Learn to Program with Small Basic: An Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math

Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
About the Authors
Brief Contents
Contents in Detail
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Who Should Read This Book?
What’s in This Book?
Online Resources
A Note to the Reader
Chapter 1: Introducing Small Basic
What Is a Computer?
What Is a Computer Program?
What Is Small Basic?
The Vision of Small Basic
The Basics of Small Basic
The Small Basic Language
The Small Basic Library
The Small Basic Development Environment
Installing Small Basic
The Small Basic IDE
Opening and Saving Your Work
Sharing Your Work and Importing Games
Copy and Paste; Undo and Redo
Running Your Program and Graduating
Writing and Running Your First Program
Objects and Methods
Naming Your Programs
Files Generated by Small Basic
Helping Hands: IntelliSense and Syntax Coloring
Drawing with Small Basic
Try It Out 1-1
Programming Challenges
Chapter 2: Getting Started
The Parts of a Program
Comments and Statements
Characters and Strings
Arguments and Methods
Try It Out 2-1
Exploring Other Features
Case Sensitivity
Sequential Execution
Displaying Numbers and Doing Math
Joining Strings
Try It Out 2-2
Object Properties
Setting and Changing Property Values
Working with Properties
Try It Out 2-3
Arithmetic Operators
Try It Out 2-4
Programming Errors
Syntax Errors
Logic Errors
Runtime Errors
Programming Challenges
Chapter 3: Drawing Basics
The Graphics Coordinate System
Drawing Lines
Drawing Shapes
Triangles
Try It Out 3-1
Rectangles and Squares
Try It Out 3-2
Ellipses and Circles
Pen Size and Color
Pen Width and Shape Size
Try It Out 3-3
Drawing Text
Inserting Images
Programming Challenges
Chapter 4: Using Variables
What’s a Variable?
The Basics of Using Variables
Assigning Expressions to Variables
Passing Variables to Methods
Changing the Value of a Variable
Using Spaces for Readability
Try It Out 4-1
Rules for Naming Variables
Say What You Mean
Find the Right Length
Stick with Your Style
Let IntelliSense Work for You
Avoid Naming Variables After Methods and Objects
Try It Out 4-2
Simplifying Expressions
Try It Out 4-3
Using Variables to Solve Problems
Try It Out 4-4
Two Kinds of Data
Global Variables
Try It Out 4-5
Programming Challenges
Chapter 5: Drawing Shapes with Turtle Graphics
Meet the Turtle
Moving the Turtle
Absolute Motion
Relative Motion
Coloring Your Steps
Controlling Your Speed
Try It Out 5-1
Introducing the For Loop
Try It Out 5-2
Drawing Regular Polygons
A Star Is Born
Try It Out 5-3
Creating Polygon Art Using Nested Loops
Try It Out 5-4
Endless Graphics
Try It Out 5-5
Programming Challenges
Chapter 6: Getting User Input
Talking to the Computer
Your Number, Please?
Introducing Yourself to Your Computer
Writing Prompts for Input
A Moment of Silence, Please (Pause)
Working with User Input
Converting Fahrenheit to Celsius
Try It Out 6-1
Averaging Numbers
Reading Text
Try It Out 6-2
Programming Challenges
Chapter 7: Empowering Programs with Math
Exponent Methods
SquareRoot() and Good Old Pythagoras
Powerful Powers
Try It Out 7-1
Rounding Methods
Traditional Rounding
Rounding to the Nearest Hundredth
Try It Out 7-2
Abs(), Min(), and Max() Methods
Try It Out 7-3
The Remainder() Method
Try It Out 7-4
Random Numbers
Try It Out 7-5
Trigonometric Methods
Try It Out 7-6
Programming Challenges
Chapter 8: Making Decisions with If Statements
The If Statement
Relational Operators
Try It Out 8-1
Complex If Conditions
Try It Out 8-2
Comparing Strings
The If/Else Statement
Try It Out 8-3
Nested If and If/Else Statements
Try It Out 8-4
The Goto Statement
Try It Out 8-5
Programming Challenges
Chapter 9: Using Decisions to Make Games
The If/ElseIf Ladder
Letter Grades
The Bug on the Ladder
Try It Out 9-1
Let’s Get Logical
Logical Operators in the Zoo
The And Operator
The Or Operator
The Cosmic Order of Evaluation
Try It Out 9-2
The Shapes Object
Try It Out 9-3
Create a Game: Guess My Coordinates
Step 1: Open the Startup File
Step 2: Set Up the Game
Step 3: Hide the Star
Step 4: Let the User Guess
Try It Out 9-4
Programming Challenges
Chapter 10: Solving Problems with Subroutines
Why Use Subroutines?
