Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr revisited
Rich Mellor writes: > I have the sources for EasyPtr Per, if you would like to take a look. They > do not make easy reading unfortunately and despite offers of help initially, > no-one seems willing to take on the task of upgrading this software. Ok, lets take a look then, if its ok with Albin. Per
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr revisited
In a message dated 21/01/2004 01:42:49 GMT Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Sorry, a tpyo: Should be V3.50 EBTW, all I wrote about MAWITEM also occurs with MITEM (and possibly MINOB):You need to define a QL mode sprite first and attach the hicolor sprite tothat, or else EasyPtr wont want to know. A skeleton sprite definition willdo (provided your program will never run in QL colour mode.)Per I have the sources for EasyPtr Per, if you would like to take a look. They do not make easy reading unfortunately and despite offers of help initially, no-one seems willing to take on the task of upgrading this software. --Rich Mellor RWAP Services35 Chantry Croft, Kinsley, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF9 5JHTEL: 01977 610509Visit our website at URL:http://www.rwapsoftware.co.ukStuck with ordinary dial up internet connection ?? Read our review of internet accelerators and broadband at:URL:http://members.aol.com/RWAPSoftware/reviews.html
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr revisited
I wrote: > All the above relate to ptrmenX_cde V 3.05 E Sorry, a tpyo: Should be V3.50 E BTW, all I wrote about MAWITEM also occurs with MITEM (and possibly MINOB): You need to define a QL mode sprite first and attach the hicolor sprite to that, or else EasyPtr wont want to know. A skeleton sprite definition will do (provided your program will never run in QL colour mode.) Per
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr revisited
> All the above relate to ptrmenX_cde V 3.05 E > > Is any progress being made in updating the EasyPtr package? > > Per Hi Per, I'm afraid I can't help with the sprites issue as I have never really tried using the new mode sprites with Easyptr. There was correspondence here about it some time ago, but I can't remember the detail. It might have been something like the sprite is not redrawn correctly under some circumstances by some commands, might have been something like if the menu is MCLEAR'ed and then redrawn or moved or some other actions that required redrawing. Anyone remember what it was about? Just tried looking at the version number of ptrmenr_cde etc - the ones I have bear the version number 3.50. They were updated for me by Roy Wood some time ago. AFAIK v3.50 was the last versions released. According to the history file: v3.06 - cosmetic differences to v3.05 v3.07 - Info and application window with border can not be set larger than the main window in the list menu. v3.50 - New function MCALLT added which needs two additional parameters for timeout job events, otherwise syntax same as MCALL: item=MCALLT(#channel%,eve%,time%[,...]) eve% and time% are both compulsory. eve% must be given as a name, not only as value, as the event which caused the return will be returned in eve%. eve% can be used to pass both window events and job events to force a return. The job events are masked into the upper nibble of eve% eve%=event to return=winevents+256*jobevents time%=timeout to return MCALLT only works with SMSQ/E from v2.84 or WMAN from v1.52 -- Dilwyn Jones
Re: [ql-users] Easyptr
> > If anyone knows more about this, let me know to save me wasting too > > much time on something which can't be done reliably yet. (I'm trying > > to write a simple PIC and SCR graphics viewer for Launchpad using > > Easyptr). > > No, that wouldn't really work with these OS (PI) calls, if the images > to be displayed aren't of the same screen mode. You would need > some kind of conversion program. I can't remember whether the scr > format stores the screen format/mode with the file or not - if you > need that info, I can find out. SCR format doesn't, you can only "guess" from the file size. PIC does of course in the first 10 bytes. > > What I'm afraid of is a scenario like: I find it only works on QPC2 > > for example as it's the only GD2 system I have to test it on at the > > moment! > If, again, it uses the underlying OS calls, then is should work on > any machine as well as on QPC. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll carry on for now and see how it goes. -- Dilwyn Jones
