Known QB64 Issues
From QB64 Wiki
- If QB64 will not run after installation or unzip GOTO: Why won't QB64 work on my computer?
- Floating decimal point numerical values may not be compared as exactly the same value.
- Example: Qbasic will print unequal in the IF...THEN comparison code below even though it is exactly the same value printed.
x# = 5 / 10 y# = 6 / 10 z# = x# + y# PRINT x#, y#, z# IF x# + y# = z# THEN PRINT "equal" ELSE PRINT "unequal"
- Note: QB64 will make the calculation correctly and print equal. Change older program code that relies on the error accordingly.
- Qbasic allowed programs to append DATA to the end of BAS files because it separated the main code from sub-procedures.
- IF...THEN statements cannot evaluate literal or variable STRING values as True or False without a comparison value. The QB64 IDE may not catch the coding error and it may not compile. IF statements can only evaluate numerical values as True(<> 0) or False(= 0).
- Semicolons are NOT automatically added between PRINT variables or values. Add them manually if red lined.
- Change Menu does not change all variable names when more than one is on a line. To be fixed after version 0.95 update.
- Missing string end quotes or punctuation in code may not always be indicated in the status area.
- Will not report Subscript out of Range Error with DIM array when the variable has no value assigned. Qbasic reported at run-time.
- _BIT is not currently supported in User Defined TYPEs.
- BYVAL cannot be used in CALL ABSOLUTE or other references. Can be used with the QB64 DECLARE LIBRARY definition.
- COM port access with OUT or INP is not supported. OPEN COM IS SUPPORTED!
- COMMON block names using /name/ are not currently supported.
- ON TIMER(n) does not interrupt SLEEP.
- OPEN cannot open an LPT port or devices such as CONS, SCRN, KBRD, etc. OPEN COM IS supported.
- PLAY does not properly delay program progress yet and cannot be used for delays like Qbasic would. Use _DELAY if necessary. Now supports volume(V) and multiple simultaneous notes using comma separators!
- SHELL: CD command does not change directory path. Use CHDIR. "CD" using _HIDE will return current path when sent to a file.
- INTERRUPT (QB64 only supports INT 33h, functions 0 to 3)
- CALL ABSOLUTE (QB64 only has support for PUSH/POP/MOV/RET/INT 33h, functions 0 to 3)
- Port access ((QB64 only supports OUT &H3C7,&H3C8 and &H3C9 and INP &H3DA and &H60)
- No Multi-modular support(RUN, CHAIN and COMMON are implemented)
- No quick library(QLB) support. $INCLUDE text libraries using Qbasic and QB64 code are supported to re-use procedures.
- After a program is compiled, the $INCLUDE files do not have to be included with the program.
- Use CHDIR instead of the CD command in SHELL to change directories. SHELL _HIDE "CD > " + file$ returns current path.
- Use SHELL _HIDE to send screen data to a file using > piping. Screens will often not stay visible long enough to read.
- Do not use SHELL "CMD /C "... without _HIDE as QB64 automatically adds CMD /C in Windows versions that can run QB64.
- LPRINT and _PRINTIMAGE may not print immediately to a page! _PRINTIMAGE will stretch images to fit selected paper size.
- INTERRUPT and CALL ABSOLUTE are limited to mouse functions up to and including AX = 3 (status read).
- INP and OUT limited to &H3C? color port access and &H60 keyboard reads. See Port Access Libraries for COM and LPT access.
- When a QB64 program is run, two temporary files, STDOUT.TXT and STDERR.TXT, are generated. This may create problems when attempting to run a QB64 program on a CD or in a Read Only folder! To eliminate the generation of those temporary files, run the following program hack before compiling any new EXE programs. The program edits the QB64\INTERNAL\C\L\LIBMN.A file:
' THIS IS A QB64 HACK AND IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE QB64 PROJECT. ' RUN THIS PROGRAM IN THE SAME DIRECTORY AS QB64.EXE IS LOCATED. DEFINT A-Z CLS PRINT PRINT "======================" PRINT "Patch libmn.a for QB64" PRINT "======================" PRINT PRINT "Loading file............"; OPEN "internal\c\l\libmn.a" FOR BINARY AS #1 IF LOF(1) = 0 THEN PRINT "Not found!" PRINT "Please run from within the QB64.EXE directory." CLOSE 1: KILL File$ END ELSE PRINT "OK!" END IF PRINT "Checking filesize......."; IF LOF(1) <> 207032 THEN PRINT "ABORTED: Invalid libmn.a filesize." CLOSE END ELSE PRINT "OK!" END IF PRINT "Continue with Patch? (Y/N)" DO HUH$ = UCASE$(INPUT$(1)) IF HUH$ ="N" THEN PRINT "Cancelled!": END END IF IF HUH$ = "Y" THEN EXIT DO LOOP Old$ = SPACE$(11) New$ = STRING$(11, CHR$(0)) GET #1, 204604, Old$ IF Old$ = "/stdout.txt" THEN PRINT "Patching 1st location..."; PUT #1, 204604, New$ PRINT "OK!" ELSE PRINT PRINT "ABORTED: Data not found, or the file's already patched." CLOSE END END IF GET #1, 204618, Old$ IF Old$ = "/stderr.txt" THEN PRINT "Patching 2nd location..."; PUT #1, 204618, New$ PRINT "OK!" ELSE PRINT PRINT "ABORTED: Data not found, or the file's already patched." CLOSE END END IF CLOSE PRINT PRINT "Done!" END
- Compile and run the program in the QB64 folder. If the file is not found or not the same as the file specs the program will abort.
See also: