Microsoft Small Basicis aprogramming language,interpreterand associatedIDE.Microsoft's simplified variant ofBASIC,it is designed to help students who have learntvisual programming languagessuch asScratchlearn text-based programming.[8]The associated IDE provides a simplified programming environment with functionality such assyntax highlighting,intelligent code completion,and in-editor documentation access.[9]The language has only 14 keywords.[10]
 | |
| Paradigm | Structured,imperative,object-oriented |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Microsoft,Vijaye Raji[1][2] |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| First appeared | October 23, 2008[3][4] |
| Stable release | v1.2
/ October 1, 2015[5] |
| Typing discipline | Dynamic,weak |
| Platform | .NET Framework 4.5[5] |
| OS | Small Basic Desktop:Windows XP(up to version 1.0),Windows Vista,Windows 7,Windows 8,Windows 8.1,Windows 10,Windows Server 2008 R2[6] Small Basic Online:web browser |
| License | MIT License[7] |
| Filename extensions | .sb,.smallbasic |
| Website | smallbasic-publicwebsite |
| Influenced by | |
| Logo,QBasic,Visual Basic.NET | |
History
edit| Version | Release date | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| v0.1 | October 23, 2008[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.2 | December 17, 2008[11] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.3 | February 10, 2009[12] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.4 | April 14, 2009[13] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.5 | June 16, 2009[14] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.6 | August 19, 2009[15] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.7 | October 23, 2009[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.8 | February 4, 2010[16] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.9 | June 11, 2010[17] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.91 | November 17, 2010[18] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v0.95 | February 8, 2011[19] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v1.0 | July 12, 2011[20] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v1.1 | March 27, 2015[21] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| v1.2 | October 1, 2015[5] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Old version, not maintained Old version, still maintained Latest version Future release | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Microsoft announced Small Basic in October 2008,[3]and released the first stable version for distribution on July 12, 2011,[20]on aMicrosoft Developer Network(MSDN) website, together with a teaching curriculum[22]and an introductory guide.[23]Between announcement and stable release, a number ofCommunity Technology Preview(CTP) releases were made.
On March 27, 2015, Microsoft released Small Basic version 1.1,[21]which fixed a bug and upgraded the targeted.NET Frameworkversion from version 3.5 to version 4.5, making it the first version incompatible withWindows XP.
Microsoft released Small Basic version 1.2 on October 1, 2015.[5]Version 1.2 was the first update after a four-year hiatus to introduce new features to Small Basic. The update added classes for working with Microsoft'sKinectmotion sensors,[5]increased the number of languages supported by the included Dictionary object, and fixed a number of bugs.[6]
On February 19, 2019, Microsoft announced Small Basic Online (SBO). It isopen sourcesoftware released underMIT LicenseonGitHub.[24][25]
Language
editIn Small Basic, one writes the illustrative"Hello, World!" programas follows:
TextWindow.WriteLine("Hello, World!")
Microsoft Small Basic isTuring complete.It supportsconditional branching,loopstructures, andsubroutinesforeventhandling.Variablesareweakly typedanddynamicwith no scoping rules.
Conditional branching
editThe following example demonstrates conditional branching. It ask the user forCelsiusorFahrenheitand then comments on the answer in the appropriate temperature unit.
' A Program that gives advice at a requested temperature.
TextWindow.WriteLine("Do you use 'C'elsius or 'F'ahrenheit for temperature?")
TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter C for Celsius and F for Fahrenheit:")
question_temp:' Label to jump back to input if wrong input was given
tempunit=TextWindow.Read()
' Temperature Definitions in Celsius:
tempArray["hot"]=30' 30 °C equals 86 °F
tempArray["pretty"]=20' 20 °C equals 68 °F
tempArray["cold"]=15' 15 °C equals 59 °F
Iftempunit="C"ORtempunit="c"Then
TextWindow.WriteLine("Celsius selected!")
tempunit="C"' Could be lowercase, thus make it uppercase
ElseIftempunit="F"ORtempunit="f"Then
TextWindow.WriteLine("Fahrenheit selected!")
