My First VBasic experience

[Mobbs]

I'm trying to teach myself VBasic using just the online help

Anyways, this isn't really my first. I did create the temperature calculator that they step you through, but that's just following instructions word for word. This latest one, though, I actually tried to use my brain.

So if anyone's interested, http://www.footypedia.com/dloads is where you'll find my little "Score" game.

Lemme see, quick precis :
It randomly produces a footy game result, qxq scores, and you can see each goal and behind as its scored. No graphics, no nuffin, much, yet, but its on its way. This is basically simialr to the first thing I created in QBasic before expanding to create Qooty.

One bug that I can't fix (anyone who can help is welcome in this thread!) : If you try to move the program screen (eg drag it across your screen), it seems to hang the display. You can still hear the goals 'beep', and at the end of each quarter it updates the scores, but you no longer see the goals and behinds as they're scored.

Anyways, feedback appreciated. Maybe you'll find it a little fun. Beware though, its not much, yet.

 

[kaysee]

Originally posted by Mobbenfuhrer
I'm trying to teach myself VBasic using just the online help

Anyways, this isn't really my first. I did create the temperature calculator that they step you through, but that's just following instructions word for word. This latest one, though, I actually tried to use my brain.

So if anyone's interested, http://www.footypedia.com/dloads is where you'll find my little "Score" game.

Lemme see, quick precis :
It randomly produces a footy game result, qxq scores, and you can see each goal and behind as its scored. No graphics, no nuffin, much, yet, but its on its way. This is basically simialr to the first thing I created in QBasic before expanding to create Qooty.

One bug that I can't fix (anyone who can help is welcome in this thread!) : If you try to move the program screen (eg drag it across your screen), it seems to hang the display. You can still hear the goals 'beep', and at the end of each quarter it updates the scores, but you no longer see the goals and behinds as they're scored.

Anyways, feedback appreciated. Maybe you'll find it a little fun. Beware though, its not much, yet.

Ok 1st up the above downloadable EXE won't work on most other people's computers by itself. The reason why is because it uses other Visual Basic files (DLL files) when it runs. When most people go to run it they will get error messages saying certain files are missing (this happened with me). It will run fine on your computer because you have VB installed and therefore all of the required supporting files are already installed on your computer, but this wont be the case on almost everyone elses computers.

To get around this what you need to do is either:

- Create an installation; by using a common installation program like InstallShield that will guide you through creating an installation for your program. You will have to add in the certain required files to the installation to make sure these are installed when you application is installed. This process can be rather tricky for beginners so practice making your installs and installing them on another computer 1st.

- Create a stand alone version of your application; I am not sure on how you do this in VB but for your project/application you should be able to change some settings/flags etc so that when you Build/Compile/Run you application it will create a single EXE file that has everything it needs within it and will run by itself on another computer. Again test this EXE on a 2nd computer if you can.

2nd I am not too familar with VB but your best bet is to try searching NewsGroups at www.google.com for it (make sure you change the search from Web Pages to Groups). You should have some control over what happens at the BeginDrag and EndDrag of your Form... might be called something similar... and then something like stop the game/updates on the BeginDrag and restart the game/updates on the EndDrag.

HTH
SKC

 

[Mobbs]

Thanks Kaysee, funny thing is, though, I am currently at work, not where I made the program, without VBasic, and went to that link to play the program, and it ran. Did you try it and find that it wouldn't work? Because VBasic talked of the 'Make Exe' function as thought it DOES include all the relevant modules and lib files when it makes the executable.

 

[eagleskickass]

wouldnt work for me and i cant be stuffed looking for vbasic

NOTE - Mobs, on THIS page your can add Royals 2003 premiers

26 flags in 52 years i think it is, something like that!

 

[Mobbs]

Originally posted by eagleskickass
wouldnt work for me and i cant be stuffed looking for vbasic

No, you should NOT have to have VBasic for this... sounds like Kaysee is right ... what a rip-off, you mean it doesn't even have the smarts to package up its relevant libs when it makes the executable? What a joke of a tool, and yet so many people swear buy it. What's the point if it isn't portable?

 

[kaysee]

Nope tried it again and no worky... got the following error:

"This application has failed to start because VB40032.DLL was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem."


If you are using VB that comes with Visual Studio you might want to look another application normally installed with VS called "Package Deployment Wizard". This should be available via your Start Menu in you VS group of applications. The PDW should guide you through creating a package for your EXE that will include all the files your EXE requires to run.

Sorry I can't help any further but I haven't looked at VB that much.

Cheers
SKC

 

[Mobbs]

Thanks again kaysee, darn, not an experience, more like a misadventure.

I'm using an old VB4 installed from floppies from ages back.

