Raspberry BASIC

Author Topic: BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.10a released  (Read 2909 times)

Richard Russell

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BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 version 1.10a released
« on: February 15, 2020, 02:35:45 PM »
I've released version 1.10a of BBC BASIC for SDL 2.0 - the cross-platform programming language for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspbian, Android and iOS.  The changes in this version are as follows:

  •   BASIC Interpreter / Run Time Engine

    Bundled the Box2D physics engine (as famously used by the Angry Birds games) with all editions.

    Fixed a bug causing ON GOTO statements to be incorrectly tokenised (64-bit and ARM editions only).

    Improved plotting accuracy of 'thick' diagonal lines, outline circles and outline ellipses.

    Updated the Android edition to SDL 2.0.10.  This has necessitated moving to a different build process (Android Studio) meaning you will need to uninstall then reinstall; see below.

  •   IDEs and Utilities

    Updated BBCEdit to version 0.32.3, many thanks to Andy Parkes for this new release.

    Fixed a minor problem in SDLIDE with pasting Unicode text containing the à (a-grave) character.

    Fixed a bug in the Compiler utility which could cause creation of an app bundle to fail on MacOS if the installation path contains a space character.

    Modified the List Variables utility so that a mouse right-click clears the listbox selection.

  •   Libraries

    Added box2dlib.bbc and box2dgfx.bbc to support the Box2D physics engine.

    Fixed a bug in dlglib.bbc which affected the 'Save As' dialogue in SDLIDE, also improved operability by the Amazon Fire TV remote.

  •   Example Programs

    Added kaleidoscope.bbc in examples\graphics, adapted from David Williams's BB4W demo.

    Added three Box2D demonstration programs in examples\physics; these are also compatible with BBC BASIC for Windows if the Box2D libraries are installed:

     crates.bbc:  Falling boxes; on mobile devices tilting the screen has an interesting effect!
     dangle.bbc:  Touch the screen or use the mouse to grab the chain; also responds to tilting.
     lotto.bbc:   A simulation of a lottery selection machine.  Sorry, there's no prize if you win!

This new version may be downloaded, for all the supported platforms, from the usual location.  The GitHub repository has been updated (used to build the MacOS, Raspbian, iOS and 64-bit Linux editions, currently).

If you are using the iOS edition you should install this latest release to update the certificate, otherwise BBC BASIC will stop working when the current certificate expires on 23rd February.

If you are using the Android edition you will need to uninstall the previous version before installing this one.  Please check whether you have any personal files or folders stored in @usr$ and back them up (e.g. via a USB connection to a PC) so you can restore them after re-installation.

Please remember that if you use the BBC2APK Android Application Generator you should download a new APK template to ensure that any updates to the run-time engine are incorporated in your own apps.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2020, 02:42:30 PM by Richard Russell »