The Sinclair QL Forum

Supports also a lot of other languages (e.g. Assembler, C, ...). Unfortunately all (Micro)EMACS have a steep learning curve. But if you can master it, you have one of the best editors available(!). (For Windows use Notepad++, but it's IMHO unfortunately only available for Windows)

AND: It's available (with good GUI) for nearly every system (even the Sinclair QL!):

Hi,

There is no reason to use external editors, when MicroEmacs is available with its HILITE mode and also can use Exuberant ctags, which make the programming exeprience easier.

I also use QD with Hyperhelp which gives help on the Q*BASIC keywords as help pages, if setup. Also QD/SBAS Thing to run the SBASIC interpreter or QBASIC to use QD to compile with Qliberator, gives an excellent programming environment.

But the Toolkit 2 ED is better than anything else.

Derek_Stewart wrote: Sun Feb 16, 2025 7:16 am But the Toolkit 2 ED is better than anything else.

Hi Derek,

I don't think so. You cannot even search for a variable in ED, and of course not replace a variable name with another.

In this case you must do it with another editor and load it back in ED. I'm currently thinking, if there's a possibility to write MicroEMACS Macros, which paste a line (e.g. via a [named] pipe) to a MultiBASIC command CONsole, to check if the syntax is OK and paste a result back to MicroEMACS, so that it can decide, if the line can be accepted.

The only advantage of ED is, that it checks the syntax (but not more) fore every line.

You guys should have a look at MasterBasic which is a bit of a hidden gem for S*BASIC programmers.

I agree that the QL does not need any external editors. I was a big fan of MicroEmacs a while back. All issues of the QHJ were done with MicroEmacs. It's macros allow for a lot of power. Lately I've switched to QED or QED2 due to its simplicity, its lightness and its work-alike of the first QL editor I used, Metacomco's ED.

Tim

swensont wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2025 12:43 amMetacomco's ED.

YEAH! This also has had been my first Editor on the QL.

Thanks Jan for your excellent (improved) copy of it!

tofro wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2025 11:32 pm You guys should have a look at MasterBasic which is a bit of a hidden gem for S*BASIC programmers.

It seems I have Masterbasic already loading up in my boot file, I had forgotten it was there, with all this talk of hilighting editors,

Masterbasic works on SMSQ/E and Minerva, QDOS, needs Turbo runtimes.

It lists all basic variables procedures, functions, very nice software and is free.

It is another software title I bought, but not freeware...

I'd like to second that reminder about the brilliant MasterBasic system from Ergon.

It's been a little while since I used it, but as far as an 'in-place' S*BASIC utility goes, there's nothing like it and it remains a tribute to the excellent design and execution by Ergon!

I still use TextPad on Windows with S*BASIC highlighting for most of my development, as I like the ease of copy/paste, but any tool that sits 'outside' the interpreter can only go so far in 'understanding' the syntax. MasterBasic, running with live access to the interpreter's data-structures on the other hand is able to go a step further.

And it's freeware these days!

I have just tried it under QPC (MBS151_task), the start window appears (Type any key...), then nothing....

Hi

Try pressing F1-F5

The Function key definitions can be redefined.

There is a good manual in Quill doc format.