BETA PREVIEW 0  by efsoft


Who read the previously posted information about this program (still available HERE) and
may be interested to know additional information about this BETA Preview 0 posted here
can find in the following text further details about the same.

1) What is the BETA Preview 0 ?
    This first program represents only the first module of the translator project and has been
    developed to verify some code's solutions that will be extended version by version so, 
    do not expect too much from this  pre 0 version except to test translation system.

2) What this BETA can do ?
   This version, as i said, can perform a translation from VB code (VB 5-6) to NSBasic CE code. 
   And this is the first result. You can also use it to create some little program if you respect
   its limit and use only standard Basic instructions.
   The limits are that the program now support a single form only, common objects, menu's 
   code, objects' array, and some types of shape but graphically only. About the program's
   code lines, all the properties, methods and event that does not require translation are duly
   usable while for the instruction to translate only some of the File and SystemFile.dll methods
   and properties are actually added.
   The program code instructions regognized in this preview version are the following:
   "Dir - Open - Close - EOF - Line Input - Print -  GetAttr - SettAttr - Kill - End - Select Case -
     Keypress - KeyAscii - Index and Name directly translated in the equivalent NSb routine"

3) How to install the program
   The program has been developed by VB.5 so you need VB5 Runtime installed. 
   If you use VB6 the program will translate the code in this case also but you will need
   anyway to install VB5 Runtime.When the program will be more efficient i shall compile
   also VB6 version.
   To install the program you have only to copy it into the folder where you usually store
   your VB program's code. VBtraNS will find so directly all the Form files that he can translate
   Obviously you must create for the program to translate a form compatible with your device's 
   screen. (3675x44557 pixel should be correct for a PPC device).
   The futher versions of the program will include VB Template forms also. For the moment
   this version is missing of the help also so refer to this page for informations.

4) How the program works 
    The program shows a simple bar with few commands to be shown over the VB IDE. 
    Remember that you are programming in Visual Basic but you must respect the limits of 
    CE language (example you cannot use default properties writing [ Label = ] instead of
    [ Label.caption = ] ) but you can test your program on the desk, debugging it using the
    usual tools of VB.
    Create a form matching with your CE device screen and start to add objects and code.
    Remember that to get translation your first code line must be 'Option Explicit'
    When your program run correctly under Visual Basic you can use VBtraNS to translate
    your code.
    Running VBtraNS  you will see something like this :

    

    Use ComboBox to select the file to translate.
    Check the option button to select Form only or Form and Program code translation and
    click on 'GO' button. Wait until the flashing spies on the left stop, becoming Green (fully
    or partially), thence push 'See Code' to obtain the following result's window.
    In same case, before to be enabled to see the resulting code, you will see to comboboxes
    used to insert manually the translated path to use on the CE device.
    Select the Desk path to translate, insert the Device path and press the red button in the
    middle. When the ComboBoxes will hide you will be able to use the 'see code' button.

    

   On the bottom left side of this window you will see two new buttons that you may use
   to copy the code in the clipboard or to create directly a text file to use it in the NSbasic
   Ce IDE on the CE device.(in this version code as text file will be create in Documents Dir.) 
   (The final version should work also with ActiveSyc connected to the CE device so to
   enable the user to test on the fly any chance applied to his program code.
   To obtain this, obviously, the project must include a larger set of objects and instructions,
    fix all the possible bugs and to have a good translation speed and this will require a long time)

  The first real BETA0 version will follows soon as possible. It should include, in addition
  of the necessary Bug's Fixes of the preview version, the Timer object, Grid object and if it 
  will be possible a first attempt to add also ADO object translation.
  If you are interested stay tuned but always remember that you will use the program at your
  full risk. Thanks

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE BETA 0 Preview Version HERE (27kb)