Office of Digital Humanities

Digital Humanities and Technology(DigHT) Course Materials
Learning to Program with LiveCode

Building a User Interface in Livecode

• Introduction
  • Introduction to LiveCode An introduction to the LiveCode Development Environment.
• Objects and Properties
  • LiveCode Objects The basic building blocks for creating a user interface in LiveCode.
  • Object Assignment
• Object Properties Changing the look and behavior of objects by setting properties.
  • Object Properties
  • Object Properties Assignment
  • Scripting Object Properties
• Image and Graphic Objects
  • Working with Images and Graphics The difference between image and graphic objects. Basics of creating both.
  • Acquiring Digital Images
  • Painting Tools Reference Chart
  • Exploring Images Exercise
• Group Objects
  • Groups
  • Groups/Script Exercise
• Aligning Objects
  • Alignment Using LiveCode's alignment tools to arrange objects on a card.
• Widgets Introduction to the widget object class. Widgets are specialized objects that can meet specific design needs.
  • LiveCode Widgets
  • The SVG Icon widget Using simple scalable vector graphics in LiveCode.
• Stacks and Windows
  • Window Styles and Stack Modes
    All about stack modes: top level, modal, modeless, palette.
    Substacks, window decorations, and stack shapes.
• Working with Menus
  • Custom Menus
• Building Standalone Applications
  • Building Distributions

LiveCode Scripting – Programming Objects in LiveCode

• Programming Basics
  • A Word About Computer Programming Languages
  • Basic Programming Concepts
  • Exercise: Control Structures Logic
  • Exercise: Control Structures Logic - Solutions
• Scripts and the Script Editor
  • Object Scripts – Introduction
  • Object Scripts – Continued
  • Script Editor Menu Reference
  • Scripts Exercise
• Overview of LiveCode Scripting
• LiveCode Scripting Language, part 1: Basic concepts and terminology.
• LiveCode Scripting Language, part 2: Control Structures
• Additional Useful Commands
  (push/pop, lock/unlock screen, ask, answer, do, grab)
• How to Script Object Properties
• Scripting Language – Some Practical Examples A collection of sample commands, statements, and handlers.
• Scripting Exercise
• Messages and Message Handlers
  • Messages and the Message Path
  • Messages An overview of commonly-used messages. How to make things happen in LiveCode by writing message handlers.
  • Messages Assignment
  • Extending the Message Path with Code Libraries
• Custom Functions How to create custom functions by writing function handlers.
• Working With Text in LiveCode LiveCode has powerful tools for manipulating and analyzing text strings. Learn the basics here.
  • Manipulating Text Strings; About the Find Command
• Debugging
  • Debugging LiveCode Handlers Common error types you'll encounter in programming. How to use LiveCode's debugging tools.
• Working with External Files An overview of how to access external files in LiveCode Script.
  • Referencing External Files
  • Exercise: Referencing External Files
  • Reading and Writing External Text Files
  • Exercise: Exploring the open and close file commands
  • Assignment: Simple Text Editor
  
  
  • About Mac Creator and File Type Codes
• Creating Instructional Applications: Example Projects
  • Labeled Picture Task
  • Annotated Readings
  • Flash Card Stack, variant 1
  • Flash Card Stack, variant 2
  • Audio Dialog Stack
  • Creating Quizzes 1: Multiple Choice
  • Creating Quizzes 2: Short Answer
  • Creating Quizzes 3: Drag and Drop Matching

Multimedia in LiveCode

• Digital Graphics
  • Digital Images--Basic Concepts
  • Common Digital Media Formats
• Color
  • Color Properties
  • Exercise: Scripting Color Properties
• Motion and Animation
  • Motion and Animation
  • Implementing a "Game Loop" This is a technique for creating constant motion games, such as scrolling backgrounds.
  • Assignment: Game Loop Stack
• Working with Digital Audio (Some parts obsolete due to the discontinuation of QuickTime. To be updated...)
• Introduction to Audio Playback and Recording
• Audio Recording Assignment
• Audio Playback & Recording Assignment
• Working with Digital Video (Some parts obsolete due to the discontinuation of QuickTime. To be updated...)
  • Intro to QuickTime
  • Showing QuickTime Movies in LiveCode
  • Exercise: Capturing and Editing Digital Video
  • Exercise: Showing QT Movies in LiveCode

