b+ Beginners Corner

[Dimster]

Talk about modernizing the old Drop Down Menu, wow. I'm not running the latest version of qb64pe so when I tried to run your code b+ it hangs up on _MessageBox but the image you provided...holy cow, what amazing menu choices that could provide...combine that with OldMoses's code and Minerva's animation, plus the hovering mouse  by Ulltraman , one could have unlimited Main Menu Boxes popping up thru out the program run with Drop Down Menus for each running in all directions. Drop Down on steroids'.

[bplus]

 Colors then it's going to be fonts and colors and fonts for tool tips or whatever you call those mouse over messages...  ahem!

Sheesh! Good thing this is a forum where we share our code and if someone has an idea for a mod = modification they can go right ahead and bring their ideas to being just by a couple little tweaks in code!

If it's a really good mod, please share with the rest of us! I do that all the time.

We ALL stand on the shoulders of not just giants but all who come before that share their documented ideas.

We are the Makers of History!

(oh and try to keep up with at least a 4 month old QB64pe version, ahem...)

[bplus]

Sorry for disruption of thought flow in this thread but from feedback at another forum about bombs being visible, I've mod the last version of: "b+ Missile Command EnRitchied" with the _Hypot substitutions talked about in _Hypot Word for Day here:
https://qb64phoenix.com/forum/showthread...9#pid17129

the size of missiles, the color and size of bombs and also a tiny fix to center missiles at base on the "^" character, so now the official b+ version looks like this:

Code: (Select All)

Option _Explicit '                          Get into this habit and save yourself grief from Typos

_Title "Missile Command EnRitchied" '     another b+ mod 2023-06-24, replace distance with _Hypot.
'                                   I probably picked up this game at the JB forum some years ago.

'    Get Constants, Shared Variables and Arrays() declared. These Will Start with Capital Letters.
'        Get Main module variables and arrays declared with starting lower case letters for local.
'         This is what Option _Explicit helps, by forcing us to at least declare these before use.
'       While declaring, telling QB64 the Type we want to use, we can also give brief description.


Const ScreenWidth = 800, ScreenHeight = 600 '                     for our custom screen dimensions
Dim As Integer bombX, bombY '                          incoming bomb screen position to shoot down
Dim As Single bombDX, bombDY '                  DX and DY mean change in X position and Y position
Dim As Integer missileX, missileY '                                               missile position
Dim As Single missileDX, missileDY '                            change X and Y of Missile position
Dim As Integer hits, misses '                                                score hits and misses
Dim As Integer mouseDistanceX, mouseDistanceY '       for calculations of missile DX, DY direction
Dim As Single distance '                                                                     ditto
Dim As Integer radius '                                      drawing hits with target like circles
Dim As Integer boolean '                         to shorten the code line with a bunch of OR tests

Screen _NewImage(ScreenWidth, ScreenHeight, 32) ' sets up a graphics screen with custom dimensions
'                                          the 32 is for _RGB32(red, green, blue, alpha) coloring.
'
_ScreenMove 250, 60 '             this centers screen in my laptop, you may need different numbers

InitializeForRound: '                             reset game and start a round with a bomb falling
Cls
bombX = Rnd * ScreenWidth '                                starts bomb somewhere across the screen
bombY = 0 '                                                           starts bomb at top of screen
bombDX = Rnd * 6 - 3 '                                  pick rnd dx = change in x between -3 and 3
bombDY = Rnd * 3 + 3 '                 pick rnd dy = change in y between 3 and 6,  > 0 for falling
missileX = ScreenWidth / 2 '                                  missile base at middle across screen
missileY = ScreenHeight - 4 '   missile launch point at missile base is nearly at bottom of screen
missileDX = 0 '                           missile is not moving awaiting mouse click for direction
missileDY = 0 '                                                                              ditto
distance = 0 '                                             distance of mouse click to missile base

Do
    'what's the score?
    _Title "Click mouse to intersect incoming   Hits:" + Str$(hits) + ", misses:" + Str$(misses)
    _PrintString (400, 594), "^" '                                 draw missle base = launch point
    While _MouseInput: Wend '                                             poll mouse to get update
    If _MouseButton(1) Then '               the mouse was clicked calc the angle from missile base
        mouseDistanceX = _MouseX - missileX
        mouseDistanceY = _MouseY - missileY

