.. index:: single: What is new in Ring 1.4?; Introduction ======================== What is new in Ring 1.4? ======================== In this chapter we will learn about the changes and new features in Ring 1.4 release. .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; List of changes and new features List of changes and new features ================================ Ring 1.4 comes with many new features * Change: Basic Extensions are separated from RingVM * The Natural Library * New Style is added to Ring Notepad * RingREPL * Convert between Numbers and Bytes * Better StdLib * Better WebLib * Better RingQt * Qt Class Convertor .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; Change: Basic Extensions are separated from RingVM Change: Basic Extensions are separated from RingVM ================================================== In Ring 1.4 the next libraries are separated from RingVM * RingODBC * RingMySQL * RingSQLite * RingOpenSSL * RingInternet To use these libraries, Use the Load command. .. code-block:: none load "odbclib.ring" # use ODBC Functions .. code-block:: none load "mysqllib.ring" # use MySQL Functions .. code-block:: none load "sqlitelib.ring" # use SQLite Functions .. code-block:: none load "openssllib.ring" # use OpenSSL Functions ( Hash and Security functions) .. code-block:: none load "internetlib.ring" # use Internet Functions ( Download() and SendEmail() ) If you will use all of these libraries, You can just use stdlib.ring And the stdlib.ring will load odbclib.ring, mysqllib.ring, sqlitelib.ring, opensslib.ring and internetlib.ring files. .. code-block:: none load "stdlib.ring" .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; The Natural Library The Natural Library =================== Ring 1.4 comes with the Natural Library to quickly define a language that contains a group of commands. We will write the natural code in a Text file, for example program.txt File: program.txt .. code-block:: none Welcome to the Ring programming language! What you are reading now is not comments, I swear! After many years of programming I decided to think different about programming and solve the problems in a better way. We are writing commands or code and the Ring language is reading it to understand us! Sure, What you are seeing now is just ***part of the code - Not the Complete Program*** You have to write little things before and after this part to be able to run it! It is the natural part of our code where we can write in English, Arabic or any Natural Language Then we will tell the computer through the Ring language what must happens! in a way that we can scale for large frameworks and programs. Just imagine what will happens to the world of programming once we create many powerful frameworks using the Ring language that uses this way (Natural Programming). For example When we say Hello to the Machine, It can reply! and when we say count from 1 to 5 it will understand us, Also if we said count from 5 to 1 it will understand us too! You can see the Output window! This Goal is not new, but the Ring language comes with an innovative solution to this problem. Output: .. code-block:: none Hello, Sir! The Numbers! 1 2 3 4 5 I will count Again! 5 4 3 2 1 To execute the natural code, We have start.ring In start.ring we define the language and the commands. File: start.ring .. code-block:: ring load "stdlib.ring" load "naturallib.ring" New NaturalLanguage { SetLanguageName(:MyLanguage) SetCommandsPath(CurrentDir()+"/../command") SetPackageName("MyLanguage.Natural") UseCommand(:Hello) UseCommand(:Count) RunFile("program.txt") } We defined a language called MyLanguage, We have folder for the language commands. Each command will define a class that belong to the MyLanguage.Natural package. We will define two commands, Hello and Count. So we must have two files for defining the commands in the CurrentDir()+"/../command" folder File: hello.ring .. code-block:: ring DefineNaturalCommand.SyntaxIsKeyword([ :Package = "MyLanguage.Natural", :Keyword = :hello, :Function = func { See "Hello, Sir!" + nl + nl } ]) File: count.ring .. code-block:: ring DefineNaturalCommand.SyntaxIsKeywordNumberNumber([ :Package = "MyLanguage.Natural", :Keyword = :count, :Function = func { if not isattribute(self,:count_times) { AddAttribute(self,:count_times) Count_Times = 0 } if Expr(1) > Expr(2) { nStep = -1 else nStep = 1 } if Count_Times = 0 { see nl+"The Numbers!" + nl Count_Times++ else see nl + "I will count Again!" +nl } for x = Expr(1) to Expr(2) step nStep { see nl+x+nl } CommandReturn(fabs(Expr(1)-Expr(2))+1) } ]) .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; New Style to Ring Notepad New Style is added to Ring Notepad ================================== In Ring Notepad - From View - Styles - Select the (Modern) Style Screen Shot: .. image:: rnotemodernstyle.png :alt: Using Ring Notepad - Modern Style .