| PROGRAM IN PLAIN ENGLISH
Shari L. Coxford/Gypsy King Software © 2000
If you've ever had the desire to be a computer programmer, write your own programs, set your spirit free to create wondrous works, and if you have a Macintosh, then this one's for you.
No doubt you've cracked open a Programming in C book, and been totally confused by all the colons and brackets and curly braces. What do they mean? How will you ever remember it all?
Even the most intelligent person can be overwhelmed with the alienness of the C programming language. Bottom line, it's TOUGH learning C. And even tougher troubleshooting in it. Your code doesn't work, but WHY??
Example from Learn C on the Macintosh:
What does it mean?? Knowing nothing about the language, can you guess what the above piece of code does? Pure gibberish to me. Ready to give up? Well STOP. Because there is a solution. A language that is written in plain English. Now try this example:
Knowing nothing about this language, can you guess what this piece of code does? Are you excited yet? Well you should be!
Because it gets even better. If you've ever dabbled in a standard programming environment, you write the code, and the only visual image you have is the one in your mind. Until you RUN the code to see if it matches your vision. How would you like to SEE the code in action, immediately after you write it? And see how it interacts will ALL the other code you've written? See the final product even as you create it?
How would you like to see the final product, WHILE YOU ARE STILL writing the code?
Now are you excited?
We're talking the granddaddy of all object oriented languages. This language existed before we even had a term for it. To create a button for the user to click on, you choose New Button from a menu, and voila! A button appears. You drag it where you want it, and of course write the code as to what the button does when clicked on. From the Get Button Info window, you choose what the button will look like, the text style, the shape.... Are you getting the picture here?? I don't even want to calculate how many lines of code you would have to write to just CREATE the button in C.
So what is this plain English programming language? Before I spill the beans, I'd like to direct you to my Web site, where you can download 10 different shareware/freeware programs written in this language. With two more set for release this month. Two have been chosen MacPick of the Week.
I want you to SEE what you can create, before telling you what the language is, because there is a huge misconception floating around about this language. It has not been marketed as a programming tool, and most people have no idea of the power of this language, especially for new programmers.
Before you read further, go look at my Web site, every program was written in this language. You don't even have to download anything, just get an idea of what you can create. From Yahtzee type games to political games that put you in the president's hotseat, to card games and role playing adventure games, you can be a programmer!
Gypsy King Software
And if you have any doubts, my creations are all shareware/freeware, so you can see a good working demo. And if you STILL have doubts, know this, the incredibly popular commercial game MYST was written in this language.
The language, you ask?? Is HyperTalk. The language of a program called HyperCard. The programming environment is the HyperCard program. You don't need CodeWarrior or any other compilers. Though I would suggest two excellent books that will tell you everything you need to know to become a programming whiz in this language. HyperCard is produced by Apple, and contrary to what anybody tells you, it is still alive and well.
There are other xTalk languages that use the same environment, and some of them are even cross-platform, though they are more expensive than HyperCard. Two that I know of are SuperCard and MetaCard. You can get more info from their Web sites.
The retail price of HyperCard is about $89. And you can order it at:
HyperCard
The retail price of SuperCard is about $145. They offer a trial version that you can download. Their web site is at:
Supercard
The retail price of MetaCard is about $995. You can download their starter kit and Try before you Buy. MetaCard is cross-platform. The MetaCard web site is at:
Metacard
Their site includes example programs you can download and check out.
Whatever road you travel to your destiny of creations, may your journey be bug-free :-)
Tech Notes:
Programmed in HyperTalk and created in
HyperCard 2.3, Gypsy King games are a great showcase for what you can
do in HyperCard. If I hadn't told you, you'd be clueless. Here's an
interesting aside, did you know that Myst was created mostly in
HyperCard?
If you're looking to get your feet wet, or you already own HyperCard
and don't know what to do with it, check out the newsgroup
comp.sys.mac.hypercard, or invest in two gotta-have-'em
HyperCard programming books:
- The Complete HyperCard Handbook by Goodman
- HyperTalk 2.x by Winkler, Kamins, and DeVoto
Member of the HyperCard Gamers Group
You can find tons of good programming information, tips for shareware programmers, etc. at
Spiderweb Software's web site.
