RPL Newbie

[larthurl]

Looks like Santa is going to deliver a HP Prime to my stocking this year.
I've been a long time (40 years plus) RPN user and now am interested in learning RPL.

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

.....Art

[Joe Horn]

(12-18-2017 12:03 AM)larthurl Wrote:  Looks like Santa is going to deliver a HP Prime to my stocking this year.
I've been a long time (40 years plus) RPN user and now am interested in learning RPL.

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

My first suggestion would be to contact Santa and convince him to bring you an HP 50g (which speaks RPL) instead of an HP Prime (which doesn't).

[Voldemar]

There is no RPL in HP Prime, but HP Prime is good enough as an RPN calculator. Santa will do well.

[pier4r]

(12-18-2017 12:03 AM)larthurl Wrote:  -

learn HPPL instead, it should be easier than RPL. For RPL you need a 48/49/50 series.

For RPN, you have the dm42! (I saw it in the other thread)

[larthurl]

(12-18-2017 04:32 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 12:03 AM)larthurl Wrote:  Looks like Santa is going to deliver a HP Prime to my stocking this year.
I've been a long time (40 years plus) RPN user and now am interested in learning RPL.

Any suggestions on how to proceed?

My first suggestion would be to contact Santa and convince him to bring you an HP 50g (which speaks RPL) instead of an HP Prime (which doesn't).

Don't blame Santa. It was the Big Kid on his lap that was confused.
Thanks

[larthurl]

(12-18-2017 10:09 AM)pier4r Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 12:03 AM)larthurl Wrote:  -

learn HPPL instead, it should be easier than RPL. For RPL you need a 48/49/50 series.

For RPN, you have the dm42! (I saw it in the other thread)

So HPPL is on the Prime?
Santa wants to know

[David Hayden]

(12-18-2017 04:29 PM)larthurl Wrote:  So HPPL is on the Prime?
Santa wants to know

Correct, except I think there's one more P. It's HPPPL: HP Prime Programming Language. This is a high-level language with a syntax reminiscent of Pascal. It has a steeper learning curve than the RPN keystroke-programmable calculators, but the flexibility and intuitiveness make it worth it.

[larthurl]

(12-18-2017 05:08 PM)David Hayden Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 04:29 PM)larthurl Wrote:  So HPPL is on the Prime?
Santa wants to know

Correct, except I think there's one more P. It's HPPPL: HP Prime Programming Language. This is a high-level language with a syntax reminiscent of Pascal. It has a steeper learning curve than the RPN keystroke-programmable calculators, but the flexibility and intuitiveness make it worth it.

Am I correct in thinking that the Prime can also be programmed in RPN?

.....Art

[Voldemar]

(12-18-2017 07:22 PM)larthurl Wrote:  the Prime can also be programmed in RPN?

No

[salvomic]

(12-18-2017 07:45 PM)Voldemar Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 07:22 PM)larthurl Wrote:  the Prime can also be programmed in RPN?

No

Programming no, but use RPN mode yes (and in a nice way)!

[grsbanks]

(12-18-2017 05:08 PM)David Hayden Wrote:  Correct, except I think there's one more P. It's HPPPL: HP Prime Programming Language. This is a high-level language with a syntax reminiscent of Pascal. It has a steeper learning curve than the RPN keystroke-programmable calculators, but the flexibility and intuitiveness make it worth it.

It is also pretty fast running pre-compiled code on a 400MHz CPU.

[larthurl]

(12-18-2017 07:45 PM)Voldemar Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 07:22 PM)larthurl Wrote:  the Prime can also be programmed in RPN?

No

I meant keystroke programming while using RPN

[grsbanks]

(12-18-2017 09:51 PM)larthurl Wrote:  I meant keystroke programming while using RPN

Still no

The HP Prime is programmed in HP-PPL and that's it.

[Randall]

My first calculator was the HP35 many years ago followed by the 48gx, 49g+, and 50g. The latter have a large software library. I often used a power system load flow and a financial program in the field where a full blown pc was hard to set up much less use. I still use the 50g for specialized problems.

As mentioned rpl is not compatible with prime hpppl, but I took the plunge and bought one about 2 years ago. I worked my way through the quick start guide which gives an overview of the prime.

It has many nice features: color, touch screen, and, in my opinion, nice design. Even though the 50g and prime are very different, I used the solver on the 50g and the prime to find the root of the same function. Both got the same answer but the prime was blazingly fast.

The prime software library is much smaller than the 50g, but the prime hasn't been around nearly as long either.

Although this dates me, I took a pascal class when it was a regular course offering. The prime hpppl syntax is very similar to pascal. I have written a few short programs and one of a few hundred lines.

