DB48X: HP48-like RPL implementation for DM42

[c3d]

(10-04-2024 05:00 AM)grbrum Wrote:  Hello @c3d,
what are your thoughts about implementing a CST (HP48 like) menu within VAR?

The current VAR menu uses a lot of screen real-estate having the <<variable>> in the first line, then Variable> in the second and >variable in the third, but for programs, it is not common to use the shifted options in a day to day. As more programs are added, the older programs are shifted to the next screen and so on. It is not too convenient.

It depends on what you are doing. When primarily using programs, which is the use case you describe, then it may be a bit inconvenient, and then only inasmuch as it gives you access to at most 6 programs at a time vs 18. While editing a program, on the other hand, or using global variables for numerical values or to recall and store things (which is the primary purpose of the VAR menu), it's quite handy to have quick shortcuts to recall and store into each variable.

Quote:the Var menu contains programs but also variables and other objects, I had an idea that with one click VAR it could open a 3x6 menu grid (for F1-F6, shifted and double shifted) with your favorite programs (like WP43/C47), and with double click VAR, it enters the current VAR menu.

I have indeed considered adding a custom menu (that's issue #433), and I did consider using VAR VAR to access it. At the moment, the Library menu presents a relatively usable alternative to a custom menu, so the urgency of this particular matter went down a bit. See also discussion of user mode below.

Now, what could be done is to have VAR alternate between "programs only" and "all variables" modes, where the "programs only" mode would only let you evaluate programs, but then could show up to 18 programs at a time. Is that what you are suggesting?

Quote:You reassigned the ASN key to "as number", but maybe it can have double function,
example, if in VAR menu, ASN could assign the program/variable to one of the CST locations.

The HP48 has both a custom menu (CST) and a user mode (USR). Those are different ways to customize the calculators, one applying to menus only, the other to the entire keyboard. I intend to preserve that distinction, and the USER menu will deal with whole-keyboard customization.

The ASN key is used for key assignment on the DM42, and I initially kept it that way in DB48X. But on HP48, it is not a primary key, it's in the MODES menu, and when I realized that I had forgotten to find a spot for "->Num", I repurposed ASN with the "as number" mnemonic. I finally updated the keyboard layout images to match that. ->NUM is too important in daily use on an RPL machine to not have a primary key. Its priority on the keyboard is definitely way above ASSIGN.

As for how user mode will work, this is currently at the planning stage. My current thinking is that it will be extremely similar to how the HP48 does it, i.e. it will give you the ability to redefine any key in any of the major entry modes (shifted, unshifted, alpha, etc). The two differences I have in mind are:

1) There would be a config/keyboard.csv configuration file that you could use to override any key, including outside of user mode. So if you dislike my personal choice to make ->Num a primary key on Shift-1, and prefer to have "ASSIGN" there, it will be possible.

2) User-mode key assignment would be stored in a regular variable, so that you could have different assignments in different directories.

Quote:I read the change notes and I know you are implementing the Library as CST, when I loaded the library files in the DM42, they are all in one folder, but they show in the calculator under sub menus, I am not sure how this is organized and how to customize it. maybe this is where this is going and you can shed some light.

The DB48X library is probably the best alternative to the CST menu today. While most of the content now is actually defined by files in the library/ folder, the actual definition of the LIB menu is in config/library.csv. Let me know if you have trouble understanding how that file is organized. Entries that contain only "=" load the corresponding file in library/.

For example, the two submenus with name "Physics" and "Mathematics" in the library are defined with:

Code:

"Physics"

    "KineticEnergy",    "="

"Mathematics"

    "CollatzBenchmark",    "="
    "CollatzConjecture",    "="
    "CountPrimes",        "="
    "TriangleEquations",    "="

The actual definitions of something like "CollatzBenchmark" is in a file named library/CollatzBenchmark.48s, which contains (comments removed):

Code:

«
         «
              989345275647 ⓁCollatzConjecture
         »
         TEVAL
»

Quote:I guess that my idea of using VAR as one or two clicks is more practical to access the programs, rather than using a shifted key.

Why would you need to access a shifted key to access the programs? The current VAR menu evaluates programs when unshifted, and you recall the program with shift. CST (and the library) evaluate the program as well. So I am not sure that I understand this particular point.

Quote:I am interested in your thoughts.
thanks for the amazing work.