BBC BASIC for Windows
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Unable to find old programs.
Post by chrispc on Jan 2nd, 2015, 5:08pm

I can find the texts to my last nine programs, under the FILE drop-down menu. I can find earlier program to RUN them, but I cannot find their texts to read how I wrote them (I want to alter some before using them). Do they still exist somewhere? How can I find them?
I realise this enquiry might belong in another category, but was unsure, so put it in "General board". embarassed
Re: Unable to find old programs.
Post by rtr2 on Jan 2nd, 2015, 6:00pm

on Jan 2nd, 2015, 5:08pm, chrispc wrote:
Do they still exist somewhere?

Only you know where you stored those files and whether they still exist! If your question is "where does BB4W store programs by default?" then the answer is that it stores them in your Documents folder, but it's so easy to select a different destination that knowing the default location may be of limited value.

Quote:
How can I find them?

If you can't remember where you put them, but you remember the filename(s), then you can use Windows' built-in search facility to find them. The method of accessing it depends on the version of Windows; on Windows 8 or 8.1 swipe in from the right edge of your screen to display the 'charms', click on the Search charm (at the top), select Files from the dropdown list and type your filename into the box.

If you can't even remember the filename(s), you could use the supplied Find .BBC files utility (SEARCHBBC.BBC in EXAMPLES\TOOLS) to search all the .BBC files on your PC for something you know the program contains. Alternatively download the Search BASIC Programs add-in utility which searches for both BBC and BAS files. The direct download is here.

Richard.
Re: Unable to find old programs.
Post by chrispc on Jan 2nd, 2015, 8:52pm

Thanks for your help. I have Windows7,Home edition. I have never tried to save my BASIC files anywhere special; I just closed my computer when I had finished running them. In the Documents folder there is the BBC BASIC folder, and in that are all my old programs named, with the same BBC logo as on my desktop, to the left of them. But when I click on them all I get is the program starting to run in the output window; I do not get the text that I wrote when I wrote the program. I do get that text for the latest nine programs when I open BBC BASIC from the desktop icon and get the page for typing my programs, labelled BBC BASIC for Windows 5.94a. Then I can select any one of my most recently used nine programs from the File drop-down men, and it shows me my text. Then I can RUN it if I want to.. But other than those nine programs in that menu, I have to get older ones from the Documents folder; but clicking on them gives me the output window, with the first lines of the program running, and waiting for me to press RETURN before the program continues. It does not give me the text I wrote when I created the program. I cannot find their texts (so that I can alter them, or copy bits of them).
Perhaps you understood all that from my first explanation that you replied to, but I wasn’t sure. Again: I have no problem finding the old programs to RUN them; what I cannot do is find the texts that I wrote when I created them.
Could I have inadvertently done something to hide the texts elsewhere? I suppose they still must be available somewhere, for the computer to be able to run the programs.
So finding the names of those old programs is not the problem: they are presented to me clearly in the BBC BASIC folder. I just cannot open the texts of the bleeding things.
If I am unable to solve this problem, then I will copy and save all my future program texts into a WORD file, from where I can retrieve and edit them at any time.
Thanks for your time.
Re: Unable to find old programs.
Post by rtr2 on Jan 2nd, 2015, 9:10pm

on Jan 2nd, 2015, 8:52pm, chrispc wrote:
But when I click on them all I get is the program starting to run in the output window; I do not get the text that I wrote when I wrote the program.

I take it that you are doing a left click, which is a shortcut for open. You should be doing a right click, which shows you all the available commands, and then select edit from that list.

As a rule, right-clicking will give you many more options.

Richard.
Re: Unable to find old programs.
Post by chrispc on Jan 3rd, 2015, 05:45am

Thanks Richard. You are probably right. I have found them all now under File/Load, and they are showing me the text. But I was doing that before, I thought. A mystery.
I am having too many Senior moments, maybe.
Thanks for your patience. grin
Re: Unable to find old programs.
Post by rtr2 on Jan 3rd, 2015, 10:37am

on Jan 3rd, 2015, 05:45am, chrispc wrote:
I have found them all now under File/Load

The various methods of loading a program for editing (in addition to File... Load) are listed in the help docs:
Richard.
Re: Unable to find old programs.
Post by chrispc on Jan 4th, 2015, 08:22am

Thanks again.
chrispc