' We calculate the temperature values for Fahrenheit based on the Celsius values
tempArray["hot"]=((tempArray["hot"]*9)/5)+32
tempArray["pretty"]=((tempArray["pretty"]*9)/5)+32
tempArray["cold"]=((tempArray["cold"]*9)/5)+32
tempunit="F"' Could be lowercase, thus make it uppercase
Else
GOTOquestion_temp' Wrong input, jump back to label "question_temp"
EndIf
TextWindow.Write("Enter the temperature today (in"+tempunit+"):")
temp=TextWindow.ReadNumber()
Iftemp>=tempArray["hot"]Then
TextWindow.WriteLine("It is pretty hot.")
ElseIftemp>=tempArray["pretty"]Then
TextWindow.WriteLine("It is pretty nice.")
ElseIftemp>=tempArray["cold"]Then
TextWindow.WriteLine("Don't forget your coat.")
Else
TextWindow.WriteLine("Stay home.")
EndIf
Small Basic does not support an inlineIfstatement as doesVisual Basic,for example:
Iftemp>50ThenTextWindow.WriteLine("It is pretty nice.")
Looping
editThis example demonstrates a loop. Starting from one and ending with ten, it multiplies each number by four and displays the result of the multiplication.
TextWindow.WriteLine("Multiplication Tables")
Fori=1To10
TextWindow.Write(i*4)
EndFor
Whileloopsare also supported, and the demonstratedForloopcan be augmented through the use of theStepkeyword. TheStepkeyword is used in setting the value by which the counter variable,i,is incremented each iteration.
Data types
edit
Small Basic supports basicdata types,likestrings,integersanddecimals,and will readily convert one type to another as required by the situation. In the example, both theReadandReadNumbermethods read a string from the command line, butReadNumberrejects any non-numeric characters. This allows the string to be converted to a numeric type and treated as a number rather than a string by the+operator.
TextWindow.WriteLine("Enter your name:")
name=TextWindow.Read()
TextWindow.Write("Enter your age:")
age=TextWindow.ReadNumber()
TextWindow.WriteLine("Hello,"+name+"!")
TextWindow.WriteLine("In 5 years, you shall be"+(age+5)+"years old!")
As Small Basic will readily convert among data types, numbers can be manipulated as strings and numeric strings as numbers. This is demonstrated through the second example.
TextWindow.WriteLine(Math.log("100"))'Prints 2
TextWindow.WriteLine("100"+"3000")' Prints 3100
TextWindow.WriteLine("Windows"+8)' Prints Windows 8
TextWindow.WriteLine(Text.GetLength(1023.42))' Prints 7 (length of decimal representation including decimal point)
In the second example, both strings are treated as numbers and added together, producing the output 3100. Toconcatenatethe two values, producing the output 1003000, it is necessary to use theText.Append(text1,text2)method.
Libraries
editStandard library
editThe Small Basicstandard libraryincludes basic classes for mathematics,string handling,andinput/output,as well as more exotic classes that are intended to make using the language more fun for learners. Examples of these include aTurtle graphicsclass, a class for retrieving photos fromFlickr,and classes for interacting with Microsoft Kinect sensors.[26]
To make the classes easier to use for learners, they have been simplified. This simplification is demonstrated through the code used to retrieve a random mountain-themed image from Flickr:
Fori=1To10
pic=Flickr.GetRandomPicture("mountains")
Desktop.SetWallPaper(pic)
Program.Delay(10000)
EndFor
Turtle graphics
editSmall Basic includes a "Turtle" graphics library that borrows from theLogofamily of programming languages. For example, to draw a square using the turtle, the turtle is moved forward by a given number of pixels and rotated 90 degrees in a given direction. This action is then repeated four times to draw the four sides of the square.
Fori=1to4
Turtle.Move(100)' Forward 100 pixels
Turtle.Turn(90)' Turn 90 degrees right
EndFor
More complex drawings are possible by altering the turning angle of the turtle and the number of iterations of the loop. For example, one can draw ahexagonby setting the turn angle to 60 degrees and the number of iterations to six.
Third-party libraries
editSmall Basic allows the use of third-party libraries. These libraries must be written in aCLR-compatible language, and the compiled binaries must target a compatible.NET Framework version. The classes provided by the library are required to bestatic,flagged with a specificattribute,and must use a specific data type.
An example of a class to be used in Small Basic is provided below, written inC#.
