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133 changes: 68 additions & 65 deletions docs/index.md
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# Feel free to add content and custom Front Matter to this file.
# To modify the layout, see https://jekyllrb.com/docs/themes/#overriding-theme-defaults

layout: home
title: Welcome
nav_order: 1
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# Welcome to twinBASIC

## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
twinBASIC is a new BASIC language and development environment aiming for 100% backward compatibility with VB6 and VBA, while adding modern language features --- generics, native **Interface** and **CoClass** declarations, attributes, and a package system. The compiler and IDE are under active development and currently in beta; the [FAQ](FAQ) covers the project's status, authorship, and what is and isn't implemented today, and downloads live on the [Releases](https://github.com/twinbasic/twinbasic/releases) page of the main GitHub repository.

## New to twinBASIC?

Start with the [FAQ](FAQ) for orientation --- what twinBASIC is, where it stands today, and what runs on it --- then the [Features overview](Features/) for a tour of everything the language adds on top of VBx. The [Tutorials](#tutorials) section below has step-by-step guides; the [Arrays](Tutorials/Arrays) tutorial assumes no prior twinBASIC experience and is a reasonable first read.

## Coming from VBA or VB6?

Most existing VB6 / VBA code compiles unchanged. The [Features overview](Features/) catalogues every addition --- new data types (**LongLong**, **LongPtr**, **Decimal**), native **Interface** and **CoClass** definitions, **Implements Via** and **Inherits**, generics, method overloading, type inference, attribute syntax, and more. The reference pages flag each twinBASIC-specific deviation from VBx inline with a `> [!NOTE]` callout; most VBA-derived pages are adapted from the Microsoft VBA-Docs sources and remain compatible word-for-word where the semantics did not change.

## Looking up a keyword, function, or operator?

The reference section is split into language constructs (the things the compiler parses) and runtime members (functions, properties, types, classes shipped in the built-in packages):

- [**Categorical list**](Reference/Categories) --- statements, procedures, and functions grouped by purpose (compiler control, declarations, control flow, file I/O, ...)
- [**Statements**](Reference/Statements) --- alphabetical index of every language statement
- [**Procedures and Functions**](Reference/Procedures-and-Functions) --- alphabetical index of every callable runtime member
- [**Operators**](Reference/Operators) --- arithmetic, comparison, logical, bitwise, and twinBASIC's added operators
- [**Compiler Constants**](Reference/Compiler-Constants) --- the `#If` symbols recognised by the compiler
- [**Attributes**](tB/Core/Attributes) --- `[Documentation(...)]`, `[COMCreatable(...)]`, and the rest of the attribute syntax
- [**Controls**](tB/Controls) --- the standard UI controls (**CheckBox**, **TextBox**, **CommandButton**, ...) grouped by purpose
- [**Glossary**](tB/Gloss) --- technical terms used across the docs

## Built-in packages

A *package* groups related code under one namespace and is referenced from a project as a single dependency. The [Packages page](tB/Packages/) lists every built-in package with a one-line description; the headings below group them by what they are for.

**Default packages** --- referenced in every project automatically:

1. [twinBASIC FAQ](FAQ)
- [**VBA**](tB/Packages/VBA) --- the standard runtime library (`MsgBox`, `CStr`, `Format`, `Mid`, ...) plus the **Collection** and **Err** intrinsics
- [**VBRUN**](tB/Packages/VBRUN/) --- runtime types (**PropertyBag**, ambient properties, structured error context, drag-and-drop) and the enumerations used by classic VB6 forms and controls
- [**VB**](tB/Packages/VB/) --- the standard controls (**CheckBox**, **TextBox**, **CommandButton**, ...) and the application-level singletons (**App**, **Screen**, **Clipboard**, **Printer**, ...)

## Wiki
**Additional GUI** --- controls beyond the **VB** defaults:

The [twinBASIC wiki](https://github.com/twinbasic/documentation/wiki) supplements this documentation with bleeding-edge community content.
- [**CustomControls**](tB/Packages/CustomControls/) --- owner-drawn `Waynes…` controls with a DESIGNER framework for authoring new ones
- [**WinNativeCommonCtls**](tB/Packages/WinNativeCommonCtls/) --- VB6-compatible replacement for `MSCOMCTL.OCX` (**DTPicker**, **ImageList**, **ListView**, **MonthView**, **ProgressBar**, **Slider**, **TreeView**, **UpDown**)

## ActiveX
**Web embedding** --- host a browser engine inside a form:

1. [HOW TO: Create a Custom ActiveX Control with twinBASIC](https://nolongerset.com/create-activex-control-with-twinbasic/) _[by Mike Wolfe @nolongerset]_
2. [HOW TO: Create a Tool Window in the VBIDE with twinBASIC](https://nolongerset.com/create-a-vbe-addin-with-twinbasic/) _[by Mike Wolfe @nolongerset]_
- [**WebView2**](tB/Packages/WebView2/) --- the Microsoft Edge runtime
- [**CEF**](tB/Packages/CEF/) --- the Chromium Embedded Framework (BETA), with a choice of three Chromium runtimes