You are welcome to link to this Web page if you would like to include this article on your Web site. You can also publish this article in your newsletter. To link to this page, copy the following HTML code onto your Web page:
<a href="http://www.allfreespot.com/programmers.html">Program in Plain English</a>
For a text copy suitable for ezines and newsletters, Click here to have this article emailed to you.
| |
PROGRAMMING TOOLS
Gypsy King has four basic tools: The HyperCard 2.4 program, The Complete HyperCard Handbook, HyperTalk 2.2, and of course ResEdit. This does not of course include sound and graphics programs to create sounds and graphics for your projects. Most of our graphic work is done in AppleWorks, and most of our sound work is done with RecordIt (a HyperCard stack from Frédéric Rinaldi) and Kaboom Factory.
|
|
SOFTWARE - HyperCard
|
REFERENCE BOOK - HyperCard
|
REFERENCE BOOK - HyperCard
|
Hypercard 2.4
Programming Software from Apple
Macintosh CD-ROM
This is the product Gypsy King uses to create our games. Can only ship to U.S. addresses.
$87.99
Order Today!
|
The Complete HyperCard 2.2 Handbook
by Danny Goodman
640 pages. Here is one of the most successful books ever published for the Macintosh, with over 600,000 copies in print. The book has been revised and updated for version 2.2, which includes enhanced multimedia capabilities and support for AppleScript.
$25.00
Order Today!
|
HyperCard 2.3 in a Hurry
by George Beekman
HyperCard has turned thousands of Mac users into programmers, and has long been a popular tool for low-end multimedia design and development. This self-paced, easy-to-follow tutorial helps novices learn programming quickly. It details new features of HyperCard 2.3, which supports Power Macintosh platforms, and introduces HyperTalk, HyperCard's programming language.
$39.95
Order Today!
|
|
REFERENCE BOOK - HyperCard
|
REFERENCE BOOK - HyperCard
|
REFERENCE BOOK - HyperCard
|
HyperTalk 2.x
by Winkler, Kamins and DeVoto
My favorite of them all, but alas, it's out of print. You will have to search for it used.
|
Hypertalk & Hypertext
by A. E. Stanley
This book provides in-depth information on HyperTalk and PPL. Explore the basics of object-oriented programming in graphical environments. Gypsy King note: Contrary to what the book description says, HyperTalk within the HyperCard environment is NOT cross-platform.
$64.95
Order Today!
|
Complete Book of Hypertalk 2
by Dan Shafer
This addition to the Macintosh Inside Out series provides complete coverage of HyperTalk 2.0, the scripting language in HyperCard. All HyperTalk programmers will appreicate the detailed explanations of key points with numerous tips and ready-to-use scripts.
$26.95
Order Today!
|
|
SOFTWARE - C/C++/Pascal
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Codewarrior
|
REFERENCE BOOK - ResEdit
|
Codewarrior Professional
Programming Compiler from Metrowerks
Spiderweb Software, creators of the Exile series of role playing adventure games, calls Codewarrior the "Programming Tool of the Gods". Codewarrior is a compiler for C, C++ and Pascal.
$376.99
Order Today!
|
Metrowerks CodeWarrior Programming With CDROM
by Dan Parks Sydow
Still the only book solely on CodeWarrior, Sydow's gentle style introduces each part of CodeWarrior including the new Java compiler and PowerPlant, CodeWarrior's award-winning C++ class libraries. The accompanying CD-ROM contains CodeWarrior Lite.
$39.95
Order Today!
|
Resedit Reference : For Resedit Version 2.1
Apple Reference Library
This is the official reference to the most recent version of ResEdit, a utility program that allows programmers to quickly create menus, icons, and dialog boxes, and enables sophisticated users to customize their interface.
19.95
Order Today!
|
|
REFERENCE BOOK - C
|
REFERENCE BOOK - C
|
REFERENCE BOOK - C
|
Macintosh Programming for Dummies
by Dan Parks Sydow
From the popular Dummies series of How-To books. You know that your Mac is easy to use for word processing and building spreadsheets -- now find out how easy it is to use for programming. Even if you've never written a line of code, Mac Programming For Dummies, transforms you from plain ol' user into the propeller-head you were destined to become. Mac fanatic Dan Parks Sydow takes you behind the screens of the Mac's revolutionary graphical user interface so you can hack out your own user-friendly software. You discover how to use the ResEdit resource editor to customize the way that your Mac's operating system looks and acts, and then you plunge into the powerful programming language C. A CD-ROM bundled with the book comes chock-full of indispensable and fun tools, from a lite version of Metrowerks' industry-standard CodeWarrior C compiler and Apple's ResEdit, to an assortment of programming goodies.
