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What makes this IDE so special?

Isnt it about time Dark Basic Professional and the FPI script language had a new, professional, all inclusive IDE? The two main features which will separate this IDE from any IDE for Dark Basic Professional or FPS Creator is the GUI interface used to create windows components and the multi-language support the IDE offers. It also has an exclusive online store in which users can sell their scripts to other people, for a price, or for free. The IDE also has a built in chat system so that everyone who uses it can easily communicate with anyone else who codes DB Pro or FPSC. In short, this IDE can do almost anything a TGC developer could want to do.







Background Information

Hi everyone,

I've been away for a while working on my programming skills, and over the past month I began work on a new project dubbed Dynamix IDE. It was an integrated development environment, in which users are able to write scripts in languages and compile them to make applications for example.

I'm developing this project step by step with the final goal being an IDE which can support multiple languages. Before I begin with compiler languages I thought it would be good to work with some interpreter languages (or the likes) so I'm going to develop support for FPSC scripts. This was a good first step for my application.

I have now almost completed FPI integration, with a few commands left to be added to the keyword library. I am now writing (and am close to completing) Dark Basic Professional script support. The IDE is able to compile DBPro files, although issues have arisen with the IDE communicating with the compiler at present.

This thread therefore is to showcase the application to the community and when complete, provide a download location for all future versions. The application is still partially a working progress, but it is close to becoming ready to release.

I am building up to the stage of having a demo available for general use (should be ready in the next 1/2 weeks). Licenses will then be purchasable in order to activate further features of the product, such as full access to the background features used to include new languages, and to adding/downloading new items to the store through your own personal account.








BETA TESTERS WANTED!!

To anyone who is interested in having a play around with the software at present, I am looking for beta testers to trial aspects of it. Beta testers will be granted a single free license to the complete software, and to the beta releases.

Tester 1 - Thraxas : Moderator from the FPS Creator forums
Tester 2 - Phaelax : Silver Codemaster
Tester 3 - Clonkex : AppGameKit Tool Maker







Feature List

Completed

Online registration system
File association and management
Static syntax highlighting
User function library
Multiple file editing
Indentation and alignment system for code
FPI support
Command help catalogue
Smart panels modify to best suit the active langauge
New key words can easily be added to the existing library, or to a new library
Report piracy feature
Notification panel (syncs every 10 minutes)
Online user system for users to register and login in no time
Demo edition created with a few blocked features (WIP/restricted are blocked)
Full DB Pro support for creation and editing projects
CTRL click (on previous files grid) allows you to enter the project file directly (e.g. *.dbpro)
Compiling DB Pro source files
Use in demo edition until you are ready to register for the entire experience
Search engine added to code document
Project settings editable from GUI window
Tip bar below editing window to provide information on comand details and syntax
Full screen code edit
Project file tree view
Improved navigation around the software
Script listing library for access to all your previous scripts
Modifiable keybindings : customise to what best suits you!
Multiple projects in-edit at once
FPI keyword library with 651 keywords documented
GUI interface for languages where this is possible (DBPRO)
Compiling for GUI applications with Dark Basic Professional
BlueJ Package Compatability
Java Editor
Java Compiler
Compiler warnings and errors detection
Break point setting


Inprogress

Online media and script store for users to buy and sell
Printing Capabilities
Print Preview
Dynamix Updater Software
Small console interface for getting quick information ect...
Java Debugging
Generate Code Structure Model
List possible fields of objects, and an field objects fields ect...


Planned

Python support
FPE support
FPS support
LUA support
Online code-bank for free access to all users
Debugging
Backup System
GUI Setup.ini Creator for FPSC
Dynamic syntax highlighting
Built in browser for access to important sites (TGC, W3Schools ect...)
Self updating system, very minimal input required from the user
FPSC Script testing environment
Chat system to keep in contact with other TGC coders!
Self updating system to run in the background (optional)
Project Management for linked FPI files
MySQL Editor and Testing Environment







Contact

If anyone would like to talk privately about anything related to this game, feel free to contact me on the below email.









Misc

Please note that this application must be run in administrator mode currently!

Lee has given me permission to; 'include all the FPI scripts from the official FPSC and updates' - Quoted from email. These scripts will be available for free unlimited download from the online store. The following features I didnt see important enough to include in a software feature list, but having looked at other threads of similar software everyone seems to advertise these features.

