externalPackages

[Richard Gaskin]

JB wrote:

> I am surprised that as long as LiveCode has been
> around there are not more externals available.  If
> you have developed externals for LiveCode why
> not sell them like was done for HyperCard?

I don't need 'em.  As I wrote earlier:

   ...aside from the database externals included with LC I
   rarely use any at all.  Most of the things I'd written
   externals for in SC are included in LiveCode itself.

For example, here's a list of externals I used to sell in a collection 
for SuperCard called scX, with their built-in LiveCode equivalents:

- AskColor
   LiveCode: answer color

- CalendarField
   LiveCode: we have no one-liner for making an ASCII
   calendar layout, but it can be obtained in a one-line
   call to the shell on OS X and Linux, and with LC's
   weekdayNames and other features takes only a few minutes
   to write - but who needs an ASCII calendar?  I originally
   wrote that because I needed one for an app and doing it in
   script was slow - that's very rarely a problem in LC.

- Camera
   LiveCode: export snapshot

- ClipToPICTRes
   LiveCode:  LC supports many resource fork operations,
   but since that fork is marked for deprecation there's
   little point in using them, and being Mac-specific they
   offer nothing for the other 90% of the computing world.

- CmdPeriod
   LiveCode: commandKeyDown

- DragThisWindow
   LiveCode: mouseMove

- DrawIcon
   LiveCode: see note on resource fork above.

- GetFolder
   LiveCode: answer folder (much more flexible in LC)

- GetIndString
   LiveCode: see note on resource fork above.

- GetVersion
   LiveCode: see note on resource fork above, thought it's
   worth noting that I now store version info in custom
   properties, which can be used for the sorts of things
   we used to use the old Mac res fork for, but are much
   more flexible, more robust, and available on all platforms.

- GrowThisWindow
   LiveCode: mouseMove

- InjectPPAT
   LiveCode: backgroundPattern property

- IntersectRect
   LiveCode: within

- LineMatch
   LiveCode: lineOffset

- ListFonts
   LiveCode: the fontnames

- ListRes
   LiveCode: getResources

- MonitorRects
   LiveCode: the working screenRects

- MoveFile
   LiveCode: rename file

- NewFolder
   LiveCode: create folder

- PixelColor
   LiveCode: screenMouseLoc with mouseColor

- PopList
   LiveCode: popup

- RestartMac
   LiveCode:  one-line call to shell

- SetColorCursor
   LiveCode: all cursors can be color

- ShowProgress
   LiveCode: built-in progress object

- ShutDownMac
   LiveCode: one-line call to shell

- SnapDragon
   LiveCode: built-in grid property

- xFileType
   LiveCode: the detailed files

- xPrefs
   LiveCode: specialFolderPath

Even the externals others wrote that I published for SC are easily done 
in native LiveCode, from arrays to lists to statistical functions, 
text-to-speech, and much more - easier to work with right in the 
scripting language, and unlike externals can be used on multiple platforms.


 > Just a thought since I have not seen anyone marketing externals
 > for LiveCode.

Check out the LiveCode Market Place:
<https://livecode.com/store/marketplace/>

There are several dozen add-on packages there, and many more throughout 
the community.

It's just that with LiveCode's very broad capabilities, relatively few 
add-ons are externals per so, with many add-ons being libraries, custom 
controls, and other forms.

-- 
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World Systems
  Software Design and Development for the Desktop, Mobile, and the Web
  ____________________________________________________________________
  Ambassador at FourthWorld.com                http://www.FourthWorld.com