| Appeared in | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Robert 'Bob' Zale |
| Influenced by | Turbo Basic |
| Website | http://www.powerbasic.com |
PowerBASIC is the brand of several commercial compilers by Venice, Florida-based PowerBASIC Inc. that compile a dialect of the BASIC programming language. The DOS versions have a syntax similar to that of QBasic and QuickBASIC, while the Windows versions utilize a standard BASIC syntax that can be combined with calls to the Windows API similar to other Windows programming languages. The first version was published as BASIC/Z; later it was distributed by Borland as Turbo Basic; and since 1989 it has been known as PowerBASIC.[1][2]
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The first version was published as BASIC/Z, the very first interactive compiler for CP/M and MDOS. Later it was extended to MS-DOS/PC-DOS, and in 1987 Borland published it as Turbo Basic. In 1990, it was reborn as PowerBASIC. [3]
PowerBASIC programs are self-contained and do not require a runtime file to execute. In all versions of the compiler the applications are compiled with no external libraries.
PBDOS includes an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and supports DOS 3.30 and all later versions.[4]
PBCC is a 32-bit compiler, compatible with the Windows 9x series and the Windows NT series of operating systems, including Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista and Windows 7. PBCC applications can use Dynamic Link Libraries. The compiler is packaged with an IDE including an editor and stepping debugger.
No knowledge of Windows programming is required to create character mode or limited graphical applications with this compiler. However, access to the Windows API and Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLS) from third parties is possible. These resources can be used to create applications with the Windows graphical user interface in addition to the basic console applications. Common Gateway Interface executables can also be compiled using PBCC
It is not possible to compile DLLs with PBCC.
PBWin is a 32-bit compiler compatible with the Windows 9x series and the Windows NT series of operating systems, including Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista and Windows 7.[5] PBWin can create Dynamic Link Libraries. PBWin applications can read Dynamic Link Libraries. The compiler is packaged with an IDE including an editor and stepping debugger.
Graphical user interface applications can be created either by using the Windows API, or by using the inbuilt DDT language extensions. These comprise a collection of BASIC statements which appear to wrap Windows API functions, particularly in the area of the creation and handling of dialog boxes and child controls. Less coding is required to create a DDT application than to create a similar one using the Windows API. DDT programming and programming using the Windows API (known as SDK style as in Microsoft Windows SDK) are not mutually exclusive.
PowerBASIC Forms, a graphical user interface design tool, is available as an add-on for PowerBASIC for Windows. It produces source code using the DDT language extension to create forms using the Windows graphical user interface.
The PowerBASIC COM Browser is an application that exposes the Interfaces, Methods, and Properties of COM Objects, as described by type-library files. The PowerBASIC COM Browser serves to export an Interface Structure of a COM Object for early-binding purposes in PowerBASIC code, and to provide syntax reference and context-help on the Interface members exposed by a COM Object. [6] The COM Browser currently ships with PBWin.
PowerBASIC is a native-code BASIC compiler whose reported merits are its simplicity of use and its speed compared to other languages.[7][8]
Hello world is used to give a very small example of the syntax used by a programming language and is often the smallest possible program for any given programming language.
FUNCTION PBMAIN() PRINT "Hello, World!" END FUNCTION
This is a example of a PBCC hello world program. By default PBCC creates a console at run time for displaying output.
FUNCTION PBMAIN() MSGBOX "Hello, World!" END FUNCTION
An PBWin example of "Hello World". In contrast to PBCC, PBWin does not create any windows on program start-up to support printing of the Hello World text output. However a dialog box can be created to display the message without extra lines of code.
PBWin and PBCC support optional Object-Oriented Programming in the form of COM classes. In-process and out-of-process COM Servers can also be built using these compilers.
PowerBASIC provides an online forum for users in a Peer-to-Peer context to share knowledge and ask questions about programming with PowerBASIC.[9] On 4 January 2011 the forum had 4,873 members and contained 45,379 threads comprising 359,962 posts subscribed since August 26, 1998. The Source Code Forum contained 3,420 threads. Source: vBulletin statistics from the forum on 4 January 2011.[10]