Book recommendations?

[Keya]

I know there arent any Purebasic specific books other than the beginners 2006 one by Gary Willoughby but Im after some book recommendations please that will help me in my Purebasic programming for Linux and Mac. I've only started using Linux and Mac now that ive started programming in Purebasic, so I need to learn from the ground up
Thankyou

[Shield]

You're totally out of luck with PB reference guides, unfortunately.
Most of them are not in book form (as you already noticed) and are totally outdated anyway.

The best way is probably to follow Kale's book while keeping eyes open for changes and new features
that were implemented in PB. Once you got yourself familiar with PB and Linux, the best way is probably
learning by doing.

[Keya]

yes I know there arent any Purebasic-specific books, that's why I'm just after general programming books that might help... along the lines of API guides, maybe C-programming (as C usually translates easy enough to PB), etc . Of course im going through lots of Amazon reviews, but am hoping PB coders will know of some books that theyve found helpful

the best way is probably learning by doing

At the moment that's the same as trying to learn by walking into walls with my eyes closed - you can't just "do" something if you don't even know where to start!

[TI-994A]

...you can't just "do" something if you don't even know where to start!

Hi Keya. If you have a good grasp of programming fundamentals, a ground-up approach to learning a new language may not be the most productive.

With such a rich resource as the internet by your side, it's best to simply dive in with an active project, and pick up the syntax and structure of the language as you go.

[Keya]

Windows and programming Winapi im ok at both, they both make a lot of sense to me, but when I got Purebasic i thought it would be a great opportunity to learn Mac and Linux too because my programs are very simple so they should be ideal for working on all three OS

But with Linux and Mac im new to the OS as well... the file systems are different... the APIs are very different... i dont know what the equivalent of kernel32.dll is ... until today I wasn't sure what the equiv of UpdateWindow_ was...

So rather than wading through pools of google searches and learning bits and pieces as I go, I really think it would be good to just take some time out and sit down with a proper book that covers not just the fundamentals I would stagger upon when searching, but all the fundamentals I need to know but can't because i don't even know to search for

[Keya]

installing devhelp in linux is a good start for API help anyway!
Thanks to Oma for suggestion and instructions - http://purebasic.fr/english/viewtopic.p ... 62#p469462

[TI-994A]

But with Linux and Mac im new to the OS as well... the APIs are very different... i dont know what the equivalent of kernel32.dll

Strictly speaking, that wouldn't be considered PureBasic programming. Almost all that you would require to learn cross-platform development with PureBasic is contained within its documentation.

Although PureBasic has conveniently exposed a set of API functions from the respective underlying operating systems, these do not fall within its purview. And, unless your intended projects exceed some level of complexity, you wouldn't need to utilise those functions in order to develop robust cross-platform applications with PureBasic.

For example, in pure PureBasic applications, there's no need to call the UpdateWindow() function, because PureBasic manages that internally.

What you're alluding to is API programming; you'd have to look to the respective operating system's developer documentation.

[Keya]

Hello im just wondering if anybody has any book recommendations about Graphical User Interface design? obviously not PB-specific. Suggestions appreciated!

[ElementE]

Hi Keya.
This might be of use to you, although it is written for Visual Studio 6.0.
Creating a User Interface
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/librar ... 60%29.aspx
You could practice by translating the given examples into PureBasic.

[IdeasVacuum]

Books/online Guides/Code solutions on PB:

Rosetta Code
Pure Basic Survival Guide
PureBasic - A Beginner's Guide To Computer Programming by Kale (old but good)
Programming 2D Scrolling Games (superb book, not just about games programming, free)

A really, really good book on programming (but not about Designing GUIs):
C Programming: A Modern Approach K.N. King

[ElementE]

This is a very good book on C pointers, the concepts should carry over to PureBasic.

Understanding and Using C Pointers
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Usi ... 1449344186

Description:
Improve your programming through a solid understanding of C pointers and memory management. With this practical book, you’ll learn how pointers provide the mechanism to dynamically manipulate memory, enhance support for data structures, and enable access to hardware. Author Richard Reese shows you how to use pointers with arrays, strings, structures, and functions, using memory models throughout the book.

Difficult to master, pointers provide C with much flexibility and power—yet few resources are dedicated to this data type. This comprehensive book has the information you need, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced C or C++ programmer or developer.

• Get an introduction to pointers, including the declaration of different pointer types
• Learn about dynamic memory allocation, de-allocation, and alternative memory management techniques
• Use techniques for passing or returning data to and from functions
• Understand the fundamental aspects of arrays as they relate to pointers
• Explore the basics of strings and how pointers are used to support them
• Examine why pointers can be the source of security problems, such as buffer overflow
• Learn several pointer techniques, such as the use of opaque pointers, bounded pointers and, the restrict keyword

[ElementE]

This book goes over aspects of the C language, but, again, the concepts can be applied to PureBasic.

21st Century C: C Tips from the New School 2nd Edition
http://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Tips ... 1491903899

Description:
Throw out your old ideas about C and get to know a programming language that’s substantially outgrown its origins. With this revised edition of 21st Century C, you’ll discover up-to-date techniques missing from other C tutorials, whether you’re new to the language or just getting reacquainted.

C isn’t just the foundation of modern programming languages; it is a modern language, ideal for writing efficient, state-of-the-art applications. Get past idioms that made sense on mainframes and learn the tools you need to work with this evolved and aggressively simple language. No matter what programming language you currently favor, you’ll quickly see that 21st century C rocks.

• Set up a C programming environment with shell facilities, makefiles, text editors, debuggers, and memory checkers
• Use Autotools, C’s de facto cross-platform package manager
• Learn about the problematic C concepts too useful to discard
• Solve C’s string-building problems with C-standard functions
• Use modern syntactic features for functions that take structured inputs
• Build high-level, object-based libraries and programs
• Perform advanced math, talk to internet servers, and run databases with existing C libraries

This edition also includes new material on concurrent threads, virtual tables, C99 numeric types, and other features.