 

[Mobbs]

Damn I need an "Enterprise Edition" of Visual Basic for it to be able to make EXE files that carry the required data with them

I sure thought the step up from QBasic per se would allow me to create programs that packed their bloomin' toothbrush

 

[Mr Q]

If you're going to learn a programming language from scratch I'd suggest getting a copy of Delphi from Borland. You can get the basic version for free, it creates nice single file executables (unless you ask it not to) so you never have to ship anything but the EXE, is usually faster than VB (certainly faster than VB4)

Did I mention that you can get the "Open Edition" for free. Oh, and for basic applications the same code can be used under Kylix, so you can recompile the same application under Linux.

Of course the language isn't based upon Basic though....

 

[Mobbs]

Hehe Mr Q, my problem with that is that I have 18 years experience in Basic programming, starting with the Commodore 64. For me to try Delphi I'd have to be, wait for it, open to new experiences! ... but maybe down the track!

Ok I happen to have found functionality that apparently allows me to bring it all together in a setup file. Gawd its a drawn-out process.

Anyhoo ... I used it and it produced a Setup.exe file along with copies of heaps of other files. The Setup file is only 60kb, while the extras total nearly 4mb!

My question is, do you think they all have to be zipped and packaged for the application to install or do you think the Setup.exe file actually has them covered, meaning it might create them on the target PC when installing?

 

[Paul0]

All it needs is the VB4 runtimes
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/runtimes.asp

 

[Mobbs]

That's something that the person downloading the program needs to install, though, right? Its not something that I use to create the program?

 

[Paul0]

Yes, there's two DLLs that need to be copied into the \Windows\Sytem folder. Pretty simple really.

 

[Mobbs]

That doesn't sound too bad ... now if only there was a way to package it with the actual program.

 

[kaysee]

Originally posted by Mobbenfuhrer
That doesn't sound too bad ... now if only there was a way to package it with the actual program.

One of the common Installation applications (Installshield or WISE) can do this and you should be able to get either free or evaluation versions from the net.

They provide a step by step process of what you should add to your package and then creates an install package for you to distrubute to your users.

SKC

 

[Mobbs]

Well I had already found something within the program, was just hoping someone could answer the following for me :

Ok I happen to have found functionality that apparently allows me to bring it all together in a setup file. Gawd its a drawn-out process.

Anyhoo ... I used it and it produced a Setup.exe file along with copies of heaps of other files. The Setup file is only 60kb, while the extras total nearly 4mb!

My question is, do you think they all have to be zipped and packaged for the application to install or do you think the Setup.exe file actually has them covered, meaning it might create them on the target PC when installing?

 

[kaysee]

Originally posted by Mobbenfuhrer
Well I had already found something within the program, was just hoping someone could answer the following for me :

Ok I happen to have found functionality that apparently allows me to bring it all together in a setup file. Gawd its a drawn-out process.

Anyhoo ... I used it and it produced a Setup.exe file along with copies of heaps of other files. The Setup file is only 60kb, while the extras total nearly 4mb!

My question is, do you think they all have to be zipped and packaged for the application to install or do you think the Setup.exe file actually has them covered, meaning it might create them on the target PC when installing?

Yes, I am about 90% sure you will have to zip/package all of those files together. I believe the Setup.exe will actually try to access those other files/folders during the setup/install process.

I know previously when I have created installs using InstallShield it would create the Setup.exe plus a few files and folders that the Setup.exe would then access during the install.

SKC

 

[Mobbs]

Ok cool I'll give it a burl tonight!

I had my first positive feedback today, so someone else was able to acces it. That's me at work, me at home, and one other bloke

 

[Mobbs]

Ok so I added more functionality and therefore got rid of those old files created by the Setup Wizard and re-ran it ... and now it doesn't know how to do it anymore.

Bloody frustrating. It just falls over every time.

So I'm left with a program that only works depending on whether your PC is up to it.

I'm at a loss.

 

[Paul0]

I still reckon you should just provide the runtimes, and instructions as to where they should be copied.

And if you stick a "DoEvents" command inside your main loop somewhere, the program will respond in a more timely manner while it's running.

 

[Fred]

ActiveX seems to have a role in this as far as exporting executables is concerned.

Unfortunately, it's probably buried somewhere in the 2400 or so pages I've got on VB (ver 5).

 

[Mobbs]

Hey Paul0, I like the sound of your suggestion but I just dunno what it means

What are runtime?

 

[thewhippersnapper]

Nice little program you have made there.

 

[Mobbs]

Originally posted by BomberAUS
Nice little program you have made there.

You can get it to work? Cool. Long way to go yet but want it to eventually replace the QBasic 'Qooty' game that is used on Fantasy Footy.

I've just updated it with a pathetical fixture maker.

 

[thewhippersnapper]

I had to download VB40032.DLL to get it to work though.