Livecode 9.0.5 released!

The last version of livecode contains a lot of new features:

Infinity constant

The constant infinity has been added to the language in this release. As a result, the unquoted literal infinity is now reserved. Any existing uses of it should be quoted, as otherwise it will resolve to the floating point value representing infinity, rather than the string "infinity".

Math operation refactor

The math operations have been refactored to use common code for error checking. One of three different execution errors can now be thrown:"numeric: domain error" "numeric: range error (overflow)" "numeric: divide by zero". The error checking depends solely on the finiteness or otherwise of the operation's input(s) and output.
A domain error occurs when a math operation, given finite inputs, results in not-a-number (NaN) -this is the case when the function is not defined for the given inputs, for example acos(2); or the output does not exist in the extended real line (ℝ ∪ {−∞, +∞}), for example, sqrt(-1). A range error occurs when a math operation's output overflows given finite inputs, i.e. when the result is greater than the maximum value of a 64-bit floating point, for example 10^308 * 2.A divide by zero error occurs when a math operation causes division by zero either directly, for example 1/0 or 0^-1 or as part of its computation, for example 10 wrap 0. Math operations now do not throw execution errors when any of the inputs are non-finite, for example neither of (1^(-inf) + inf) / 2 = inf or sqrt(-inf) = NaN causes an execution error.

New container layer mode

Container layer mode support has been added to the accelerated rendering architecture.The container layer mode only has an effect on unadorned groups whose ancestors are alsocontainer layer mode unadorned groups.A container layer mode group provides a container for static and dynamic layers, allowing nestedgroups to also benefit from being cached for fast re-rendering.For more information, see the layerMode entry in the dictionary

Progress, isSecure and allowUserInteractinfeatures added to browserwidget

The message browserProgressChanged has been added to the browser widget to allow monitoring the progress of page loads.The property isSecure has been added to the browser widget to determine if the content of thecurrent URL has been loaded securely.The property allow UserInteraction has been added to the browser widget to control if the browser should respond to user input.See the dictionary for full documentation.

Deploy64-bit Windows standalones

You can now deploy 64-bit standalones for Windows. The Standalone Settings dialog now has a Windows x86 and a Windows x86_64 checkbox allowing you to choose to build either or both32-bit and 64-bit executables

New keyboardType field property

A new property has been added to fields to control the keyboard type displayed on the mobile keyboard.

NewAndroidArchitectures

Android builds now support four architectures. Previously android was built for armv6 only.Android is now built for armv7, arm64, x86 and x86_64.Checkboxes are included on in the Android standalone settings to choose which architectures toinclude in the build. When deploying your application via the Test button to a device the devicearchitecture will be detected and used even if not chosen in standalone settings.

New mobileSetKeyboardDisplay and mobileGetKeyboardDisplay handlers

A new command mobileSetKeyboardDisplay has been added to support a pan mode where the view is panned up if the currently focused field control is not visible when the keyboard is shown. Use mobileGetKeyboardDisplay to get the current mode. There are two modes supported:

• over - the default where the keyboard displays over the stack
• pan - the view is panned up the minimum amount required to ensure the foucused field isvisible

StaticlinkedcodelibrariesforiOSdevicebuilds

The standalone builder now supports .lcext compiled objects that link static libraries used by aLCB module to the module compiled as C++ using lc-compile's --forcebuiltins --outputauxc options. Additionally, the Using compiled librariessection of the Extending LiveCode guide has been updated to describe the creation of .lcextobjects

New layerClipRect control property

A new property 'layerClipRect' has been added to all controls. Use the layerClipRect property to clip an object's display to a rectangle. The clipping rectangleonly changes what part of the object is rendered, it has no effect on interaction; in particular,mouse events will still occur as they would without it being set

New log command and logMessage property

A new command (log) and global property (logMessage) have been added to allow an easy and low-cost method to disable or redirect script logs.The log command invokes the handler named by the logMessage as though the logMessage were directly written in the script. For backwards compatability the default value of the logMessage is log so any scripts that currently have a log handler will continue to work. To allow this log has been special cased as both a command name and a permitted handler name. If the logMessage is set to empty then the log command will not invoke any handler or evaluate any of the parameters in the argument list. In this example the log command will not be called with pInfo as loading resources whenthe uBuildMode of the stack is release

 on preOpenStack
  -- uBuildMode property set before building standalone 
  if the uBuildMode of this stack is "release" then 
   set the logMessage to empty 
  end if 
  loadResources 
 end preOpenStack 

 command loadResources 
   log "loading resources" 
 end loadResources 

 on log pInfo 
  -- unhandled put will go to system logs 
    put pInfo
 end log

New returnKeyType field property

A new property has been added to fields to control the return key type displayed on the mobile keyboard

Implement filter where clause

A new clause has been added to the filter command to filter where an expression evaluates to true. For example:
put "foo,bar,baz" into tList
filter items of tList where each begins with "b"  -- tList contains "bar,baz"

mobileSetKeyboardReturnKey on android

The mobileSetKeyboardReturnKey is now supported on android and theiphoneSetKeyboardReturnKey synonym is now deprecated

Accelerated DataGrid

The DataGrid has been updated to use the new container layer mode feature when running inform view mode.To take advantage of this, the datagrid must be at top-level or contained withing groups all havingcontainer layer mode set. It must have showBorder set to false, and the acceleratedRendering property must be enabled on the stack with appropriate compositor property settings. To get the maximum benefit from accelerated rendering, the behavior script for a row templateshould changing properties within the template unnecessarily. A new datagrid property minimal layout has been added. When this property is true, a rowtemplate will only receive the LayoutControl message if its data or its width or height haschanged as opposed to every time its rect changes (e.g. due to scrolling).