        'distance = (mouseDistanceX ^ 2 + mouseDistanceY ^ 2) ^ .5
        '                   rewrite the above line using _Hypot() which is hidden distance forumla
        distance = _Hypot(mouseDistanceX, mouseDistanceY)

        missileDX = 5 * mouseDistanceX / distance
        missileDY = 5 * mouseDistanceY / distance
    End If

    missileX = missileX + missileDX '                                      update missile position
    missileY = missileY + missileDY '                                                        ditto
    bombX = bombX + bombDX '                                                  update bomb position
    bombY = bombY + bombDY '                                                                 ditto

    '                     I am about to use a boolean variable to shorten a very long IF code line
    '                                 boolean is either 0 or -1 when next 2 statements are execued
    '                                            -1/0 or True/False is everything still in screen?
    boolean = missileX < 0 Or missileY < 0 Or bombX < 0 Or bombY < 0
    boolean = boolean Or missileX > ScreenWidth Or bombX > ScreenWidth Or bombY > ScreenHeight
    If boolean Then '                                                       done with this boolean
        '   reuse boolean to shorten another long code line checking if bomb and missile in screen
        boolean = bombY > ScreenHeight Or missileX < 0 Or missileY < 0 Or missileX > ScreenWidth
        If boolean Then misses = misses + 1
        GoTo InitializeForRound
    End If

    '     if the distance between missle and bomb < 20 pixels then the missile got the bomb, a hit
    'If ((missileX - bombX) ^ 2 + (missileY - bombY) ^ 2) ^ .5 < 20 Then '  show  strike as target
    '                       rewrite the above line using _Hypot() which is hidden distance forumla
    If _Hypot(missileX - bombX, missileY - bombY) < 20 Then

        For radius = 1 To 20 Step 4 '                        draw concetric circles to show strike
            Circle ((missileX + bombX) / 2, (missileY + bombY) / 2), radius
            _Limit 60
        Next
        hits = hits + 1 '                                                    add hit to hits score
        GoTo InitializeForRound
    Else
        Circle (missileX + 4, missileY), 2, &HFFFFFF00 '+4 center on ^ base  draw    missle yellow
        Circle (bombX, bombY), 2, &HFF0000FF '                                      draw bomb blue
    End If
    _Limit 20
Loop

[bplus]

OK some more work done with Drop Menu's. Mouse Over now high-lights the menu Items. The code has been adjusted to take very long strings for Menu Items as opposed to attempting tool tips with mouse-overs. And now if you click outside a dropped menu, you canceled or escaped the dropped menu selection process. Changed colors too.

Code: (Select All)

 
Option _Explicit '                                            no typos for variables if you please
_Title "Drop Menu more! function test" '                                            b+ 2023-06-26
'                                                                      Instigated by Dimster here:
'                        https://qb64phoenix.com/forum/showthread...7#pid17117
'    More! = 1. Highlite mouse overs  2. Handle extra long menu descriptions up to .5 screen width
'              So sorry Ultraman, no tool tips but extra long descriptions is better than nutt'n.
 
Const ButtonW = 100, ButtonH = 20 '                  basic rectangle size for title of menu panel
Type BoxType '                                            to be used for MouseZone click checking
    As String Label '                                                                  menu title
    As Long LeftX, TopY, BoxW, BoxH '                  left most, top most , box width, box height
End Type
 
Dim Shared As Integer NBoxes '                                          setting up a demo in main
NBoxes = 72 '                                                    exorbinant amount of menu titles
Dim Shared Boxes(1 To NBoxes) As BoxType '                    data array for positions and labels
Dim As Integer i, x, y, mz, nItems, choice '        index, positions, menu count, choice selected
ReDim menu$(1 To 1) '                                    dynamic array to store quick menu's into
Dim s$ '                                                                        a string variable
 