[SmallBasicType]
publicstaticclassExampleClass
{
publicstaticPrimitiveAdd(PrimitiveA,PrimitiveB)=>A+B;
publicstaticPrimitiveSomeProperty
{
get;
set;
}
publicstaticPrimitivePi=>(Primitive)3.14159;
}
If available, the Small Basic development environment will display documentation for third-party libraries. The development environment accepts documentation in the form of anXMLfile, which can be automatically generated from source code comments by tools such asMicrosoft Visual StudioandMonoDevelop.[27]
References
edit- ^Conrod, Philip; Tylee, Lou (February 2013).Programming Games with Microsoft Small Basic.Kidware Software, LLC.ISBN978-1-937161-56-9.
- ^"Featured Article: Interviews with Vijaye Raji, the creator of Small Basic".TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM.13 February 2019.
- ^abcRaji, Vijaye (23 October 2008)."Hello World".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved9 February2014.
- ^abRaji, Vijaye (23 October 2009)."Happy Birthday Small Basic".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^abcdeScherotter, Michael (1 October 2015)."Small Basic 1.2 Released with Kinect Support and Bug Fixes".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved2 October2015.
- ^ab"Download Microsoft Small Basic 1.2 from Official Microsoft Download Centre".Small Basic.Microsoft. 1 October 2015.Retrieved2 October2015.
- ^"SmallBasic".GitHub.17 October 2021.
- ^"Small Basic".Retrieved6 September2020.
- ^Price, Ed (22 October 2012)."The Unique Features of Small Basic".Small Basic.TechNet. Microsoft.Retrieved22 April2015.
- ^Price, Ed (8 October 2012)."What are the 14 Keywords of Small Basic?".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved9 February2014.
- ^Raji, Vijaye (17 December 2008)."Announcing Small Basic v0_2!".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Raji, Vijaye (10 February 2009)."Microsoft Small Basic v0.3 is here".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Raji, Vijaye (14 April 2009)."v0.4 of Small Basic says" Bonjour "".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Raji, Vijaye (16 June 2009)."The newest, leanest and the meanest is here!".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Raji, Vijaye (19 August 2009)."Now available: Small Basic v0.6".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Raji, Vijaye (10 February 2010)."Small Basic v0.8".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Raji, Vijaye (11 June 2010)."Small Basic V0.9 is here!".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Aldana, Sandra (17 November 2010)."Small Basic V0.91 is more international than ever!".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Aldana, Sandra (8 February 2011)."Small Basic v0.95 speaks another language!".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^abAldana, Sandra (12 July 2011)."Small Basic 1.0 is here!".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^abPrice, Ed (27 March 2015)."Small Basic 1.1 is here!".Small Basic.MSDN Blogs. Microsoft.Retrieved27 September2015.
- ^Price, Ed (29 April 2014)."Small Basic Curriculum".TechNet.Microsoft.Retrieved9 February2014.
- ^Price, Ed; Takahashi, Nonki (25 February 2014)."Small Basic Getting Started Guide".TechNet.Microsoft.Retrieved12 February2015.
- ^"Announcing Small Basic Online 1.0 – Public Preview".20 February 2019.
- ^"TechNet Wiki".17 January 2024.
- ^"System Requirements Kinect for Small Basic".ininet.org.
- ^Protalinski, Emil (17 November 2008)."Yet another programming language from Microsoft: Small Basic".Ars Technica.
Further reading
edit- Marji, Majed; Price, Ed (2016).Learn to Program with Small Basic: An Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math.No Starch Press.ISBN978-1593277024.
- Carlson, Edward H; Philip Conrod, Philip; Tylee Conrod, Lou (2013).Small Basic For Kids: A Computer Programming Tutorial.Kidware Software.ISBN978-1937161828.
- The Basics of Small Basicdiscussion with Vijaye Raji and Erik Meijer on SmallBasic
- Introduction to Small BasicArchived2010-07-11 at theWayback Machinediscussion with Vijaye Raji and Robert Hess on SmallBasic
- Microsoft Small Basic for.NETArchived2016-04-13 at theWayback MachineReview of Microsoft Small Basic, with sample application
- Category:Microsoft Small BasicTasks implemented in Microsoft Small Basic onrosettacode.org
External links
edit