Writing Subroutines
Try It Out 10-1
Subroutine Input and Output
Try It Out 10-2
Nesting Subroutines
Try It Out 10-3
Create a Dragon Game
Step 1: Open the Startup File
Step 2: Write the SetUp() Subroutine
Step 3: Add a Bit of Chance
Step 4: Let the Player Know What’s Going On
Step 5: Get the Player in the Game with GetChoice()
Step 6: Process the Player’s Choice
Step 7: Add Motion with MoveKnight()
Step 8: Shoot Arrows with ShootArrow()
Step 9: Swing the Sword with StabDragon()
Step 10: Breathe Fire
Try It Out 10-4
Programming Challenges
Chapter 11: Event-Driven Programming
GraphicsWindow Events
Create Patterns with the MouseDown Event
Try It Out 11-1
Fire Missiles with the KeyDown Event
Try It Out 11-2
Make a Typewriter Using the TextInput Event
Try It Out 11-3
Draw Pictures with the MouseMove Event
Try It Out 11-4
Useful Tips
Create a Gold Rush Game
Step 1: Open the Startup File
Step 2: Move the Turtle
Step 3: Move the Bag of Gold
Step 4: Update the User’s Score
Try It Out 11-5
Programming Challenges
Chapter 12: Building Graphical User Interfaces
Design a User Interface with the Controls Object
Step 1: The Design Phase
Step 2: Program Interactivity
Try It Out 12-1
Make a Colorful Drawing Program
Try It Out 12-2
Explore Circuits with Code
Step 1: Open the Startup File
Step 2: Add the Main Code
Step 3: Toggle the Switch
Step 4: Respond to Changes
Step 5: Update the Program’s Interface
Try It Out 12-3
Program Your Own Image Viewer
Try It Out 12-4
Programming Challenges
Chapter 13: Repeating For Loops
The For Loop
Try It Out 13-1
Magical Moving Text
Try It Out 13-2
Adding ’em Up
Try It Out 13-3
Formatting Your Output
Try It Out 13-4
Drawing All Kinds of Lines
Try It Out 13-5
Changing the Step Size
Counting Down by Twos
Making a Fractional Step
Try It Out 13-6
Nested Loops
Tessellating for Fun
Try It Out 13-7
Multiple Nesting Levels
Try It Out 13-8
Programming Challenges
Chapter 14: Creating Conditional While Loops
When to Use While Loops
Writing a While Loop
Try It Out 14-1
Validating Your Inputs
Try It Out 14-2
Infinite Loops
Try It Out 14-3
Create a Rock-Paper-Scissors Game
Step 1: Open the Startup File
Step 2: Add the MouseDown Handler
Step 3: Switch the Images
Step 4: Announce the Winner
Try It Out 14-4
Programming Challenges
Chapter 15: Grouping Data in One-Dimensional Arrays
Getting Started with Indexed Arrays
Array Basics
Initializing Arrays
Try It Out 15-1
Filling Arrays with a For Loop
Constant Initialization
Random Initialization
Formula Initialization
User Initialization
Try It Out 15-2
Displaying Arrays
Try It Out 15-3
Processing Arrays
Finding the Sum
Finding the Maximum Element
Using String Values in Arrays
Try It Out 15-4
Saving Records
Using Indexed Arrays
Random Selection
A Magic 8 Ball
Try It Out 15-5
Create the Catch Apples Game
Step 1: Open the Startup File
Step 2: Add the Apples
Step 3: Position the Apples
Step 4: Move the Apples
Step 5: Catch or Miss
Try It Out 15-6
Programming Challenges
Chapter 16: Storing Data with Associative Arrays
Associative Arrays
Putting Associative Arrays to Use
Days in French
Try It Out 16-1
Storing Records
Try It Out 16-2
The Array Object
Is It an Array?
How Big Is an Array?
Does It Have a Particular Index?
Does It Have a Particular Value?
Give Me All the Indices
Try It Out 16-3
Your Computer the Poet
Step 1: Open the Startup File
Step 2: Set Up the Graphical User Interface
Step 3: Respond to Button Clicks
Step 4: Write the Poem’s First Line
Step 5: Write the Poem’s Second and Third Lines
Try It Out 16-4
Programming Challenges
Chapter 17: Expanding to Higher-Dimension Arrays
Two-Dimensional Arrays
A Random Matrix
Try It Out 17-1
A Matrix with User Input
Animated Squares
Try It Out 17-2
Using String Indices
Try It Out 17-3
Going Interactive
Try It Out 17-4
Common Operations on Numerical 2D Arrays
Step 1: Add All Elements
Step 2: Find the Sum of Each Column
Try It Out 17-5
Arrays of Three or More Dimensions
Try It Out 17-6
Create a Treasure Map Game
Step 1: Open the Startup File
Step 2: Create the GUI Elements
Step 3: Start a New Game
Step 4: Create a New Treasure Map
Step 5: Draw Objects on the Map
Step 6: Show the Player’s Location
Step 7: Handle Button Clicks
Try It Out 17-7
Programming Challenges
Chapter 18: Advanced Text Magic
The Text Object
Appending Strings and Getting Their Length
Try It Out 18-1
Taking Strings Apart: Substrings
Try It Out 18-2
Changing Case
Try It Out 18-3
Character Coding with Unicode
Try It Out 18-4
Practical Examples with Strings
Counting Special Characters
Try It Out 18-5
Palindrome Number Checker
Try It Out 18-6
Igpay Atinlay
Try It Out 18-7
Fix My Spelling
Try It Out 18-8
Unscramble
Try It Out 18-9
Rhyme Time: The House That Jack Built
Try It Out 18-10
Programming Challenges
Chapter 19: Receiving File Input and Output
The Case for Files
Naming Files
File Organization
The File Object
File I/O Methods
Try It Out 19-1
Try It Out 19-2
File Management
Practical Programs
The Poet
Math Wizard
Try It Out 19-3
Programming Challenges
Where to Go from Here
Index
Updates
Footnotes