Screen _NewImage(800, 600, 32) '                                                      screen stuff
_ScreenMove 250, 50 '  somewhere in middle of my laptop, you may prefer to change for your screen
_PrintMode _KeepBackground '                              preserve background when printing stuff
Cls '                                          so we have solid black background for image saving
 
x = 0: y = 0 '                        set up boxes                  x, y for top left box corner
For i = 1 To NBoxes
    Boxes(i).Label = "Box" + Str$(i) '                                            quick menu title
    Boxes(i).LeftX = x: Boxes(i).TopY = y '                                        top left corner
    Boxes(i).BoxW = ButtonW '                                        width to constant set for all
    Boxes(i).BoxH = ButtonH '                                      height to constant set for all
    If (x + 2 * ButtonW) > _Width Then '          spread out the menu titles left right, top down
        x = 0: y = y + ButtonH '                    next title didn't fit across so start new row
    Else
        x = x + ButtonW '                                                        fits going across
    End If
    DrawTitleBox i '                                                    draw the menu title panel
Next
 
Do
    mz = MouseZone% '                          reports which menu panel has been clicked and mouse
    If mz Then '                              quick make up a list of items for the menu title box
        nItems = Int(Rnd * 10) + 1 '                                pick random 1 to 10 inclusive
        ReDim menu$(1 To nItems) '                                          resize menu$ by nItems
        For i = 1 To nItems '                                          menu option and description
            s$ = "Box" + Str$(mz) + " Menu Item:" + Str$(i) '              still needs to be less
            s$ = s$ + " with extra, extra, long description." '              than .5 screen width
            menu$(i) = s$ '                        item is described with fairly good width to it
        Next '                                                      his was alternate to tool tips
        choice = getButtonNumberChoice%(Boxes(mz).LeftX, Boxes(mz).TopY, menu$())
        If choice = 0 Then s$ = "You quit menu by clicking outside of it." Else s$ = menu$(choice)
        _MessageBox "Drop Menu Test", "Your Menu Choice was: " + s$, "info"
    End If
    _Limit 30
Loop Until _KeyDown(27)
 
Sub DrawTitleBox (i) '                draw a box according to shared Boxes array then print label
    Line (Boxes(i).LeftX + 1, Boxes(i).TopY + 1)-Step(ButtonW - 2, ButtonH - 2), &HFF550088, BF
    Color &HFFFFFFFF
    _PrintString (Boxes(i).LeftX + (ButtonW - _PrintWidth(Boxes(i).Label)) / 2, _
    Boxes(i).TopY + ButtonH / 2 - 8), Boxes(i).Label
End Sub
 
Sub DrawChoiceBox (highliteTF%, leftX, topY, BoxW As Integer, S$) ' draw menu items for menu title
    If highliteTF% Then '                                reverse colors as mouse is over this item
        Line (leftX, topY)-Step(BoxW, ButtonH), &HFFAAAAAA, BF
        Color &HFF333333
        _PrintString (leftX + (BoxW - _PrintWidth(S$)) / 2, topY + ButtonH / 2 - 8), S$
    Else
        Line (leftX, topY)-Step(BoxW, ButtonH), &HFF333333, BF
        Color &HFFAAAAAA
        _PrintString (leftX + (BoxW - _PrintWidth(S$)) / 2, topY + ButtonH / 2 - 8), S$
    End If
    Line (leftX, topY)-Step(BoxW, ButtonH), &HFF000000, B '            draw black box around item
End Sub
 
Function MouseZone% '                  returns the Shared Boxes() index clicked or 0 none clicked
    '                      Set the following up in your Main code of app
    'Type BoxType '                                        to be used for mouse click checking
    '  As Long LeftX, TopY, BoxW, BoxH '            left most, top most, box width, box height
    'End Type
    'Dim Shared As Integer NBoxes
    'Dim Shared Boxes(1 To NBoxes) As BoxType
 
    Dim As Integer i, mb, mx, my
 
    While _MouseInput: Wend '                                                          poll mouse
    mb = _MouseButton(1) '                                                  looking for left click
    If mb Then
        _Delay .25
        mx = _MouseX: my = _MouseY '                                        get the mouse position
        For i = 1 To NBoxes '        see if its in a menu tile box from data in Shared Boxes array
            If mx > Boxes(i).LeftX And mx < Boxes(i).LeftX + Boxes(i).BoxW Then
                If my > Boxes(i).TopY And my < Boxes(i).TopY + Boxes(i).BoxH Then
                    MouseZone% = i: Exit Function '                  yes a click in this box index
                End If
            End If
        Next
    End If
End Function
 