Programming in LiveCode: Advanced Topics

• Printing
  • Overview of LiveCode Printing
• Working with Dates, Time and Timing
• About Dates and Time in LiveCode
• Date and Time Calculations
• Executing Time-delayed or Repeating Events
• Implementing a "Game Loop" This is a technique for creating constant motion games, such as scrolling backgrounds, using 'send in time' commands.
• Using Arrays
  • Introduction to Arrays in LiveCode
  • Exercise: Working with Arrays
  • Exercise: Simple Dictionary Array
  • Assignment: Using Arrays to Program a Chess Game
• Controlling Card Layout How to automatically update the card layout when the stack window is resized.
  • Managing Changes in Stack Size and Orientation
• Internet and Networking
  • Introduction to LiveCode's Web and Internet Capabilities
    • Exercise: Creating Web-savvy Stacks
  
  
  • Introduction to Socket Communications
  
  
  • How to Embed a Web Browser in a Stack with revBrowser
  • Generating HTML in a LiveCode Stack: Calendar Generator
  
  
  • Web Services
  • Introduction to Web Services
  • Interacting with Web Services in LiveCode Stacks
  • Understanding HTML Forms
  • GET method requests
  • POST method requests
  
  
  • Server-side Scripting with LiveCode (LiveCode Server, On-Rev)
    • Introduction to LiveCode Server-side Scripting
    • Notes on LiveCode Server scripting—language differences, examples
  
  
• Database Access in LiveCode
  • Databases in LiveCode – Lesson Outline
  • Introduction to Databases
  • Database Design Exercise
  • Intro to SQL; Creating a MySQL Database
  • Basic Database Access in LiveCode
  • Managing a Database in Your Stack, Part 1
  • Managing a Database in Your Stack, Part 2
  • Database Tools in LiveCode (A complete reference of database access vocabulary in LiveCode scripting.)


• Character Encoding and Unicode
  • Understanding Character Encoding
• Working with Unicode Text in LiveCode (Mostly obsolete as of LiveCode 7)
• Video Capture
  • The LiveCode Video Grabber (Mostly obsolete due to the discontinuation of QuickTime.)

Creating Mobile Apps with LiveCode

• Building a Mobile User Interface
  • Creating Native-looking Mobile Interface using LiveCode Widgets.
  • Mobile-native Controls and Device functionality How to create mobile-native controls in your mobile app.
  • Assignment: Mobile Native Controls Stack
• Mobile Screen Size and Orientation Topics
  • Responding to Screen Geometry and Device Orientation
  • Scaling your app to fit the screen (livecode.com tutorial).
  • Supporting different screen densities (livecode.com tutorial)
  • Mobile Orientations Tutorial (livecode.com tutorial)
• Touch Screen Gestures
  • Scripting Touch Screen Gestures
  • Mobile Gestures Exercise A little practice implementing touch screen techniques.
• Miscellaneous Performance Optimizations for Mobile Apps
• Utilizing Device Funcionality Audio-video playback, reading sensors, email, messaging.
  • Audio Playback on Mobile Devices
  • Video Playback on Mobile Devices
  • Accessing the Device's Camera
  • Accesssing Mobile Device Sensors:
    location
    heading
    acceleration
    rotation rate
  • Exercise: Building a Demo App for Accessing Mobile Device Sensors
  • Accessing Mobile Communications How to send emails, text messages, and initiate phone calls from your app.
  • Notifications How to implement local notifications on the mobile device.
• Preparing an App for Distribution
  • Testing and Deploying Mobile Apps
  • Screen sizes, launch icons and splash screens
  • Submitting to App Stores

Design and Evaluation of Stacks

• Stack and Program Design
  • Principles of Instructional and Interface Design
    • Overview of Instructional Design Principles
    • Exercise: User Interface Conventions
    • User Interface Design Basics
    • Fonts and Typography
  • Critiquing Stack Design
    • Stack Design Considerations (bullets)
    • Critiquing Handout
    • Critique Assignment
  • Program Design Within the LiveCode Framework
    • Program Structure
    • Exercise: Creating Program Structures
  • Programming User Interactions
    • Basic Quiz Interaction Types
    • Designing Efficient Interactions
• Conducting User Evaluations
  • User Eval Tips
  • User Evaluations Assignment

LiveCode Helps and Reference Materials

• Scripting Examples
• LiveCode Shortcuts
• Painting Tools Reference Chart
• About Mac Creator and File Type Codes

This web site was created by Devin Asay, who is responsible for its content and maintenance. Please send suggestion, comments, and error reports to devin_asay@byu.edu.