Amiga MA Magazine 1998 #6/amigamamagazinepolishissue1998.iso/www/f1/archives/cat.dms/cat.adf/other/blitz/blitz

Text File | 1996-04-14 | 10KB | 378 lines

The Guide To Blitz
Neil Wright
F1-136
£4.99 (2 disks)
Any Amiga. (You will need the Blitz Basic programming language to make any
sense of this guide of course, Covers commands, including PD extensions, up
to V2.0)

The guide to Blitz is a truley MASSIVE tome spanning over 400 A4 pages of
text and covers virtually every subject you are ever likely to need to
know about. This superb reference is an invaluable aid to beginners and
will serve as a great reference work for experts. Guide To Blitz comes on
two disks, disk two is choc full of remmed example programs that are
covered in the main guide to save you any typing.

If you are tired of the miniscule manual supplied with Blitz and need to
know what the commands REALLY do then now's your chance.

Just take a look at the subjects covered in this huge book:

   1.1 Welcome to Blitz Basic
   1.2 Using this manual
   1.3 Basic programming concepts
       1.3.1 Functions, statements & commands
   1.4 Amiga Vs Blitz
   1.5 Label Definitions
       1.5.1 Restrictions
   1.6 Variables
   1.7 Numeric types
       1.7.1 Manipulating quick numbers
   1.8 NewTypes
       1.8.1 NewType fields
       1.8.2 Restrictions
       1.8.3 NewType in action
   1.9 Constants
   1.10 Strings
   1.11 Blitz Basic operators
        1.11.1 Relational operators
        1.11.2 Logical operators
   1.12 Using operators with strings
        1.12.1 Concatenation
        1.12.2 Relational operators
   1.13 Arrays
        1.13.1 List arrays
        1.13.2 Sorting arrays
   1.14 Program control
   1.15 Using data
   1.16 End-of-Chapter summary


2. String Functions

   2.1 Strings and roundabouts
   2.2 Manipulating strings
   2.3 String searching
       2.3.1 Searching for characters in a string
       2.3.2 Replacing characters in a string
       2.3.3 Case sensitivity
   2.4 Converting strings
   2.5 Obtaining string information
   2.6 Character strings
       2.6.1 Integers
       2.6.2 Long values
       2.6.3 Quick values
   2.7 End-of-Chapter summary


3. Mathematics
   3.1 Arithmetical operators
   3.2 Sign on the dotted line
   3.3 Floating point numbers
   3.4 Standard mathematical functions
   3.5 Trigonometry
   3.6 Random numbers
   3.7 Machine code
   3.8 End-of-Chapter summary


4. Control Structures
   4.1 Unconditional jumps
   4.2 Conditional jumps and structured tests
   4.3 Conditional loops
   4.4 Unconditional loops
   4.5 Controlled loops
   4.6 Interrupt handling
   4.7 Error handling
   4.8 Procedures
       4.8.1 Statement-type procedures
       4.8.2 Function-type procedures
       4.8.3 Global variables
       4.8.4 Some useful procedures
   4.9 End-of-Chapter summary


5. Input/Output
   5.1 Text
       5.1.1 Printing on screen
       5.1.2 Formatting numeric strings
       5.1.3 Changing the text style
       5.1.4 Setting the text colour
       5.1.5 The text colour
   5.2 The Keyboard
       5.2.1 Reading the keyboard
   5.3 The Joystick
   5.4 Reading the mouse status
       5.4.1 The mouse pointer
   5.5 File access
       5.5.1 File selectors
       5.5.2 Opening a file
       5.5.3 Examining files
       5.5.4 Deleting files
       5.5.5 Sequential files
       5.5.6 Random access files
       5.5.7 Advanced file access
   5.6 End-of-Chapter summary

6. BitMaps and Slices
   6.1 Creating a BitMap
       6.1.1 Manipulating BitMaps
       6.1.2 Loading and saving BitMaps
       6.1.3 Display synchronisation
   6.2 Defining a Slice
       6.2.1 Syntax 1
       6.2.2 Syntax 2
       6.2.3 Manipulating Slices
       6.2.4 Displaying a BitMap in a Slice
   6.3 End-of-Chapter summary

