35 replies to this topic

[KaoS]

Kingdaro, on 06 September 2012 - 12:36 PM, said:

Pharap, on 06 September 2012 - 03:25 AM, said:

Also I have a 'functionality over all' attitude, which basically means I worry more about if code works than if it's efficient.

Aha, you and I are on two completely different spectrums; I can't leave the edit program unless my code is the shortest it can be while being readable XD

Likewise, I am big on functionality but my code must be neat and complete... I also have a thing where it has to be able to cater for any eventuality - no matter how outlandish

guess I'm just a coding perfectionist.... sux2bme />

[TristanTroll]

So if I made a song named bell it would look like this?

local function bellTimer()
sleep(3600)
end

while true do
parallel.waitForAll(bellTimer, playbell)
end

You are very complicated for me to understand, try to type like Pharap.

EDIT: Spaces before sleep and parallel, they just don't show up when I post.

[Kingdaro]

It would look like that, yes. Just make sure you have your playbell function defined beforehand, which actually plays your bell.

And sorry I can't change my typing style to be more beginner friendly, it'd be cool if someone could translate my words into something you could understand more.

Also, in order to have spaces in your code, just wrap it around [ code][/code] tags.

[TristanTroll]

How do I make a function beforehand and don't talk gibberish.

[OmegaVest]

For a function:

function functionName(params)

  --  Code here

   return value  -- Not always needed, but it is how things like os.pullEvent() give off variables.
end

--Some Code

FunctionName(params)

--End of program

And there may be zero or more parameters, such as a string, integer, character, etc.

[TristanTroll]

So would that go on top of this or what?

local function bellTimer()
sleep(3600)
end

while true do
parallel.waitForAll(bellTimer, playbell)
end

[Pharap]

TristanTroll, on 06 September 2012 - 11:32 PM, said:

So would that go on top of this or what?

local function bellTimer()
sleep(3600)
end

while true do
parallel.waitForAll(bellTimer, playbell)
end

My turn again lol

Ok, so let's say you've got all your noteblocks set up at the back of your computer, hooked up to a bundled cable.
You know you want to play, and how you are going to play it (eg the order of noteblocks).
Then you figure out the code required to play the song, which may look something like this:

local side = "back"
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.blue)
sleep(0.15)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.green)
sleep(0.1)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.red)
sleep(0.15)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.green)
sleep(0.1)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.blue)
sleep(0.3)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.red)
sleep(0.2)

Now you want to put this in a function, which would be achieved like so:

local function playsong()
local side = "back"
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.blue)
sleep(0.15)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.green)
sleep(0.1)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.red)
sleep(0.15)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.green)
sleep(0.1)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.blue)
sleep(0.3)
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.red)
sleep(0.2)
end

Since this function is only performing a song, you don't need to worry about it giving back any data with the 'return' statement, the only bit you need to worry about now is the fact that by putting this block of code in a function, it can be called on as required.
To call this function, simply use the line

playsong()

Anywhere after the function is declared. (Some languages are different, but in lua a function has to be declared before you call it because of the way the code is read/compiled.)
Now for the actual code of the program (assuming you have already declared the playsong function at the top of your program):

while true do
playsong()
sleep(3600)
end

This will play your song and then sleep the console for an hour. Don't forget to account for how long your song plays for.
Eg time how long it takes to play and subtract that amount from the sleep time. So, if it takes 12 seconds, change sleep(3600) to sleep(3588).

That's assuming you want to make it chime on every real world hour. Minecraft time is something rather different, but can also be done with the right arrangement. I could have done this using the parallel API, but that would require explaining the basic ideas of the parallel API. I can do this if you want, since it will save you attempting to time your song, but it would still take a bit more time to explain.

[TristanTroll]

Wow Pharap that was awesome, I understood all of that and now I know how to make a function, and how localside works />.
And that the function has to be in the program before you call it. Because I thought the other guy was saying I need to make the function in a separate file. Now I can manually transfer some of my animal crossing town tunes to Minecraft />

[TristanTroll]

Yay I made it. pastebin.com/uEmpPp2t

[Kingdaro]

i would tell you an easier way to do that but i'm apparently no help in this thread ;~;

[TristanTroll]

Because you don't make any sense />
Try to make it easier and I'll see if I can decipher it.

[jaytime104]

nice lil thing u got going here hummm?

