Axe Parser v.0.2.0 BETA avaliable community-wide

[DJ Omnimaga]

As reported in the previous news, a beta of Axe Parser was about to be released. Well, here is it today: Axe Parser version 0.2.0, released on both Omnimaga and Ticalc.org (at the time of writing this news, the file was in their pending queue)!

For this version, a new documentation is included, altough the commands are still in a separate file. There is also a new user interface where you can now choose for which shell you want to compile your Axe program for (Ion, DoorCS, MirageOs) or if you want it to run without any. It is now also possible to absorb "Pic" files into programs, which can make it considerably easier to import title screen data for example. A few more bugs were fixed and now only programs with an Axe Parser header will show up in the list.

The previous version of Axe Parser added Sine and Cosine commands, the ability to store data into AppVars or read data from them (useful for highscores, saving and loading), grayscale command and a few optimizations.

Here is the program in action, where the game Starship is being compiled, played and modified a few times:

So if you programmed a bit of TI-BASIC and want an alternative that is easy to start up with, easy to use and programmable on-calc, while still providing a speed close to z80 assembly and advanced commands, check out Axe Parser 0.2.0 today and start making quadratic solvers... er... revolutionary games without too much hassle!

[Galandros]

Looks great.

It will have high impact on development of the TI-83+ series. Let's see what projects come in Axe Parser.

[Silver Shadow]

I propose we make a special Axe Parser Party Day on IRC in a couple of days time to celebrate this!
Congratz Quigibo!!!

[Raylin]

Agreed.
Let April 19th forever be known as Axe Day.

[ztrumpet]

Congrats Quigibo!  Axe is revolutionary, and I'm sure this new version is awesome!

[DJ Omnimaga]

I agree, I hope this gets a lot of attention outside Omnimaga. Of course I understand that outside Omni, if people barely visit the site they might be skeptical at first since so many similar projects failed in the past, but I hope they see further than their experience and give this one a try/chance since it's worth it.

I personally think in terms of functionality it's pretty solid so far. Enough to be a real programming language. Future versions adding automated commands and the like will make it even better.

Of course solid functionality is unless a bug or two sneaked in from version 0.1.5 to 0.2.0, though

[mapar007]

* mapar007 salutes

This is great! Maybe it will provide an intermediary between BASIC and asm for some people? Who will tell...

It will have awesome effects, I'm quite sure about that

[Raylin]

I agree. However, how did Quigibo pull off that cool inverted cursor effect?
Can you do in in Axe?

[mapar007]

I did that in one of my XLIB progs. It's just XORing a black rectangle of the size of the box to the screen in the right spot. That's not really hard in hand-coded asm.

[DJ Omnimaga]

You mean the menu selection?

I would like to know as well, but I think it's gonna be implemented in later versions of Axe Parser along with diagonal lines and other shapes

xLIB xLIB Revolution does that kind of selection effect

[Raylin]

Figured it out.
Pt-Change().

[DJ Omnimaga]

I wonder how fast it is pixel by pixel

[Raylin]

Well, you're just displaying an 8x8 hex picture.
My verdict? Blazing fast.

[DJ Omnimaga]

Oh wait I forgot Axe sprites could use XOR logic too , my bad

[Ti-newb]

Very Cool.