Am 23.03.2004 um 16:36 schrieb Markus Gaelli:

Am Dienstag, 23.03.04 um 16:25 Uhr schrieb Mitchell, David [CC]:

...

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.

Some weeks ago I found out that you could also press the escape key to open the world menu.

Actually, dragging-and-dropping files onto the Squeak window works on most machines ...

- Bert -

On Tuesday 23 March 2004 8:34 am, 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?

Real easy:

if you have the debugHaloHandle preference turned on, you can bring up an etoy object's halos, click on the light grey debug handle, and then choose "inspect player".

The bottom pane of this inspector will interpret 'self' as the etoy object (the player).

Or you can open an empty script, turn on the text mode check box, and then enter script text in there and then hit the '!' button to try it.

Howdy,

Alan Kay wrote:

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.

Yes. I am 5 weeks into a 10 week class and do not want to give the kids a big shift in what they are doing. We are learning programming with robots. They are about to program some robots to travel around the room, both LEGO robots and robots in a simulation of the room.

I had looked at Squeak on and off and was looking again last week when I realized that I can use it for a simulator. I want the kids to be able to draw the room and the robots they will use in the simulator. The simulator I was using did not make it easy for the kids to come up with that part of their project.

The programs the kids use are saved in XML files and can target the simulator and LEGO robots. I can easily target Squeak with the info Ned gave me. This lets me move forward with the class.

When the class is over I will look into doing it 'right' like the eToys.

(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.

Good input.

Best wishes,

Alan

Thanks,

Gary

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@squeakland.org on behalf of Gary Frederick Sent: Tue 3/23/2004 6:13 AM To: squeakland@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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