FireFly Visual Designer Christmas Sale

[Paul Squires]

Hi Everyone,

From now until January 1, 2009, I am offering the FireFly Visual Designer for half price. $49 US (that's a $50 savings). That's a pretty good deal for a very good visual designer.

In order to take advantage of this offer, you will need to purchase through this link: https://www.regsoft.net/purchase.php...67954&pc=B556N

FireFly Visual Designer is a rapid application development environment for the PowerBASIC computer language. FireFly accelerates the development of your Windows 32-bit programs. All the speed of "C" with the rapid application development time of Visual Basic.

More information available at: http://www.planetsquires.com/firefly.htm

Join the hundreds of other FireFly users and start becoming more
productive today. Haven't you waited long enough?

[Jim Padgett]

Don't miss this!!!!

Don't miss out on this one... a few months ago it would go for 1 tank of gas...

[james klutho]

Firefly is incredible - Paul has done an excellent job on Firefly. If you are a VB refugee, this is definitely the designer for you. Also for people learning the Windows API will learn a lot just looking at the code that Firefly generates. Do yourself a favor and pony up the $50 and buy Firefly. This is money well spent.

Jim

[Pete Totushek]

Saves Time!

I came from a VB background. Firefly has made my switch easy and has saved me tons of time on my applications. Paul's support is top notch. $50 is a steal!

[Joop Blokker]

Hi Paul!

What a great XMas offer! I was actually prepared to wait for v3.0 for my first jump into the World of SDK... If I buy v2.91 now, what will an upgrade to v3.0 cost?

Wishing you Happy Holidays,
Joop (say Yope).

[Paul Squires]

If I buy v2.91 now, what will an upgrade to v3.0 cost? (say Yope).

Hi Joop,

My policy is allow free upgrades if purchase is made within 60 days of a major upgrade (i.e. V2 to V3). Version 3 will be priced the same as Version 2.

[Joe Byrne]

Hi Joop,

My policy is allow free upgrades if purchase is made within 60 days of a major upgrade (i.e. V2 to V3). Version 3 will be priced the same as Version 2.

Does this indicate that v3 is withing 6 months of being released?

[Paul Squires]

Does this indicate that v3 is withing 6 months of being released?

Hi Joe - I think that's a fairly accurate statement. It better be out by June or I'm going to kick myself very hard.

A number of you already know that FireFly 3 is in beta testing at this point. There has been substantial progress made with the new version and I am very proud of it. FireFly users are very loyal and committed to the product and their passion shows with the great suggestions and help that they provide me through the development process.

[Joe Byrne]

Hi Joe - I think that's a fairly accurate statement. It better be out by June or I'm going to kick myself very hard.

Ok, not to let the cat out of the bag or anything, but a little logic would say that this is even a better deal than appears on the surface.

If v3 sells for the same as v2 (lets say $99), and I have a license for v2 that is older than 6 months. I can wait for the "official" release and get version 3 for $99 or I can by a second license now for $50 and get v3 for free ... assuming you get it done in the 6 month window.

Seems to me like I'll be saving $49.00 if I buy a new license now, no?

[Tom Cone Jr]

Joe,

6 months <> 60 days

right?

[Joe Byrne]

Joe,
6 months <> 60 days
right?

Oops, my mistake. Ok, who took my glasses????

[Paul Squires]

Bump.

[Paul Squires]

The Windows API is the only real way to get the most out of your Windows programs. FireFly uses the Windows API for code generation allowing you to leverage your knowledge by using the most powerful set of functions available for the Windows Operating System. Why settle for anything less?

Sure, DDT and other libraries will help you in the short term but learning to use the Windows API will help you in the long term to be a Power Programmer.
Take it slow, learn small chunks of functions at a time. Browse these forums and read through documentation like the MSDN Library and even the older Win32 API Help files. Download and look at code from the likes of gurus like Borje, Semen, Patrice, Jose, Dominic, and many others. You will learn - it is no different than learning any other software product. Don't let anyone tell you that it is too hard or too complicated. Hell, I could learn it and I'm no genius by any means.

[Paul Squires]

To make things easier for FireFly users, there exists hundreds of "FireFly Functions". Some are simple wrappers around existing Windows API functions - others are a little bit more involved. FireFly parses your source code for these functions and will only include them in the final EXE if used. Any unused FireFly Function is excluded from your EXE. No additional super sized DLL's are needed for FireFly. Everything is self-contained in your EXE making distribution easy.

FireFly Functions exist for all of the standard controls such as Text Boxes, Combo Boxes, List Boxes, ListView, ProgressBar, TreeView, StatusBar, TabControl, etc...

$49 US Use this link: https://www.regsoft.net/purchase.php...67954&pc=B556N

[Paul Squires]

The FireFly Visual Designer lets you leverage your knowledge of Windows programming even in the situation when you no longer need to use FireFly. You see, FireFly uses principles based on the Windows API style of programming. All Power Programmers in the world use the Windows API and there is a wealth of information available regarding it.