Re: [ql-users] Easyptr
Wolfgang Lenerz makes some magical things to make me read } > If anyone knows more about this, let me know to save me wasting too } > much time on something which can't be done reliably yet. (I'm trying } > to write a simple PIC and SCR graphics viewer for Launchpad using } > Easyptr). } } No, that wouldn't really work with these OS (PI) calls, if the images } to be displayed aren't of the same screen mode. You would need } some kind of conversion program. I can't remember whether the scr } format stores the screen format/mode with the file or not - if you } need that info, I can find out. PIC do save the mode format (and picture size too), but as far as I know, SCR are just SBYTES of the screen (raw format). Which means that not only you you need the same mode, but also the same sizes! (That's was no problem with old QL: only either 512x256x4 or 256x256x8+, and mode 8 was rarely used anyway! and only one organisation of the memory too) -- Grimbert Jérôme
Re: [ql-users] Easyptr
On 19 Nov 2002, at 20:49, Dilwyn Jones wrote: > > Anyone have any experience of saving and restoring screen areas with > Easyptr under GD2? Can it be made to work reliably or not? > > I had a quick go and could get it to load (L_WSA) a mode 32 PIC file > and display it (using WSARS) as long as the PIC file and the current > screen mode were the same, I don't know about Easyptr, but if it uses the underlying PI features, then this is correct - it saves and restores screen areas and expects them to be in the same screen mode when restoring as when saving. > i.e. mode 32 pictures could only be displayed in mode 32, a mode 0 (QL > 4 colour) pic could not be displayed in mode 32 for example, which was > probably predictable. yup. > If anyone knows more about this, let me know to save me wasting too > much time on something which can't be done reliably yet. (I'm trying > to write a simple PIC and SCR graphics viewer for Launchpad using > Easyptr). No, that wouldn't really work with these OS (PI) calls, if the images to be displayed aren't of the same screen mode. You would need some kind of conversion program. I can't remember whether the scr format stores the screen format/mode with the file or not - if you need that info, I can find out. > What I'm afraid of is a scenario like: I find it only works on QPC2 > for example as it's the only GD2 system I have to test it on at the > moment! If, again, it uses the underlying OS calls, then is should work on any machine as well as on QPC. > It seems to work at first glance, but it's my first significant foray > into Easyptr versus GD2, so any advice gratefully received! I have always foun that GD2 doesn't really change anything for programs that aren't aware of it, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Wolfgang
Re: [ql-users] Easyptr
??? 19/11/2002 3:49:44 ??, ?/? "Dilwyn Jones" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ??: > >Anyone have any experience of saving and restoring screen areas with >Easyptr under GD2? Can it be made to work reliably or not? Yes it can... Marcel sent me some code last year and works great... will be on its way to your mailbox in a little bit (After I am done reformatting the Q40's disk for the upteenth time ... dang! MKPART feels worse than Windows ;-) That's why I used atari-fdisk.. .was finished in 2 minutes with a zillion partitions and everything workz :-) Phoebus
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
Hello again, i was off for a long time, moving from cologne to munich, changing my job and so on. As i read you are still programming with easyptr (thanks to Albin, without that i would never had written any QPTR program). Have you ever tested out my C68tool package available on my Website ( has to be updated :-( ) There is an program easypro available on request that will transfer easyptr .menufiles to a C file wich "only" needs the code for the things you want to do. Its a long time since i have worked with the QL/QPTR but i'll try to make changes on the program if requeted. Greetings from Gröbenzell Thomas www.th-roesner.de
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