I had and still have difficulty adapting to the prime user interface. Got a bit easier when I stopped trying to extrapolate from the 50g and simply started learning the prime from scratch.

I use a calculator at work and take it to meetings (for which I am kidded). Recently, the kidding briefly stopped when I got a numerical answer before the youngsters could input the first factor of the required 2 factor authentication on their portable devices.

I would suggest getting the prime with the new key color scheme. From the posts here, hp did not change the model number because the hardware did not change.

The new color scheme makes the keys easier to read especially in darker light conditions. The new color scheme can be identified by the dark blue color on the shift key. The shift key on my older unit is pale blue. If you search on the words -key color- under the prime post area you can see the 2 keyboards side by side.

Hope santa comes through.

Randy

[larthurl]

(12-19-2017 08:10 AM)grsbanks Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 09:51 PM)larthurl Wrote:  I meant keystroke programming while using RPN

Still no

The HP Prime is programmed in HP-PPL and that's it.

thx grsbanks.

I guess I'll stop asking the question in different ways. Seems I keep get the same answer

[larthurl]

(12-19-2017 07:21 PM)Randall Wrote:  My first calculator was the HP35 many years ago followed by the 48gx, 49g+, and 50g. The latter have a large software library. I often used a power system load flow and a financial program in the field where a full blown pc was hard to set up much less use. I still use the 50g for specialized problems.

As mentioned rpl is not compatible with prime hpppl, but I took the plunge and bought one about 2 years ago. I worked my way through the quick start guide which gives an overview of the prime.

It has many nice features: color, touch screen, and, in my opinion, nice design. Even though the 50g and prime are very different, I used the solver on the 50g and the prime to find the root of the same function. Both got the same answer but the prime was blazingly fast.

The prime software library is much smaller than the 50g, but the prime hasn't been around nearly as long either.

Although this dates me, I took a pascal class when it was a regular course offering. The prime hpppl syntax is very similar to pascal. I have written a few short programs and one of a few hundred lines.

I had and still have difficulty adapting to the prime user interface. Got a bit easier when I stopped trying to extrapolate from the 50g and simply started learning the prime from scratch.

I use a calculator at work and take it to meetings (for which I am kidded). Recently, the kidding briefly stopped when I got a numerical answer before the youngsters could input the first factor of the required 2 factor authentication on their portable devices.

I would suggest getting the prime with the new key color scheme. From the posts here, hp did not change the model number because the hardware did not change.

The new color scheme makes the keys easier to read especially in darker light conditions. The new color scheme can be identified by the dark blue color on the shift key. The shift key on my older unit is pale blue. If you search on the words -key color- under the prime post area you can see the 2 keyboards side by side.

Hope santa comes through.

Randy

Thanks Randy.
If I do get a Prime, luckily (I think) i don't have to unlearn RPL since I've never used a 48,49,50. My experience is RPN keystroke programming, very rusty by now since I really haven' used it in 20 + years.
I've also never used PASCAL, but am willing to give the Prime HPPPC a try.
So it should be fun, if not time consuming.

.....Art

[toml_12953]

(12-18-2017 07:45 PM)Voldemar Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 07:22 PM)larthurl Wrote:  the Prime can also be programmed in RPN?

No

If you run the RPN program (available elsewhere in this forum) you can run many RPN programs.

[Voldemar]

(12-19-2017 11:51 PM)toml_12953 Wrote:  If you run the RPN program (available elsewhere in this forum) you can run many RPN programs.

Really? I did not know. How to find this program?

[toml_12953]

(12-20-2017 12:51 AM)Voldemar Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 11:51 PM)toml_12953 Wrote:  If you run the RPN program (available elsewhere in this forum) you can run many RPN programs.

Really? I did not know. How to find this program?

Try this thread:

http://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-838...hlight=rpl

[Tim Wessman]

(12-19-2017 09:11 PM)larthurl Wrote:  If I do get a Prime, luckily (I think) i don't have to unlearn RPL since I've never used a 48,49,50. My experience is RPN keystroke programming, very rusty by now since I really haven' used it in 20 + years.
I've also never used PASCAL, but am willing to give the Prime HPPPC a try.
So it should be fun, if not time consuming.

Here's an example program included with the latest beta for a game. If you feel you can read and follow this, you shouldn't have too much trouble doing fairly basic things I think.

Where it gets tricky is trying to integrate CAS calculations in and we still have some work there to make it easier.

Code:

// This example program is a "tunnel" game.
// A game where the player guides a triangle
// in a randomly moving tunnel and needs to
// avoid hitting the sides.

