BASIC Accelerator Ver. 0.9.4.8 (2012.4.8)

Summary

BASIC Acc is a Full BASIC to Object Pascal Translator.
Translated programs shall be executed using FPC + Lazarus.
Any number is a double precision floating point, not a decimal.
Numerical operation is twice or fifth as fast as that of Binary mode of Decimal BASIC.

Windows

Set up (Lazarus)

Download Lazarus0.9.30.4-fpc-2.6.0-win32.exe and install it into the folder that has no space character on its path name.

Lazarus Download (SourceForge) Win32 Lazarus should be selected even if you use Windows 64bit.

Set up (BASIC Acc)

Download BASICAcc0948.zip from Decimal BASIC Open Source Project Download.
BASICAcc should be extracted into some normal folder on which the user has write permission.
The name of the folder must not contain any space character.
For example, Desktop is not suitable. USB flush drives shall be suitable.
When the system is updated by overwriting, the OUTPUT folder must be cleared.
Afterward, execute BASICAcc.exe, and set up two paths.
Click "Set Up" and select "Path".
"fpc path" is the path to the folder on which fpc.exe exists.
"Lazarus path" is the full path name of the folder "lazarus".

If you have installed win32 Lazarus + fpc 2.6.0 on C drive, the two paths are following.

C:\Lazarus\fpc\2.6.0\bin\i386-win32
C:\Lazarus


Troubleshooting
When a executing program becomes "Not Responiding", wait for completion of the execution.

How to uninstall BASICAcc
Remove the whole folder in which BASICAcc has been installed.


Linux(i386)

Set up (fpc and Lazarus)

Download fpc, fpc source and Lazarus from Lazarus Download (SourceForge)
Install fpc 2.6.0 (32bit) and Lazarus 0.9.30.4 (32bit).

Set up (BASIC Acc)

Download BASICAcc0948.tar.gz from Decimal BASIC Open Source Project Download.
This system should be installed into the folder on which the user has write permission.
When the system is updated by overwriting, the OUTPUT folder must be cleared.


Troubleshoot

When programs do not run.
Select "code" in the "run" menu.
When basicAcc reports NoName.err not found, confirm that fpc has been properly installed, especially fpc.cfg is located in /etc, otherwise revise "fpc.exe path" on the "path" dialog in the "set up" menu. It is ordinarily "/usr/bin".
When the Pascal codes appear, select the "run" menu on the code window to observe the error messages fpc reported.
When fpc reports unit Forms not found, revise "Lazarus path" on the "path" dialog in the "set up" menu.


Mac(Intel)

Set up (fpc and Lazarus)

Install XCode tools from MAC DVD or so.
Download fpc 2.6.0 and Lazarus 0.9.30.4 from Lazarus Download (SourceForge).

Later versions of Lazarus may resolve some faults, but may cause unknown faults.
If you update Lazarus, all PPU files in the OUTPUT folder should be erased. But note that NoName.app must not be removed.

Set up (BASIC Acc)

Download BASICAcc0948_Mac.zip from Decimal BASIC Open Source Project Download.
This system should be installed into the folder on which the user has write permission.
And the folder must not contain a space character. Note that when you use a USB drive, if it has a name such as "NO NAME", it must be renamed.
Note. Overwriting update is undesirable. Old files should be erased before update.

Known Faults
Printers do not work good. But if no printer is registered on the OS, BASICAcc can not start.
Behaviors of some graphics statements are no good as in Decimal BASIC Mac(Intel).


Specifications

Language Specifications are in accordance with the Graphics module, the modules module, and the individual character input module of ISO Full BASIC , while the following are not available.
OPTION ARITHMETIC DECIMAL

Restrictions

On the following cases, GOTO statements and IF-THEN-line_number statements can not be executed.
branches from inside to outside of when-body (i.e. inside of WHEN~USE)
branches from inside to outside of a DO block that contains a protection block that contains a EXIT DO.
branches from inside to outside of a FOR block that contains a protection block that contains a EXIT FOR.

If a routine (or the main program) has a when-in block that has an exception-handler containing a GOSUB~RETURN subroutine, the routine can not have a GOSUB~RETURN subroutine that is not contained in any protection block.

A program that has a module which contains an external procedure that has a local variable whose name coincides with a variable that is declared shared or public on that module can not be executed.

Parameters of PROGRAM or CHAIN statements should be simple variables (Arrays not allowed).

Maximum length declaration for string variables is ignored. (no cut off done.)

Incompatibilities with Decimal BASIC

Character Encoding

The character encoding is UTF-8.
This is a problem when non-ASCII characters such as © , µ , ° , ± , Ä or Æ are used.
ORD-functions and CHR$-functions are defined under Unicode.
File I/O assumes the character encoding is UTF-8.
Executing a line like
SET #n: CODING "SYSTEM"
just after the execution of the OPEN-statement enables files of system default encoding to be read or written.
Even in such a case, the internal encoding remains to be UTF-8.
PRINT USING-statements and USING$-functions need the formatting characters as many as the byte length of the string.

If you want to manipulate byte files, you can change the internal character encoding to byte encoding by adding a line
OPTION CHARACTER BYTE
into each program unit, or change the Compatibility setting in the Option menu.
In such a case, no ANSI encoded non-ASCII characters can be displayed on the screen.

UTF-8 encoding slows some string operations such as s$(m:n).
If you use only ASCII 7-bit characters, consider to change the Compatibility setting in the Option menu.

Program Encoding

Programs shall be encoded to the system default encoding on saving and decoded on loading.
That is, program files have compatibility with Decimal BASIC.
If you want programs to be saved and loaded remaining the character encoding UTF-8, change the Editor Option setting in the Option menu.

CHAIN statements

A CHAIN statement launches a file of extension ".BAS" with file association. The destination programs shall not be compiled.
No CHAIN or EXECUTE statement can have array parameters.

BREAK

Any BREAK statement will do, but it only breaks the program.

GOSUB

When GOSUB statements are used, each line must has a line number.

Bugs Decimal BASIC has

Decimal BASIC has a fault that an internal procedure of the mainprogram can be invoked from an external procedure, thus some programs that can be executed in Decimal BASIC due to its fault may not be launched.


Setup Options

BASICAcc may use integer variables. But some trouble may occur because the range of these are narrow. To avoid this, uncheck the Setup Option Use integer variables to optimize.


Bug Fixes

Replace the files in the source folder to fix the bugs below.

graphlib.pas
ASK PIXEL SIZE returns negative numbers in inverted coordinates.


About System

The executable file is generated as 'NoName.exe' in the 'output' folder. This can be renamed and used for the destination of a CHAIN statement.


Copyright

This software is free software published under GPL.

If you noticed any bugs, report at
Decimal BASIC Open Source Project Open Discussion Forum

Copyright 2012 SHIRAISHI Kazuo


Decimal BASIC home page