> darkened room to the soothing sound of whirring microdrives. The mantra Hey, I never thought of that...make a CD of QL-related sounds like microdrive whirring, MinisQL whistles punctuated by the odd short BEEP...The QL-equivalent of whale-noises! > GATE-SKILL (a meaningless phrase) muttered repeatedly under ones breath > also helps to relieve tension in extreme cases. (However, it is normally a > good I assume the '-' is MEANT to be the wrong side of the S ;-) > idea to switch the latter off before resuming normal activities as a > malignant interpretation of it might get you into trouble with the Terrorism > Act.) Terrorism? Ooer... -- Dilwyn Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
> Poor 'ol Dil. > > Ok, Can I put a submission into QUANTA for approval? > > I suggest we blow the remaining Quanta Funds on a supply of "Bill Gates > Voodoo Dolls" Don't...it'll be a kiss of death for Quanta if he has anything to do with it. > Nicely made little rubber dolls in Sir Microsofts image. Then, whenever us > dedicated QL users have a problem with Windoze, we can all reclaim our > sanity by viciously sticking pins/nails/knives in the bloke who made it all > possible What, I've got to buy some pins to go with it??? > the ill-fated dot-Tv on Satellite about 2 years ago. In it, he says > "Sinclairs were very good british computers" but added "unfortunately they > didn't use our OS" > > Thank God Now he tells me! Actually, it wasn't too bad...it only knocked out the entire 3rd floor of the hospital including 5 beds in Coronary Care Unit and cost me a whole day's work plus some extra this weekend. G. I wanted to meet up with D&D at a show this weekend too, to promote Q60. Drat and double drat. -- Dilwyn Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
Poor 'ol Dil. Ok, Can I put a submission into QUANTA for approval? I suggest we blow the remaining Quanta Funds on a supply of "Bill Gates Voodoo Dolls" Nicely made little rubber dolls in Sir Microsofts image. Then, whenever us dedicated QL users have a problem with Windoze, we can all reclaim our sanity by viciously sticking pins/nails/knives in the bloke who made it all possible Nice idea? Actually, hes gone up in my estimations lately - I recently have got a 50 minute interview (a realplayer file, about 70Mb) were he was interviewed for the ill-fated dot-Tv on Satellite about 2 years ago. In it, he says "Sinclairs were very good british computers" but added "unfortunately they didn't use our OS" Thank God Darren Branagh Director, Wicklow Web Centre Limited Computer Training, Web Design, Repairs sales & Upgrades. Email : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.wwc.ie > Actually, I may well be a dead man by tomorrow night so your worries > may not come to anything. > > Our IT chaps at work have decided to reflash a software upgrade > overnight tonight. Last time they did this, it knocked out 60% of the > hospital bedside TVs by the following morning and another 20% > developed problems immediately afterwards like remote controllers not > responding which are still being sorted several days later not being > recognised and our life was HELL for days (SNIP) I have now worked in three places with > totally unfit Windows based software which ought to carry a prominent > health warning like tobacco products. Using a QL by comparison is so > relaxing it takes my mind off problems (when I get time to use a QL at > the moment). > > -- > Dilwyn Jones > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html > >
RE: [ql-users] EasyPtr
Too right - I still have nightmares even now, 10 years later on !! Cheers, Norman. - Norman Dunbar Database/Unix administrator Lynx Financial Systems Ltd. mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: 0113 289 6265 Fax: 0113 289 3146 URL: http://www.Lynx-FS.com - -Original Message- From: Dilwyn Jones [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 11:00 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr He he, I remember your screams of pain when you were trying to learn "Difficult-PTR" originally, wouldn't want to inflict that on you again Norman! -- Dilwyn Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html This email is intended only for the use of the addressees named above and may be confidential or legally privileged. If you are not an addressee you must not read it and must not use any information contained in it, nor copy it, nor inform any person other than Lynx Financial Systems or the addressees of its existence or contents. If you have received this email and are not a named addressee, please delete it and notify the Lynx Financial Systems IT Department on 0113 2892990.
