Biotoken about to be released; add your comments and wishes
Biotoken about to be released; add your comments and wishes
by inaki
Fri Jun 09, 2006 5:00 pm
My tokenizer, that I call Biotoken, is about to be released, but I would like to hear about any features you would like to include before release.
The tokenizer supports every sentence included in the original BCP:
START
END
LOAD
CALL
RETURN
JUMP
IF
ELSE
ELSE_IF
CONT_IF
COMPUTE
plus the following:
- Comments
- Constants
- The ability to include libraries
- FOR/NEXT Sentence
- REPEAT/UNTIL Sentence
- WHILE/WEND Sentence
You can write the source code with any editor. The tokenizer is a console mode program. You pass the file to compile as an argument and then the tokenizer generates the code, connects to your robot and transmits the file (an average program takes a few seconds to compile and transmit). An option allows to see the strings generated with the Print sentence.
I am able to write programs for Biotoken about 10 times faster than using BCP. Programs are easier to read and easier to maintain and fix. The only iconvenient is that it is easier to have an error because you edit freely your code text.
The tokenizer is case 'insensitive'. You may write LOAD, load, Load or wathever and it is all the same. The same applies to constants, labels and variables.
All registers covered by BCP have names under Biotoken that you can use to refer to almost any register in CM5, AX or AX-S1 devices. You can define your own constants or use the numerical values instead.
Here is an example of how Biotoken code looks:
//This is an example program for listening the FX sounds in AX-S1
START
//Main Loop
FOR MUSIC = 0 TO 27
LOAD AX.100.BUZZER_VAL, 255
LOAD AX.100.BUZZER_INDEX, MUSIC
CALL DELAY
NEXT MUSIC
JUMP Exit
//Generic Delay
DELAY:
LOAD CM5.TIMER, 20
DELAY1:
IF CM5.TIMER > 0 THEN JUMP DELAY1
RETURN
Exit:
END
Please add your comments and the features you would like to see, before I release the first version.
The tokenizer supports every sentence included in the original BCP:
START
END
LOAD
CALL
RETURN
JUMP
IF
ELSE
ELSE_IF
CONT_IF
COMPUTE
plus the following:
- Comments
- Constants
- The ability to include libraries
- FOR/NEXT Sentence
- REPEAT/UNTIL Sentence
- WHILE/WEND Sentence
You can write the source code with any editor. The tokenizer is a console mode program. You pass the file to compile as an argument and then the tokenizer generates the code, connects to your robot and transmits the file (an average program takes a few seconds to compile and transmit). An option allows to see the strings generated with the Print sentence.
I am able to write programs for Biotoken about 10 times faster than using BCP. Programs are easier to read and easier to maintain and fix. The only iconvenient is that it is easier to have an error because you edit freely your code text.
The tokenizer is case 'insensitive'. You may write LOAD, load, Load or wathever and it is all the same. The same applies to constants, labels and variables.
All registers covered by BCP have names under Biotoken that you can use to refer to almost any register in CM5, AX or AX-S1 devices. You can define your own constants or use the numerical values instead.
Here is an example of how Biotoken code looks:
//This is an example program for listening the FX sounds in AX-S1
START
//Main Loop
FOR MUSIC = 0 TO 27
LOAD AX.100.BUZZER_VAL, 255
LOAD AX.100.BUZZER_INDEX, MUSIC
CALL DELAY
NEXT MUSIC
JUMP Exit
//Generic Delay
DELAY:
LOAD CM5.TIMER, 20
DELAY1:
IF CM5.TIMER > 0 THEN JUMP DELAY1
RETURN
Exit:
END
Please add your comments and the features you would like to see, before I release the first version.
by stevo3d
Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:31 pm
Inaki, that is incredibly great. Way to go! Words cannot express my gratitude. You are my hero. 
Feature requests:
CASE statements.
Complex IF statements, like
IF (CM5.TIMER > 0) OR ((AX.100.BUZZER_VAL > 0) AND (VAR1 = 2)) THEN ...
IF (VAR1 > ((VAR2 * 2) + 5) THEN ...
Complex COMPUTE statements, like
COMPUTE VAR1 = (VAR1 * 2) + 30
COMPUTE VAR3 = (AX.18.CURRENT_POS + CM5.TIMER) * (VAR1 - VAR2)
Syntax checking (if you don't have it already).
