Tool Writing, Part 1
When I started this blog, I said it not only be about BASIC, but also about other tools that I would write. Well, I've started writing one of those tools. It's a pre-processor called BASIC Wrangler.
A BASIC pre-processor is a program that takes un-runnable BASIC code and turns into runnable code. Programs such as this have been around since the early 1980s. I've got pre-processors that run on Apple IIGS, TRS-80, and CP/M. There are also ones written for modern computers, such as C64List. They're useful programs, but I've found deficiencies in all of them, and so I figured I'd may as well write my own.
BASIC Wrangler will take BASIC programs that are written without line numbers, and add line numbers to them. To make up for the lack of line numbers, QBasic-compatible labels will be used. The program will also combine and crunch lines to the maximum number of characters that a line can be. So, if you're pasting into Altair 4K BASIC, it will ensure you have a maximum line length of 72 characters, but if you're using Extended BASIC, it will allow for over 200 characters per line.
It will be compatible with any dialect of BASIC through the use of definition functions. Adding support for a version of BASIC that I haven't thought of will be as easy as copying and pasting the prototype definition, and modifying the renamed copy.
I'll be streaming my work on this on my Twitch channel, and I'll be uploading past streams to my YouTube channel later on. Finally, I've decided to try and start streaming daily around 6 PM Eastern Time. That doesn't mean I will start streaming then, but you can look out for me to start streaming around that time in future.
A BASIC pre-processor is a program that takes un-runnable BASIC code and turns into runnable code. Programs such as this have been around since the early 1980s. I've got pre-processors that run on Apple IIGS, TRS-80, and CP/M. There are also ones written for modern computers, such as C64List. They're useful programs, but I've found deficiencies in all of them, and so I figured I'd may as well write my own.
BASIC Wrangler will take BASIC programs that are written without line numbers, and add line numbers to them. To make up for the lack of line numbers, QBasic-compatible labels will be used. The program will also combine and crunch lines to the maximum number of characters that a line can be. So, if you're pasting into Altair 4K BASIC, it will ensure you have a maximum line length of 72 characters, but if you're using Extended BASIC, it will allow for over 200 characters per line.
It will be compatible with any dialect of BASIC through the use of definition functions. Adding support for a version of BASIC that I haven't thought of will be as easy as copying and pasting the prototype definition, and modifying the renamed copy.
I'll be streaming my work on this on my Twitch channel, and I'll be uploading past streams to my YouTube channel later on. Finally, I've decided to try and start streaming daily around 6 PM Eastern Time. That doesn't mean I will start streaming then, but you can look out for me to start streaming around that time in future.
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