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; RingREPL RingREPL ======== In the application folder, You will find RingREPL (Read-Eval-Print-Loop) Also you can run it from Ring Notepad (Menubar - Tools) Screen Shot: .. image:: ringrepl.png :alt: Using RingREPL .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; Convert between Numbers and Bytes Convert between Numbers and Bytes ================================= Ring 1.4 comes with the next functions to convert between Numbers and Bytes. * Int2Bytes() * Float2Bytes() * Double2Bytes() * Bytes2Int() * Bytes2Float() * Bytes2Double() Example: .. code-block:: ring see "Test Int2Bytes() and Bytes2Int() - Value : 77" + nl r = Int2Bytes(77) see "Int Size : " + len(r) + nl see r + nl see Bytes2Int(r) + nl see "Test Float2Bytes() and Bytes2Float() - Value 77.12" + nl r = Float2Bytes(77.12) see "Float Size : " + len(r) + nl see r + nl see Bytes2Float(r) + nl see "Test Double2Bytes() and Bytes2Double() - Value 9999977.12345" + nl r = Double2Bytes(9999977.12345) see "Double Size : " + len(r) + nl see r + nl decimals(5) see Bytes2Double(r) + nl .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; Better StdLib Better StdLib ============= The StdLib is updated to include the next functions * FSize() The print() function is updated to accept local variables. .. code-block:: ring load "stdlib.ring" func main print("Enter your name : ") ; Name = getString() ; print( "Hello : #{Name} ") ; return ; .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; Better WebLib Better WebLib ============= The web library is updated * Provide better error message (1) Error (WebLib-1) : REQUEST_METHOD is empty ! - Run this script from the browser (2) Error (DataLib-1) : Can't connect to the database server! * Better Template() function - can accept NULL instead of object as the second paramter. .. code-block:: ring html(template("main.rhtml",NULL)) * The Form Class is updated to support the "target" attribute. .. code-block:: ring BootStrapWebPage() { Title = "The Ring Programming Language" html(template("main.rhtml",NULL)) div { classname = :container div { id = "div3" color = "black" backgroundcolor = "white" width = "100%" form { method = "POST" Action = website Target = "codeoutput" input { type="hidden" name="page" value=1 } Table { style = stylewidth("100%") + stylegradient(3) TR { TD { align="center" WIDTH="10%" text("Code :") } TD { html(` `) } } } Input { type = "submit" classname="btn btn-primary btn-block" value = "Execute" } Table { style = stylewidth("100%") + stylegradient(34) TR { TD { align="center" WIDTH="10%" text("Output :") } TD { html(` `) } } } } } } html(template("footer.rhtml",NULL)) } .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; Better RingQt Better RingQt ============= The next functions are added to RingQt * SetDialogIcon(cIconFile) * MsgInfo(cTitle,cMessage) * ConfirmMsg(cTitle,cMessage) * InputBox(cTitle,cMessage) * InputBoxInt(cTitle,cMessage) * InputBoxNum(cTitle,cMessage) * InputBoxPass(cTitle,cMessage) The next classes are added to RingQt * QToolButton * QSerialPort * QSerialPortInfo .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; Qt Class Convertor Qt Class Convertor ================== Ring 1.4 comes with a simple tool that help in porting Qt classes to RingQt. You will find it in ring/samples/tools/QtClassConverter Online : https://github.com/ring-lang/ring/tree/master/samples/tools/QtClassConverter Screen Shot: .. image:: qtclassconvertor.png :alt: Qt Class convertor to RingQt .. index:: pair: What is new in Ring 1.4?; What is new in Ring 1.4.1? What is new in Ring 1.4.1? ========================== Ring 1.4.1 comes with the next changes * Better Scripts for Building from Source Code * Better Colors for the Modern Style in Ring Notepad * Better StdLib * Better RingQt * New Sample : Sixteen Puzzle The scripts are updated for building from source code. Tested using Windows, Ubuntu Linux, Linux Mint and MacOS X. Screen Shot: .. image:: linuxmint.png :alt: Using Ring - Linux Mint In Ring Notepad - the (Modern) Style colors are updated Screen Shot: .. image:: rnotemodernstyle2.png :alt: Using Ring Notepad - Modern Style The StdLib is updated to include the next functions * TrimLeft() * TrimRight() * TrimAll() * EpochTime() The next functions are updated to display the dialogs on the top of other windows. * SetDialogIcon(cIconFile) * MsgInfo(cTitle,cMessage) * ConfirmMsg(cTitle,cMessage) * InputBox(cTitle,cMessage) * InputBoxInt(cTitle,cMessage) * InputBoxNum(cTitle,cMessage) * InputBoxPass(cTitle,cMessage) The Sixteen Puzzle is added to the Applications folder. Screen Shot: .. image:: sixteenpuzzle.jpg :alt: Sixteen Puzzle