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
Dilwyn Jones writes: >Bad day? Bad week? Bad month? YOU BET THANKS TO > ** WINDOWS! If QL <> > Sorry to bring peezee rubbish onto this list guys, I had to get this > off my chest before I explode. I have now worked in three places with My deepest commiserations! When our cool, phlegmatic ST Dilwyn starts using lots of asterisks and exclamation marks you know it must be real serious! Better call in the bomb disposal guys before the bang devastates large swaths of south-western UK. Dilwyn, what I often find quite effective in such situations is to inject 60cc of concentrated Prozac straight into the cerebellum and lie down in a darkened room to the soothing sound of whirring microdrives. The mantra GATE-SKILL (a meaningless phrase) muttered repeatedly under ones breath also helps to relieve tension in extreme cases. (However, it is normally a good idea to switch the latter off before resuming normal activities as a malignant interpretation of it might get you into trouble with the Terrorism Act.) All the best, Per PS: THIS ADVICE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR "AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, LIFE, LIMB OR SANITY, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS ADVICE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
> If you like you can still send the articles to me and I can have a look at > them. However the next two to three weeks are fully booked getting my new > Just Words! program, AUTO-GRAPH ready. This is because of the need to meet > advertising and copy deadlines so that I can finally put Dilwyn out of his > misery. Poor fellow probably has nightmares of my "quiet smile". (Sorry > Dilwyn, but I am always careful of you media hacks, ever since Melanie > Phillips, yes she of the Daily Mail, twice quoted me when she was a young > reporter on New Society. My fault, I shouldn't have made cynical comments to > put her off the scent!) ;-) Actually, I may well be a dead man by tomorrow night so your worries may not come to anything. Our IT chaps at work have decided to reflash a software upgrade overnight tonight. Last time they did this, it knocked out 60% of the hospital bedside TVs by the following morning and another 20% developed problems immediately afterwards like remote controllers not responding which are still being sorted several days later not being recognised and our life was HELL for days. I have never seen ill patients become so angry. And our oh so clever IT people (based in England) have decided to do this a few hours before the bloody world cup match in the morning so I expect we'll be butchered at work tomorrow when reflashed Windows CE doesn't work like the last time. All right for bloody IT guys in an office hundreds of miles away to decide to do this. Sorry all the 'IT' people on this list, I've become very very disillusioned with our IT people and software and technology which is so atrociously unreliable in hospital environments of all places that at the moment my only urge is to find an IT person and ceremoniously set fire to him/her after mercilessly torturing him/her (give them a QL and watch their frustration when they can't get it to crash every 30 seconds like what they're used to) and then rounding up every PC I can find and make a massive bonfire out of them all. Bad day? Bad week? Bad month? YOU BET THANKS TO ** WINDOWS! If QL Today is late next time, yes it was my fault because I had no patience left with computers after the total fiasco at work, so sorry Geoff, in the great scheme of problems I have at the moment, I am not exactly worrying about what you have up your sleeve! Sorry to bring peezee rubbish onto this list guys, I had to get this off my chest before I explode. I have now worked in three places with totally unfit Windows based software which ought to carry a prominent health warning like tobacco products. Using a QL by comparison is so relaxing it takes my mind off problems (when I get time to use a QL at the moment). -- Dilwyn Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
> I personally haven't heard anything - but then again, I beleieve we need > someone who *understands* all the PE stuff - which I certainly don't. Maybe > we need a PE programming guide for assembly freaks in QL Toady > (And I won't be writing it, I don't have a clue about assembly, I mean PE in > assembly !) He he, I remember your screams of pain when you were trying to learn "Difficult-PTR" originally, wouldn't want to inflict that on you again Norman! -- Dilwyn Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html
RE: [ql-users] EasyPtr
Per, I personally haven't heard anything - but then again, I beleieve we need someone who *understands* all the PE stuff - which I certainly don't. Maybe we need a PE programming guide for assembly freaks in QL Toady (And I won't be writing it, I don't have a clue about assembly, I mean PE in assembly !) Regards, Norman. - Norman Dunbar Database/Unix administrator Lynx Financial Systems Ltd. mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: 0113 289 6265 Fax: 0113 289 3146 URL: http://www.Lynx-FS.com - -Original Message- From: P Witte [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 12:05 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr Has anyone taken up the challenge to do something about the EasyPTR code? Alternatively, does anyone know if something is happening in that quarter? Per This email is intended only for the use of the addressees named above and may be confidential or legally privileged. If you are not an addressee you must not read it and must not use any information contained in it, nor copy it, nor inform any person other than Lynx Financial Systems or the addressees of its existence or contents. If you have received this email and are not a named addressee, please delete it and notify the Lynx Financial Systems IT Department on 0113 2892990.