Function getButtonNumberChoice% (BoxX As Integer, BoxY As Integer, choice$())
    '          This fucion uses Sub DrawChoiceBox (highliteTF%, leftX, topY, BoxW As Integer, S$)
    '                                    BoxX, BoxY are top left corner from the Menu Title Panel
    '                                          We will be drawing our Menu Items below that panel
    Dim As Integer ub, lb, b '          choice$() boundaries and an index, b, to run through items
    Dim As Integer longest '                            find the longest string length in choices
    Dim As Integer menuW, menuX '  use menuWidth and menuX start box side so long menu strings fit
    Dim As Integer mx, my, mb '                          mouse status of position and left button
    Dim As Long Save '      we are saving the whole screen before drop down to redraw after click
 
    ub = UBound(choice$): lb = LBound(choice$) '                                  array boundaries
    For b = lb To ub '                                              find longest string in choice
        If Len(choice$(b)) > longest Then longest = Len(choice$(b))
    Next
    If (longest + 2) * 8 > ButtonW Then '          don't use default button Width string too long
        menuW = (longest + 2) * 8 '            calculate the needed width, up to half screen fits
        If BoxX < _Width / 2 - 3 Then '          -3 ?? wouldn't work right until took 3 off middle
            menuX = BoxX '                                  use the same left side of box to start
        Else
            menuX = BoxX + ButtonW - menuW '  right side box align minus menu width = x start box
        End If
    Else
        menuW = ButtonW '                use default sizes that fit nicely under menu title panel
        menuX = BoxX
    End If
    Save = _NewImage(_Width, _Height, 32) '        save our beautiful screen before dropping menu
    _PutImage , 0, Save
    Do '                                                                until a mouse click occurs
        For b = lb To ub ' clear any previous highlites
            DrawChoiceBox 0, menuX, BoxY + b * ButtonH, menuW, choice$(b)
        Next
        While _MouseInput: Wend '                                                      poll mouse
        mx = _MouseX: my = _MouseY: mb = _MouseButton(1)
        For b = lb To ub '                scan through the box dimension to see if mouse is in one
            If mx > menuX And mx <= menuX + menuW Then
                If my >= BoxY + b * ButtonH And my <= BoxY + b * ButtonH + ButtonH Then
                    If mb Then '                                                  item is clicked!
                        _PutImage , Save, 0 '                            put image of screen back
                        _FreeImage Save '                throw out screen image so no memory leak
                        '              delay before exit to give user time to release mouse button
                        '                              set function, restore autodisplay and exit
                        getButtonNumberChoice% = b: _Delay .25: _AutoDisplay: Exit Function
                    Else
                        '          indicate mouse over this menu item! draw highlight in box = -1
                        DrawChoiceBox -1, menuX, BoxY + b * ButtonH, menuW, choice$(b)
                    End If
                End If
            End If
        Next
        If mb Then '                                  there was a click outside the menu = cancel
            _PutImage , Save, 0 '                          put image before dropdown draw back up
            _FreeImage Save '                            leaving sub avoid memory leak, dump image
            '                          delay before exit to give user time to release mouse button
            '                                          set function, restore autodisplay and exit
            getButtonNumberChoice% = 0: _Delay .25: _AutoDisplay: Exit Function
        End If
        _Display '    display was needed here to avoid blinking when redrawing the highlited item
        _Limit 60
    Loop '                                                              until a mouse click occurs
End Function

   

[OldMoses]

Nice job. Seems to work flawlessly.

I've never tried "mouseover" tool tips, the timing issues seem a bit challenging, but I used a right click context help scheme for control buttons in a project. It used a separate text file for text bubble contents, so it wasn't suitable for a stand alone executable.

[bplus]

Thanks OldMoses, yeah I considered a sort of Window View (or is it View Window?) for doing messages from the application, sort of like an app narrator that makes comments on the stuff you are doing in the real time run. That would keep all comments in one place out of the way of the main screen program. A Dialog without having to open and close all the time!

I need old or new project that will truly test the use of the menu, that is where the rubber meets the road!

A smallish app that really needs a menu for simple flexibility... actually several little tests would be better.

Anyone have any ideas? I will up your rep points for good ones ;-))

[mnrvovrfc]

The "mini-mods" and their offerings!

