Just when I thought I had finished working on my SooperDooper application, and created a self-installing EXE file, one of my chums emailed a request to add some enhancements to the program. Oh, drat! Now I have to go through all that stuff again! I better go to the JB Help file and brush up on Using the Runtime Engine.
"Don't take it so hard, Welopez. Updating an executable is not very difficult."
I know that voice... but it couldn't be! All my Worlbes went to Argentina to ski in the cool mountain air while it's over 110° here in Nevada. Then I spotted him, pushing his way across my desktop in a wheelchair smaller than a BB.
"Bickley!" I shouted. "What are you doing here? Err, how did you do that?" I asked when I noticed he had one leg propped in front of him and a cast extending from toe to hip.
"Well, there was this really mondo ski jump just a mile or so from the lodge where we were staying... and a lovely Senhorita... and...."
"Say no more, buddy. I'll bet now you wish you'd stayed at the lodge with a nice hot toddy and worked on your laptop?"
"Are you kidding? After I hit the ground and rolled half a dozen times, Senhorita Isabella took me in her arms and said she had never seen anything so brave. She called for an ambulance and I was rushed to the hospita. After my leg had been set, I was released and Isabella took me to her estancia for a week."
"A whole week? At a ranch in Argentina? Tell me, what happened next?"
"Worbles don't kiss and tell, Welopez... at least I don't. Anyway, her father felt I had been enough of a free loader and put me aboard a carrier pigeon headed for Newark. I escaped because the pigeon wanted to visit a lady pigeon performing with one of the magicians in Las Vegas and, when he wasn't looking, I just pushed my wheel chair out of there!"
I don't know if I look that gullible, or if Bickley thinks all humans are stupid just because he grew up inside a computer.
"So then, what's this easy way to update an executable, Bickley?"
"You made it easy for us when you created a project folder for your application, Welopez. All the files we need are there, including your newly updated BAS code and the help file you've edited. You added one text file for your program, and two images, but they're all in the same place, along with your runtime engine and the required SLL and DLL files."
"I know that, Bickley. I couldn't very well update my BAS program without the new text and images. But don't I have to create a new executable?"
"My goodness, no," he said. "Why would you want to create another folder and copy all those files again? No, no, that's too much work, and I can't be rushing all over the place in this wheel chair getting your files together, so we'll take a shortcut. Double-click on your new BAS code to open it in your editing window."
Since my Worbles usually are way ahead of me, I've learned to follow their instructions. Come to think of it, even glaciers are usually way ahead of me.
"No click on RUN and choose Make *.TKN file."
"Oh, I see," sez I to Worble Bickley. "We're going to replace the current TKN with a new TKN of this updated BAS code. Will that work? Don't I have to change the name of the runtime engine?"
"You've already changed jbrun100.exe to mySooperDooper.exe, Welopez. Just save this TKN file as mySooperDooper.tkn, making sure you use the exact filename as before. Your runtime engine will point to this TKN and run as smoothly as grass through a goose...!"
"Bickley, please! I'd rather not think of things like that. I just had my lunch!"
"Wuss!" he snorted. "Now, double-click on mySooperDooper.exe to test and make sure everything runs as you expect it to."
So I double-clicked. Voila! It did run! And all my changes and corrections were there! "Hey, this isn't so difficult after all," I told him.
"Now all you have to do is ZIP your folder, Welopez, and you can post the zip file on the web or send it to your chums."
"Don't I have to create a self-installing EXE, Bickley?"
"You can, if you plan to post the file on your web server and send only the download link to your chums, Welopez. In fact, that's probably the best idea because a lot of anti-virus and anti-spam programs will block files with an EXE extension so you won't be able to email the file to some users. If you post it on your server, then email the URL to your chums, they can click on the link to download and install your program. Downloading from a web server is usually quite a bit faster than downloading email anyway, and some email handlers balk at files larger than 1 MB, so you'll probably avoid some difficulties if you post the file instead."
These Worbles are so smart! I always learn from them, like when Phyllie walked me through creating a self-installing program using IExpress ( http://babek.info/libertybasicfiles/lbnews/nl134/iexpress.htm ), or the help Mike gave me when I wrote the tutorial for creating an EXE using WinRar ( http://jbusers.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=87#87 ). Okay, so Worlbes can be a little pushy and snobby sometimes... they're still a big help when it comes to learning how to program in Just Basic! Perhaps I will be glad when they get back from their vacation in South America. I never thought I would actually miss the little twerps, but I do!