Beginner Questions

[Carissa]

Hello there,

I have a few questions and hope you can help me.

1) Is ASM coming to HP-Prime any time soon?
2) ICON: Can someone explain ICON's format hexPngf?
3) Can someone please provide examples of 3D features of LINE and TRIANGLE commands on the HP-Prime?
4) Where can I find technical information for the HP-Prime beyond that which is in the 700 pages manual?

Many greetings from Germany
Carissa

[Jean-Michel]

Hallo Carissa

Did you have a look at the excellent work Jebem did in compiling all valuable help on HP Prime?
The link is a the top of the HP Prime forum (where you posted).
I put it HERE.

MfG.

Jean-Michel

[Tim Wessman]

(03-30-2019 07:48 PM)Carissa Wrote:  1) Is ASM coming to HP-Prime any time soon?
2) ICON: Can someone explain ICON's format hexPngf?
3) Can someone please provide examples of 3D features of LINE and TRIANGLE commands on the HP-Prime?
4) Where can I find technical information for the HP-Prime beyond that which is in the 700 pages manual?

1. No.
2. I do not recommend using it at all. You have direct support for PNG and JPG now.
3. Use the built in example programs accessed either through the built in help, or in the EXAMPLE button in the new program menu.
4. The built in HELP button is the best and most up to date resource.

[cyrille de brébisson]

Hello,

3: Look at Han's excelent 3D grapher program, in lots of ways, the 3D features were developped to match what he needed for that program, so that program is the best, fullest example of how to use the 3D features...

Cyrille

[Carissa]

Ok, thank you all!

I must admit I have NO idea what I was asking about and really don't understand anything about these calculators.

I'm asking for my friend in prison who has an HP-Prime and can not ask here himself. I will forward your answers to him.
He has only access to the manual and can't do further research on it so I'm trying to help here a bit.

Where do I find Han's grapher programme?

Greetinx
Carissa

[cdmackay]

(04-01-2019 09:35 PM)Carissa Wrote:  Where do I find Han's grapher programme?

I think that is here: http://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-95.html

[Carissa]

(04-01-2019 10:28 PM)cdmackay Wrote:  

(04-01-2019 09:35 PM)Carissa Wrote:  Where do I find Han's grapher programme?

I think that is here: http://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-95.html

Super - thanks a lot!

[Carissa]

Hey people,

another question of my friend:


Does anyone know if ppl is able to handle chess algorithms?


Thanks
Carissa

[Giancarlo]

Hello,
I found a chess program for the Prime on Eric’s site you can find here: https://www.hpcalc.org/details/7665

I didn’t test it so I don’t know how it works. However from the description it seems it is just a board where you can move the pieces and no checkmate control.

I hope it helps,

Giancarlo

[Carissa]

Thanks a lot! Will forward it to him. But I think he only wants to know if ppl is able to do that.

[Carissa]

Hey folks,

So what Michael wanted to know specifically about ICON:
"What is the proper format for png file? How can I format it regarding ICON?"

He was just relating to this "Insert 'ICON' name hexPngFile:!"
And was asking "how do I create the ICON hexPngFile? on the HP Prime?" (He doesn't have access to a computer).

Greetings from Germany and Nevada
Michael and Sabrina

[Eddie W. Shore]

Personally, I don't remember ever using ICON. Here is some information I found on it:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Calculator...-p/6009552

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Tablets-an...-p/5059557

It involves a long HEX code that creates the icon.

Eddie

[Han]

More information on ICON can be found here:

https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-113.html

As for creating PNG files, he can simply just "draw" on the screen (via the geometry app or by a program). and save the screenshot into a picture using the AFiles() command. You can get the syntax using the Help button (type AFiles and leave the cursor at the the end of the name, then press the Help key).

For example:

AFiles("screenshot.png"):=G0 saves the graphics buffer G0 (current screen) into a file named screenshot.png -- this is saved under the current app. There are other buffers (G1 through G9) that can be used as well. Start by declaring the buffer size with DIMGROB (or DIMGROB_P) and then "draw" onto that buffer. Save as shown above with the screenshot example.

Hope that helps.

[cyrille de brébisson]

Hello,

ICON is an "old" keyword and although it still works, it is NOT the best solution to the problems of using graphics on Prime.

Use graphical files instead (jpg or png).
png is a looseness compression. This means that when you save an image as a png and then reload it, the reloaded image is exactly the same as when you saved it.
jpg DOES loose data upon compression. This means that if you look at a file that you saved, they are some differences with what you had originally. In theory, the differences are very small and barely detectable by human eye on "real world images" such as pictures (with shades of color and gentle gradians).
jpg files are smaller (in memory size) for a given image than png.

It is important to understand this to be choose the right storage format.
Pictures like images are best saved as jpg. pictures with sharp edges or small features (like sprites, which are small drawing used for animation in games and the like) are better saved as png.


Now, if you are ON the calculator and do NOT have a computer, you can, as Han pointed out, create and use such files.
G1 to G9 are "graphical" buffers that are in the calculator and that you can use for this purpose.
You can dimention them (DIMGROB_P) draw on them with all the drawing functions and SAVE Them to file (AFiles("screenshot.png"):=G1 to save G1 into screenshot.png). the file extention here indicate the file type; png or jpg.
you can reload them the other way around doing G1:=AFiles("screenshot.png")

Unfortunately, graphical buffers are LIMITED to 9 (G1 to G9), so if you create something like a game, you usually need MORE than 9 images. for example, you have a number of sprites for all the graphical elements of you game.
In this case, the "standard" sollution is to save ALL these elements in a single image and then use the BLIT_P function to draw selected parts of the source graphic corresponding to various images.

Hope that this helps your friend.

Cyrille

[Carissa]

Thanks everyone!
That really seems helpful - will print it out and send it to him tomorrow.

Greets
Michael and Sabrina

[cyrille de brébisson]

Hello,

Stupid question (with no obligation to answer of course), why is your signature "Michael and Sabrina", but your profile is "Carissa"?

Cyrille

[Carissa]

Well Carissa is my user name, but I usually forget that when I type in my signature. So my real name is Sabrina and Michael ist my boyfriend who I'm asking all these questions for.

[Han]

One other thing that might be helpful to someone who does not have internet access is to provide a printout of source code so that said person might have an idea of how programs / commands / routines are implemented. The calculator screen is too small to really get much from reading source code whereas a hard copy could act as a reference.

[cyrille de brébisson]

Hello,

In the old times (HP48 days), you had to enter your programs with only 4 lines visible at a time!!!

Prime, especially in small font is SO much better :-)

But printouts are still better of course...


Cyrille

[Carissa]

Thanks for that suggestion - but he also doesn't have access to a printer and I don't have access to his HP so I can't do it for him, maybe his lawyers can send me a screenshot?

Anyways:
Michael wanted me to say a very big 'thank you' to everyone. He said these last infos, especially on ICON were really very helpful. And he's always happy when Cyrille and Eddie answer ad he thinks you both are THE men for HP prime stuff I always send him all answers printed out so he's familiar with the names.

Best wishes
Mike and Sabi