7. Graphics
   7.1 2D Drawing
       7.1.1 Clearing with colour
       7.1.2 Gunpowder plot
       7.1.3 A few pointers
       7.1.4 It's a fine line
       7.1.5 Boxing clever
       7.1.6 Circle circus
       7.1.7 Polygon power
       7.1.8 Fill her up!
   7.2 Palettes
       7.2.1 Loading a palette object
       7.2.2 Controlling palette objects
       7.2.3 Manipulating palettes
   7.3 Fades
       7.3.1 Fading into and out of reality
       7.3.2 Manual fading
   7.4 Colour cycling
   7.5 Copper Lists
       7.5.1 Copper load of this
       7.5.2 Custom Copper Lists
       7.5.3 Copper List functions
   7.6 IFF Animation
       7.6.1 Animated antics
       7.6.2 A full example
   7.7 End-of-Chapter summary

8. Sprites and Shapes
   8.1 Sprites
       8.1.1 Loading sprites from disk
       8.1.2 Saving sprites to disk
       8.1.3 Sprite commands
   8.2 Shapes
       8.2.1 Loading and saving shapes
       8.2.2 Grabbing shapes
       8.2.3 Manipulating shapes
       8.2.4 Shape functions
       8.2.5 Automatic shape flipping
       8.2.6 Shape scaling and rotation
       8.2.7 Cookiecuts
   8.3 Blitting
       8.3.1 A simple blit
       8.3.2 Blit modes
       8.3.3 Queue blits
       8.3.4 Buffer blits
       8.3.5 Stencil blits
   8.4 Detecting Collisions
       8.4.1 Colours and sprites
       8.4.2 Executing collision detection
       8.4.3 Collision checking
       8.4.4 Sprite collisions
       8.4.5 Shape collisions
       8.4.6 Shape and sprite collisions
       8.4.7 Sprite area collisions
       8.4.8 Rectangular area collisions
   8.5 End-of-Chapter summary

9. Audio
   9.1 Pump up the volume
   9.2 Rave the waves
   9.3 Samples
       9.3.1 Playing samples from memory
       9.3.2 Playing samples from disk
       9.3.3 Manipulating samples
   9.4 Playing Tracker modules
   9.5 Med modules
       9.5.1 Playing Med modules
       9.5.2 Manipulating Med modules
   9.6 Speech
       9.6.1 Walkie-Talkie
       9.6.2 It's a foreign language
   9.7 End-of-Chapter summary

10. Screens
    10.1 Defining a screen
         10.1.1 Syntax 1
         10.1.2 Syntax 2
         10.1.3 Interlaced screens
         10.1.4 Extra Half-Brite
         10.1.5 Hold And Modify
         10.1.6 Screen BitMaps
    10.2 Controlling screens
    10.3 Screen priority
    10.4 Manipulating screens
    10.5 Screen functions
    10.6 IFF screens
         10.6.1 Loading and saving BitMaps
         10.6.2 ILBM
    10.7 End-of-Chapter summary

11. Windows
    11.1 Opening a window
         11.1.1 Super-BitMap windows
    11.2 Manipulating windows
         11.2.1 Moving between windows
         11.2.2 Closing a window
         11.2.3 Activating a window
         11.2.4 Window titles
         11.2.5 Altering window menus
         11.2.6 Moving a window
         11.2.7 Window scrolling
         11.2.8 Window sizing
         11.2.9 Window BitMaps
    11.3 Window functions
         11.3.1 Window dimensions
         11.3.2 Window RastPort
    11.4 Window events
         11.4.1 IDCMP flags
         11.4.2 Defining IDCMP flags
         11.4.3 Adding IDCMP flags
         11.4.4 Subtracting IDCMP flags
         11.4.5 Window event functions
         11.4.6 Gadget events
         11.4.7 Menu events
         11.4.8 Keyboard events
         11.4.9 Clearing the event queue
    11.5 Window text
         11.5.1 Changing the text style
         11.5.2 Setting the text colour
         11.5.3 Changing the text colour
         11.5.4 The text colour
    11.6 Window input
         11.6.1 Reading the keyboard
         11.6.2 The input cursor
    11.7 The mouse pointer
         11.7.1 Mouse functions
         11.7.2 Mouse buttons
         11.7.3 The mouse pointer
    11.8 Window graphics
    11.9 End-of-Chapter summary