What would happen if a proprietary vendor stopped selling and supporting their product? Would you know how a ListBox works if all you've ever seen of it is a cryptic array of numbers and letters that means nothing to anyone else in the world other than the library's author?

How would you step into a new product without knowing that a BN_CLICKED notification message is sent from a push button to that control's parent dialog rather than some generic "click" message that is only defined by the library. How would you know that some controls don't even know what a "click" event is because according to the Windows API it is not even called a click? You sure would be laughed at by your fellow programmers when you try to converse in programming terms. You would be the odd man out at the water cooler.

FireFly trys to ease the burden of writing Windows applications by presenting the programmer with individual message handlers for each and every control using the proper Windows message names. Here is an example of a message handler that the programmer would use to respond to a user pressing a command button (i.e. a Push Button):

Function FRMMAIN_CMDCLOSE_BN_CLICKED ( _
                                     ControlIndex     As Long,  _  ' index in Control Array
                                     hWndForm         As Dword, _  ' handle of Form
                                     hWndControl      As Dword, _  ' handle of Control
                                     idButtonControl  As Long   _  ' identifier of button
                                     ) As Long

   MsgBox "I just clicked the Close button."
   
   FF_CloseForm hWndForm, %TRUE
   
End Function

The above code is important because it presents a logical division of code that, more importantly, is modular. It separates your thoughts regarding an action to be performed into a separate Function that makes long term code maintenance much easier (however, for all of you masochists out there who need a 2000 line Select/End Select for your message handlers then you can use the FireFly "CUSTOM" message to handle all of the messages in one place).

The above message handler is be defined as FRMMAIN_CMDCLOSE_BN_CLICKED. The various parts of this handler are:

FRMMAIN: The name of the Form/Dialog that the control belongs to.
CMDCLOSE: The name of the Command/Push Button.
BN_CLICKED: The name of the message that is being sent.

The parameters to the message handler function are derived mainly from the BN_CLICKED notification message as defined by the Windows API. This saves you from having to remember what the lParam or wParam parameters of the message actually mean.

(The FF_CloseForm function that is being called is a built in FireFly Function that closes the current Form and returns an option result - %TRUE is being returned in this case. The programmer can respond to %TRUE being returned in a way that he sees fit).

That's just a quick peek into the way that FireFly handles Windows messages. It is extremely powerful and convenient. No longer will you have to worry about placing your code before or after "code blocks" (the idea of code blocks is the worse design interface ever invented for visual design programs). No longer will you have to worry about your designer parsing your code and deleting or losing your code because you accidently placed it in the wrong place.

FireFly's built in parse engine is seemless and integrates automagically with the generated code like no other visual designer for PowerBASIC. There are no cumbersome shells back and forth between the designer and the code editor. The code editor is tightly integrated with the visual designer. It makes everything work the way it should.

You can download and try FireFly for free for 30 days. At $49 it is the best offer you'll likely see for a PB visual design tool. However, you must purchase using this link: https://www.regsoft.net/purchase.php...67954&pc=B556N

[Paul Squires]

The Tab Control. Have you ever tried to make an application using the Tab Control using DDT or other tools only to give up in complete frustration. It can be quite a chore, especially if you come from a development environment like Visual Basic where you simply select the tab and draw your controls on it.

FireFly makes dealing with Tab Controls quite easy. All controls for each tab are actually created on Form/Dialogs that become part of the Tab Control. As you switch from tab to tab, FireFly shows and hides the correct child form for you. All of this is done for you behind the scenes. You simply create the Forms at design time and FireFly binds it all together for you at run time. No need for you to be dealing with TCN_SELCHANGE notification messages.

So what other controls really get under your skin when you are designing your applications? Let's see, a Rebar control, ToolBar control, Menu, StatusBar.... All of these are handled easily by FireFly. Each one has its own standalone designer that lets you create your control at design time. No complex coding needed. Couple those controls with FireFly's built-in FireFly Functions and your anxiety level is greatly reduced. Built a complete SDI or MDI application in minutes. Yes, minutes. A 100% pure, Windows API application in minutes.

FireFly Visual Designer is available for you to download and try for free for 30 days. No questions asked. If you don't like it then simply delete it. You don't have to spend one cent in order to determine if FireFly meets your needs. Hundreds of PowerBASIC users love FireFly and use it every day. Join the FireFly army of programmers and turbo charge your programming today. Programming is meant to fun and enjoyable - haven't you waited long enough.

FireFly is currently on sale for half price. For $49 you will have the best visual designer available for PowerBASIC. The catch is that you must use the following special purchase link. Get it now before this sale ends: https://www.regsoft.net/purchase.php...67954&pc=B556N

[Paul Squires]

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Here's to wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and a happy and productive 2009 with PowerBASIC.

[Paul Squires]

So how does FireFly make all of the magic happen? There is a fair amount of processing that happens behind the scenes when you press the "Compile" button.

FireFly must look at your entire collection of source code in the project and parse it to determine exactly what code to generate. FireFly generates the source code in a collection of separate files that all start with the prefix "CODEGEN_". The main source code file will have a "CODEGEN_" prefix and a ".BAS" file extension.

