Page 1 of 2

QBase new version

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 8:18 pm
by daniel_baum
Hi all,

Here is the new version of QBase, my database editor for the DBas database library.

Changes:

- Loads in 512x256 resolution, and is resizable.
- May be called with a command-line parameter, e.g. ex flp1_Qbase_obj;'flp1_data_dbs'
- Lots of refactoring. The eagle-eyed among you may notice that it's a lot smaller than it was.

Tested on QPC2 with SMSQ/E 3.31, Q-Emulator with SMSQ/E 3.31. Requires the pointer environment, menu_rext, the Dbas library and the Qliberator runtimes.

Unlike the previous version, this one also works on Q-Emulator with Minerva. I couldn't get it to work on a JS ROM. It reported "Channel not open", and I've no idea why.

Is it important to anyone to run QBase on original QL hardware? Testing with Q_Emulator and Minerva at "QL speed" it appears to be extremely slow, especially when switching to tabular mode. I could try to get it to run a bit faster if anyone is interested. I hadn't remembered just how much faster QPC is than a real QL until I started using Q-Emulator.

Download the new QBase here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4s3fm0rm84mxf ... e.zip?dl=0

Currently I have numbered this version 0.99. It will become version 1.0 one it's been tested and bugfixed

Finally, I'd like to give an honourable mention to MasterBasic by Ergon Development (Davide Santachiara). It made 80s-style program editing bearable (almost...). The more massive refactoring was done with Notepad++ on Windows.

Regards to all,

D.

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 10:44 pm
by Giorgio Garabello
Downloaded and tried!
really a nice job.
I see that you have not forgotten anything about programming QL :-D
If you allow an opinion one thing you absolutely must not miss in this new version is the ability to independently resize the columns when you are in tabular view,
You can do it easily by using an array in the MAWDRAW command (but this surely you know it already)

Giorgio

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 5:39 am
by daniel_baum
Thanks Giorgio,

I will implement the variable column width; I just need to think about the best way to do it.

In my previous posting I forgot to mention another new feature: The tabular view no longer attempts to load the whole file at once. It can now be paged up and down using the left and right arrow buttons. This way you can load large files without hitting any memory limitations.

The page size and the scroll size are both parameters that eventually I intend to put in a Config block to the user can alter them.

Rgds,

Daniel

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:38 am
by Giorgio Garabello
daniel_baum wrote:Thanks Giorgio,

I will implement the variable column width; I just need to think about the best way to do it.
The most intuitive method from the point of view of the user would be to differentiate the action based on the mouse button pressed.
By editing the field with a key, you make a contextual menu appear in which you enter the width of the column and in the future you can also add other operations.

In my previous posting I forgot to mention another new feature: The tabular view no longer attempts to load the whole file at once. It can now be paged up and down using the left and right arrow buttons. This way you can load large files without hitting any memory limitations.

The page size and the scroll size are both parameters that eventually I intend to put in a Config block to the user can alter them.

Rgds,

Daniel[/quote]

Fantastic.
Tonight I do other tests.
Congratulations again for the job.

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 6:32 pm
by Giorgio Garabello
I'm not sure to understand how to page..

Giorgio

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:25 pm
by daniel_baum
Hi Giorgio,

When you are in tabular mode, the left and right buttons (which move from record to record in the regular mode) become page up and page down buttons.

There are two parameters, that at present are hard-coded within the application: page size and scroll size. Page size is the number of records that are displayed in a page, and scroll size is the number of records that it jumps from page to page. At present they are set to a page size of 500 and a scroll size of 100. Therefore, if you are at record 0, it will display the first 500 records. Then,the first time you press page down it will display from record 101 to 600, etc. If the database has less than 500 records, but more than 100, it will display the entire database in the first page, and then from 101 to the end of the database in the second.

The page size and scroll size parameters will eventually be CONFIGurable.

I hope this isn't too confusing.

D.

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 5:00 am
by Giorgio Garabello
daniel_baum wrote:Hi Giorgio,

When you are in tabular mode, the left and right buttons (which move from record to record in the regular mode) become page up and page down buttons.

Ok, Now is clear, the "<" and the ">" buttons... sorry my english is very poor.
Many thanks!

Giorgio

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:36 pm
by daniel_baum
Hi all,

After nearly 20 years, here is version 1.00 of QBase.

The (hopefully) full list of changes since the 1998 version is in the README file in the zip.

Since v0.99, the only new feature is that the page size and scroll size of the tabular view are now CONFIGurable.

Other than that, I have fixed several bugs, cleaned up the code and much improved the error trapping.

You can download it here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zc2gethvncz9h ... 0.zip?dl=0

D.

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2019 5:39 pm
by daniel_baum
Hi all,

I've been going through one of my periodic periods of renewed interest in the QL, and this has resulted in a new version of Qbase. This is version 1.02. The only real difference is the I fixed a bug in the SELECT dialogue that was basically stopping it from working.

It does now work, but it's kind of odd: if (in the included GAZET database), you want to select all countries in the continent of Africa, you have to tell it to Exclude all countries that aren't in Africa. After that, if you want to add to your dataset all countries that are in Asia, you can Include all countries whose continent is Asia.

You can download the latest version here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ts0esq0ri1ud8 ... 2.ZIP?dl=1

The sources are here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3028ladmk5jhi ... 2.ZIP?dl=1

If anyone has problems getting it work/run/compile or whatever, please let me know and I will try to help.

I would like to add that this time, I did all of the development of this version on my Q68, and while I was at it, updated some software on it and really put it through its paces both with SMSQ/E and with Minerva. It worked really well. I'm sure I've said this before somewhere, but congratulations to all involved for producing an excellent product, and also congratulation to those still bringing out updated QL software in 2019 :)

Rgds,

Daniel

Re: QBase new version

Posted: Fri Aug 23, 2019 10:10 am
by Derek_Stewart
Hi Daniel,

I have downloaded your updates to QBase. It is good that you are continuing development of the software.

I must say that I thought the early version of QBase were really good, I included this on the software package supplied with the Q60, in 2002.

It does work well on the Q68, I usually use it in DISP_MODE 4 (1024x768 Mode 4) I do not need high colours for database work.