I really like this idea, a sort of compiler before the compiler
thing. I think that it's got a lot of potential, particularly as
it should (based on what you've said and what I know about code)
work for multiple languages. If this got more suffisticated I
could see it coming in very handy for some of the programming
related things I've got going on right now.
----- Original Message -----
From: Jeremy Kaldobsky <jer...@kaldobsky.com
To: audyssey <gamers@audyssey.org
Date sent: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:22:36 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Audyssey] Blast Buddy
I know this isn't a game, per se, but I was messing around with a
little BGT IDE. The program, affectionately named Blast Buddy,
is meant to work a lot like notepad but have features that will
help BGT developers code. I still have plenty of things I could
add, but it's working well enough that I figured I'd toss this
here to get some early feed back. The readme file explains its
features, but since 90% of people won't read it I will paste it
here right after the download link.
http://www.kaldobsky.com/audiogames/Blastbuddy.zip
Added in version 0.2: Undo and Redo features using ctrl+Z and
ctrl+Y. There is a maximum of 10 "undos" so please let me know
if you'd like it allow for more. I've done some testing but I
would like to hear from anyone who spots any bugs with it.
Blast Buddy
-----------
by Aprone, developed with Philip Bennefall's BGT in mind.
The program should operate very similar to windows notepad with
only a few changes meant to help developers. For starters, when
you leave a line, Blast buddy will check it for some common
errors. At the moment it only checks for 2 types, forgetting
quotes or forgetting the semi colon at the end of a line that
needs it. In either case, the program will beep and speak the
estimated error to help you catch it before moving on.
Think of your program as existing on a set of tiers or levels.
On the bottom most tier zero, you have your include statements
and functions. Your functions become tier 1 and the lines of
code within them are on this tier. If you have a block IF or
loop inside of your function, this would become tier 2 along with
the code inside of it. Nested statements can continue branching
out into higher and higher tiers. One of the most difficult
things about programming can be keeping track of these tiers and
knowing when they end.
Blast buddy has a way to use these tiers to simplify things. Use
Alt + Page up and page down to filter your code based on tiers.
When set to "all", every line of your code appears. When set to
tier zero, the normal up and down arrows would only be seeing
your lowest tier code such as include statements and functions.
Moving up to tier 1 would expand that a bit more. This can be a
quick way to overview what you're working on, without needing to
scroll through 40 lines of code nested within an IF block.
Sometimes all you need to read is the line saying "If (age ==
18)" and you already know this is now the place you wish to add
more code. I can't say for sure, but I hope this ability to
condense or expand the view will help developers with speed and
also with viewing their project in a more managable way.
Another interesting filter method is the comments setting. Alt +
Page down will lead you to this setting right below "all". When
in this mode, the only lines that will show up are the ones where
you have written comments. If you are someone who comments
sections, dropping down to this view could be the absolute
fastest way to shrink your code down into an easy to understand
format. Once you find the spot you're looking for, simply expand
your view and continue working as normal.
This was thrown together pretty quickly so there are some things
that probably won't work quite right, and a few things I still
mean to add. You can't highlight multiple lines for the purpose
of copying and pasting. Line numbers aren't displayed anywhere.
You can't use a find or replace feature. And finally, soft
background tones of different pitch will eventually play as you
move up or down in tiers. This will hopefully make it much
easier to visualize where you currently are in the code.
I intend to add support for more types of checks. It would be
nice for Blast buddy to check for case and spelling errors in the
BGT key words. It would also be neat for Blast buddy to track
the variables names you use, to catch you if you spell one
incorrectly later on during your coding. I'm not sure what all
will be done with this, but it is fun to brainstorm.
---
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