Any plans for a Basic4Windows10 Tablet version of Basic4PPC ?

pdablue

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Longtime User
Hi,

Would it be possible to create a version of Basic4PPC that can run on a Windows 10 tablet device?
I know that we can use the Desktop Version of Basic4PPC to create apps for Windows 10 tablets.

What would be really nice is to put the Basic4PPC Forms Designer that ran on a Windows Mobile 6.5
hand held into the Desktop version and make that available in a "Tablet" version of Basic4PPC.

This would allow the Forms Designer to use the entire screen on a Tablet like you can on a Windows
Mobile 6.5 device.

Now that Windows 10 is available on Tablets maybe there is a new market for a Basic4PPC Tablet version.

I downloaded the Net Compact Framework version 3.5 to a Windows 10 tablet and I can run Basic4PPC
apps written using the Desktop Version of Basic4PPC.

It would really be useful if a Tablet version of Basic4PPC could be created to run directly on a Windows 10
Tablet and have a Forms Designer that could use the entire screen like you could on Windows Mobile 6.5.
 

Cableguy

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Longtime User
B4x has come a long way since B4Ppc was introduced... I guess when you say "desktop" version you are referring to its ability to compile to win32 .EXE files as opposed to the cab files destined to the handheld...
B4j is its natural successor, and a very worthy one. Give it a try! It's even cross-platform!
 

agraham

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Longtime User
I'm slightly puzzled by this request. Enlighten me!

I assume we are talking about an x86 based tablet running full Windows 10 in which case the desktop version of Basic4ppc should run fine. It does on my Windows 10 tablets with the caveat that I have my own private version of Basic4ppc that I have developed over the years to be a desktop only IDE with all the mobile stuff EDIT removed /EDIT but I can't see why the original wouldn't work.

If my assumption is correct then you should not need the desktop version of the Compact Framework installed. It is only needed to produce WinMobile programs, the tablet should run desktop programs fine on the full Framework included with Windows 10.

If you want full screen Forms on the tablet you should be able to do it with a borderless Form sized to the tablet display. You would have to be careful to provide a means of closing the Form on that Form itself as the normal close button would not be visible.

That only leaves a full screen Forms Designer. I have to admit that I can't remember how the mobile version worked as I never used it. It would seem to be a major re-design to make a full screen designer for a tablet/desktop IDE as all the menu options would need to be available as context menu items rather than menu bar items.

Or maybe I've missed the point altogether!
 
Last edited:

ilan

Expert
Licensed User
Longtime User
Hi,

Would it be possible to create a version of Basic4PPC that can run on a Windows 10 tablet device?
I know that we can use the Desktop Version of Basic4PPC to create apps for Windows 10 tablets.

What would be really nice is to put the Basic4PPC Forms Designer that ran on a Windows Mobile 6.5
hand held into the Desktop version and make that available in a "Tablet" version of Basic4PPC.

This would allow the Forms Designer to use the entire screen on a Tablet like you can on a Windows
Mobile 6.5 device.

Now that Windows 10 is available on Tablets maybe there is a new market for a Basic4PPC Tablet version.

I downloaded the Net Compact Framework version 3.5 to a Windows 10 tablet and I can run Basic4PPC
apps written using the Desktop Version of Basic4PPC.

It would really be useful if a Tablet version of Basic4PPC could be created to run directly on a Windows 10
Tablet and have a Forms Designer that could use the entire screen like you could on Windows Mobile 6.5.

this topic was discussed a lot and erel dont see any potential in the windows market and i also understand why.
the chance that erel will make b4w is less then me becoming an astronaut. :p (and i dont know how to fly a spaceship so its almost 0%)
 

Cableguy

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Longtime User
this topic was discussed a lot and erel dont see any potential in the windows market and i also understand why.
the chance that erel will make b4w is less then me becoming an astronaut. :p (and i dont know how to fly a spaceship so its almost 0%)

The wish is NOT for window phone, but for windows 10 on a tablet....
I run all my B4x IDEs in an hybrid tablet/notebook running windows 10, and use b4j to create win10 compatible apps...
 

pdablue

Active Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Hi,

Most of the programs that I have written using Basic4PPC were written on a handheld device (HP PDA or Mobile Phone). I only used the Basic4PPC Desktop
version for the final compile before running the program through the Setup Builder to create a .CAB installation file.