// first, we place a pragma directive to indicate
// which settings we use in our program and
// avoid compilation errors if the calculator
// does not match our settings
#pragma mode( separator(.,;) integer(h32) )


// Points is an exported, global variable
// in order to allow the user to see his score
// even after the program has ended.
// Had we not put the variable as a global
// this would have not be possible
export Points= 0;

// Tunnel is the main function of the program
export Tunnel()
begin
  // First, we initialize all the variables and items
  // used by the program.
  
  // Set the point counter to 0
  Points:= 0;
  // detect the screen width and height
  local width= grobw_p(G0), height= grobh_p(G0);
  // playery is the vertical position of the player on the
  // screen. We initialize it at 1/2 the screen
  local playery= height/2;
  // space will we the width of the tunnel
  // we initialize it at 1/4 of the screen height
  local space= height/4;
  // topy will be the location of the tunnel on the
  // screen. We initialize it centered on the screen
  local topy= (height-space)/2;
  // G1 will be used to draw outside of the
  // screen in order to reduce flicker.
  // we make G1 the same size as the screen and erase it
  dimgrob_p(G1, width, height, #FFFFFF);
  // speed is the number of millisecond in between frames
  // we start at 300ms and we slowly decrease it to make the game harder
  local speed= 300;
  // nextFrame will contain the time when we need to display the next
  // frame. This is set to now plus the speed
  local nextFrame= ticks+speed;
  // nextspeedup contains the moment when we want to next increase the
  // dificulty of the game by speeding it up AND reducing the tunnel size
  local nextspeedup= ticks+10000;
  // movespeed contains the number of pixels by which the user can move per frame
  local movespeed= 5;
  // positions will contain a list of topy/space pairs associated with all the tunnel
  // segments visible on the screen. This will be used to test for collision
  // The tunnel is generated on the right and slowly moves left
  // collisions will only be detected on the left. So, we need to
  // record every new right position, and keep it in memory until it becomes
  // the left position and is used for collision test. This is what is saved here
  // We initializes the list with the screen height as the full screen is valid at the begining.
  local positions= makelist({0, height}, I, 0, width/4);

  // we now get to the core of the game
  // while the player is "in the tunnel" (tested by comparing the user position
  // with the leftmost position in the position list
  // the +15 comes from the fact that the user triangle is 15 pixels heigh
  while playery>positions(1,1) and playery+15<positions(1,2) do
    // Draw the new part of the tunnel. A top and bottom blue part and a middle white
    rect_p(G1, width-5, 0, width-1, topy, #FF); 
    rect_p(G1, width-5, topy+1, width-1, topy+space, #FFFFFF); 
    rect_p(G1, width-5, topy+space, width-1, height-1, #FF); 
    // Copy the back buffer to the screen
    blit(G0, G1);
    // Draw the "user". A color changing triangle of height 15
    triangle_p(G0, {0, playery, #FF0000}, {15, playery+8, #00FF00}, {0, playery+15, #FF0000});

    // start working on the next frame
    // first, shift the back buffer graphic 5 pixels to the left
    blit_p(G1, 0, 0, G1, 4, 0);
    // remove the first item from the position list
    positions:= positions({2,size(positions)});
    // add the current position at the end of the position list
    positions(0):= {topy, topy+space};
    // if the up key is pressed, move the player up (if possible)
    if iskeydown(2) and playery>0 then playery:= playery-movespeed; end;
    // if the down key is pressed, move the player down (if possible)
    if iskeydown(12) and playery+15<height then playery:= playery+movespeed; end;
    // randombly move the tunnel up or down (if possible)
    if rand<0.5 then
      if topy>0 then topy:= topy-1; end;
    else
      if topy+space<height then topy:= topy+1; end;
    end;
    // increase the user's point count
    Points:= Points+1;
    
    // get "now"
    local now= ticks;
    // if we need to make the game harder
    if now>nextspeedup then 
      // calculate next time we need to make the game harder
      nextspeedup:= nextspeedup+10000;
      // increase the speed
      speed:= speed*0.9; 
      // keep user speed move constant compare with normal time
      movespeed:= movespeed*0.9; 
      // make tunnel smaller
      space:= space*0.9; 
    end;
    // wait as needed for the next frame
    wait((nextFrame-now)/1000);
    // calculate when the next frame needs to happen
    nextFrame:= nextFrame+speed;
  end;

  // out of the while loop. The user has lost
  // tell him how many points he has!
  msgbox("You have "+Points+" Points!");
  // also return the point count on the stack
  return Points;
end;