Libraries - Expanding PlayBASIC

By: Kevin Picone



I N D E X:






What are libraries ?


      Libraries are extensions to PlayBASIC. These extensions allows us to give support for a wide range of topics from 3D (ColdSteel3D), Networking through to Map loaders and command set extensions, without having to build everything into PB. It's big enough as it is ! :)



How Do I Use A library ?


      Libraries take the form of include files and are stored in a dedicated SLIB folder (eg. C:/My Programs/PlayBASIC/Slib/). To make use of them, we simply include them in our project i.e. #Include "LibraryName" You don't have to give the #include command the full path, it's smart enough to check the projects current, then the SLIB folder. So you can use include with your own source codes as well.




What Libraries are available ?


      Here's a list of the available libraries (by category). Please we aware, this document is simply intended to promote the awareness of libraries, and NOT how to use them. You can find the available function names etc via looking around from library source codes. Which is highly recommended!



Image

     * BlitImage               - Blit Image LIbrary 
     * AsyncFloodFill          - Flood Filling Library 
     * Frames                  - Animation Frame Library 
     * SaveBitmap              - Save Image as Bitmap Library



Mapping

     * Mappy                   - Mappy Map Editor Support Library
     * Maps                    - PB Map extension library
     * PlayMapperClassicLoader - Load PlayMapperClassic Map Files


GUI

     * FlexiGUI                - Custom GUI library
     * WinGUI                  - Windows GUI library


NetWorking & Http

     * K-NetLib                - NetWorking Library
     * Http                    - Http Internet access


Files

     * File                    - File System Helper library
     * IniFiles                - Command set to read and write Ini files
     * PlayUff                 - PB's Universal File Format library


Misc

     * ActiveX                 - Library to use ActiveX or .NET Dlls
     * ClipBoard               - Library to cut/paste to the clipboard
     * Fonts                   - Fonts Helper Library
     * Input                   - Input extension library
     * LinkedTypeLists         - Linked Type List (old)
     * MidiOut                 - MidiOut library
     * Packer                  - Run Length Packer Library
     * PBDebug                 - Run Time Debugging Library
     * PBDialogs               - Windows Dialogs Lirbary 
     * PBFlash                 - Macromedia Flash Support Library
     * Shape                   - Shape extension library
     * VertexObjects           - Vertex Manager Library






What Libraries are available on the Forums ?


      There are more 3rd party libraries and updates available in the PlayBASIC maintenance area of our forum. This forum is not visible to the public, so you'll have to sign up to gain access to it. Which is must if you're interested in PlayBASIC anyway. (http://www.UnderwareDesign.com/Forums/)


Misc

     * ColdSteel3D             - 3D engine (DirectX9 + Shader support)
     * FreeImage               - FreeImage Wrapper Library

     * FileMaps                - Add FileMapping support lirbary
     * WinSYS                  - Get System Information
     * UnRar wrapper           - UnRAR files in PB




*FreeImage Library

      FreeImage is library for the FreeImage.DLL. The wrapper includes loading & saving support for various popular image formats like JPG,PNG & BMP. This one is only available from out maintenance forum.





* ColdSteel3D library

      ColdSteel is a DirectX9 based 3D engine. Therefore by installing the ColdSteel into PlayBASIC you'll gain access to the latest 3D technology. PlayBASIC actually comes with the ColdSteel Wrapper/library, but not the actual ColdSteel.DLL which you'll have to download from www.ColdSteelEngine.com.

      While the ColdSteel engine is commercial, there is a FREE demo edition that can be used. The demo is limited, but there's more than enough to keep you entertained. You can of course buy the full retail edition of ColdSteel later on if you wanted also. Initially we recommended trying to demo if you wish to get your feet wet in 3D games development. It might take a bit of time to learn, but demo is free after all !

Installation 



  1)   Download (Cold Steel Engine) from,
       http://www.coldsteelengine.com/downloads.html

       Unzip the cold steel demo to your computer.
       Copy the File ColdSteel.dll to your Slib folder
       eg. C:\My Programs\PlayBASIC\Slib .

  2)  Install Complete


      Note: The engine comes with various media Tools and HELP files. You'll need to consult ColdSteel HELP for information about using the engine functions! You can also find some usage examples on the UnderwareDesign.com forums though.



Use

To create ColdSteel programs in PlayBASIC, simply include the ColdSteel3D at the start of your program. Ie.

  
  #Include "ColdSteel3D"
  


      Note: You can not mix PlayBASIC and ColdSteel graphics together. So once you've included and initialized ColdSteel, you should use the provided media management and input features of the Cold Steel engine.

Visit http://www.coldsteelengine.com/ to learn more about Cold Steel Engine.




Technical Support


      Sadly neither PlayBASIC.com / Underware Design are able to offer technical support of 3rd party libraries. It's recommended you contact the engine / libraries author if you need further assistance.
 
Related Info: #include :
 

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