Pandora - compile

[Moru]

Guess what? I just got my Pandora! And now I want to get something running from GLBasic. I could use some tutorial for dummies I guess. So far I have managed to compile into .pnd file format. First compile seems to always create a .pnd file that contains a PXML.xml-file that contains no data (0 size). Second compile usually manages to get the PXML.xml-file unharmed. On transfer to Pandora the file still does not show up even though I put it in /pandora/desktop/.

Only once I managed to get it to show up with the GLBasic logo as icon on desktop but I can't recreate this. And besides, it still didn't launch. None of the above files launch even if I search them out in the file explorer and start them from there. I see no logfiles in /tmp/ where they usually show up after launching a pnd file.

Any ideas/help is appreciated! :-)

[erico]

Congrats for getting a pandora Moru!

I can´t be of much help, but would be nice if someone could explain how to get to the PNDs stage pandorans seems to enjoy so much.
In future I would like to have my creations compiled to that platform too.

Congrats again.

[Moru]

The only thing you need to do is set Pandora as compile target and see, pnd file created :-)

However, the pandora has no error reporting when you start the .pnd file. The only lead you get that something isn't correct is that nothing happens when you run it. There is no logfile, no message and if you go ask in IRC about where to find a logfile the answer you get is "RTFM" or "Why would you like to run a corrupted file?". Not very hepful community. Thinking of just forgetting developement for that platform, the people are quite rude. The pandora can be used as a notebook while traveling.

Oh, and no the f** manual says nothing about where logfiles end up if the pnd isn't working. You only get a logfile in /tmp/ if the PXML.xml file is ok inside the pnd file.

Anyway. I love the GLBasic community. Everyone just tries their best to help, no need for stupid remarks :-)

[erico]

You could try asking on their forum. Or if you don´t wanna bother I can ask for you there?
But I agree it is tough to compare other communities to this one, way too high standards here.

Let me know and I can ask and post a link here if you wish.

What I asked about PND is that when uploading to their repo, it seems it is better if it is in a special way where it shows screen shots or some other info, I can´t recall exactly what, but I once read there that the PNDs that comes out of GLB are slightly different of what they expect.

[Ian Price]

Firstly, welcome to the club

The Pandora is a nice machine, but terribly underpowered - do not expect to get anything near the FPS out of the Pandora with GLB as you would on a really crappy netbook. It sucks. The Wiz and Caanoo are faster, despite having a lower clock speed. However, that doesn't mean you can't get good things out of it.

There are two .PND files in the GLB distribution directory - you can ignore the first .PND file completely - you don't need it at all. The one you need is the .PND file in the Pandora.app directory.

You can do one of two things with these files -

1. Create a proper .PND project - what you get from GLB is NOT a proper .PND project - those include PXML data, .TXT files, screenshots etc. A proper .PND is the only thing you can upload to the repo - nothing else will be accepted by the automated software, so you will have to do this at some point.
There is an excellent piece of software available (PNDTools - http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/threads/358774-PANDORA-Pndtools ) to make proper .PND files, although it still is a right pain in the arse. . Also get yourself a copy of 7Zip. It's totally free and allows you to unzip .PND files (you can't with normal WinZIP or WinRAR). Once unzipped you can edit everything and replace it with your GLB .PND - you need PNDTools to put it all back together properly though. Even then it's hit and miss. I avoid packaging .PNDs until the very end of development. I've done it quite a few times, with DinoDefense, Hallowian, Dicey and MinedOut! but it still grates. I really hate the .PND system!

2. Open the Pandora/Apps directory (NOT DESKTOP) on your Pandora SD card and plonk in the .PND and it's media (make sure it's in the apps directory). Now the weird thing about the Pandora is that you never know what you're going to find on the desktop screen. There seems to be no correlation between what's on your card and what appears. It's not alphanumeric, it's not date related, it's not size related, but sometimes, just sometimes you'll get your app appear on there. Double clicking on the icon will run the game. Failing that you need to go into the SD card on the screen and locate your app. Double tapping it should bring it to life. The reason you use the Apps directory is more for a proper .PND file as it allows your app to appear on the desktop (sometimes) AND in the listings in the deskop OS - so you can decide where it will be eg - games->platform/simulation etc. etc. GLB .PNDs don't include the relevant XML data to include them though, but this step allows you to test your game on the Pandora.

