twinBASIC Update - DevCon 2022

Links and resources from my talk today at Access DevCon Vienna 2022, twinBASIC: Happy First Birthday!

twinBASIC Update - DevCon 2022

Slide Deck

TwinBasic-DevCon2022.pdf

Presentation Recording

Thank you to Karl Donaubauer for making a recording of the presentation available on YouTube:

Installing the twinBASIC IDE

For the time being, you can download the latest beta from this GitHub page: twinBASIC IDE – BETA RELEASE.

  1. Scroll down to the latest "BETA xx is now available" comment
  2. Download the zip file
  3. Extract the contents of the zip file into a local folder
  4. Double-click the twinBASIC.exe file

The IDE will open immediately.

That's right, there is no installer!  Welcome to the wonderful world of twinBASIC.

Note: The IDE does require the WebView2 runtime as the development environment uses the HTML-based Monaco code editor.  The WebView2 runtime comes preinstalled with Windows 11 and certain Windows 10 software, such as Office 365.  If you don't have it, you can download it here: https://tinyurl.com/twinbasicwebview2runtime

Getting Involved with twinBASIC

twinBASIC Welcome
The official twinBASIC website.
twinBASIC 12-MONTH ROADMAP · Issue #335 · WaynePhillipsEA/twinbasic
twinBASIC ROADMAP Dates given are tentative and subject to change. Only the major issues are listed here. Smaller feature requests will be implemented when most appropriate (usually when we are alr...
twinBASIC 12-month development roadmap (updated 2022-04-28).

twinBASIC Debut Video at DevCon 2021

If you had never heard of twinBASIC prior to today's presentation, the video below will provide some much-needed context.  It does a good job of covering the new language features introduced with twinBASIC.  

Keep in mind, this presentation took place about a week after the very first alpha release of the twinBASIC language.  Let's just say, the project has progressed more than just a bit since then.

The video is available on YouTube:

HOW TO: Articles

HOW TO: Create a Tool Window in the VBIDE with twinBASIC
Move over Rubberduck VBA and MZ-Tools. The next great VBE addin is going to be built with twinBASIC. Here are step-by-step instructions to get you started.
HOW TO: Create a Custom ActiveX Control with twinBASIC
Did you ever wish you could build a custom control for Microsoft Access forms and reports? With twinBASIC, that’s a 15-minute project.

Additional Reading

How to Use Version Control with twinBASIC
You can now extract the embedded text files from .twinproj containers for use in version control. I wrote a batch file to make the process even easier.
Generic Objects in twinBASIC
twinBASIC supports generic objects! Let’s dig into the details with a practical example.
New Syntax in twinBASIC: Part 1
Let’s cover some new syntax in twinBASIC, including “AndAlso/OrElse”; the ternary If() operator; and “Continue For” and its cousins.
New Syntax in twinBASIC: Part 2
Let’s cover some more new syntax in twinBASIC, including parameterized class constructors, method overloading, and return syntax for functions.
New Syntax in twinBASIC: Part 3
There’s even more new syntax in twinBASIC, including the IsNot operator, initializing on declare, and augmented assignment operators.

WAAAY More Additional Reading

The link below will take you to the "twinBASIC" tag page on my website, where you will find every twinBASIC article I've written, including more than 50 twinBASIC weekly update articles dating back to May 2, 2021.

twinBASIC - No Longer Set
twinBASIC is a modern version of the classic BASIC programming language, with the goal of providing 100% backward compatibility with existing VB6 and VBA projects.
Every twinBASIC article I've ever written (or will write in the future).

UPDATE [2023-06-15]: Added link to presentation recording.

All original code samples by Mike Wolfe are licensed under CC BY 4.0