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
Has anyone taken up the challenge to do something about the EasyPTR code? Alternatively, does anyone know if something is happening in that quarter? Per
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
On 18.06.2002 21:53:06, "Geoff Wicks" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Actually I don't "speak" German, although I have some knowledge of it. >Trying to speak it scares me stiff, ... That's the problem: when you are stiff, speaking gets difficult ;-) >If you like you can still send the articles to me and I can have a look at >them. I'll do! >This discussion has given me an idea. Would anyone be interested in a >workshop on using EasyPTR? The sort of thing I am thinking about is saying >running a two hour workshop during a QL show, where those of us who have >experience of EasyPTR could help others with their programs in the hope that >we could encourage more people to try working with the program. We would >need to structure it somehow. Anyone any ideas or opinions? >Geoff Wicks Sounds like a good idea, unfortunately not for me, living in Holland. But as I said, bringing problems into this group would help in many cases, I think. Wolfgang Uhlig
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
- Original Message - From: Wolfgang Uhlig <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr > > On 16.06.2002 21:02:43, James Hunkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >As to the above suggestion for translation, I would very much appreciate > >an English version of it. Even though I am getting pretty comfortable > >with the pointer environment and Easy Ptr, I still have a few quirks > >that might be explained in the articles. And I know I have gone through > >a lot of trial and error that such articles may help others avoid. > > > >Jim > > I suggested a translation to Geoff Wicks because I know that he speaks German. > But I am aware of the fact that this would be a lot of work, because the articles are > about 20 A4-pages. > I myself neither have the time to translate it at the moment, nor is my English good enough, > I'm afraid, to do it well enough. > Actually I don't "speak" German, although I have some knowledge of it. Trying to speak it scares me stiff, which is a pity given how active Germans are in the QL community. My German is also not really up to translation standards, although I translated Marcel's article because I wanted to read it myself. Is there anyone else who could look at the articles and possibly others in the old German QL Today? If you like you can still send the articles to me and I can have a look at them. However the next two to three weeks are fully booked getting my new Just Words! program, AUTO-GRAPH ready. This is because of the need to meet advertising and copy deadlines so that I can finally put Dilwyn out of his misery. Poor fellow probably has nightmares of my "quiet smile". (Sorry Dilwyn, but I am always careful of you media hacks, ever since Melanie Phillips, yes she of the Daily Mail, twice quoted me when she was a young reporter on New Society. My fault, I shouldn't have made cynical comments to put her off the scent!) This discussion has given me an idea. Would anyone be interested in a workshop on using EasyPTR? The sort of thing I am thinking about is saying running a two hour workshop during a QL show, where those of us who have experience of EasyPTR could help others with their programs in the hope that we could encourage more people to try working with the program. We would need to structure it somehow. Anyone any ideas or opinions? Geoff Wicks Geoff Wicks
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr
On 16.06.2002 21:02:43, James Hunkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >As to the above suggestion for translation, I would very much appreciate >an English version of it. Even though I am getting pretty comfortable >with the pointer environment and Easy Ptr, I still have a few quirks >that might be explained in the articles. And I know I have gone through >a lot of trial and error that such articles may help others avoid. > >Jim I suggested a translation to Geoff Wicks because I know that he speaks German. But I am aware of the fact that this would be a lot of work, because the articles are about 20 A4-pages. I myself neither have the time to translate it at the moment, nor is my English good enough, I'm afraid, to do it well enough. But what do we have this group for? Quarreling for months about this "license" has in my opinion brought the QL-community more apart than together. Wouldn't it be fine to discuss problems like EasyPtr- and other software-problems and help each other? I feel this has always been the strength of us QLers. I would be glad to help any Basic-programmer with EasyPtr as far as I can. The last months I have for example done a lot of tinkering and trying to bringEasyPtr to using the new colours. I have learnt a lot by doing so and am prepared to help if people have questions with this. As an example for what can be done with this, have a look on my freeware-suite QcoLour and MfColour (get it at Dilwyn's or Marcel Kilgus's site) Wolfgang Uhlig