Not very hepful community. Thinking of just forgetting developement for that platform, the people are quite rude. The pandora can be used as a notebook while traveling.

You're not wrong. Many of them are total bastards that don't understand the simplest of things. They'll happily tear you a new one for nothing. It's a truly awful commnunity at times. But there are times when it's great.

[Moru]

Thanks for the extended message, helped a lot to understand. Also not being tired helps a lot too :-)

The PND from GLBasic contains all that is needed to run as far as I can see with a HEX-editor. It even has the PXML and PNG appended to the end of the file. However, if I use PNDTools, the files get about 60% smaller. Still no luck on running the PND file though. If I unpack the PND again and just transfer the whole thing as a folder to pandora/apps/ it runs just fine though so will just ignore the PND format for the moment, unneeded problems while just testing.

Thanks again :-)

[Ian Price]

As I said in #2,  you can run the pandora.exe.pnd on the Pandora, but you can't upload that to the repo - it throws a wobbly (and even if you could, it doesn't include screenshots or a ReadMe text file, or a proper .XML file to identify what type of application it is, so would be difficult to find if not on the desktop).

[erico]

Thanks for that explanation Ian, I will save it for later when I probably will be around pestering you two for betatest

[Moru]

Oh, I totally missed that the exe file is called PND too, confusing. It's linux so that one does not need any file type at all. especially not PND since that makes the PND-maker confused. Tried renaming it to .exe but still no luck in getting it into the menus.

[Ian Price]

author=erico link=topic=8789.msg74757#msg74757 date=1355245366]
Thanks for that explanation Ian, I will save it for later when I probably will be around pestering you two for betatest

Have you ordered a Pandora then erico? Or are you just creating something for the Pandora (and Caanoo and Wiz and GP2X and ...)

For the comp?

[Moru]

Looked through some other examples and this one works:
http://git.openpandora.org/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?p=pandora-libraries.git;a=blob;f=docs/examples/minimum-schema_PXML.xml

My test was missing the package tag which I thought was optional but apparently not. Now it show up in the menu and I can run it. It also showed up on the desktop but that was before I did the change. I can't run it from the desktop though so I guess this is something old cached.

[erico]

I haven´t ordered, the caanoo I own suffice for me currently, but I would like to release that never-ending-tree game on the many open handhelds GLB supports that I can do and desktops too. I would like that game to stand as a test for multiplatforms.

As for the comp, I do have some idea but am not sure if it is possible to set time for it, specially alone.

I´m still thinking about that things we talked before, but I have been doing lots of work this month to try and set me free time for later.
I´m currently busy till 13th this month, then I get back to you.

Again on the pandora order, if I´d ever do it, I would still have to pay 60-100% custom taxes on the overall price+shipping IF it gets here.
Which renders me unable to fork so much. There is a chance I pay no tax, but there is also a chance that customs self declare the hardware to cost even more than the real price...like a lottery, tottaly sucks.

[Kitty Hello]

Anything more required to create a proper pnd file? Or is it better to use external tools for that?
I didn't know they try to imitate Big A's rejection strategy...

[Moru]

Mabe it's possible to use the tools with commandline so you can do it directly after the compile automaticly? In the GLBasic PXML.xml file there is some tags missing to get them to show up well on the pandora. But I think there is some bugs in the pnd system too, it's not always refreshing for me. Sometimes I insert the sd-card and nothing shows up at all until I reboot.

The link I posted earlier goes to an example that works. There is a few more tags in that one that in the one that comes from GLBasic.

[Ian Price]

The .PND compilation of GLBasic is fine once you're used to it. It needs a valid .XML file and a script to make sure everything works properly. Some of the details in the .XML file could be pulled from GLB (if entered - eg author's name and name of the program), but other things like file type (eg. Game -> Strategy etc.) couldn't, but could be added in the IDe, but it's not important. I say leave it all as it is as once you have a proper working .PND it's easy to swap in/out stuff that's needed and the .XML can be easily edited in NotePad.