TreeViewwidget

The tree view widget now will automatically expand to reveal a row when it is selected. If scrollHilitedElementIntoView is not true then the scroll position will be adjusted to maintainthe currently visible top row. The tree view widget now has the ability to get and set the fold state of the selected element viathe hilitedElementFoldState property. Values are folded, unfolded, and leaf.Setting a value other than folded or unfolded will throw an error. Setting a value when nothing is selected or setting a value on a leaf node will have no effect. The autoFoldStateReset boolean property is added to allow the fold state to be reset when thearray data is set. Default value is false to match existing behavior. The tree view widget now has the ability to automatically select a new row when it is added. The tree view widget now has the ability to scroll the selected row into view. If true, this willhappen when setting the arrayData, setting the hilitedElement, and when adding a new row (when hiliteNewElement is true).Two properties have been added to achieve these options:

• hiliteNewElement: either true or false
• scrollHilitedElementIntoView: either true or false

The default values for both are false to match the behavior of previous versions of the widget. When selecting a row that is partially visible, the view will be adjusted so that the full row is visible. When changing the readOnly property, the view will only change position if the value is being setto true and the Add new elementrow is currently visible. The tree view widget now has the ability to get and set the fold state.One property has been added to achieve this option: foldState array. The fold state array is structured as follows: [key1] ["folded"] ["array"] [subkey1] ["folded"] [key2] ["folded"]

Mac Status Menu library

An mac status menu library has been added. Use the new library to create, delete and setproperties on a status menu. The menu's items property uses the familiar menu text formatfrom LiveCode menus

AndroidUtilitiesmoduleAndroidPermissionChecking

The ability to check Android permissions in LCB has been added to the android utility module. Use these handlers to check and request permissions before accessing resources (e.g. cameraaccess). The following handler have been added:

• AndroidRequestPermission - Display a dialog requesting a given permission.
• AndroidPermissionExists - Check to see if a given permission name is valid.
• AndroidHasPermission - Check to see if a given permission has been granted. 

Just for Indy e Business versions

PDFWidget

A PDF widget has been implemented for all platforms with the exception of HTML5 and is available in LiveCode Business. The widget has a wide range of properties allowing you to alter the appearance of the widget, the way the user can interact with the document and providing details about the loaded document.

Android Barcode Scanning Widget

A new Android widget had been added that allows for scanning of barcodes using the device'scamera. Multiple barcodes can be detected in a single frame. Turning the guide on will set the widget tosingle detect mode, with only barcodes overlapping the guide being detected. Callbacks are sent on barcode detection and removal.See the dictionary for full details.
The barcode widget has the following properties:

• device: The camera device to use.
• previewWidth: The width of the camera's resolution.
• previewHeight: The height of the camera's resolution.
• previewFPS: The camera's frame rate.
• overlayShowLabels: If labels should be displayed on top of each detected 
• barcode.overlayShowRects: If rectangles should be displayed around each detected 
• barcode.overlayShowGuide: If the scanning guide should be displayed.
• overlayLabelColor: The color of any barcode labels .
• overlayRectColor: The color of any barcode rectangles.
• acceptedFormats: A list of barcode types to detect.
• snapshotMode: If and when a snapshot should be taken of the barcode.

The barcode widget sends the following messages:

• barcodeDetected: Sent when a new barcode is detected.
• barcodeRemoved: Sent when a previously detected barcode is no longer in the frame.
• barcodeClicked: Sent when a detected barcode has been clicked by the us

Android Barcode Library

A new Android library has been added that provides functionality for detecting barcodes inimages. The library defines the function barcodeLibraryDetect which takes an image and returns anarray of detected barcodes. See the dictionary for full details

Text margins

Default margins are 8 pixel from the border:

We can change them in many ways: with the property margins, all to a single value:

on mouseUp
   set the margins of field 1 to 0
end mouseUp

or with margins and all four different values:

on mouseUp
   set the margins of field 1 to 2,10,10,0
end mouseUp

Or with the single properties: topMargin, rightMargin , bottomMargin , leftMargin.

Multitouch

When you have a touch devices, like mobile phones and tablets, it is useful to manage the touch of multiple fingers simultaneously. Many programs, in fact, are easier to use with the touch of more fingers, such as zoom effects.

