[Squeakland] getting code from a .txt file into a script

Alan Kay Alan.Kay at squeakland.org
Tue Mar 23 09:12:56 PST 2004


Hi Gary --

You are between two different worlds. The etoys part of Squeak has 
been artificially restricted and carefully designed to make it easier 
for children to make *etoys* using various kinds of media. There is a 
fair amount of design thought and testing in those decisions, and 
some of these are reflected in Kim's and BJ's book "Powerful Ideas in 
the Classroom". My strongest advice is to work through these projects.

(For example, you say "This is an etoy. How do I point it at the car 
object?" But it isn't an etoy. In an etoy you get an object by 
drawing or from one of the parts bins, get its halo, and click on the 
light blue "viewer" button, to open its viewer on the right hand side 
of the screen. This viewer holds all the phrases that have meaning to 
your object, and these phrases are already "pointed to the object". 
If you make scripts from these phrases, they will work. This is how 
etoys are programmed in the world of the child.)

Trying to do "other things" is quite possible, but I wouldn't advise 
trying to do it in etoys. The full blown Squeak can run the gamut 
from the very simple to writing its own OS, so it ranges from about 5 
years old to Computer Science PhD projects. For example, it is quite 
easy to implement LOGO or any other language system in Squeak -- but 
there is still a fair amount of work and thought involved.

For most users, including many experts, it is the UI that determines 
in their minds just what they think they can do and whether they 
think they will like the experience. The UI in the full blown Squeak 
is *not* set up for children, and the first thing to do here if you 
wish to go your own way, is to make a suitable UI environment for 
children that gives them access to your ideas in a way that works for 
them. This is quite a design and testing task, but is definitely 
doable. However, if this is not done, then the children wind up with 
the worst of both worlds.

BTW, the best way to get children attracted to any of this stuff is 
to first get them to make a project of their own -- such as the 
"Drive a Car" project in etoys. There is a certain kinesthetic and 
visceral satisfaction to making things on the computer, especially 
things that involve programming. This is what the kids need to 
experience first and foremost. Showing them what other children have 
done should come later.

Best wishes,

Alan



At 10:34 AM -0600 3/23/04, Gary Frederick wrote:
>Howdy,
>
>Mitchell, David [CC] wrote:
>>
>>The Squeakland image hides the File List (or it seems that way to 
>>me). So, I have to do a little trick to reveal it:
>>
>>Middle-click on the desktop to show the halos.
>>Click the menu halo (red) to show the world menu.
>>Click "desktop menu..." to show (another, different) world menu.
>>Click "open..." to show the open... menu.
>>Click "file list" to open the file list.
>>Use the tree to navigate to the directory containing the .txt file.
>>Select the file in the top-right pane.
>>In the lower pane, select the code (probably all of it).
>>Right-click and choose "do it" (or press Alt+d or Command+d or...).
>
>Thanks!
>
>>
>>All text in squeak is do-able. When I give Squeak presentations, I 
>>often select my presentation text and do-it (even TrueType text, 
>>which doesn't have "do it" on its menu supports alt+d). Also, you 
>>can browse Smalltalk web sites in Scamper and evaluate expressions 
>>right out of the browser pane.
>
>This will do it. And it's agreat suggestion I will follow up with.
>
>Now all I have to do is find out how to "do it". ;-) When I tried 
>it, Squeak told me it did not understand what I wanted it to do.
>
>This is an etoy. How do I point at the car object?
>
>I had
>   self forward: 100
>I did it and it did not know what self was (I think)
>
>I then tried putting in the car
>   Car forward: 100
>and it did not know how to #forward
>
>How do I reference an object in an etoy?
>
>Sorry for the basic questions. I have no time to look today and want 
>to show the kids tomorrow.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Gary
>
>>
>>You could also write a script to read the file and then evaluate 
>>its contents.
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From:   squeakland-bounces at squeakland.org on behalf of Gary Frederick
>>Sent:   Tue 3/23/2004 6:13 AM
>>To:     squeakland at squeakland.org
>>Cc:   
>>Subject:        [Squeakland] getting code from a .txt file into a script
>>Howdy,
>>
>>I am about ready to show the kids Squeak tomorrow. One thing I would
>>like to know how to do is how to read a .txt file that has code into a
>>project (is that how to 'say' what I want to do?)
>>
>>I will have some examples I will want the kids to have as scripts. Say I
>>have a text file that has this in it.
>>
>>box
>>    self forward: 100.
>>    self turn: 90.
>>    self forward: 100.
>>    self turn: 90.
>>    self forward: 100.
>>    self turn: 90.
>>    self forward: 100.
>>    self turn: 90
>>
>>I want to be able to read it into a script in a project like the script
>>project in the Worlds of Squeak.
>>
>>This is a class of kids that are playing with robots. They have been
>>working with programming LEGO robots and with a simulator. I am
>>interested in taking their programs and translating them into a script
>>they can use in Squeak... if I can get the .txt files into scripts.
>>
>>I'll put some scripts into an image and let them each have a copy of the
>>image if I don't find out how to go from a .txt file to a script. That
>>solution is better than nothing and I can do it by tomorrow :-)
>>
>>Gary
>>
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