**Windows integration** --- thin wrappers over OS facilities:

- [**WinServicesLib**](tB/Packages/WinServicesLib/) --- run a twinBASIC EXE as one or more Windows services
- [**WinEventLogLib**](tB/Packages/WinEventLogLib/) --- write Windows Event Log entries, with compile-time message-table generation
- [**WinNamedPipesLib**](tB/Packages/WinNamedPipesLib/) --- IOCP-based asynchronous named-pipe server and client

**Tooling**:

- [**Assert**](tB/Packages/Assert/) --- assertion functions for unit tests, in three modules sharing the same fifteen-member API at different strictness levels
- [**tbIDE**](tB/Packages/tbIDE/) --- the addin SDK for the twinBASIC IDE itself

## Tutorials

1. [Arrays](Tutorials/Arrays)
2. [CustomControls](Tutorials/CustomControls)
3. [WebView2](Tutorials/WebView2)

## Language and IDE Features
1. [Overview of features new to twinBASIC](Features) (compared to VBx)
2. [Attributes](Features/Attributes-Intro)
3. [Language Syntax](Features/Language)
4. [Project Configuration](Features/Project-Configuration)
5. [Standard Library](Features/Standard-Library)
6. [GUI Components](Features/GUI-Components)
7. [Packages](Features/Packages)
8. [Advanced Features](Features/Advanced)
9. [Compiler and IDE Features](Features/Compiler-IDE)
10. [64bit Compilation](Features/64bit)

## Reference Section

1. [Categorical List](Reference/Categories) of the core language statements, procedures, functions and properties
2. [Statements](Reference/Statements), listed alphabetically
3. [Procedures and Functions](Reference/Procedures-and-Functions) of the core language, listed alphabetically
4. [List of available compiler constants](Reference/Compiler-Constants)
5. [List of attributes](tB/Core/Attributes) -- those are things like `[Documentation("...")]`.
6. [List of built-in controls](tB/Controls)
7. [Glossary](tB/Gloss) - a glossary of commonly used technical terms
8. [Modules](tB/Modules) - a list of core modules and their contents

## Documentation Development

[Hints about the documentation development process](Documentation/Development)

## twinBASIC IDE

1. [Call Stack](tB/IDE/Project/CallStack)
2. [Debug Console](tB/IDE/Project/DebugConsole)
3. [Diagnostics](tB/IDE/Project/Diagnostics)
4. [Editor](tB/IDE/Project/Editor)
5. [Menu](tB/IDE/Project/Menu)
6. [New Project](tB/IDE/Project/New)
7. [Project Explorer](tB/IDE/Project/Explorer)
8. [Project Settings](tB/IDE/Project/Settings)
9. [Properties Pane](tB/IDE/Project/Properties)
10. [Splash Screen](tB/IDE/Project/Splash)
11. [Status Bar](tB/IDE/Project/StatusBar)
12. [Toolbar](tB/IDE/Project/Toolbar)
13. [Toolbox](tB/IDE/Project/Toolbox)
14. [Variables](tB/IDE/Project/Variables)
15. [tbForm](tB/IDE/Project/Editor/Form)
16. [tbReport](tB/IDE/Project/Editor/Report)
17. [Add Ins](tB/IDE/AddIns/)

## twinBASIC Videos

- [Access DevCon Videoes](Videos/AccessDevCon)
- [A series of videos introducing twinBASIC](Videos/tB)
- [**Arrays**](Tutorials/Arrays) --- fixed and dynamic arrays, `Dim`, `ReDim`, multi-dimensional shapes
- [**CustomControls**](Tutorials/CustomControls) --- building owner-drawn controls with the `Waynes…` framework
- [**WebView2**](Tutorials/WebView2/) --- embedding the Edge runtime: hosting local assets, JavaScript interop, driving Monaco
- [**CEF**](Tutorials/CEF/) --- embedding Chromium: building a browser shell, hosting local assets, JavaScript interop, driving Monaco

## The twinBASIC IDE

The [**IDE section**](tB/IDE) documents the editor, project explorer, debugging panes (call stack, watches, diagnostics, debug console), the [**tbForm**](tB/IDE/Project/Editor/Form) and [**tbReport**](tB/IDE/Project/Editor/Report) designers, and the per-feature side panes. To install third-party addins, see [**Add Ins**](tB/IDE/AddIns/); to author your own, the [**tbIDE package**](tB/Packages/tbIDE/) is the addin SDK.

## Community and external resources

- The [**twinBASIC wiki**](https://github.com/twinbasic/documentation/wiki) on GitHub supplements these docs with community contributions and notes on bleeding-edge features.
- [**twinBASIC Videos**](Videos/tB) --- the twinBASIC video series. The [**Access DevCon**](Videos/AccessDevCon) archive collects twinBASIC update sessions from the annual Access DevCon conference.
- Third-party guides by Mike Wolfe at [@nolongerset](https://nolongerset.com):
- [Create a Custom ActiveX Control with twinBASIC](https://nolongerset.com/create-activex-control-with-twinbasic/)
- [Create a Tool Window in the VBIDE with twinBASIC](https://nolongerset.com/create-a-vbe-addin-with-twinbasic/)

## Contributing to the documentation

These docs are open source. See [**Documentation Development**](Documentation/Development) for the build and preview workflow plus the contribution conventions.
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