Re: [ql-users] EasyPtr-Sprites
>> There >> are lots of little things like this in EasyPTR that can make it >> confusing, >> particularly for the beginner. > Yes, that is indeed true :-) I wrote a series of three articles about > EasyPtr-programming > in German issues of QL-Today (when they still existed, sigh) where a > lot of those tiny, tricky > things were dealt with. Perhaps you could translate them ;-)) > > Wolfgang Uhlig > I haven't had this problem with sprites but I take the EasyPtr output and run it all through C68 for my work. As to the above suggestion for translation, I would very much appreciate an English version of it. Even though I am getting pretty comfortable with the pointer environment and Easy Ptr, I still have a few quirks that might be explained in the articles. And I know I have gone through a lot of trial and error that such articles may help others avoid. Jim
Re: [ql-users] EasyPTR formerly Plight of a Software House
> I still get problems that puzzle me, however. My new program contains a lot > of sprites. If I call a sprite using SPRW and its name, it works the first > time I call it but not the second and subsequent times. The secret is to use > SPRA to find its address and then call it using SPRW and the address. There > are lots of little things like this in EasyPTR that can make it confusing, > particularly for the beginner. > > Geoff Wicks You're lucky. My Launchpad program uses sprites extensively and by and large I can't get them to work at all by name (assigning icons to program launching items and so on) any time, let alone first time. Like you, I had to resort to calling them by address rather than name. There are some other aspects of Easyptr which rely on this too. Not all of these are of Easyptr's making. Yes, there are some obscure foibles in little used Easyptr extensions but it's been around long enough to be reasonably debugged. One of the problems is that it's to some extent dependent on what the OS or PE does when it calls them to do something. From my experience, a job might seem like it's locked up at an Easyptr function but in fact, tracing it, it got stuck somewhere in calls to WMAN or something else because the version of WMAN concerned did something different to another version on which Easyptr worked fine. By and large, name handling is one problem, calling sprites by name is often not a good idea as you have found out. Replacing items in an Append file is another good way of making an Easyptr application go belly up. -- Dilwyn Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.soft.net.uk/dj/index.html
Re: [ql-users] EasyPTR formerly Plight of a Software House
- Original Message - From: Norman Dunbar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [ql-users] Plight of a Software House > You wrote : > > >> QLib/EasyPTR allows you to make some professional looking programs. It's > >> just a pity that the latter is such a b*gg*r to learn. > > Have you seen the (excellent) tutorial that was published in Quanta and I > think is available on Dilwyn's web site, on using EasyPTR ? > I thoroughly recommend it :o) > By some strange coincidence would that tutorial be written by a certain Norman Dunbar? By an even stranger coincidence would that be the same Norman Dunbar who writes those obscure and lengthy articles in QL Today that no one understands? ;-) Seriously, I have forgotten whose aids I used when I first learnt EasyPTR, but without them I would never have succeeded. There is a huge step that has to be overcome in writing your first pointer program, and unexpected snakes in the grass. My first effort ran perfectly under old QL ROMs, Minerva, and SMSQ, but not SMSQ-E and I still don't know why. The pity is that this puts people off, but once you have got over that first step, writing more programs is much easier and you become addicted to the pointer environment. I still get problems that puzzle me, however. My new program contains a lot of sprites. If I call a sprite using SPRW and its name, it works the first time I call it but not the second and subsequent times. The secret is to use SPRA to find its address and then call it using SPRW and the address. There are lots of little things like this in EasyPTR that can make it confusing, particularly for the beginner. Geoff Wicks
