RPGDX > Forums > Design and programming > Question: QB 45

I am Har har har · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:12 am Post subject: Question: QB 45

Why doesn't the statement Call Absolute work in QB 4.5? It would make some of my programming much faster if it did. I get the error that QB thinks the CALL ABSOLUTE command is a sub program that isn't defined in the beginning.
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Ninkazu · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:25 am Post subject:

You have to include the QB.QLB when loading QB.

Create a batch file or navigate to the containing directory with the command prompt and write: QB filename.bas /L [QB.QLB]

QB.QLB is in brackets, because you don't need it if it's just QB's library, but if you're including a different library, you must.

Bjorn · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:28 am Post subject:

I was thinking he just wanted to "variable = ABS(variable)". This question turns out to be a whole lot more complicated. :-)

I am Har har har · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:11 pm Post subject:

The statement is Call Absolute; a function that allows the use of machine code in QB. Completely different from ABS.
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valderman · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:25 pm Post subject:

You're coding in QBasic and you're concerned about the speed of your code? o_O

If your game/program requires any speed at all, you'd be a lot better off switching to C# or C++ - or at least Visual Basic.
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I am Har har har · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 7:59 pm Post subject:

Actually, Qbasic is a more powerful language than most realize. Anyone that was brought into programming with VB or one of C's many versions would think so at first glance, but Qbasic code can be optimized. By the way, I tried learning C++, but it's complicated to learn; that is, I'm not learning the way that I learned Qbasic because some weirdo named Deitel can't include graphics in his book.
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DrunkenCoder · Demon Hunter Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 559

Everyone *knows* that graphics is imperative to learning any language and sound programming concepts.
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valderman · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 9:31 am Post subject:

The reason he didn't include graphics *might* be because C++ has no built-in graphics support, and for a beginner to take on any graphics API would be mental suicide.
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Bjorn · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 2:28 pm Post subject:

I think I've stated it before, but I could only make the switch to C/C++ once I found out about Allegro. Without something cool to program like a noisy screen, tiled map or a particles effect, for me there was no fun in learning C when I tried it before. I also tried switching to Pascal but because it wasn't immediately obvious how to switch to a different graphic mode or load bitmaps, I never made it. The concept of libraries was quite new to me at the time, of course. In MSX BASIC and QB, everything I used was available at the language level.

A course on C++ should stil not include learning a graphics lib in my opinion though. I used an 21 days C++ course while making some examples programs using Allegro's functions, which felt amazingly similar to the standard QB functions. This way I learned both plain C++ knowledge and Allegro's functionality, and they were still easy to distinguish.

I am Har har har · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2004 2:48 am Post subject:

Thanks for all of your advice. I'm opposed to using external libraries, because I like to write everything myself. That way, I know exactly what my code does. When I learn C++, I'm not going to and do not trust third party libraries. The bottom line: if C++ doesn't have a standard library for graphical applications, I'm going to learn 8086 assembly and build my own.
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LeoDraco · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2004 3:34 am Post subject:

I am Har har har · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2004 7:15 am Post subject:

Now, hold on a second; I didn't say I didn't want to learn C++. It's the fastest HLL out there! Who wouldn't want to? I tried learning it as my first PL, but the book "For Dummies" was of no help to me. I trashed it and went into Qbasic. Now, I have a different book, but it follows ansi C++. I'll learn it if I have to take it in college, but Assembly is the one I really want.
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LeoDraco · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2004 9:31 am Post subject:

Happy · JonA's American snack pack Joined: 03 Aug 2002 Posts: 200

valderman · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 6:48 pm Post subject:

Trust me, assembly IS NOT the language you want to learn, and IF you absolutely have to learn it, go for MSIL ASM, and not x86 - at least if you want to be able to run your programs alright on the next version of Windows.
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