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IWBasic 4.11 Windows beta

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@LarrySikes LarrySikes released this 10 Sep 19:34
v4.11-beta16
8f7c2b1

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IWBasic — easy start (Windows, no install)

You do NOT need to install anything. No MSYS2. No developer tools.

What's new in this zip (2026-09-10, v4.11-beta16)

EB-BALLS: Win32 ESC / FLIP early-exit fix (ignore sticky/autorepeat ESC).
invaders: REPLACE$ string-slot codegen fix (no longer aborts at start).
smashout: NEW brick + MOUSEX() fixes (game launches again).
Also includes beta15: Win32 BEGINMENU / @STATUS + white OPENWINDOW client.

Pre-built demos in run\ were rebuilt with these fixes. If you recompile
smashout/invaders yourself, use this zip's lib\libiwb_runtime.a (and a
matching iwbc when available).

Try the included sample (1 minute)

  1. Right-click the zip → Extract All…
    Choose: Desktop\iwbasic (or any folder you like)

  2. Open the folder in File Explorer.

  3. Double-click: COMPILE_SAMPLE.cmd

  4. A black window should show:
    Hello from IWBasic!

If Windows says "protected your PC":
Click More info → Run anyway

Run the demo programs (optional)

Open the run folder:

 christmas_tree.exe   — graphics demo
 EB-BALLS.exe         — bouncing balls (needs ball.bmp in same folder)
 addressbook.exe      — needs addressbook.mdb + sqlite3.dll in same folder
 invaders.cmd         — TEXT console game (do NOT double-click invaders.exe;
                        use invaders.cmd so the window stays open)

dict_core / math_core are text programs:
Double-click RUN_DICT_CORE.cmd / RUN_MATH_CORE.cmd
(or open Command Prompt in run\ and run the .exe)

invaders: double-click invaders.cmd (not invaders.exe)

Compile YOUR program

  1. Copy your file myprogram.iwb into the samples folder
    (inside the iwbasic folder you extracted)

  2. Double-click: COMPILE_ONE_IN_SAMPLES.cmd

  3. Look in the samples folder for myprogram.exe
    Double-click it to run.

Problems?

"Windows protected your PC" on every program
→ More info → Run anyway (beta is not code-signed yet)

COMPILE_SAMPLE says a .dll is missing
→ Use the latest zip from GitHub Releases (DLLs belong in bin).
Do not copy random DLLs from elsewhere on your PC.

addressbook flashes and closes
→ Make sure run\sqlite3.dll is next to addressbook.exe (included in
current beta). Win11 usually has no Access database driver.

addressbook "New" freezes / MDB Viewer says unrecognized
→ addressbook.mdb is an IWBasic SQLite file that uses a .mdb name
(not Microsoft Access). Do not open it in Access/MDB Viewer.
Use the latest beta so New no longer hangs on Jet/ACE locks.

invaders blank / closes immediately
→ Double-click invaders.cmd (not invaders.exe)
Use a normal Command Prompt window (not Windows Terminal) if the
game still flashes blank.

Dialogs look pure white
→ Fixed in current beta (classic gray dialog face).

EB-BALLS not fullscreen / exits early with many balls
→ Fixed in current beta (fullscreen CREATESCREEN + ESC arm).
If it still exits with many balls, say how many and after how long.

No labels on addressbook / other dialogs
→ Fixed (static controls were wrongly created as bitmap statics).

smashout link errors (CreateSprite, ELLIPSE, …)
→ Fixed in current beta runtime.

Send back: VERSION.txt from this folder + what you clicked + what happened

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