12. Menus
    12.1 Defining menus
         12.1.1 Text menu items
         12.1.2 Shape menu items
    12.2 Creating menus
    12.3 Manipulating menus
    12.4 A full example
    12.5 End-of-Chapter summary

13. Gadgets
    13.1 Text gadgets
         13.1.1 Cycling text gadgets
    13.2 Shape gadgets
    13.3 String gadgets
         13.3.1 Manipulating string gadgets
    13.4 Gadget groups
    13.5 Proportional gadgets
    13.6 Gadget borders
    13.7 Disabling gadgets
    13.8 The GadTools Library
         13.8.1 Basics of GadTools
         13.8.2 Numeric gadgets
         13.8.3 Text and string gadgets
         13.8.4 Check box gadgets
         13.8.5 Cycle gadgets
         13.8.6 List gadgets
         13.8.7 Highlight gadgets
         13.8.8 Palette gadgets
         13.8.9 Proportional gadgets
         13.8.10 Shape gadgets
         13.8.11 Gadget borders
         13.8.12 Manipulating gadgets
    13.9 End-of-Chapter summary

14. AGA
    14.1 Advanced Graphics Architecture
    14.2 Creating a CopList
         14.2.1 Multiple CopLists
         14.2.2 Non-AGA CopLists
    14.3 Displaying a BitMap in a CopList
    14.4 Palettes
    14.5 A full example
    14.6 AGA Sprite handling
    14.7 End-of-Chapter summary

15. System functions
    15.1 Display heights
    15.2 Object handling
    15.3 System date and time
    15.4 Workbench functions
    15.5 Food processor
    15.6 BREXX
         15.6.1 Emulating user input
         15.6.2 Recording tape objects
         15.6.3 Playing tape objects
         15.6.4 BREXX functions
         15.6.5 Loading and saving tape objects
         15.6.6 Recording BREXX commands
         15.6.7 Macro keys
    15.7 End-of-Chapter summary

16. Advanced programming
    16.1 Compiler directives
         16.1.1 Include files
         16.1.2 Conditional compiling
         16.1.3 Macros
    16.2 Assembler
    16.3 End-of-Chapter summary

17. Program start up
    17.1 Executable files
         17.1.1 CLI Parameters
    17.2 Runtime program start up
    17.3 End-of-Chapter summary

18. The Future
    18.1 The Blitz User Group
    18.2 Blitz User International
    18.3 Blitz User Magazine
    18.4 Blitz User Disk Magazine
    18.5 Magazine columns
    18.6 Useful contacts

Appendix 1: Blitz Basic Applications
    A1.1 Shapesmaker
         A1.1.1 Loading an IFF file
         A1.1.2 Shapes or sprites?
         A1.1.3 Detention centre
         A1.1.4 Masking tape
         A1.1.5 Preaching to the converted
    A1.2 MapEdit
         A1.2.1 First steps
         A1.2.2 Starting from scratch
         A1.2.3 I'm a map - edit me!
    A1.3 Shape-Ed V2
    A1.4 BobEd V1.2
    A1.5 Blitz-Case

Appendix 2: Useful Programs
    A2.1 X-Plane Starfield
    A2.2 Z-Plane Starfield
    A2.3 Mandelbrot
    A2.4 Mirrored Text
    A2.5 System Reset
    A2.6 DF1: Test
    A2.7 Splerge!
    A2.8 Fireworks
    A2.9 Scrolling Text
    A2.10 Chipset?

Appendix 3: Error Messages
    A3.1 You're bugging me
    A3.2 Blitz error messages

Appendix 4: Glossary
    A4.1 Glossary of terms