The BlitzMax IDE

The BlitzMax IDE is an application used for editing source code files and building projects. IDE stands for 'integrated development environment'.

The BlitzMax IDE operates very much like a text editor or word processor.

Getting started

Ok, time to compile and run your first program!

First, select New from the file menu or toolbar. This will create a new, empty source file for you to work with.

Next, enter the following little program:
'
'My first BlitzMax program
'
Print "Hello World!"
Now, its time to build and run: Select Build And Run from the Program menu. This will bring up the console window:


Congratulations! You've just created your first program!

Now, close the console window and try Build And Run again. This will reopen the console window, but with slightly modified output:


Notice how the 'Compiling' and 'Linking' lines are missing from this output? This is because the source code has not been modified, so does not need to be recompiled.

What happens if there's an error in your program? Create a new source file and try the following program instead:
'
'My first bug!
'
rint "Hello World!"	'oops! Forgot a 'p'!
This program has an error in it - there is no such command as 'rint' so attempting to build this program will produce the following error:


When you return to the main source code window, the cursor will be placed at the line containing the error, allowing you to fix it.

This type of error is known as a 'compile time' error, because the bug was detected by the compiler before you actually ran the program. However, the compiler cannot catch all possible errors - some errors are not apparent until your program is run. These kinds of errors are known as 'runtime' errors. Here's an example of a program with a runtime error in it:
'
' My first runtime bug!
'
Local an_array[10]

For k=0 To 10
	Print an_array[k]
Next
If you run this, you should see something like:


This is the Blitz debugger, and its purpose is to help you hunt down and destroy runtime bugs! In this case, the bug is an 'array index out of bounds' - the program attempted to access the eleventh element of an array with only ten elements.

The File menu

Menu ItemEffect
NewCreate a new source file.
OpenOpen an existing source file.
Open RecentReopen a recently used source file.
CloseClose current source file.
Close AllClose all open source files.
SaveSave current source file to disk.
Save AsSave current source file to disk under a different name.
Save AllSave all open source files to disk.
Next FileSwitch to next open source file.
Previous FileSwitch to previous open source file.
Page SetupSelect various options for printing.
PrintPrint current source file or help page.

The Edit menu

Menu ItemEffect
UndoUndo most recent source file edit.
RedoRedo most recently undone source file edit.
CutCut selected text from current source file.
CopyCopy selected text from current source file.
PastePaste text into current source file.
DeleteDelete text from current source file.
Select AllSelect all text in current source file.
FindFind text in the current source file.
Find NextFind next occurance of text.
Find PreviousFind previous occurance of text.
Goto LineGo to a line in the current source file.
Customize ToolbarModify toolbar layout.
Special CharactersInsert special characters into current source file.

The Program menu

Menu ItemEffect
BuildBuild the current source file (or locked build file).
Build And RunBuild and run the current source file (or locked build file).
Stop ProgramStop current build or program run.
Lock Build FileLock the current source file for future build and build and run operations. This can be useful if you have a multifile project and are editing several source files but only ever rebuilding one of them.
Unlock Build FileUnlock the currently locked build file.
Quick BuildEnable or disable quick builds. The quick build features causes the compiler to only recompile modified files.
Debug BuildEnable or disable debug builds. Debug builds performing extra error checking at runtime, at the cost of some execution speed.

The Window menu

Menu ItemEffect
ZoomToggle BlitzMAX IDE window between fullscreen and normal size.
MinimizeMinimize BlitzMAX IDE window and add it to the dock.
Show ConsoleShow console window and bring it to the front.

The Help menu

Menu ItemEffect
HomeGo to the help home page.
BackReturn to previous help page.
ForwardAdvance to the next help page.
Quick HelpJump to command reference entry for command nearest cursor.

The BlitzMax menu

Menu ItemEffect
About BlitzMaxShow information about BlitzMax and the IDE.
PreferencesShow BlitzIDE preferences panel.
Synchornize ModulesPerform an online update of all Blitzmax modules.