I now have an HP Stream 7 running Windows 8.1 with a 1280 x 800 resolution screen and two Windows 10 Tablets : a Supersonic 7 inch Tablet
with a 1024 x 600 resolution screen and a NuVision 8 inch Tablet with a 1920 x 1200 resolution screen.

I have a 2K Desktop monitor that I use to run the Desktop version of Basic4PPC. The high resolution monitor lets me create forms to match the screen
resolutions of the Tablets and still see all of the Basic4PPC Desktop IDE. I have the 2K monitor mounted on a display stand that allows me to rotate the
monitor when I need to to create a larger form for the 1920 x 1200 resolution Tablet and still see all of the Basic4PPC Desktop IDE.

Many of the programs that I have written communicate across a wireless Bluetooth SPP serial port link. By using the Serial2.dll I can send data across
the wireless Bluetooth links from all of the Tablets: HP, Supersonic and NuVision running Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

I will write some example programs and post them when I get time. The NuVision 8 inch Tablet with the 1920 x 1200 resolution screen looks real nice.
It is currently available from the Microsoft Store.

If Basic4PPC was ever updated, I thought it would be convenient to have a Visual Forms Designer that could take advantage of the entire screen if it was being
run on a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 Tablet. It would work similar to the way it did on a Pocket PC or Windows Mobile Hand Held device.

I will try to find the time and learn B4J and see how that works.
 

Cableguy

Expert
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Longtime User
I will try to find the time and learn B4J and see how that works.

In the first versions of B4J, the forms were created using SceneBuilder (if i'm not mistaken), so I kept myself away from it bcause it was way too complicated form me...
But then EREL introduced the Internal Designer to B4J and I had a go at it... It takes a getting used to it, going from views and controls to something called "nodes" and getting your head around that most visual properties are set using CSS (look into CSSUtils Module/Lib)... But at the end, the results are worth while... and since B4J produces .Jar files, you can run them cross-platform (with some limitations)
 
D

Deleted member 103

Guest
Hi pdablue,

I will try to find the time and learn B4J and see how that works.
have you tried Visual Studio community 2015?
I think that for Windows PC is nothing better (of course, just my opinion).

I have a few B4a app for Windows Phone converted without great problems.

A few weeks ago I have reprogrammed a B4j application with Visual Studio, out the result is great.

With B4j:
As Jar-File: CMMEditor.jar = 478 KB
As Exe-File with built-in Java: CMMEditor.exe = 38136 KB

With Visual Studio:
CMMEditor.exe = 132 KB

B4J is good, the problem is it has too much to do with Java. :(
 

KMatle

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Longtime User
I think that for Windows PC is nothing better (of course, just my opinion)

First I was with you but now (because the code compatibility and the perfect support here) I prefer B4J. What I did was to find out how to use the same logic in VS (like call a php script á la HttpUtils or do some RSA encryption). The only thing I miss is the print support. I had one project (B4A as a client) with a central POS printer running on WIN10.

Now I'm faster to do basic apps in B4J :)
 
D

Deleted member 103

Guest
(because the code compatibility and the perfect support here) I prefer B4J.
Here it is not about the support because the support of B4x is the best in the world!

I work in a company as a CAx system administrator (CAx = multi CAD) and must often write programs for these CAD systems.
Without Visual Studio I could not write programs for these CAD systems.
 

Erel

B4X founder
Staff member
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Longtime User
With B4j:
As Jar-File: CMMEditor.jar = 478 KB
As Exe-File with built-in Java: CMMEditor.exe = 38136 KB

With Visual Studio:
CMMEditor.exe = 132 KB

478kb vs 132kb in my opinion is insignificant. (The 38mb is not the size of the executable. It is the size of the installer that installs your program together with an embedded JRE).
 
D

Deleted member 103

Guest
(The 38mb is not the size of the executable. It is the size of the installer that installs your program together with an embedded JRE).
I know because of that I wrote that
As Exe-File with built-in Java: CMMEditor.exe = 38136 KB

My problem is: I do not like Java. :(
 
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