[Pharap]

TristanTroll, on 07 September 2012 - 01:05 AM, said:

Wow Pharap that was awesome, I understood all of that and now I know how to make a function, and how localside works />.
And that the function has to be in the program before you call it. Because I thought the other guy was saying I need to make the function in a separate file. Now I can manually transfer some of my animal crossing town tunes to Minecraft />

Thank you, I'm glad you understand it all and managed to get your program working.
If you ever need any more help, and other people aren't making sense, I don't mind being asked questions directly. Be sure to pose your question to the whole forum first though, people here do try their best to help.

[ElectricOverride]

Pharap, on 06 September 2012 - 01:56 AM, said:

TristanTroll, on 05 September 2012 - 11:11 PM, said:

Well maybe, just maybe cranium kid I said that I can't code to save my life, just maybe, and this is the ask a pro section and I needed help, so maybe I was just doing what I was supposed to, no reason to be mean to me. I don't understand what anyone here is doing because I see a crap ton of scattered scripts.

TristanTroll, on 05 September 2012 - 11:40 PM, said:

Nah I'd rather leave this to the Lua pros... besides making this doesn't just help me it helps everyone.

Lua is an easy language, trust me. (I know Lua, VB, C#, bits of perl and bits of C++, and lua is by far the easiest to get to grips with).
There's not much point trying to use computercraft unless you're willing to learn a bit about how to program. Part of the whole reason the mod was created was so people had a reason to learn how to program (As well as make something current programmers could use in minecraft to help simplify things).
Programming as a concept isn't hard, the hard bit is knowing what processes you have to perform to get your program to do what you want it to. For example you might know that you want to get a noteblock to play when someone presses a button while using the computer, but there are so many different ways you could go about it, it's sometimes hard to clear your head enough to think how you would go about doing it.


Also, it's pretty much an unwritten rule around here that you should never expect to come to the pros section and expect someone to provide you with a full running program, you should always assume they are just going to tell you where you are going wrong or suggest ways of doing things or things you may have missed (like the existence of a function that would help),which is one of the reasons Cranium was annoyed (also the fact that he's put a lot of effort into learning how to program in lua and had to overcome a lot of obstacles. Any programmer worth their salt has been through this struggle and gets annoyed when beginners want to take short cuts or people expect the code monkeys to deliver any program they ask for on a plate).

regardless, here is some code that will output data to a bundled cable at the back of a computer so you can play it like a keyboard(providing noteblocks are attached):

local side = "back" -- variable holding the side to send the data
term.clear() -- clear screen
term.setCursorPos(1, 1) --reset cursor
while true do
local e, k = os.pullEvent("key")
--you can choose the keys you want to set corresponding code to by using the keys constant (keys.keyname)
--k represents the key pressed. Test what key it is by using a key constant.
--here I demonstrate
--the w key sending output to the red wire,
--the r key sending output to the blue wire and
--the e key sending output to the white wire
--these can be changed by changing the key constant, the colour and
--more options can be added by adding more "else if k == keys.keyname then" blocks
--this is not the most efficient method, but if you are a beginner you dont need to worry about efficiency,
--just understanding what is going on

if k == keys.w then
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.red) -- sets output to red
elseif k == keys.r then
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.blue) -- sets output to blue
elseif k == keys.e then
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, colours.white) -- sets output to white
end
sleep()
redstone.setBundledOutput(side, 0) --cuts all output
end

I agree I remember when i first started I used to get frustrated if something didn't work, it takes some time to get a grip but once you've broke through that, it starts to get a bit easier the more you practise.

[ElectricOverride]

Quote

I agree I remember when i first started I used to get frustrated if something didn't work, it takes some time to get a grip but once you've broke through that, it starts to get a bit easier the more you practise.

And here I am now, with my shiny new OS. />

[Laserman34170]

OmegaVest, on 05 September 2012 - 10:09 PM, said:

The simplest way is to make an array that is nothing but the colors.

 myColors = {}
myColors[1] = 1
myColors[2] = 2
myColors[3] = 4
myColors[4] = 8
myColors[5] = 16
myColors[6] = 32
myColors[7] = 64
myColors[8] = 128
myColors[9] = 256
myColors[10] = 512
myColors[11] = 1024
myColors[12] = 2048
myColors[13] = 4096
myColors[14] = 8192
myColors[15] = 16384
myColors[16] = 32768

And then apply what we have already learned to the array.

 rs.setBundledOutput(side, myColors[input]) 

I would use the colors API if I were you. http://computercraft...hp?title=Colors
It allows you to use a bunch of functions for combining bundled cable outputs and accessing a bunch of variables for the different wires.

white = colors.white
orange = colors.orange
whiteAndOrange = colors.combine(white, orange)
rs.setBundledOutput(whiteAndOrange)