PureBasic Windows

PureBasic is a new "high level" programming language based on established BASIC rules. It is similar to any other BASIC compiler you may have used, whether for the Amiga or PC. Learning PureBasic is very easy! PureBasic has been created for the beginner and expert alike. Compilation time is really fast. This software has been developed for the Windows operating system. We have put a lot of effort into its realization to produce a fast, reliable and system friendly language.

The syntax is simple but the possibilities are endless with PureBasic's advanced features, such as pointers, structures, procedures, dynamically linked lists and much more. The experienced coder will have no problem in gaining access to any of the legal OS structures or API objects.

PureBasic is a portable programming language which currently works on AmigaOS (680x0 and PowerPC), Linux, MacOS X (PowerPC) and Windows computer systems. This means that the same code can be compiled natively for all systems and still use the full power of each. There are no bottlenecks like a virtual machine or a code translator; the generated code produces highly optimized executables regardless of the OS on which it is compiled. The external libraries are fully written in hand optimized assembler, which produces very fast commands, often much faster than the C/C++ equivalent.


Technical Features

- 486, Pentium (Pro, II, III) support
- Built-in arrays, dynamically linked lists, complex structures, pointers and variable definitions
- Supported types: Byte (8 bits), Word (16 bits), Long (32 bits), Float (32 bits) and also user defined types (structures)
- Built-in string types (characters)
- Constants, binary and hexadecimal numbers supported
- Expression reducer (grouping constants and explicit numbers together)
- Standard arithmetic support in respect of sign priority and parenthesis: +, -, /, *, and, or, lsl, asl, lsr, asr
- Very fast compilation (about 300 000 lines/min on a P200)
- Procedure support for structured programming with local and global variables
- All Standard BASIC keywords: If-Else-EndIf, Repeat-Until, etc.
- External library support to manipulate objects like BMP pictures, windows, gadgets, DirectX, etc.
- External libraries are fully written in hand optimized assembler for maximum speed and compactness
- The Win32 API functions are fully supported as if they were BASIC keywords
- Inline assembler
- Precompiled structures with constants files for extra fast compilation
- Configurable CLI compiler
- System friendly, easy to install and use


Requirements

- Windows 9x/ME or Windows NT4/2000/XP
- No other special needs


Product information

PureBasic is designed for both beginners and 'pure' advanced users alike. Here we will explain some important features demonstrating that PureBasic is a very powerful and unique language. Firstly, PureBasic uses "third party libraries" which are very modular, and can extend to any number of libraries. There are numerous libraries provided as standard which include : sound, sprite, windows, gadgets, screen, palette, openGL, etc. These libraries ensure maximum performance, as they are written in x86 assembler, the fastest language possible.

Note: any user can develop their own libraries. All tools are provided in the full package. With PureBasic x86, user libraries can be written in both C and assembler for better flexibility.

The advanced system of structures and pointers lets the user access OS objects easily, allowing extra information to be used with regular commands. All Windows functions are fully supported through a large file containing all constants and structures. Independent 'include' files are provided, so that if mistakes are made during conversion they can be easily corrected. This allows lightning fast compilation, even if your program needs to access OS functions. To help the user convert C/C++ include files, a small utility is provided, saving you a lot of time and effort.

For all assembler optimizer freaks (like us ? :-): You can compile programs into a 'commented asm output file', containing all code in a comprehensive asm format; all directly recompilable with FAsm. It has never been so easy to optimize small program parts. You keep control of all your source code.

The PureBasic source code has been programmed in a very modular fashion and can support any processor or operating system. This has been proven already as PureBasic is now available on three very different systems: AmigaOS, Windows, MacOS X and Linux.