The Basics of BASIC | GFA Beginners | Beginners to Windows

Getting Started with the GFA Enviroment

So, you've just download GFA then, this page will help you with the most common problems that you will come across. When I say checked on this page it means there is a tick or a cross in the box next to the option, un-checked means the box is empty.

Switching to English

GFA defaults to German when you first run it. The most common question I get asked by beginners about GFA is how to change it. Here's how:

• Click on the Config button.

• Un-check the 'Menu Deutsch' checkbox.

• Click on the Speichern button.

• Close GFA and then run it again.

• Enjoy the Englishness!

Other Config Options

The GFA help file describes some of the config options very poorly, I'll try to do a better job. :-)

• Minimize on Run
  When checked, this means that when you run your program, the GFA editor will minimize to the toolbar, as if you had pressed the _ button on the title bar. I recommend you check this.

• Restore after Run
  When checked, this means that the GFA editor will un-minimize when your program has finished. I recommend you check this.

• Save Pos/Size
  When checked, the GFA editor's position is saved when you quit, so when you next run it, it is in the same position. I recommend you check this.

• Merge Strip /* */
  When checked, comments marked with /*[COMMENT HERE]*/ are removed from a file you are merging into your code.

• Empty Lines
  When checked, empty lines are removed from a file you are merging into your code.

• Add Spaces
  Adds spaces into your code when checked (a=3 becomes a = 3).

• Create BAK
  GFA creates a back-up of the file you are saving over when this option is checked (it changes .GFW to .BAK). I recommend you check this.

• New Names
  This is a very useful option. When checked this will bring up a warning whenever you use a variable that you have never used before, saves a lot of time when you have typed in variable_name instead of variable_name%. I recommend you check this when you have got to a stage in a program where you aren't creating so many variables, if you have it on from the start it is really annoying.

• First Case
  When checked, GFA will remember the first way you typed in a variable name, and always make that variable appear the same. E.g. If you type in "HORSE=0" then typed in "horse=1" later on the, line would be converted to "HORSE=1". If this option is un-checked GFA uses the last way you typed in the name, so, in our example, the first line would become "horse=0" in that case.

• Autosave
  With this checked, GFA will save the code automatically as a file called AUTOSAVE.GFW. You can specify how many minutes you want to pass between saves (default 10). I recommend you check this.

• Save some Par.
  To be honest, I can't for the life of me work out what this does.

• Keep Defxxx
  A very useful option. You might not know what the DEFxxx commands do, so I'll try to explain. GFA uses suffixed characters to describe what type a variable is, as decribed in the GFA Beginners section. By default, if you put no suffix on a variable name then it will be a floating point variable. It is very rare you want to use floating point variables a lot, they are slow and best to only be used when really nessesary, so you can use the DEFxxx command to set the type of variable that will be used when you don't put a suffix on a variable name. Have a look in the help for all the different DEFxxx commands, the best to use are DEFWRD and DEFLNG (or DEFINT, they are the same). The Keep Defxxx option, when checked, tells GFA to remember what type of variable was default for each program, when un-checked GFA forgets and uses floats as the default when you load a program. Check this option! I can think of no reason why you would want it off!

• Mixed Case
  When checked, GFA commands have the first letter as a capital and the rest lower case. When un-checked, GFA commands are in all upper case. I would recommend un-checking this, it makes GFA commands stand out more from the rest of the code.

So, I hope that has made getting started a bit less painful, got any more questions? E-mail me!

The Basics of BASIC | GFA Beginners | Beginners to Windows