FPI Code Editor Features

Open a script
Create a new script
Save a script
Undo (CTRL Z or context popup or toolbar button)
Redo (CTRL Y or context popup or toolbar button)
Cut (CTRL X or context popup or toolbar button)
Copy (CTRL C or context popup or toolbar button)
Paste (CTRL V or context popup or toolbar button)
Select All (CTRL A)
Save a list of recently open files
Keyword display with all FPI keywords and parameters/returns which belong to them
Insert keywords from keyword help with double click (chose case of inserted word)
Filter keyword display to display purely the type of keyword your looking for
Display details of selected keyword from keyword display (is this what your looking for?)
Icon showing when a window has been saved or not
The line your cursor is currently on highlights to seperate make longer lines easier to follow
Find system integrated into edit area for easier document searching
Highlights keywords, string, numbers, whitespace characters, normal characters, comments
System console for running specialised functions on code (mainly for projects in other languages of several thousand lines long)
Task manager to keep track of what needs to be coded and what has been done, creates change log (mainly for projects in other languages)
Script library for quick opening and searching of all scripts in the system, updated dynamically as documents are saved and loaded from new locations
Format document (from context menu) to align and arrange all code in a style of your choice
Hover over a keyword (time delay changable or removable) for a stylized popup window (customise what information is to be displayed in options; description/parameters/returns) as to what it does
Autopredict dialog follows as you type longer commands (toggle and change letters before appearance)
Work with other languages (LUA/Java/DB Pro/Python/HTML/CSS/SQL) without having to change editor
Snap cursor to end of line (can be toggled)

I am working very hard to get an FPI only version of the IDE ready for release to everyone. I need to complete the automatic updating system and activating system however before I can release this.







Screen Shots

As always, the best way to intregue people to new products is through glimpses of what is being sold. I have attatched, and will be updating, several screen shots of the project, along with captions as to what each screen is illustrating.



Screen shot of the WIP built in store. User registration and logging in is complete. Store has most functionality complete also.


Home screen with the new notification feature and the smart tool panels reacting to the type of active tab.


Example of the code highlighter highlighting different categories of code different colours.


Highlighting again, but on a bit more text. Note the keyword library to the right of the screen.


A more recent screen of the homescreen, showcasing the new Dark Basic icon for its files.


A dark basic file open and ready to edit. The window does not show the new DBPro project panel and few keywords are currently registered with the syntax highlighter.


Informative compiling unit (will be once the compiler communication is solved!).


About form allowing you to view details on your install of Dynamix IDE.







More features are to come! C&C are welcome!

Are you sure that you want it to be called Visual IDE? That's a bit too close for comfort to Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE. Other than that, it looks pretty good!

I have to ask though, what benefits does this IDE provide over FPI EditPad?

I recognise the names are very similar, and I'm slowly converting it to Dynamix IDE but its taking me some time to locate every mention of Visual IDE in the log i have of the code. It will eventually be called Dynamix IDE.

Advantages over FPI EditPad will be:

- FPI EditPad is a very simple notepad like editor. Your fairly limited in its functionality (its understandable once you've experienced IDE's such as Delphi XE2 or Microsofts Visual Studio for example). As a quick illustration of my point, I am going to include a script testing facility in the IDE in which you can load the script into a very basic world directly from the IDE, suited specifically for the form of script you have written (e.g AI, weapon, door, dynamic entity).

- Application will support more than just FPS Creator, I hope to add support for languages such as Dark Basic Professional and Dark GDK.

- Dynamic/Static syntax highlighting, which I do not believe FPS EditPad has.

It does have syntax highlighting.

Here's the FPI EditPad feature list.
Look over that and tell me what Dynamix IDE has that FPI EditPad doesn't.

Note: I'm not doing this to be mean-spirited or anything, but since you seem to planning on selling this IDE it should have some kind of advantage over the current editor(other than alternative language support).

Multi Language Support is a large additional feature. FPI is a basic stepping stone for the development. Regarding the selling, I wont be selling any of the beta testing releases which will effectively be the IDE with FPS Creator file types supported.