For each project, have an option to read what the project is about (if it's a library what it is used for), to see the source code, to accept the mission of "to do" for the project, to look at a couple of examples of the code in action, and more.

Or if not, something taken from the documentation of one of Terry's libraries which I mention here as example. Subs and functions, one by one as menu choice, what each one does with a brief example and with pictures. I sort of liked the "menu" and "sprite" libraries LOL, still remember the "American theme" for the menu and the princess "Peach" being two sprites high while Mario was one.

[bplus]

Thankyou @mnrvovrfc for helping me with some ideas.

Ah for testing Subs and Functions with different parameters, maybe?

Definitely have to establish a File Menu: New, Load, Save, Save As... Sure and an About File with source code too, sure!

Ah! another reason to review Terry's tut, beautiful!

[mnrvovrfc]

But this wasn't about drawers, or is it now just a menu bar?

Each drawer could be:
Terry's sprite library.
Terry's button library.
Steve's "keyhit" library.
Another one of Steve's libraries.
Balderdash's URL thing.

and so on.

For each drawer, choose at least two subprograms or functions.

Each subprogram or function, as choice then would give up the description on how to call it, what does it do, and an example of it in action. An example could be a screenshot of it, or an animated GIF file of it (can't be too big though) or could encourage the user to copy the source code, paste it into the QB64 IDE and run it in his/her own time.

Like:

Code: (Select All)

+-------------------------------------------+
+__value% = buttoncheck%(buttonhandle%)_____+
+___________________________________________+
+_"buttoncheck%" function returns the state_+
+_of the button that was previously_________+
+_allocated in "buttonhandle%"._____________+
+___________________________________________+
+_Example:__________________________________+
+___________________________________________+
+__screen _newimage(640, 480, 32)___________+
+__mybut% = initbutton%("switch.jpeg", _ ___+
+___________64, 64, 0, 64)__________________+
+__locatebutton% 100, 100, mybut%___________+
+__do_______________________________________+
+_ _limit 600_______________________________+
+__thisbut% = buttoncheck%(mybut%)__________+
+__loop until thisbut%______________________+
+__system___________________________________+
+-------------------------------------------+

LOL but this is for something I wrote not Terry...

An additional drawer menu choice could have one example program putting to work as many subprograms as possible from the same library.

But this thing isn't going to have 70 drawers LOL. Maybe ten or so. Also remember to put on the quirk that Dimster desires... the pulldown animation.

<-- This is from a little kid begging, just proposals being made.

[bplus]

But this wasn't about drawers, or is it now just a menu bar?

Each drawer could be:
Terry's sprite library.
Terry's button library.
Steve's "keyhit" library.
Another one of Steve's libraries.
Balderdash's URL thing.

and so on.

For each drawer, choose at least two subprograms or functions.

Each subprogram or function, as choice then would give up the description on how to call it, what does it do, and an example of it in action. An example could be a screenshot of it, or an animated GIF file of it (can't be too big though) or could encourage the user to copy the source code, paste it into the QB64 IDE and run it in his/her own time.

Like:

Code: (Select All)

+-------------------------------------------+
+__value% = buttoncheck%(buttonhandle%)_____+
+___________________________________________+
+_"buttoncheck%" function returns the state_+
+_of the button that was previously_________+
+_allocated in "buttonhandle%"._____________+
+___________________________________________+
+_Example:__________________________________+
+___________________________________________+
+__screen _newimage(640, 480, 32)___________+
+__mybut% = initbutton%("switch.jpeg", _ ___+
+___________64, 64, 0, 64)__________________+
+__locatebutton% 100, 100, mybut%___________+
+__do_______________________________________+
+_ _limit 600_______________________________+
+__thisbut% = buttoncheck%(mybut%)__________+
+__loop until thisbut%______________________+
+__system___________________________________+
+-------------------------------------------+

LOL but this is for something I wrote not Terry...

An additional drawer menu choice could have one example program putting to work as many subprograms as possible from the same library.

But this thing isn't going to have 70 drawers LOL. Maybe ten or so. Also remember to put on the quirk that Dimster desires... the pulldown animation.

<-- This is from a little kid begging, just proposals being made.

Drawers! I forgot I used that expression, drop your drawers, but yeah they could be drawers and we need a routine to put stuff in and edit those drawers. We're cooking with butter now!