ve been tinkering away and come up with a full 256 Character Font Editor. The QL uses two Fonts sets Zero to 127 and 128 to 255. The printable characters being 32 to 127 and 128 to 191, these have a key or key combinations. The others as with all codes can be printed using CHR$(n), n being 0 to 255.

(D)DIR allows changes to the 16 drive names and a drive +SubDIR if applicable. (L)oad operates by selecting a drive/SubDIR and will then check for ‘_fnt’ Files if none are present or medium not available a ’No File Found’ will be returned. If _fnt files are present select one to Load. The two bytes at the beginning of the file is checked and the font file loaded into one of four setups. Characters 0 to 127 is position one, 32 to 127 is position two, 128 to 191 is position 3 and 128 to 255 is position 4.

When Saving a Font group select one of the four positions. The Font file name and drive can be Edited, this may return a DEVICE ERROR if medium not found or the option to Overwritten Y/N.

See pervious posting for additional help

I will be posting an accompanying pdf at some point but for the present I’m looking into Fonts for ARCADE games.

QBITS

[RalfR]

Great, thank you!

[qbits]

Hi All,
A Very Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays for the festive season.

QBITS_FontEdit2_SE allows 0 to 255 Font Codes to be Edited.
Font Copy < n > to load and modify an existing Font Character, (#) CLS for NEW pattern, (B)kGnd to toggle Black -White STRIP & INK, then FLIP, PAN, SCROLL, ROTATE or (0-7) to change INK colour of Bitmap.
(D)DIR to access Subdirectories, (L)oad & (S)ave _fnt file. (R)eset and (E)xit with Y/N prompts.

By loading Aliens_fnt, Dino_fnt, or Giro_fnt from supplied and Pressing (G)ame, the selected ARCADe Game is displayed for playing.
Exit will return to the Font editor.

Best whishes for the future, be back in the NEW Year.

QBITS

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi,

Really excellent documentation.

I was trying write a UDG Font rountine for possible game conversions, your programmes help alot.

[qbits]

Hi All
I have looked in time to time, keeping in touch with developments. I would still like to see a 21st century Super QL!
Back in the day Sinclair did plan a sequel to the QL I believe it might have been called the Futura.

Big C WARNING! 18 people are daily diagnosed with mouth cancer in the UK. Please if you have a nagging cough, gums, teeth or nasal problems go get checked out, even if you have never smoked and only been an occasional drinker of alcohol like me. The survival rate is 90% to 98% if caught early. Mine was stage 2 the 13 hour OP was dramatic the six weeks of Radiotherapy was grilling.

Sometime in next three to nine months I will have another op which my Consultant refers to as facial reconstruction, that’s replacing some teeth I lost and hopefully getting my photographic smile back. I have to admit the radiotherapy knocked me back, I lost my level of concentration for a while but it’s all back now and physically I’m in a good place. So, I’ve been busy…

FIRSTLY, over the Christmas break I got enthused about compiling my Progs. My floppy disk copies of Supercharge and Q-Liberator were unfortunately both corrupt. However, a download from Dilwyn’s site resolved that issue (thankyou). I tried to get Supercharge to work with my QPCII emulator but have failed so far. Q-Liberator after a few tries I managed to get working. Most of my Progs complied successfully.

Help! Any setup advice for working QLiberator, Supercharge or Turbo with QPC2 Environment and for creating standalone runtime _obj files?

In the past QBITS Progs running on other Platforms required an independent version. My QPC2 QBITS Progs are normally activated via a Menu Program and import common variables from a QBITSConfig file. By rearranging the opening lines of my Programs, it is now possible to run independently if the Config file is not found.

QBITS_FontEdit2SE
As the Font Editor is the most recently worked on Prog this has been given the upgrade, Plus the Font Chart’s INK colour can now be changed from Red (2) through to White (7). Colours Black and Blue I excluded as the background is black and also to avoid a blackout with QL platforms that only work with four colours in Mode 4. ARCADE Games - Dilwyn included a time loop variant that could be manually changed as DINO has CPU timing issues across the various QL platforms. In light of this I added a Speed Adjuster.

QBFontEdit2SE.jpg (31.8 KiB) Viewed 9670 times

QBFontEdit2SE.pdf

(1.5 MiB) Downloaded 208 times

Here I have an Updated Prog for review. While looking for articles on Compiling I came across a QL Enigma Program by Ian Pine. I downloaded and scanned the Prog pages to convert into a text file, and without much success at first. Eventually one format was accepted by the QL Interpreter, but with ’MISTAKE’ against a number of line entries. I did eventually get the Program working. Functionally it did the job intended but I felt was unfinished and a little underwhelming graphically for something written in 2007. So, I decided on a QBITS makeover.

QBEnigmaSE.pdf

(1.27 MiB) Downloaded 197 times

The Progs

QBITSProgs.zip

(21.22 KiB) Downloaded 203 times

Ho! The Joy of writing in SuperBASIC it never fails to amaze.

QBITS
 

[vanpeebles]

QL Enigma looks great! Glad to hear you are getting better too! Keep it up

[ppe]

I was just watching "The Imitation Game" on telly and now this appears, excellent! Top notch stuff, as always, thank you very much!

[Cristian]

Thank you again! Happy to know you're getting better, tough boy!

[Tesla]

Great work as usual! But even greater you are getting better! Happy to hear this.

Marco