Stuff that you can do in 1.3. I found it useful. I made a project a month or so ago about this, and now I've decided to turn it into a thread. So here goes...
1. B R O A D C A S T A V A R I A B L E
You can broadcast a variable. Using this, it is possible to create your own programming language. Additionally, using an external program like NotePad or TextEdit, you can actually make a fairly functional one - easily - using the "import list" feature (I'll get to that later).
Here's how broadcasting a variable works:
if you put:
when (green flag) clicked
set [myvariable] to [1]
broadcast (myvariable)
Then "when I recieve 1" will respond, because myvariable was set to 1. Get it?
2. B O O L E A N V A R I A B L E S , L I S T S , A N D S A Y B L O C K S
You can use boolean blocks in variables, lists, and "say" blocks, like so:
say < mouse down? >
set [myvariable] to < mouse down? >
add < mouse down? > to [mylist]
In a way, you could broadcast a boolean state by setting a variable to a boolean block and then broadcasting that variable. The output of this is always true/false, never 1/0.
3. I M P O R T I N G L I S T S
A really neat feature (I find) in Scratch 1.3 is that you can import scripts. Really reduces time setting up all of the items, especially with single-letter items for a typewriter effect. Here's how it works:
Open NotePad or TextEdit (in TextEdit, be sure to make your file plain text by selecting "make plain text" from the "format" menu in the menu bar, which should remove the formatting menus and give you a plain, blank page).
In your new window, type in the items you want to have. The items can contain any alphanumerical characters you want to have, in addition to spaces. Separate the items with a line break.
Save it as whatever you like (but make sure the file type is .txt). I like to save it on my desktop so that I can access it easily.
Open up Scratch 1.3 if you haven't already done so. Make a new list, call it what you wish.
Right click anywhere on that list (except the orange parts), and choose "import list". Find your file, select it, and click okay.
And there you have it!
4. S O U R C E C O D E ( E R R O R M E S S A G E )
Getting an error message is useless, right? Not so much. There are a lot of ways to get error messages in 1.3, and using Jens' Source Code method (here) you can get to the source code by getting an error. Here's just one of the many ways of getting an error message. Once you get one, follow the instructions in the project (because the error message mentioned in it doesn't work with 1.3, nor does the 1.2.1 update of the project). Just skip the first few frames of the project until you get to the error message.
Open up Scratch if you haven't done so already.
Make a new variable called "%q" (without the quotes).
Drag the odd-looking variable onto the script pane. Make another variable, called it anything that doesn't start with %.
Drag that variable into the the %q variable, and voila, you have errors!
I hope these helped you, and happy Scratching!
Last edited by coolstuff (2008-10-19 12:39:29)
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