$23.99
Order Today!
|
Learn C on the MacIntosh
by Dave Mark
A CD-ROM/book tutorial on programming in C, for Mac users with little or no experience in programming. Covers functions, variables, and operators, working with disk files, and C function pointers, using exercises and answers. Includes a glossary, numerous examples, and appendices on syntax, source code, and Standard Library functions. The CD-ROM contains Metrowerks CodeWarrior Lite, plus games, demos, and shareware.
$27.96
Order Today!
|
MacIntosh Programming Secrets
by Scott Knaster and Keith Rollin
Inside tips on Macintosh programming cover every aspect of programming with the Mac.
$27.16
Order Today!
|
|
REFERENCE BOOK - C
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
Foundations of Mac Programming
by Dan P. Sydow
By providing enough information for beginners and intermediate programmers, this book eliminates the need to purchase any other Mac programming book. The early chapters will serve as the perfect introduction for beginners as well as a solid review for intermediate programmers. Remaining chapters will deal with specific Macintosh programming topics such as windows, menus, and graphics.
$$$
Order Today!
|
Inside MacIntosh : Aoce Service Access Modules
Apple Technical Library
The official descriptions of the Apple Open Collaboration Environment (AOCE). AOCE is implemented in PowerTalk, part of System 7 Pro, and PowerOpen, the new Apple server. Macintosh programmers will want to understand AOCE to make use of these new technologies.
$29.95
Order Today!
|
Inside MacIntosh : Devices
Apple Technical Library
Here is essential guidance for writing software that interacts with built-in and peripheral hardware devices. It covers critical hardware and device programming topics and provides background information important to anyone using the File, Sound, Printing, or AppleTalk Managers.
$25.46
Order Today!
|
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
Inside MacIntosh : Interapplication Communication
Apple Technical Library
Collaborative computing is one of the most vital aspects of Macintosh development. This book shows programmers how to develop applications that work together in a cooperative environment. It describes how applications can share data with other applications, respond to scripts, and automate repetitive tasks.
$36.95
Order Today!
|
Inside MacIntosh : Operating System Utilities
Apple Technical Library
The final core operating system volume in the New Inside Macintosh series, this book describes parts of the Macintosh operating system that allow programmers to manage low-level aspects of the operating system. It covers topics that every Macintosh programmer must master.
$28.95
Order Today!
|
Inside MacIntosh : Powerpc System Software
Apple Technical Library
The new PowerPC processor will provide a quantum leap forward in computing speed, power, and affordability. To take maximum advantage of the much greater processing speed of the PowerPC processor, programmers will want to port their application or other software to PowerPC code. This book provides the information they will need to accomplish this.
$24.95
Order Today!
|
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
Inside MacIntosh : Quickdraw Gx Environment and Utilities
Apple Technical Library
A reference to the supporting components of the QuickDraw GX object- based graphics programming environment. Describes features and utilities such as Macintosh interface functions, memory management, the three- level diagnostic reporting system, the Collection and Message Managers, number conversion, and matrix transformation. Assumes familiarity with general concepts of QuickDraw GX.
$31.95
Order Today!
|
Inside MacIntosh : Quickdraw Gx Graphics
Apple Technical Library
With extensive cross-references, illustrations and C-language sample code, QuickDraw GX Graphics shows readers how to create and manipulate the fundamental geometric shapes of QuickDraw GX to generate a vast range of graphic entities. It also demonstrates how to work with bitmaps and pictures, and specialized QuickDraw GX graphic shapes.
$31.95
Order Today!
|
Inside MacIntosh : Quickdraw Gx Printing
Apple Technical Library
No synopsis given.
$28.95
Order Today!
|
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
REFERENCE BOOK - Inside Mac Series
|
Inside MacIntosh : Quickdraw Gx Programmer's Overview
Apple Technical Library
Introduces the universe of QuickDraw GX: object architecture, graphics, typography, printing features, run-time, and debugging environments.
$24.95
Order Today!
|
Inside MacIntosh : X-Ref
Apple Technical Library
A definitive guide and essential reference for anyone writing software for the Macintosh, Inside Macintosh X-Ref provides programmers with a quick and easy way to find the exact information they need. It features a complete index of all the books in the 26-volume Inside Macintosh series--and an index of all the key topics listing the volume the topic is covered in, plus chapter and page number.
$19.95
Order Today!
|
Inside the MacIntosh Communications Toolbox
Apple Technical Library
No synopsis given.
$26.95
Order Today!
|
|
|
|
