Batari Basic feature request: simple functions aka aliases for expressions

[BenMcLean]

I love Batari Basic. Am working on my first game and it's gonna rock.

 

There is one suggestion I would make about improving the Batari Basic language. It would only require changes to the parser, not the compiler.

 

The idea is that it would be really cool if I could say something like this:

a=7
function wut(in) {  in{7} || in{5} }
 
if wut(a) then COLUBK = $02

That would get translated by the parser into this:

a=7
 
if a{7} || a{5} then COLUBK = $02

before going on to be compiled just like Batari Basic programs are now.

 

That way, you could abstract all of your bitwise operations or other complicated conditions into one section of code, and only have to change them one place in your code to change them. Heck, if I was really determined, I could write a Python script for this. It could make code easier to read while at the same time making it easier to scrape together the use of every last bit in those 26 bytes of RAM. You'd be able to see statements like, "if isHeDead(badguy) then blah" instead of "if badguy{0} = 0 then blah"

 

Some other keyword like "expression" could be used instead of "function" if that's better.

 

It wouldn't change things on the assembly end at all. Heck, running a python script on your code before it gets to the batari basic tools could do this.

 

What do you think? Is there some technical reason why Batari Basic can't be expanded to include this which I haven't thought of?

Edited August 1, 2014 by BenMcLean

[+Gemintronic]

Could you fudge it with some use of the def or macro features?

 

http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-batari-basic-commands.html#def

 

http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-batari-basic-commands.html#macro

[BenMcLean]

Could you fudge it with some use of the def or macro features?

 

http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-batari-basic-commands.html#def

 

http://www.randomterrain.com/atari-2600-memories-batari-basic-commands.html#macro

Essentially, what I was thinking of here already exists! I just didn't know what it was called. Well, this is wonderful. Thanks. How can I delete this thread?

[+Random Terrain]

How can I delete this thread?

Deleting the thread wouldn't help other people with a similar question.

[BenMcLean]

Deleting the thread wouldn't help other people with a similar question.

Oh, so you think my question was good then eh? Well that's a relief. I thought the fact that this already existed meant I was wasting everybody's time by bringing it up.

[+Gemintronic]

Oh, so you think my question was good then eh? Well that's a relief. I thought the fact that this already existed meant I was wasting everybody's time by bringing it up.

 

There are no stupid questions: just stupid answers.

[BenMcLean]

Even though this exists, my experience in trying to use it today seems to have demonstrated that it's implementation is flawed because I've produced code that passes the syntax checker in Visual Batari Basic but which crashes the compiler for no apparent reason while removing the DEF statements makes my program compile and run fine.

Edited August 2, 2014 by BenMcLean

[+Gemintronic]

Even though this exists, my experience in trying to use it today seems to have demonstrated that it's implementation is flawed because I've produced code that passes the syntax checker in Visual Batari Basic but which crashes the compiler for no apparent reason while removing the DEF statements makes my program compile and run fine.

 

Dunno what's happening without seeing the yadayada.bas file, dawg. Double check that you're using the latest version of bB too:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/214909-bb-with-native-64k-cart-support-11dreveng/