How to access Package Manager in twinBasic and add ShellLib [WinDevLib] to the project?

[yogeshvachhani]

Hi,

I am very new to tB and cannot find Package Manger in the tB IDE.

Can you please guide me through the process?

Or better still can you please prepare a shot document showing how to install and add ShellLib to a project in tB.

Regards,

[fafalone]

Sure.

You don't need to 'install' anything... WinDevLib is on the twinBASIC online package server, so it will be automatically downloaded when you follow these steps. The files in this repository are mainly for if you want to edit the package or if you don't have an internet connection while using tB.

1. Open the 'Settings' page for your project by clicking it in the Project Explorer pane.

2. Scroll down to section called "Library References"

3. Click the "Available Packages" button.

4. Check the box for "Windows Development Library for twinBASIC v7.0.284" (or vWhatever the current version is)

Then save, and the compiler will restart with it loaded.

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You'll notice that below the list of packages, there's an "Import from file" button. This is what you would use if you wanted to manually load a .twinpack file, e.g. if you built a modified version of WinDevLib, or wanted to use a package that has not been uploaded to the online package server.

Hope you don't mind if I pin this issue as it might be helpful to others using twinBASIC/WinDevLib for the first time.

[Greedquest]

I may be thick but how do we update to latest version?

[fafalone]

When you first open Settings to references, you'll see it in the "Enabled Libraries" tab. Uncheck, and when prompted,

select "Remove it".

Then go to the Available Packages tab and check the box for the latest version and after it's done downloading, which may take a few seconds since it's up to 13.5MB now, Save Changes. In the Debug Console you'll first see

[PACKAGES] downloading package '{1FCDB98D-617D-4995-9736-2ED0E4746A10}/8/7/0/498' from the online database...

then it's done and ready to be saved when a second message saying

[PACKAGES] downloading package '{1FCDB98D-617D-4995-9736-2ED0E4746A10}/8/7/0/498' from the online database... [DONE]

comes up. It will also go from the checkbox twirling to the entry being moved to the top (below built in packages) with [IMPORTED] prepended to it.

Restart the compiler if it doesn't on its own after saving, but it usually does.

I believe Wayne said there's plans to eventually make it much simpler, and the check at compiler start was the first step towards that, but for now it's gotta be done manually like this.