I have a mini-USB to normal USB adapter that allows me to use my keyboard, mouse, and USB drive with my calculator. This is fine an all, but I can't use the keyboard or mouse outside of the demo programs. My question is: Is there a program (such as a word-processing one) for the calculator that uses a USB keyboard or mouse? Or one in the works?

Not as of yet, but there's certainly a good chance one will be written for use with Doors CS and usb8x, probably a port of Document DE 6.

I see...and how long do you predict it will take for this to happen?

You could always write it yourself... I'm working on Document DE 6 for Doors CS 6, so it wouldn't take that much modification to add USB support somewhere down the line.

Well, I'm not too skilled in programming, so I probably wouldn't be the best candidate.

Well, you've come to the right place to improve. Once you understand the basic concepts, the members here are excellent with optimization tips.

Anyone have a link to the BASIC 1337 guide for him?

So far, I have created a Quadratic program (solves quadrativ formula, discriminant, complete the square, factoring (somewhat), vertex, and transformations, and the best part of the program is that a lot is on the graph screen (for text displaying and the menu), for clean answers) and a Vector/2D Motion program (for Physics, actually my first program, just solves for a given variable, and has TI-style menus, not that special or anything).

Right now I'm working on a program that I call "Joke Matrix". Upon start, you get a "The Matrix"-style screen (0's and 1's everywhere), and if you press any button, you get a joke or an insult. My only constraint is memory, and the program without any jokes in it (just the frame) is capable of 46 jokes/insults, but I was hoping to upgrade that by adding sub-programs.

That sounds pretty cool. My biggest problem in programming is thinking of ideas. My second biggest problem is keeping interest in it.

After I do some more testing/editing, I'll submit the solver programs to ticalc.org, and on some forums, and hopefully some feedback on them.

On a second note, what letters/symbols/numbers/etc. can be in Label names? I know A-Z (and theta) and 0-9, but can you use a-z, ?, !, or any other symbols? If so, then that means my joke program can total over 2000 jokes (47 per sub-program, with one main program, and they all archive/unarchive each other, so memory isn't a problem anymore). Now just to get those 2000 jokes...

I think only A-Z, theta, and 0-9, but I'm not positive. Actually, it's considered poor programming to use LBL-GOTO in programs. You can usually get better speed and lower the chance of a RAM leak with strategically placed while loops and if statements.

Oh, but I heard LBLs do work great with Menu(. I've never used it before, though, so I can't verify that.

They do work well with Menu, considering my Vector/2D Motion program uses Lbl/Goto commands.

I don't know why Lbl/Goto is considered bad programming. To me, it's just easier and cleaner, and it isn't that slow; but then again, I'm only using it for solver programs, maybe for/if/while commands speed it up, but I'm not too hyped to go reprogram my program just for it to look/perform slightly better or to have a couple less bytes of space.

Yeah, you have a point. There's just a few things to watch out for. NEVER EVER do these.

:For(whatever
:GOTO where ever
:End


:While whatever
:GOTO where ever
:End

:Repeat whatever
:GOTO where ever
:End

:If whatever
:Then
:GOTO where ever
:End


Keep in mind, however, that

:If whatever
:GOTO where ever

is perfectly fine. Never put a goto in an if-then statement, though. If you do any of those 4, your calc will keep losing free RAM every time your program runs.

excellent advice, but not nearly correct. You can usually correct the memory leak depending on what you put after the lbl you are jumping to, but this is EXTREMELY bad programming practice, however couple things to remember:

1) return closes all open loops/ifs/etc
2) 83+ basic has 2 different modes the interpreter uses: skipping and executing, skipping mode can screw you up if you don't know how to deal with it. read the tutorials on TIFW.

Okay, so I wasn't correct, but I'd still say that that is nearly correct. Besides, if you're 1337 enough to realize you have a memory leak, you should be 1337 enough to not use GOTO-Lbl in the first place.

No, but there should be. I started it (that text viewer in msd8x), but I got put off by all the crap involved in writing a text editor, so that's that. Maybe after usb8x/msd8x fixes and the printer driver...some day...

Printer drives? zomg, now _that_ would be a coup d'grace.

So wait, if I use the returns and such (because for my past programs, I have used goto to go back to the main screen, but then again, those programs were very small in size, only about 2k-3k), does that mean that my program could go over 24k? The actual code is only about 1k, and each joke is no more than 100 bytes most of the time.

Just stack all your jokes into a string and do a random number of inString()s for some kind of delimitation character.

Can you explain this more? I'm not quite grasping what you're saying.

Sure, I'd love to. At the beginning of your program, for example, you could decide that you want to use [2nd][Y=][<][1] for your joke delineator. Then, you could simply have a program entitled ZJOKES containing:


Code:


For the main program, have something like this:


Code: