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[bruceuncle]

Good luck with it all.  We've only had to do it once and that was enough for a lifetime  .

See you on 'the other side' 

[Hungry Horace]

Just a note, I'm moving house tomorrow.

lol, hope it went well - i'm doing the same a week tomorrow!

Hoping in a few weeks i will have a little bit of time for the site / amos / amiga....  although i expect to be internet-less for a while

[MadAngus]

Well, I'm in the house and still have a mountain of shelves to fit. Getting the runaround from the council trying to get things fixed that should have been done before I moved in, the house was damn well empty for eight months  .

On a better note VirginMedia has outshone all others, phoned them on the Monday, moved in on the Tuesday and the phone/TV/Broadband was all wired up and connected on the Wednesday. They even gave me 100Mbit broadband, a Tivo Box and a better Phone deal for a fiver less than I was paying. Put a smile on face that did.

I'm still unpacking boxes as well and still only have the internet computer running, the Dev computer is still in a box somewhere, buggered if I know which box though .

Anyway as suggested by bruceuncle I've added the AMOS Extensions Reference Guide to the todo list.

[bruceuncle]

Congratulations on the move MadAngus.  Never mind the house and shelves  the 100Mbit broadband - oh envy, envy .

We're getting the National Broadband Network rolled out here in Aus, which give us fibre-to-the-house and the same 100Mbit speed.  Luckily, our suburb is in the next batch for the rollout over the next twelve months or so.  Unluckily, the government rolling it out may not last that long and the opposition want to can anything not already built!  Something to do with the Au$43 billion cost...     Meanwhile, I'm stuck with 5Mbit/0.8Mbit at the end if a manky piece of copper wire.

On the docs front, I've reformatted, corrected and revised the Interface Commands quick ref.  It's style now matches the 'house style' for the manuals.  Gotta do one more visual scan for boo boos.

The AMAL Commands quick ref is about a week away.  AMAL itself is done and about half the associated AMOS Basic Commands.  The 'sidebar notes' are a bit more extensive for this one as it would be unintelligible without the background info and limitations in there too.  Plus I'm testing out the instructions myself to dig out the metrics and stuff that isn't in the original manual.  I'm doing both the Reference Manual and the Quick Ref together for obvious reasons.  I forget stuff otherwise (and then the bells start and I hear voices, etc, etc).  Not that it's all driving me mad.  I think I must already have been mad to have started in the first place. 

With both the above, I've changed the name format to add a 'Revision n.nn' suffix.  Avoids confusion with AMOS versions    and ensures people will know which is the latest.  The first one looked a bit like it was for AMOS Pro V1.0 from the name...

MadAngus - Is it ok if I email you these direct when they're ready for posting to downloads?

[MadAngus]

No problem, I'll get them uploaded when their ready. I should be up and running in the next couple of weeks months more like and can then catch up with my backlog of work.

[bruceuncle]

Delayed the Interface Quick Ref release - found some stuff about usage, during testing the expander I'm writing, which isn't documented anywhere.  Not new instructions, just ways that the language can be used that are not at all obvious.  Makes it even more remarkably useful when you know how cunning some aspects of it are.  Also decided to bite the bullet and add a sidebar on how the Reverse Polish maths and logic operations work (with diagrams) - completed now.  Just have to pull it back into reasonable page formats.   

Also re-started work on the Interface Program expander, to make the 'stripped out' formats in the existing Resource Banks intelligible.  Going well.  The first meaty AMOS programming I've tackled in around 20 years.  Found the best way to parse this stuff is to use stacks just like the language itself.  Will release the source soon (hopefully at the same time as the Quick Ref).  Would also like to eventually add it to the Resource Bank Editor to give the option of simple save (current version) or expanded save.

It gets too complex to keep any existing 'comments' when expanding the format.  So it's not a substitute for sources already documented.  It's meant typically for 'stripped out' stuff in existing Resource Banks.  When they're expanded and you can see what's written without constant reference back to the manual, there's some damned good examples of how to use the Interface Program language in the Default and Editor Resource Banks.

Got a bit more time available at the moment.  So, barring the traditional winter 'flu epedemic over here catching up with me, I should be able to spend more time on all this stuff.

[bruceuncle]

Erm, running more than a bit late on this  .  Got a bit carried away with the Interface Program Expander.  It works fine.  Then I added an interface for it using the same sub-language and that works fine too.  So, as I'd already got all the Interface sub-language details in Data statements in the program, I thought "I might as well add an editor with templates for the instructions and functions..."  The template drop-down worked well too.  Then, as the expanded stuff tends to hide the original code a bit, I chroma-coded it.  Just have to finish off the editor and it's done.

