I understand all this, but SB is sandboxed, and regardless of file extensions for code or data, SB cannot access, say, MS Word files located in that app's sandbox, and even SB's access to Dropbox is also sandboxed, and can only access files or code in it. For example, if I want to access data from the Scrivener App on Dropbox, there is no way SB can go into that app's (or any other App's) Dropbox directories and read their files.
The only way for me as a developer to access data produced by another App is for me to physically put it there.
That is the same as all the other apps, except for File Manager, WinZip, FTP apps, etc. that are allowed to cross all sandboxes to move data.
But like those apps, we have to consciously move them. Only TechBASIC has it worse than SB. To get data into their sandbox, you need to first load it into iTunes, then copy it by hooking up your device to the PC. This means that somehow you either need to create the data on the PC or use a convoluted system to move data from one App on your mobile device to the TB sandox so you can copy it.
Because TechBASIC is a shell of what it used to be when it was the programming language on the Apple IIg (yes, TechBASIC is based on the version from Apple IIg, which was a great language), Mike had to gut it so he could add a full suite of code to access just about any kind of sensor and even robotics. So if you want to write a business or gaming app, TechBASIC isn't the language of choice - SmartBASIC is (my blog georgemcginn.comshould be up and running within this week), and I have a post that compares the two languages showing their strength and weaknesses. I even have a game that I wrote in both languages and a weather app which if I kept it's purpose could only be written in SamartBASIC.
IF you do like Henk and I and others, where I have one iPad that will never be updated to iOS 11+, all the features, including the camera will work, and after running it through XCode, because of the files and selecting the correct XCode version (8.2) most of the features will still work.
Like Henko, this year, since I do not have to move and I have spent most of last year developing a product that only Ricardo knows about and has been sworn to secrecy for now, I have a lot of vintage BASIC code I easily converted for SB which I will be posting here this year.
Let's keep interest in SB. I do most of my Cosmology work for scientists and university professors in SB because if they do not need sensors, SBhas more features than its competitor, TechBASIC does. And I really would hate to have to convert a lot of complex programs to TB, if it can be done at all.
rbytes wrote: ↑Mon Jan 28, 2019 6:29 pm
Apple is very selective about applying the no-import-code rule. They allow other programming apps such as Codea and Pythonista full access to the cloud to import their code. It seems Apple has singled out Smart Basic for punishment - perhaps because the reviewers discovered that the SB .txt extender limitation was easy to defeat. They seem to have decided that SB was cheating, so there will be no forgiveness and no appeal.
Still, they should not have objections to exporting via Dropbox, so rather than remove it entirely, maybe Mr. K could offer it as an export-only feature. Another option I hesitate to suggest (due to the programming involved) would be to parse any file selected to be imported via Dropbox, searching for SB command words. If any were found, the import would be prohibited.
At compiled speed, such a search could be done in a split second for virtually any SB program. Perhaps non-text files could be exempted, since SB programs are written as ASCII.
I agree with Matt7 - I have found no other programming app to equal SB in ease of coding, speed and power.
