Read Me file for those with home Windows PCs

Contents:

Getting True BASIC for your home Windows PC

Transferring files between Windows PCs and Macs

Distributing Programs to your friends and relatives

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Getting True BASIC for your home Windows PC:

Come to the lab with two floppy disks (2HD, 1.44 mb) formatted for Windows PCs (if you bought Mac-format disks, you can reformat them in the lab Macs - insert and select disk, make sure it's empty, select "Erase disk" under the "Special" menu, and select DOS 1.4 MB format). Connect to the MAE 5 folder. You should see a folder named "TrueBasic & TB Ref for home". Open this folder. Inside that folder is a folder named "Windows PC versions". Open that folder.

Copy the file "Install TrueBASIC for PC.exe" (1.3 MB) onto one disk. Copy the file "Install TB REF for PC.exe" (816 K) to the second disk - it will probably fit on the disk on which you have your homework files.

At home, copy the files to your hard disk. Then double-click on them. The first will install TrueBasic Bronze and the second will expand to produce the TB Ref application file "TB Ref.exe".

You will need "TB Ref" program when transferring files between a PC and a Mac.

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Transferring files between Windows PCs and Macs:

If you are using a Windows PC (just PC below), keep all of your files on Windows/DOS formatted diskettes (floppies). Macs can read True Basic and other text files on DOS-format disks but PCs can't read Mac disks. To format a floppy disk in the Mac lab for a PC, insert the disk, click on the disk icon (select it), the select "Erase Disk..." under the Mac Finder's "Special" menu. Say that you want to format the disk for DOS (Disk Operating System).

If you create or edit a True Basic file on your PC and then bring your disk to the Mac lab, just insert your DOS-format disk into the lab Mac and copy the files to the hard disk. Then start up the "TB Ref" program on the lab Mac, click on the button "Convert Files" and then follow directions. You can then open the converted files on the Mac with True Basic and they will appear correctly. BEFORE TURNING IN YOUR HOMEWORK, do this conversion process and run it on the Mac to make sure everything is OK. Also make sure the file name is correct before turning it in.

If you open the unconverted files directly in True Basic, you will see a box at the start of all lines except line 1. This is because lines are terminated differently between Windows and Mac files.

If you create or edit a True Basic file on a lab Mac and want to take it home, copy it to your DOS-format disk. Before copying the True Basic files to your PC hard disk, add the extension ".tru" to the end of the file names so that Windows can recognize them as True Basic files. Next, you need to convert the files by using the "TB Ref" program. In TB Ref, click on the "Convert Files" button and then follow directions. You can then open the converted files on the PC with True Basic and they will appear correctly.

If you do not do this conversion and open the unconverted files directly in True Basic on your PC, you will just see one very long line going off the right side of the screen. This is because lines are terminated differently between Windows and Mac files.

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Distributing Programs to your friends and relatives:

You can not legally give your friends copies of the TrueBASIC Bronze application. However, you can "compile" your program and give that file and the TrueBASIC "Web Reader" application to your friends. The WebReader will run your compiled programs.

First, compile your program. With your program open in True BASIC, select "Compile" under the "Run" menu. The program listing will disappear and you will see "(Compiled file.)" in the window and the program name in the window title bar will have the file name extension changed from .tru to .trc. Save the file to disk.

The same .trc file can be copied to either PC-format disks or Mac-format disks. However, you need to put a PC version of the WebReader application on a PC-format disk and a Mac version of the WebReader application on a Mac-format disk.

For friends who have Windows PCs:

First get a copy of the file "Install TB WebReader for PC.exe" from the folder MAE 5/TrueBasic & TB Ref for home/Windows PC versions/. Put that file on a PC-format floppy disk, and then put a copy of your .trc file on the same floppy disk. Test the following procedure of running the compiled program on a PC before you give the disk to your friends: Give this disk to your friends. When they get home, they will need to copy these files to their hard drive, then double-click the file "Install TB WebReader for PC.exe". That will produce the folder "WebBASIC Reader". Have them open that folder and double-click the file "Web BASIC Reader.exe". It will start up and then open a file selection window. Have them select your .trc file. Your program will run.

For friends who have Macs:

Since you have a PC at home, you will probably have to this in the Mac lab at school. First get a copy of the file "Install TB WebReader for Mac" from the folder MAE 5/TrueBasic & TB Ref for home/Mac versions/. Put that file on a MAC FORMAT floppy disk, and then put a copy of your .trc file on the same floppy disk. Test the following procedure of running the compiled program on a Mac before you give the disk to your friends: Give this disk to your friends. When they get home, they will need to copy these files to their hard drive, then double-click the file "Install TB WebReader for Mac". That will produce the folder "WebBASIC Reader". Have them open that folder and double-click the file "Web BASIC Reader". It will start up and then open a file selection window. Have them select your .trc file. Your program will run.