To save a lot of waffle, I'm calling code written in the Interface sub-language DBL Programs.  That's what it's referred to as in AMOS.

Turned up one extra function that's not documented anywhere but is used a lot in the AMOS Editor Resource bank (AMOSPro_Editor_Resource.abk).  There's also an error in its DBL code...

MZ
Syntax:      address length MZ

I call it MemZtring as it will extract a string from memory, starting at address and length characters long.

Also discovered one heck of a lot about the DBL code in general.  So the Quick Ref has been corrected quite a bit - still working on it  .

As an example of what the expander does, it turns this:

SI256,32;BASWSX-2/,SHSY-2/16-;SA1;BO0,0,1,SX,SY;PO1VACX,12,1VA,0,7;
RU250,%1111;EX;

into this:

SIze w 256, h 32;
BAse x ScreenWidth SizeX - 2 /, y ScreenHeight SizeY - 2 / 16 -;
SAve block 1;
BOx x 0, y 0, fimage 1, w SizeX, h SizeY;
PrintOutline x text ix 1 VAriable CentreX, y 12, text ix 1 VAriable,
 ocolour 0, tcolour 7;
RunUntil delay 250, flags %1111;
EXit;

Which probably won't make much sense until you read the manual!

A couple of screen shots from work-in-progress attached.  Screen1.jpg shows an expanded program with chroma-coding.  Screen2.jpg shows the drop-down of syntaax templates.

I'm new to all this forum posting stuff, so I'll keep my fingers crossed this comes out as intended.  And, on that subject, how do I insert an image into the post (rather than attach it) and how do I insert a hyperlink with alternate text?

[MadAngus]

Finally got my computers all setup after the move and realised I've been away from this for longer than I thought. Now digging back through everything to see were I was at. It will still be a while before any manual releases are done. Just a note to let everyone know I'm back working on this.

And I still haven't got that kitchen plastered yet, my bad. I'll definitely do it tomorrow, however which tomorrow is yet to be decided.

[asymetrix]

@all

great work to all involved.

One only knows how much work is being done !

<snipped by MadAngus> Asymetrix, I've located Stephen Hill via the publishers and they are forwarding the request for redistribution. So I hope you don't mind me removing this for the time being.

Anyway this project is more important, a FREE Amos like BASIC would be awsome !

I am glad, MadAngus your move is complete, I recently moved and may do so in the coming months again..

keep up the great work and constant momentum..

[bruceuncle]

Welcome back MadAngus.  As long as it's only the kitchen that gets plastered.     (There should be a smiley for really bad jokes.)

Congratulations on a successful move and settling in.  The stress of moving house is reckoned to be second only to a Guru Meditation error.  (There really, really should be a smiley for naff comments too.)

I'm still up to my neck in stuff and spending as much time revising the docs as doing the programming.  There are some significant errors in the manual and help files as to how things really work.  Nothing like a bit of programming to sort out the problems.

As I'm working in WINUAE on a PC, I now keep using Amiga keyboard shortcuts in Windows and wondering what went wrong.  A bit like the tablet users who try to expand a newspaper picture with their fingers before they realise what they're doing.   

Did anyone spot the deliberate mistake (my excuse) in my last post?  Of course (sic) it was the BOx instruction syntax:

BOx x 0, y 0, fimage 1, w SizeX, h SizeY;

It should have been:

BOx xs 0, ys 0, fimage 1, xe SizeX, ye SizeY;

as it uses xs, ys, xe and ye (start and end corner coords, not start corner, width and height as the manual and help files state).  Just one example of why this is taking a while (excuses, excuses).  But I think you'll find the atention to detail worthwhile in the end.  (There will be questions later...)

Didn't miss out on the annual 'flu epedemic here, but it didn't knock me about too badly.

Switched to a full menu for the DBL Expander/Editor as there were too many options for the space available in a gadget interface.  So the menu docs are getting their workout too now.  Menus are tedious, but the end result is worthwhile.  A pity the Menu Editor accessory doesn't write to a Menu Bank, as that format isn't documented anywhere (not that my feeble search capabilities can find anyway).  Some of it's understandable (pointers mainly) but it looks like I'll have to delve into the code to find out what's what.  Another project for later unless anyone's already documented it?

A last few bits and pieces yet to go into the program.  I.e. just realised it would be a great help to add a save format that produces merge code (in ASCII) for a DBL program.  It can then be merged straight into your program for fine tuning without having to constantly save and reload into a bank.  You can then just save the resulting string to a file for import into the Resource Bank Maker for the final program.  The merge code format is simply:

A$="blah, blah, blah;"
A$=A$+"more blah, blah, blah;"
A$=A$+"etc, etc;"

PS asymetrix - your post just came through while I was typing this - Fantastic - I've been looking for that book everywhere!     

