thinBasic 1.14.0.0 BETA

[ErosOlmi]

I'm working on finishing the next thinBasic 1.14.0.0 release.
If anyone wants to test the current beta version, the ZIP file with the setup is available by going to this link:
https://www.thinbasic.com/public/_BETA_/

I will continue to update the ZIP file as soon as I've something new to publish.
List of changes is inside offline help file or here (clear browser cache): https://help.thinbasic.com/index.html?version_1_14.htm

2026/01/12: updated with new features and fixes. Download and see .chm help file "What's new" for news
2025/07/17: updated with new features and fixes. Download and see .chm help file "What's new" for news
2025/08/07: updated with new features and fixes. Download and see .chm help file "What's new" for news
2025/09/29: updated with new features and fixes. Download and see .chm help file "What's new" for news

---

Note:

• some anti-virus systems continue to report the presence of malicious files both in the setup and in the executable files created by thinBundle
• I can guarantee there are no malware but I would like to have a situation where also AV think the same
• I'm working on it

[ReneMiner]

it does not matter what kind of loop gets inserted to replace for next
using

While counter < files
   counter+=1
...

Wend

or

Repeat 
   counter+=1
...
Until counter>=files

or also

Do :counter+=1
...
     If counter=files then Exit Do
Loop

seems no counting loop is started the normal way as we would expect it. It's alike it were parsing the wrong line

[ErosOlmi]

Thanks for reporting.
I think is due to a bad window event handling in this script

If you comment the following line just few line above the loop, it will work:

Log_AddMessage cbhndl, "BFF", "%BFF_SelChange", sDir

I think that function is firing an infinite events re-entering chain and parser, at some time, is crashing.

I will recode it for the next update

[ErosOlmi]

Updated thinBasic 1.14.0.0 BETA release.

List of changes / new feature is inside offline help file.
This version should be compatible from Windows 7 to Windows 11

Download from:
https://www.thinbasic.com/public/_BETA_/

[ErosOlmi]

2025/07/17: updated with new features and fixes. Download and see .chm help file "What's new" for news

Download from:
https://www.thinbasic.com/public/_BETA_/

[ErosOlmi]

2025/08/07: updated with new features and fixes. Download and see .chm help file "What's new" for news

Download from:
https://www.thinbasic.com/public/_BETA_/

[ReneMiner]

thinbasic\compilers-subdir does not contain the freebasic-stuff.
Even if the fb-version was not up-to-date- there was an .inc-file for thinbasic within fb\inc.

(thinbasic\thinAir\Syntax also provides some Freebasic-autocomplete)

I would like to see also #compiled language=oxygenbasic for dynamic dll-production controlled by a thinbasic-script

Secondary - and much more important to me: always when i reinstall tb (new version over the previous) it overwrites

thinbasic\compilers\thinbasic_compilers_USR.ini
thinBasic\thinAir\tools\thinAir_tools_USR.ini
thinBasic\thinAir\Syntax\thinbasic\
thinBasic_Blocks_USR.ini
thinBasic_Calltips_USR.xml
thinBasic_Keywords_USR.ini
thinBasic_StartEnd_autoclose_USR.Ini

but this were not nescessary:

When thinbasic\thinair\thinAir.exe launches to read the tools for the menu it "knows" the current environmental variable USERNAME.
take the filenames as above make a copy of each and replace "USR" in the copied string with the environment-variables content.
so there are 2 strings as

name of shipped file:....................."thinBasic_Blocks_USR.ini"
name of file for the current user:....."thinBasic_Blocks_Eros.ini"

The function below is an incomplete sketch. It should be executed on each of the "_USR."-files and would create a copy of such file where
USR is replaced as described above. It is to take care also for changes, for example when new features are added to thinAir the .ini-file
is growing by new sections and/or keys so there is to check the version (optional a minVersion that is required only when major changes are
applied , likewise the filetype changes from .ini to .json or .xml)

Function ini_per_user(byval shippedFile as String) As Long

' for shippedFile pass like "thinbasic\compilers\thinbasic_compilers_USR.ini"

Number nVersion 
String sBackupFile, sSect(), sKey() 
Long lState, lSects, lKeys, i, j

String sPersonalFile=Replace$(shippedFile, "_USR.", With "_" & App.Environ.Username & "."