- Function catalogue (mainly other languages - currently object pascal - for saving your functions to call them as new keywords later on)
- MySQL Editor and Testing Environment support (again mainly other languages - currently object pascal)
- Project management for FPI files which are linked (the appear/main/destroy relating to a single entity)
- In editor script testing on dummy worlds
- GUI interface for languages where this is possible (again mainly other languages - currently object pascal)
- Dynamic syntax highlighting (dynamic for want of a better word where its the variables declared in the scripts which are added to the keywords to highlight list > dont believe this is in FPi EditPad)
- Indentation and alignment system for code
- Online script catalogue users will be able to add to and retrieve from, pricing system may be added so that people can sell any of the more complicated scripts and code snippets

As standard, has/will have:
- Full screen edit
- Support for FPSC and DB Pro files
- Printing capabilities
- Exporting/Importing/Saving capabilities
- Backing up of scripts during editing
- Recent files list
- Debugging
- File association
- Help documentation
- Several other things I would assume to come with any package (e.g all styles for syntax highlighting can be changed or several files can be edited at once).

The two applications are different in nature. FPI EditPad is specific to FPSC and does not support any other language. My software will support multiple languages. This will give it a unique advantage where the user codes in both Dark Basic Pro and FPSC Scripts, where the interface can be made regular between the two languages. I am trying to create a very basic and user-friendly front end which anyone can use (for anyone new to scripting) but also having the ability to dive into the very advanced features IDE's have, such as users being able to edit the syntax libraries).

I posted on this board about it as I thought it would be good to give the choice of a substitute package to FPI EditPad. There need not be a single program which people use, and I will ultimately attempt to create an alternative to FPI EditPad, which will have many of the same features, but a few more too. If nothing else, it could create an element of competition for FlatLander and encourage development of the respective pieces of software.

There are several other features I am planning on experimenting with but I dont know just yet whether they'll be included.

We like the looks of this and glad you will offer support for other languages. This will make things easy for some of us programmers that have to open multiple applets for specific coding (ex: FPI EditPad/Notepad for fpi scripts, etc).

We hope you will stay with this and look forward to a release.

@Arenas:
That's exactly what I wanted to see, thank you. It's looking real good, working on FPSC scripts and DBPro code would be quite a boon to some of the modders I'm sure.

Thanks for the comments!

Would just like to ask if it would be possible to have two or three voluntarily private beta testers? It would involve completing a small document just so that I can gather some feedback as to where I am going wrong ect... The IDE should be ready for some testing over the next few days.

I will be returning home soon from holiday and would very much like to build this project into something which could be used by the whole community. I will definitely be staying with this project until the release, but unfortunately this thread has received little attention so I may find it difficult to customize the application to specifically what users want.

Currently, the software is what I envision, but I would love to gain an insight to what other people want from this sort of software.

I am aware this is a triple post, but I'd like to keep this thread alive, and I think editing posts doesn't refresh the 30 automatic lock. I have made progress on the IDE despite few updates to the main thread. Over the past few days I have touched up some problems and begun work on the online side of the IDE. Here are some illustrated screens just to show what I have been doing. Hopefully they will generate the project a bit more interest!



Screen shot of the WIP built in store. User registration and logging in is complete. Store has most functionality complete also.


Home screen with the new notification feature and the smart tool panels reacting to the type of active tab.


Example of the code highlighter highlighting different categories of code different colours.


Highlighting again, but on a bit more text.


The highlighting libraries are not complete yet. They are time consuming and dull to fill out in comparison to all other aspects of the programs development. They are slowly progressing.

If you are still looking for testers. I'll be happy to help you out.

Thanks very much!

That would be greatly appreciated! I'll email you sometime this week when I have a more stable edition of the application running. It is still buggy if no internet connection exists.

It has been a while since I last posted about this software, and I'd just like to say that I am still determined to complete it for people interested. I have added several features to it since my last post, and if I receive any interest from the community I can release a demo edition of the software for people to try out.

The first thread has been updated with better content, and here are a few screens of what I have managed to add recently:


Auto completion, suggests the word you are typing. It moves with the cursor as you type and does not block the line you are on.


Hover tool tip, customisable information; show description/parameters/return (mix and match) after mouse has hovered hover a word for X milliseconds


Easy search feature, hit CTRL + F (or select from the menu/context menu/tool bar the search feature) and cursor brought to the search word box. Incredibly fast searching with no delays encountered (tested on 12,000 line source code for a word with 1325 occurrences and no delay at all).


Options for supported compilers (link to the DB Pro compiler to write DB Pro apps and have them successfully compile)


Completely modifiable highlighting, from foreground colour to text styles.


Code insight options (Hover hints and autocompletion options).


DB Pro new project open in editor with GUI project information tab next to it. Currently working on a GUI component editor for DB Pro apps which use windows components (drag and drop system - incredibly easy to pick up!).



I hope this will generate a bit of interest for the community!

