StuporMan's Supply And Demand Calculator

[StuporMan]

solo,

I would be honored to have my calculator posted in your EL guide! And that you think this is worthy of a link in the Great Library is high praise indeed.

I will be sure to keep you updated on new developments in the calculator as well.

Also, if you don't mind me asking, does the new interface seem easy enough to use? I was wondering if perhaps I needed to include some kind of help file or readme to clarify the user interface. Version 0.91 is fairly straightforward, but version 1.0 has some things that may not be very intuitive.

Thanks again for all of your help, I could not have done this without you.

StuporMan

[solo]

After using the latest version a bit more, I do have a few comments regarding the interface:

I noticed in the latest version that I could not click on a box and enter numbers directly anymore. Before I could do this. Now I must use arrows to get the number right. This is not fun when larger numbers are involved.

I would also like it if one did not have to delete the default 0, before entering a number. I'd rather just be able to start typing it in.

It would also be handy to be able to use the tab key to move to the next item in order on the list, instead of having to click on its box.

One can not cancel the adding a city command.

Also, instead of making this a command, why not just let the user type in a name (or new name) in the the first box of the display.

When creating a city save file, why not use the city name supplied earlier as the default filename. Allow the user to type in another name to overide this if the default is not desired.

I also think that when a city save file is loaded, it should become the displayed city and its values should be displayed and calculated immediately.

Otherwise the interface is okay.

[StuporMan]

solo,

Thanks for looking at the interface more closely.

I noticed in the latest version that I could not click on a box and enter numbers directly anymore. Before I could do this. Now I must use arrows to get the number right. This is not fun when larger numbers are involved.

I am unsure as to why this is happening. I downloaded a copy and it appeared to let me enter directly into the number boxes. I will investigate this on one of my other machines. What OS are you using?

Also, are you able to highlight the values in the boxes? If so, I may have my input masking set up incorrectly.

I would also like it if one did not have to delete the default 0, before entering a number. I'd rather just be able to start typing it in.

It would also be handy to be able to use the tab key to move to the next item in order on the list, instead of having to click on its box.

I plan to handle both of these by 1) allowing you to tab between items and 2) when a number box is selected, either by clicking or by tabbing, that the text will be selected too. That way typing will write over the old value.

One can not cancel the adding a city command.

I am assuming you want the ability to delete a city that you added. Is this correct?

Also, instead of making this a command, why not just let the user type in a name (or new name) in the the first box of the display.

Sounds like a great idea! I will set it up so that any time you type into this field and then leave it, that a new city will be added (even if this city has the same name as another existing city).

When creating a city save file, why not use the city name supplied earlier as the default filename. Allow the user to type in another name to overide this if the default is not desired.

I also think that when a city save file is loaded, it should become the displayed city and its values should be displayed and calculated immediately.

These two are also very good ideas. I just want to clarify a few things, just to be sure you are understanding how things are working. When you save in the new version, it saves ALL of the cities you entered. Likewise, loading will retrieve ALL of the cities that were saved. That is why the new version of the calculator cannot use older save files.

Thus, I will make the default name for the save file be the first city you entered. I could make this be the city currently showing instead if you prefer.

Thanks again for taking a look at the calculator. I will try to get these issues resolved and release a new version (1.01) in this thread tonight. Let me know if you encounter any more problems.

Edit: Version 1.01 is now available for download HERE

Thanks,
StuporMan

[solo]

I downloaded and tested 1.01 which works fine and also incoporates the features I suggested.

What more could I ask for?

Nice job, StuporMan!

An entry has been made in the EL Guide to include this tool. You may want to post more complete details there about its operation and various features.

[offa]

I have just stumbled into this thread as I subscribe to the ELG thread. I admit I haven't played civ2 in ages (too addicted to civ3) , but this sort of thing makes me want to give it another whirl.

The civ 2 early landing community may be small, but it really is amazing.

[StuporMan]

offa,

Thanks for the kind words. I am glad you enjoyed the calculator. I hope you get the chance to play some more Civ 2. It is good to polish off the classics every now and again.


Everyone,

I have discovered that there is an error when you try to delete the last city in the city drop down list. This error will cause the calculator to crash. I will get in a fix for this bug ASAP, but unfortunately I most likely will not be able to get it fixed this evening. Hopefully I can get a fixed version out sometime tomorrow.


StuporMan

[StuporMan]

Version 1.011 Released

I have released version 1.011 to fix an error I encountered when deleting the last city in the list.

Version 1.011 has replaced version 1.01 in a previous post.

StuporMan

[solo]

Okay, I updated my ELG attachment, too.

When I started working as a programmer long ago, I wondered what is it with all these version numbers? Why not just do only one version, and get it right the first time? I'm still seeking that elusive 1.0!

[StuporMan]

When I started working as a programmer long ago, I wondered what is it with all these version numbers? Why not just do only one version, and get it right the first time? I'm still seeking that elusive 1.0!

Yes you find out quickly that getting it right the first time for a project of any significant size is nearly impossible. The number of potential errors increases exponentially with every line of code you add. Even a simple program like this has approximately 2K lines of visual basic code, and that does not include any of the graphical code!

If you don't mind me asking, what did you program in and why did you stop?

I had many reasons for releasing a very rough early version, 0.10 IIRC. First, I knew that unless I had some kind of motivation that the project would fizzle out fairly quickly as other more pressing projects came along. I also knew that I did not have the time to adequately test all the formulas in a reasonable amount of time.

Releasing like that is risky, as it may turn your target audience away due to frustration. Fortunately, with your help I was able to get a very functional version out in a couple of weeks, which is much faster than I had anticipated.

I have started work on the next major revision, which when completed (or relatively close to completed ). I will post it in a new thread. Right now I am in the process of converting the existing code from VB6 to C# to make it easier to maintain and (hopefully) more portable. I will keep you posted. Also if you would be willing to help me test out some of the pre-release versions please let me know. I am hoping to get all the code converted by sometime early next week. New feature coding should begin shortly after. I would greatly appreciate any help I could get.

Thanks again for your continued interest!

StuporMan

[solo]

I programmed mostly in Fortran and then the company I was working for went out of business.

Programming was great fun, and I was being paid well for it, too!

[Straybow]

Wow

[StuporMan]

Straybrow,

I can't tell if you are impressed by the calculator, or by finding someone who enjoyed programming in Fortran!

Solo,
It is too bad that the company went out of business. Those of us who enjoy programming are a rare breed.

StuporMan

[rjmatsleepers]

Originally posted by StuporMan


It is too bad that the company went out of business. Those of us who enjoy programming are a rare breed.

StuporMan

I think lots of us enjoy programming - the rare thing is being paid to do it!

RJM at Sleeper's

[Kaak]

neat idea :-p