If sPersonalFile = shippedFile Then Return %ERROR_Filename_without_USR


   WHILE ( NOT FILE_EXISTS(  sPersonalFile ))
      IF (lState And 1) = 1 THEN 

          MsgBox "Unable to store data. Please ensure:
                     - thinBasic was not installed within a system-folder, 
                     - the drive is not write-protected,
                     - there is sufficient available space on the drive,
                     - you launched thinAir with elevated privileges",
                     %MB_IconError, "problem of file-system-access"
          Stop
      ENDIF
   
      FILE_SAVE(  sPersonalFile, FILE_LOAD( shippedFile ) )
      lState = 1  ' set bit 1

  WEND

  ' first check whether this ini is aware of the last added keys or sections 

  nVersion = Val(ini_getkey(sPersonalFile, "Version", "Deployed", "0.0" ))
  if nVersion < Val(ini_getkey( shippedFile, "Version", "Deployed", "0.0" )) Then 
      ' present user-ini-file  is an elder version and probably does not have all the sections and keys as the last version
      ' i.e. thinAir was improved and there are some new settings - or even the format has changed
     

      ' so check the version we require at least 
      If nVersion < Val(ini_getkey( shippedFile, "Version", "Minimum","0.0")) Then 
           ' =  user-file on the pc is too old- we can not use anything of it and need to replace it completely
           ' maybe some settings can be converted here reading the old format 
           return %ERROR_Below_Minimum_Version
      end if
 
      ' format was not changed for this ini-file so it is to copy the values from  sections and keys that are not present in sPersonalFile
      ' rename the personal file to become a temporary backup
      
       sBackupFile = sPersonalFile & ".bak"
       File_Rename sPersonalFile, sBackupFile
       ' load the shipped file as string and save it to sPersonalFile
     
       FILE_SAVE(  sPersonalFile, FILE_LOAD( shippedFile ) )

       ' list all sections in the backup
        lSects = Ini_GetSectionsList( sBackupFile, sSect )
        While lSects 
             ' list all keys in the section
              lKeys = Ini_GetSectionsKeyList(sBackupFile, sSect(lSects), sKey())
              while lKeys
                   ' write all keys values as stored in the backup into the new personal file 
                    ini_SetKey(sPersonalFile,sSect(lSects),sKey(lKeys), Ini_getKey(sBackupFile,sSect(lSects), sKey(lKeys)))
                    lKeys -= 1
             wend
             lSects -= 1
        wend 
        
        'all settings from backup of the previous personal file are written 
      end if
      ' Function = %NoError
      ' keys  and values can be read now from sPersonalFile 
end function

So every user who has an account on the same PC already gets his personal template for these settings and tools etc.

PC-specific settings that are depending on the present engine (graphics adapter, monitors count & resolutions, soundcard etc) will usually be the same for
all users on the same PC so there is no need to adjust the settings for each user when the first user made any required changes.
To avoid snooping through another users ini-file it were better to put such keys and theirs values into a separate ini-file where all in common used settings are provided.

That would also apply to some shared features for example a collection of code-snippets - expandeable and useable by all users on a pc.

e.g.
"thinBasic_hostSystem_SHIDEVDEF.INI" (shipped developers defaults)
"thinBasic_hostSystem_SHARED.INI" (by thinAir created copy )

PS. screenshot applies to the version previous to the last beta (also 1.14..0.0 but the site did not work at that time
a shocking amount of memory abused by thinAir - wild guess: either scintilla is leaking or there is some regEx-pattern ( too many possible ways or too many unlimited repetitions)

As you can see - there is a content-saver (small dialog above task-manager- sadly not working for thinAir when it becomes unresponsive) thats purpose is to save data of a windows control.
I had it many times already since thinAir works using scintilla that thinAir crashed or became unresponsive and i was not able to save code where i typed in for many hours. Why doesn't thinAir come with its own thinAir\autosave-subfolder where it even saves unnamed files with a default name as soon as 1000 chars are typed and from then it could work timed or focus-controlled
(i.e. if a codewindow loses focus to any other control of thinAir or thinAir loses focus to another running process )

[ErosOlmi]

Thanks Rene for this feedback and ideas.
I will go through them all for the next update

[ErosOlmi]

Secondary - and much more important to me: always when i reinstall tb (new version over the previous) it overwrites

thinbasic\compilers\thinbasic_compilers_USR.ini
thinBasic\thinAir\tools\thinAir_tools_USR.ini
thinBasic\thinAir\Syntax\thinbasic\
thinBasic_Blocks_USR.ini
thinBasic_Calltips_USR.xml
thinBasic_Keywords_USR.ini
thinBasic_StartEnd_autoclose_USR.Ini

Should already be like that.
All *_USR.* files are installed only if they doesn't exist

InnoSetup I use to create the installer is configured like:

Source: "..\Compilers\thinBasic_Compilers_Usr.ini"; DestDir: "{app}\Compilers\"; Flags: uninsrestartdelete ignoreversion uninsremovereadonly onlyifdoesntexist

Where onlyifdoesntexist should instruct not to install that file if file already exists
Will make some tests

[gddeluca]

Eros: I got an early 1.14 release when I was exploring UDT support in the SPFLite macro language. Lately I've had several reports about macro problems. Like thinBasic error messages that seem illogical. e.g. Missing THEN on an IF statement, and the error display shows a perfectly formed IF ... THEN. And a retry WILL work, although it may take a few retries.

I've downloaded the latest Beta for 1.14, but the size and dates all appear to be equal to what I had.

How do I ensure I've really got the latest Beta?

George

Sorry, the JPG is too blurry to be useful.

PDF.jpg