Ability to pour beer without spilling.
Feature requests:
CASE statements.
Complex IF statements, like
IF (CM5.TIMER > 0) OR ((AX.100.BUZZER_VAL > 0) AND (VAR1 = 2)) THEN ...
IF (VAR1 > ((VAR2 * 2) + 5) THEN ...
Complex COMPUTE statements, like
COMPUTE VAR1 = (VAR1 * 2) + 30
COMPUTE VAR3 = (AX.18.CURRENT_POS + CM5.TIMER) * (VAR1 - VAR2)
Syntax checking (if you don't have it already).
Ability to pour beer without spilling.
Steve Munk
by stevo3d
Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:19 am
Inaki, I thought of another feature that would be good to have. Random numbers and modulo. I guess that's two features.
Apologies if, through my ignorance, my suggestions are too difficult or impossible to implement in the context of the tokenizer.
Apologies if, through my ignorance, my suggestions are too difficult or impossible to implement in the context of the tokenizer.
Last edited by stevo3d on Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
Steve Munk
by barbar
Sun Jun 11, 2006 2:47 pm
... back home again 
Inaki,
I am heavily impressed of your progress and the developments ... also can't wait to use Biotoken. In all respects I share the same opinion as stevo3d and Pev (except the beer pouring requirement ... in this point I appeal to the responsibility of the programmer/user
).
Cheers!
barbar
Inaki,
I am heavily impressed of your progress and the developments ... also can't wait to use Biotoken. In all respects I share the same opinion as stevo3d and Pev (except the beer pouring requirement ... in this point I appeal to the responsibility of the programmer/user
).
Cheers!
barbar
. Really sorry that I can’t contribute much to your question cause I didn’t explore much of the Behavior Control Programmer yet. But, I’m curious as hell to work with your Biotoken.
by inaki
Mon Jun 12, 2006 1:57 pm
Thanks for your comments.
CASE statement can be integrated, no problem.
Free complex logic operations and computations could also be integrated but for now I will leave it out. Actually I thought in first place about a free form syntax but eventually decided to keep the look of the original BCP.
Random numbers cannot be accomodated in the tokenizer because for that to work you would need a random generator in the CM5 side. Note that you cannot do anything not supported already by the tokens set provided.
The tokenizer performs some syntax checking although it is really permissive meaning that you can write wrong sentences in some cases.
Other than syntax I do not perform logic validity tests to prevent incorrect statements like for example writing on a read only register. Under Biotoken you can use any register as source or destination. Note that BCP prevents this.
CASE statement can be integrated, no problem.
Free complex logic operations and computations could also be integrated but for now I will leave it out. Actually I thought in first place about a free form syntax but eventually decided to keep the look of the original BCP.
Random numbers cannot be accomodated in the tokenizer because for that to work you would need a random generator in the CM5 side. Note that you cannot do anything not supported already by the tokens set provided.
The tokenizer performs some syntax checking although it is really permissive meaning that you can write wrong sentences in some cases.
Other than syntax I do not perform logic validity tests to prevent incorrect statements like for example writing on a read only register. Under Biotoken you can use any register as source or destination. Note that BCP prevents this.
Re: Biotoken about to be released; add your comments and wis
by barbar
Fri Jun 23, 2006 10:29 pm
inaki wrote: ... Biotoken, is about to be released ...
Inaki, may I volunteer as a pre-alpha tester?
Cheers!
barbar
by inaki
Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:29 am
The first version of Biotoken tokenizer is finished. However I have found a problem when transferring the program to CM5. I have tried to hack the way BCP sends the program but there is still a problem: the CM5 stays in programming mode after I send the program instead of returning to PLAY mode as it happens when using BCP. I don't know why this happens.
Any help would be welcome !:-) If you are curious you can see the BCP protocol using a serial monitor program; I use HSD.
I can post here the protocol as I have seen it, if anyone is interested in working to find out the problem.
Any help would be welcome !:-) If you are curious you can see the BCP protocol using a serial monitor program; I use HSD.
I can post here the protocol as I have seen it, if anyone is interested in working to find out the problem.