[MadAngus]

Cheers all. 

Hungry Horace / asymetrix, hope your moves go smoothly.
bruceuncle there is a smiley for bad jokes and naff comments ->

Just downloaded the Amiga Game Maker's Manual, another great work by asymetrix, Thanks . asymetrix In case you haven't read it in the acknowledgements, you are the one who actually got this project started so the work you have done and are still doing is equally important. (I'm such an ass kisser.  ) -> see I used it.
  I think Harrison over at Classic Amiga got permission to redistribute this book from Stephen Hill. I'll contact Harrison and see if he has Stephen Hill's contact details and see if I can get permission to distribute this book here at UA.
  If I get permission I'll add it to the download section and list it in the project as a revision 1, with a subsequent release to have bookmarks and linked contents/indexes and eventually ODF and dbODF releases sometime down the road.
  asymetrix if you are intending to do bookmarks and linked contents/indexes, please let me know so I don't hijack your project.
 The book also could do with a book source disk which could be added to the todo list.

bruceuncle would it be possible for you to start releasing a monthly wip RTF doc output, no worries about structure, errors/omissions or missing sections etc as it is wip and primary for my own use.

[asymetrix]

MadAngus,It would be great if you can get permission to freely distribute/amend in any shape or form The Amiga Game Makers Manual. Its all good and proper then.
Yes I have seen the ack. Thanks all blushing now :-) cheers.
This is your project now,I really don't have time at the moment so I hesitate giving false hope to creating contents & indexes. If it comes to the crunch and the work is not started in the future I could take a look at it. (put them all on to do list)
What we need is automation tools for pagination and styles that could export to f.e. RTF or XML, EPUB looks interesting...
For now ODF is a good format, free and available.
At the moment Im busy with Amiga Format Magazines I've collected and some other multi year VB projects.

[MadAngus]

Cheers, the hunt for Stephen Hill begins.

And if anybody knows how or where to contact him please let me know, as I can't find him on Linkedin or ppl, it would help if I new what he looks like. Oh what the hell, add Jason Holborn (Ultimate AMOS) and Phil South (Mastering Amiga AMOS) to that list.

What we need is automation tools for pagination and styles that could export to f.e. RTF or XML, EPUB looks interesting...

I'm assuming your referring to "Scan to PDF convert to (Choose you format)" automation tools, that would be extremely handy for the entire Amiga community.
  Hmm, there is Googles Tessaract OCR software, Apache has tools for extracting PDF content and there are a few other related open source tools, also bruceuncle has had his nose buried in the RTF specs for months now, he would be a good source of info. In light of that I think what your suggesting is entirely feasible.
  Oooooo a documentation targeted project, I'm just gong to have to add that to my Looooooong term project list.

At the moment Im busy with Amiga Format Magazines I've collected and some other multi year VB projects.

If it's not too much trouble, while your working through those mags and you happen across AMOS articles or tutorials, could you make a list of them. Issue# Page# sort of thing. No more than that as I believe there is lists out there and I could hit the 'Amiga Magazine Rack', it would help to verify if any articles or tutorials are missing of the list I'm going to make up.
  AmigaCoding could also add the info to their AMOS mags section.

[MadAngus]

Good news folks.

While endeavoring to track down the AMOS Book Authors I decided to contact Aaron Fothergill the Author of the AMOS TOME extension for belated permission to distribute the AMOS TOME extension software and manual and the AMOS Club Newsletters, I also asked permission to reverse engineer AMOS TOME for inclusion in AMOS development environments.

Here the response  :

Hi Joseph,
Thanks for contacting me, glad to see there's still AMOS activity out there
Feel free to use the TOME manuals and software as well as the AMOS club newsletters.
Aaron

Big thanks from the community go to Aaron.

[Edit] Oops, can't forget to thank asymetrix for creating the PDF and HTML version of the manuals, so big thanks to asymetrix.

[MadAngus]

More Good news.

Managed to find Phil South Author of Mastering Amiga AMOS and he has given permission to convert his book to PDF etc and redistribute it.

Please note that when I'm asking for permission to redistribute I am asking permission for Amiga related sites not just Ultimate Amiga where the project is based.

I'll now add that book to the project todo list.

On behalf off the community more big thanks go to Phil South.

[Edit] Found Jason Holburn on YouTube thanks to peter on AmiBay and verified by one of Hungry Horace's video posts of the book.