Thanks, James

Been watching this thread since day one,and i must say this is a fantastic asset for DBPRO and FPSC thrown into one,i like the multi language feature ...Best of all James's Contribution is just mind blowing to say the least...looking forward to this being released!!!....

If your still looking for testers James,if i can help in any way then please count me in...

Derek

This is a very good looking IDE, very good job! Two questions:

1. Are you planning to integrate other languages as well, take Lua for example? (just noted the Planned bit in the first page, question answered)

2. Does it allow to open the exe and send the path of a script while opening the exe, so it loads up the script directly to the Editor Environment.

Was thinking of this because I wanted to make LightStorm Engine compatible with it, as currently I just use Notepad++ as Lua Editor.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the comments guys! I have been working on this in the background despite the few updates, so I shall just add them to the thread now.

@Gamestar

I am totally open to anyone who is wanting to beta test. If you send me an email then I can give you some form of quick test over the next week. Will write up a test brief for you and if you can return it asap. There are enough features to make the IDE usable in general currently, so feel free to play around with it as much as you want after testing it.

@Red Eye

Yeah as you noticed I hope to integrate LUA. The IDE can pretty much manage LUA now, its just a matter of writing out all the keywords into the format I need (or convert them). If I understand you correctly on the second part your asking about file associations? You are able to double click associated files and it will load them into the software directly. Im just having a minor problem with loading files into a currently open version of the software, but I'll address that soon and sort it out.

What exactly do you mean by making lightstorm engine compatible with it?

Just as an update to keep this thread alive, I am currently working on the GUI designer for Dark Basic Professional. I have successful compilation with a simple form and I am mid way through adding the ability for users to create and link methods to objects.

The IDE requires Ians Function Pointer plugin for Dark Basic Professional. I will make a request to him at a date further into the future as to whether I can include the plugin with the IDE to make it easier for people to get working.

Impressive and very professional looking bit of software, with all the time and effort you placed into this product I'm sure its not going to be free.

What price range are you looking at for the final product ?

I wish you well with this.

best s4real

First time I've seen this. I wish you the best with this project.

Thanks for the comments, I am really motivated to get a working version out soon!

I am really set on keeping this software as free/affordable as possible. I have two versions built into the software currently, a basic and a professional edition. I'm thinking about keeping the basic edition for free regardless of how much time is spent on the software, and perhaps selling the professional edition £20 top. This would just be used to pay for the server space and licences which are used by the software.

Update

Just to say that I am still working on this project, but I am doing some internal rewiring of the tab system, which was originally badly designed. This will probably go horribly wrong several times as allot of the system is based on the tab mechanics. Hope I can get an update out soon once I've managed to get it all working under this new code! Demo is still in the works but as I am a team of 1 in full time university education it is taking very long to churn out.

Very interesting reading. Just a bump!

Update

Just to say that the re-structuring is coming along. I have a small bug in a DimmerForm (which is purely there for the sake of it all looking professional). The design of the IDE has been shuffled around a little in an attempt to make it easier to personalize your work environment (you can create custom toolbox layouts ect...).


Beta Testers

Also for the beta testers, I'm very sorry its taken so long to get anything out to you, but I shall be sending out two tests this week. Firstly, the older software, as I am reusing alot of that code, I'd like for a quick test with it to see if you could find any bugs I may have missed. With the newer software, I'm aware of a "Cannot focus on disabled window" error which occurs, but I'd also like some feedback on what you think of the design of the two IDE's in comparison. There isn't masses of difference, but all the same. I'll include more in an email i'll send out.

Just to say that I am still making this IDE. Progress is very slow and I would be greatful if the mods could override the 30-day-lock on this thread so I can post as I work through.

Newest Features:

BlueJ Package Compatability
Java Editor
Java Compiler
Compiler warnings and errors detection
Break point setting
Java Debugging
Generate Code Structure Model
List possible fields of objects, and an field objects fields ect...

Screens:

A java and project blueJ support. This getting my interest

This looks really cool! FPSC has needed something like this for a while.

Im keeping an eye on this!

Awesome!

Thanks for the comments guys! So far the FPI language is entirely complete and working well. I have just added a code structure feature into the IDE which will read java files (and has already read in the Java source file) and creates a structure which the IDE uses to give you valid phrases (Object.field1.field2.method1...).

I'd be happy to release a copy as is, but it has all the bugs which currently exist in the IDE (which is alot). I'd still be working on this project and would post download regularly for people. As far as the FPI file system is concerned however, that is fully working.