Qptr WMAN simple example

[NL_QL_Usr]

Hi BSJR

Very nice

I've got a lot off learning to do ,
I thought when retiring things would be easy

[Tinyfpga]

BSJR posted:- There was also an 11 part series of lectures about QPTR in QL-Today by Wolfgang Lenerz , explaining in more detail what was missing in the manual. (See volume 7 issue 2 to volume 9 issue 3.)

Some time ago I posted the lectures as a PDF file. I attach the file again here:-

Lenerz qptr.zip

(4.48 MiB) Downloaded 263 times

I have read, tried and experimented with all that is available on the subject of QPTR BASIC programming, but the problem is that it is all just beyond
the limits of my natural abilities. The paucity of windowing programs for SMS would indicate that I am not unique in this respect. In the end I found the Lenerz lectures to be the most useful.

I have not recently tried to go further with my programming skills because, without a tutor, it is so difficult to grasp. Maybe I should try harder. Ironically I found EasyPtr even harder to understand than BarePtr.

The only thing I have not tried very hard to use is TurboPtr. I can't remember why, but it may have had something to do with the fact that TurboPtr
does not work in SMS2.

[tofro]

I have not recently tried to go further with my programming skills because, without a tutor, it is so difficult to grasp. Maybe I should try harder. Ironically I found EasyPtr even harder to understand than BarePtr.

I totally forgot about Wolfgang's series, but it seems very much the best we have on starting with QPTR.

How about you begin again, maybe even as a common interest group with multiple participants, then, as soon as you reach a stumbling block ask here? Me (and, I think everyone who has experience with QPTR and BASIC) are perfetly willing to help in case you get stuck.

[Artificer]

MINIQPTR.ZIP

(2.51 KiB) Downloaded 176 times

Hi NL_QL_USR

QPTR is hard to learn. EasyPTR for me was even harder to learn. Wolfgang Lenerz series of tutorials for QPTR is extremely helpful. The QPTR manual is often obscure in its explanations of how things work. My copy of the manual, I bought into QPTR in the late 1990s and am still learning, is covered in clarifying notes.
Above is attached a small SBASIC program that almost gives you the code that you requested. It will produce a small QPTR window that can be moved and closed. There is a redundant icon in the code and you will see that the Superbasic functions taken from the QPTR toolkit required to create the small window are the largest part of the code. Happy coding and I hope this will also help.

Cheers

[dilwyn]

Before anyone gets too tangled in Qptr, Easyptr, Turboptr, or whatever, I'd advise basics first.

Get a grasp on the terminology by reading Norman Dunbar's PE Idiot's Guide, on https://dilwyn.theqlforum.com/docs/ptr/index.html

If going for Easyptr (or DifficultPTR as some call it), read another of Norman's guides, his introduction to Easyptr tutorial at https://dilwyn.theqlforum.com/docs/easyptr/index.html

ToFro has explained the difference in approaches that the different packages take and ultimately you choose the right tool for the job, for what you want to achieve. Most of my software is better suited to Easyptr, since you can interactively design menus etc and it's so easy to do things like move windows around, resize, draw menus etc. But Qptr toolkit will probably let you achieve more even if in my opinion it's much less well suited for someone just starting out.

But I agree with the lack of examples issue. It's always been the case that we have the documentation for most things on the QL, but quite a lack of worked examples in many areas. It's been a constant and repetitive theme in queries I received in my time on Quanta Helpline and messages received via my website over the years.

[NL_QL_Usr]

Hey Dilwyn

Thanks for your advice. I will read the idiots guide
As soon I have a little more experience I will post my examples.
A QL for me is a lot about sharing programs etc

[Tinyfpga]

tofro posted:- How about you begin again, maybe even as a common interest group with multiple participants, then, as soon as you reach a stumbling block ask here? Me (and, I think everyone who has experience with QPTR and BASIC) are perfectly willing to help in case you get stuck.

The long winter evenings may well provide me with the time to start again, but what is "a common interest group with multiple participants" ?

I have played with MINIQPTR_bas and found it worked first time in my setup. I interpreted it as an SBASIC daughter job, then compiled it with
line numbers and finally, after removing the instruction RESTORE, compiled it without line numbers. Programming without line numbers
is my preferred configuration.


The image below shows the three instances of MINIQPTR next to the code that created them. I don't understand the code but that is something for
a future session.

[tofro]

tofro posted:- How about you begin again, maybe even as a common interest group with multiple participants, then, as soon as you reach a stumbling block ask here? Me (and, I think everyone who has experience with QPTR and BASIC) are perfectly willing to help in case you get stuck.

The long winter evenings may well provide me with the time to start again, but what is "a common interest group with multiple participants" ?

Well, I thought that was obvious. Apparently, there's more than one individual interested in learning how to tackle QPTR. Why don't you join up and mutually exchange problems and solutions you encounter, maybe with the help of someone who's done it in the past as a mentor? We've all learned during the Covid years how you interact electronically, you could set up Zoom meetings and Q&A sessions, thelike. Open a thread here that collects problems and solutions, discuss it between yourselves and get the help of experts. There's no need to individually re-invent the wheel.

[Tinyfpga]

Well, I thought that was obvious

Amazingly not for me, which is why I asked the question. One thing I did not learn from Covid was how to interact electronically. No zooming
facebooking or tweeting for me I'm afraid to say.
My brother zooms like mad (he works for the NHS) and I have occasionally watched him do it, but it just seems unproductive. I run a building company, and sadly electronic interaction does not get any thing done on a building site. If only it could.

I can appreciate that this forum is not really designed for interactive learning but you seem to suggest that "Opening a thread here that collects problems and solutions, discuss it between yourselves and get the help of experts" would be a good idea".

Do you mean just using this forum whether suitable or not, or is there a special forum mode, that I am not aware of, to perform this interactive task. I will search for a free online cooperative task management system to see if there is anything I would be willing to use.

Just looked at Monday.com on my PI400 and received the error "We don't support this system any more". Pure Genius!

[NL_QL_Usr]

Hey Artificer ....

That looks exactly what I was looking for.
This will get me to a good start!!!

Thanks a lot