Livecode has also incorporated a system to manage multitouch without limit to the number of fingers that can be used simultaneously. This system works on Android and iOS.

The messages to be intercepted are: touchStart, touchMove and touchEnd.

For each of us we have a disposition a unique identifier (tID) of the finger a contact with the screen, which is presented by a number.

• touchStart is sent as soon as a finger touches the screen
• touchMove is sent when a finger scrolls across the screen, including the position (X, Y) of the finger
• touchEnd is sent as soon as a finger comes off the screen

For example, the following code show the position, the instant by instant, of the fingers on the screen.

on touchstart tID
   lock screen
   create field ("finger" & tID)
   set the width of the field ("dito" & tID) to 250
   put "1," & (22 * tID) into temp #posizione
   set the topleft of the field ("dito" & tID) to temp
   create graphic ("finger" & tID)
   set the opaque of graphic ("finger" & tID) to True
   set the style of graphic ("finger" & tID) to oval
   put (25 * tID) & comma & (25 * tID) & comma & (25 * tID) into temp #colore
   set the backgroundcolor of graphic ("finger" & tID) to temp
   set the width of graphic ("finger" & tID) to 30
   set the height of graphic ("finger" & tID) to 30
   unlock screen
end touchstart

on touchend tID
   delete field ("finger" & tID)
   delete graphic ("finger" & tID)
end touchend

on touchmove tID, tX, tY
   set the text of field ("dito" & tID) to ("il dito " & tID & " si trova in " & tX & comma & tY)
   set the loc of graphic ("dito" & tID) to (tX & comma & tY)
end touchmove

This is the result on a Android device:

Shrink images

Today we will see how to create a program that reads an image, resizes it and saves it resized.
Let's create a new stack and let's put a button to ask for the file of the image we want. Livecode can import the following formats as images: GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, XWD, XBM, XPM, PBM, PGM, PPM, PICT, EPS.
To avoid overloading the code I limit myself to the most common formats, so the button code will be:

on mouseUp
   if there is an image 1 then
      delete the last image
   end if
   answer file "Select imaage, please:"
   put it into temp
   set itemdel to "."      
   if the last item of tolower(temp) is not among the items of "jpg.gif.png.jpeg.bmp" then
      answer "That file is not a supported format."
      exit MouseUp
   end if   
   import paint from file temp
   set the top of the last image to 75
   set the resizeQuality of last image to "best"
   set the inw of the last image to the width of the last image
   set the inh of the last image to the height of the last image
   set the intl of the last image to the topleft of the last image
end mouseUp

Let's explain it:

•      we delete a possible image already present
•      we ask for the location of the file
•      we check that the file extension is one of those we like
•      we import the image, this operation creates a new image
•      we move it so that it does not cover the button
•      we set the quality for image editing on best (best)
•      we save the initial width, height and position

Then we put a scrollbar we will call scale, and a button to save. If all went well, we will have something like this:

Scrollbar code is:

on scrollbarDrag newPosition
   put the inw of the last image into iniW
   put the inH of the last image into iniH
   put the inTl of the last image into iniTl
   set the width of the last image to round(iniW * newPosition / 100)
   set the height of the last image to round(iniH * newPosition / 100)
   set the topleft of the last image to iniTl
end scrollbarDrag

As you can see, original data are saved, so we can't lose image details.

Now let's see save button code:

on mouseUp
   ask file "New file name:"
   export last image to file it as JPEG
end mouseUp



The export command supports: PBM, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG .

 Now you can enjoy with this program

Moving an image along a path

When you have to move an object along a path or do an animation, many programmers lose days or weeks to calculate the formula that mathematically describes the path or animation.

Livecode allows you to avoid this and simply do it by hand!

As an example, I'll show you how to make a ball bounce in less than a minute.

First draw the ball directly in Livecode, just press the oval button, make a circle and then indicate the colors of the gradients, to have something like this:

Let's call it "ball".
Then we create a path, which we will call "mypath", by pressing the freehand button and drawing the trajectory of the ball by hand, obtaining something similar to this:

Make invisible the path and then create a Start button with this code:

on mouseUp
   move graphic "ball" to the points of graphic "mypath" in 10 sec
end mouseUp

Pushing the butto this will be the result:

Just one line of code! (thank livecode)

Photoroom

Today I'll show you a livecode program to edit images: PhotoRoom.

This software mad with livecode has hundreds of effects and show how is possible to edit image with livecode:
Here you can download the source, and here are the standalones that works without the IDE:

• Windows
• Linux
• Mac

Printing on multiple pages

If you need to print on multiple pages, the best way is to create a substack as a template. This template will be also the first pages, prepare the text and just change content with the text or htmltext property.
Then clone it, so you have the second page; change the text and so on...

clone this card

A the end, just use this to print (pdf or you preferred printer):

open printing to pdf nomefile
go to card 1
print this stack   
close printing

Now you have to delete all pages except the first one, just use this code:

put the number of cards into temp
repeat with temp2 = temp down to 2
   delete card temp2
end repeat