[Idea] LuaOnboard for PSP

KawaGeo · Post by **KawaGeo** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 7:28 am

It would be a good idea to develop LuaOnboard for PSP. It is more like a regular DOS console running Lua. The app could be written in Lua script. It prompts a line to input some Lua chunk and execute it after pressing Enter key or some other key. We need virtual keyboard or some external keyboard using SIO ports for input purpose.

With the app installed in your PSP, you could learn Lua language while traveling.

How is the idea? Has anybody ever tried to develop a similar one?

chaos · Post by **chaos** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 1:47 pm

i was thinking about a similar idea.

it would be great to be able to code on the psp, like you can with a ti-83 programmable calculator.. i'm sure most of you have seen one of these, but basically it uses a menu system to group similar commands/keywords, for example, one menu for control statements IF, THEN, FOR, END, etc.. and another menu for logic statements OR, AND, XOR.. and so on.. basically, you have a menu entry for every possible keyword. this eliminates typing as much as possible.

this system works very well on the ti-83, partly because it has so many buttons.. the limited number of buttons on the psp would slow things down a bit, but i think with some well structured menus, you could probably do ok.. and with the increased screen resolution (and color), you have much more options when it comes to a menuing system.

for naming variables, you could have a menu option like "Define new variable", where you enter a variable name, and then it gets added to a menu.. that way you could just select it from a menu, instead of retyping it over and over. with a little work, you could eliminate typing from the main interface entirely, just going with a menu system instead.

this part of the design i have pretty well figured out. and it would be simple enough to have lua write code to a .lua file, and call it.. coming up with useful debugging tools would be harder, and probably done best with a modified lua interpreter, which is beyond what i can do at this point.

KawaGeo · Post by **KawaGeo** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 3:02 pm

I was thinking of menuing system in lieu of keyboarding, too. In order to execute Lua chunk, we can use dostring() function for inputted chunk or dofile() funxrion to load small prewritten Lua scripts. The buffer for the console can be saved and later uploaded to PC for further work.

Many times we had some such ideas in Lua and wanted to try them on PSP while on road without having to wait 'til we got home to try them.

In the past, I developed similar apps for other platforms but without graphics. With LuaPlayer, it would be an ideal to develop the console app.

More brainstorming, folks?

Arwin · Post by **Arwin** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:02 pm

Sounds like a neat idea.

Believe it or not, I think p-sprint would work very well for typing Lua Script. Once you start using it, you can get very fast - remember, it only takes twice the number of keypresses on a regular keyboard.

Since there are still available keymaps, I could easily make one optimised for Lua (i.e. bringing the most used symbols to the shortest combos) to the basic keygroup.

link · Post by **link** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 10:22 pm

I use pspda for typing up lua on the road. its pretty simple.

KawaGeo · Post by **KawaGeo** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:34 am

Arwin, could you give us a link regarding p-sprint?

link, how about a link to pspda?

TIA

Arwin · Post by **Arwin** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:26 am

http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php? ... ht=psprint

If you look around you'll find implementations in dosbox, Basilisk and Microwindows ...

link · Post by **link** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 5:33 am

I forgot where i got it but if anybody finds it tell me. it is very usefull. it has a text editor, image viewer, music player, paint, and file manager. in the mean time, this should work. http://www.mobiledeviant.com/forum/down ... ile&id=132
Im pretty sure it is the same text editor included in pspda

Arwin · Post by **Arwin** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 9:32 pm

link wrote:I forgot where i got it but if anybody finds it tell me. it is very usefull. it has a text editor, image viewer, music player, paint, and file manager. in the mean time, this should work. http://www.mobiledeviant.com/forum/down ... ile&id=132
Im pretty sure it is the same text editor included in pspda

I have it with source, looking to integrate p_sprint into it, but the internal handling of keys and such is a little complex, using strings instead of key or charcodes, so it will take me a little while to get it done. I may also be looking into synchronisation options through XML (and make a sample Outlook interface) when I get the time.

You can definitely download it from pspupdates.qj.net ... try searching for PSP PDA. Username of the author is rob psp, might help too.

skyd1v3r · Post by **skyd1v3r** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 4:45 pm

Yeah, the TI83-System would be great.
It is blinding fast, intuitive, and safe of typies.

Believe me, I know what Iám talking about.
(reference: http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fi ... 29730.html )

Doing such an editor was a project I was going to start next month since I have to learn more about lua for that.
Anyway, if you need ANY support please let me know.

feature request: make the menu system editeable. If possible, please try using an ini file for it´s structure.

KawaGeo · Post by **KawaGeo** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:47 am

skyd1v3r wrote:Doing such an editor was a project I was going to start next month since I have to learn more about lua for that.
Anyway, if you need ANY support please let me know.

A text editor written in Lua could be very handy for LuaOnboard. It is easier to integrate a tested editor into LuaOnboard than letting LuaOnboard do the self-editting like the one Lua folks developed out there.

I don't know if anybody else ever started the project. Suggest to start a topic declaring your intention.

KawaGeo · Post by **KawaGeo** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:58 am

Arwin wrote:I have it with source, looking to integrate p_sprint into it ...

Is it possible to let p-sprint of yours act as an input driver to LuaPlayer for PSP without having to re-compile LuaPlayer with your source?

BTW, your virtual keyboard looks cool.

Arwin · Post by **Arwin** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:28 am

KawaGeo wrote:
Arwin wrote:I have it with source, looking to integrate p_sprint into it ...
Is it possible to let p-sprint of yours act as an input driver to LuaPlayer for PSP without having to re-compile LuaPlayer with your source?

Since I don't think you can call external C routines from Lua (which makes sense, really), you can't do it any other way than rewriting the code for p-sprint in LuaScript. It's something I would like to do, having some trouble to find the time, but maybe I can combine it with writing a typing tutor in Lua.

(would be cool if somehow I could use vector graphic / 3d fonts for that, silently hoping that the new Lua version will support something like that)

I personally think that it wouldn't have been a bad idea to have p-sprint in Lua as a keyboard driver, as it would be the one driver that could make lua on psp compatible with all the other versions even when using keyboard input. But Shine has already indicated he doesn't think this is a good idea, and I accept that.

KawaGeo · Post by **KawaGeo** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:25 am

I do know that it is possible to call external C routines from LuaPlayer running on Windows but I don't know about PSP platform, tho'. I guess the possibility is in Shine's own domain.

... rewriting the code for p-sprint in LuaScript. It's something I would like to do, having some trouble to find the time, but maybe I can combine it with writing a typing tutor in Lua.

I sure hope you have time to do this. It would be handy for a text editor or some other apps.

I personally think that it wouldn't have been a bad idea to have p-sprint in Lua as a keyboard driver, as it would be the one driver that could make lua on psp compatible with all the other versions even when using keyboard input.

I still think it IS a good idea. NOBODY will stop any coder from doing his/her work in Lua as long as it is possible to do so.

mrn · Post by **mrn** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 12:15 am

Here is a new FAST text input concept using remapped VIRTUAL QWERTY KEYBOARD:
http://forums.ps2dev.org/viewtopic.php?t=3973
Feel free to use it in your Lua (and also other) Apps. And do not forget the credits .)
cheers, mrn