The beauty of FireFly is that you never have to directly edit the FireFly generated source code! Never. Everything in FireFly is handled from within the Visual Designer and Code Editor. There is no cumbersome shelling back and forth from FireFly to a jumble of source code and code tags - that just wouldn't be FireFly like. That would be way too primitive. This is 2008, not 1988.

For more experienced FireFly users, FireFly has a few special functions that allow you to tap into special areas of a program that you would normally only be able to access via the lower level code. For example, the FF_WinMain handler allows you to deal with the WinMain function, and the FF_PumpHook handler allows you to dig into the message pump if you need to (and you hardly ever need to do that).

Once FireFly generates the CODEGEN source code it shells out to the PB Compiler to create the final EXE. If an error is encountered then FireFly uses an advanced algorithm to determine the correlation of the error in the source code to the actual position in the FireFly code editor itself. You will be positioned in the code editor at the point of the error. Fix the error, add additional code, and re-compile. It is so easy.

[Paul Squires]

The FireFly Visual Designer was the first publically available visual designer for PowerBASIC that allowed for ToolBox integration of many of your favorite 3rd party libraries. Users could select and use tools like SIGrid, EGrid32, RRButton, Virtual ListBox, My Little Grid, etc... in a manner no different than any other standard Windows control.

FireFly uses a simple design to allow the integration of 3rd party tools into the FireFly ToolBox. A text file with a .ctl extension is the main driver behind supplying the information needed for FireFly to perform the magic. In that text file is specified the definitions for the various Properties and Messages that the control can respond to. All of these custom control definitions are found in a subdirectory off of the main FireFly install directory (called "\CustomControls").

Sometimes defining the messages can be a little challenging and in those cases I encourage FireFly users to contact me directly and we will work through it together until it works exactly as you need it to.

With so many time saving features and pure, unencumbered, raw Windows API speed, having FireFly as your development tool is the perfect tool to compliment your PowerBASIC compiler. During this incredibly valued $49 Christmas Sale, there has never been a better time for you to join the legion of FireFly Power Programmers. However, to take advantage of this offer you must use the following link to purchase. Hurry, this sale won't last forever:

https://www.regsoft.net/regsoft/vieworderpage.php3?productid=67954&pc=B556N

[Paul Squires]

Ok, if you've read this far then you know by now that learning the ins and outs of Windows API programming is the only way to go for true Windows programming enlightenment. Everything else is simply a cop out that will lead to short term results but long term pain.

As a programmer, I bet that you migrated to PowerBASIC because of its raw speed and reliability. Well, couple the compiler with the raw speed and reliability of accessing Windows' own core of operating system DLL's and there is no other way that you can create smaller, faster and more reliable programs.

I used to love Visual Basic. Hell, I would shout from the mountain tops extolling the virtues of VB. How could anything be better than VB? I was convinced that Windows programming began and ended with VB.... until I found PowerBASIC. I had been a long time PB for DOS customer but never used PB for Windows (PB/DLL it was called back then). It was not until I began to create the Cheetah Database System (Windows DLL) that I began to use PB for Windows. Actually, back then I even created the JellyFish Editor for PB using Visual Basic!!! OMG how crazy was I? I had no Windows API experience whatsoever. The PB Community was pretty tolerant with me back then and allowed (and embraced) JellyFish.

There finally came a time when I decided to jump into Windows API programming with both feet by creating a pure Windows API driven version of the JellyFish Pro Editor. That's how I truly learned Windows API programming. Step by step, painful lesson after painful lesson. I wouldn't trade a minute of it now because every question that I asked and every search of the PB Forum (and Borje's POFFS) made me a better programmer.

What was missing from my PB experience was an easy to use visual designer that would bring back the productivity that I enjoyed so much from my Visual Basic days. Visual Basic 5 and 6 were (and probably still is) one of the best development environments ever made. FireFly was born from this obsession to bring the ease of VB to the power of PB.

It took a long time to write the first version of the FireFly Visual Designer but once it was released it became insanely popular. PowerBASIC programmers flocked to it because they understood that ease of use should not impact the underlying speed and power of the application. FireFly has succeeded in providing ease of use, speed, power and rapid application development.

FireFly Visual Designer is the tool for PowerBASIC application development. It allows the programmer to create and deliver programs fast and efficiently. It allows you to become the Power Programmer that you want to be. It allows you to further your knowledge of Windows and extend your abilities that will be easily transferable to any new technology that Microsoft throws at us. You are never caught in the past with FireFly - you'll always be at the forefront of Windows programming. That's where you want to be. That's where we all want to be.

Try out the FireFly Visual Designer risk free for 30 days. However, if you want the special Christmas purchase price of $49 then the time to act is now. This offer will not last forever. It is an incredible value for an outstanding visual designer. Click on the following links to purchase for $49:

PayPal purchases:
Visit the FireFly purchase page for the PayPal download link: http://planetsquires.com/firefly_purchase.htm

RegSoft purchases:

https://www.regsoft.net/purchase.php3?productid=67954&pc=B556N

Hopefully I will be able to welcome you to the FireFly Family of Power Programmers soon.