vkACL.jar   8.9.16,
universal program for each day

The program version is pointed out in the title. Each new version contains, as a rule, new commands, operations or parameters which increase possibilities of the language. Correspondingly the files of the language description are changed as well. As a rule, the program texts written for old version continue to work with new version, but sometimes they can lead to errors. In this case one needs to see description once again and to improve the text in accordance with new description. During my work with the program i improve errors which i can discover. I advice to write each new version into new folder and then to move step by step files from old folders. The total version has relatively large size because it involves the classes library [iText] on Java for creation PDF files. Correspondingly, new element of the program is a possibility for creating PDF documents. For one, who cannot take large files and who is not interested in the work with PDF documents, I present the short version of smaller size. Short version does not contain a description of ACL on english language, so you need to download archive "helpe.zip" and copy all files to the folder "hdata" after first run of the program. In addition a new possibility to save pictures in png format is introduced. This format is much shorter and more accurate than jpg format for the drawing pictures mathematical graphics.

[vkACL.jar] is a computer program made with Java-1.4.2 programming language. As any Java program it demands installation a special program called Java Runtime Environment, or shortly JRE, which is interpreter of Java language in various operation systems. It is called also "virtual machine" or Java VM. In some operating systems this program is installed automatically. In other operating systems it must be installed by hand taking the distributive program from web-site for Java   [ java.sun.com ].   Now the 5-th version appears (1.5) but for my program the version 1.4.2 is sufficient. Of course, the 5-th version will work too. Up to now both JRE and SDK can be obtained free of charge. Moreover, it is necessary for playing Java Applets in internet browsers. Now JRE-1.4.2 can be downloaded from this site by clicking [ here ].

I am making the program [vkACL.jar] for myself, but it can be useful for a lot of computer fanatics. My purpose is a creation of sufficiently compact and, at the same time, universal program which would be able to make any work for presentation, analysis and processing of scientific, graphical or any other information. I came long ago to the conclusion that to create the compiled program of such kind is very ungrateful task, mainly due to a difficulty to create a design which will be satisfactory for all my users during some time period. The programs are developed each day and one has to have a possibility to modify both a design and a structure of presentation of information. For this purpose it is more convenient to have the interpreter of relatively simple and sufficiently developed programming language instead of compiled program. Although there are many professional programs in the world with rather wide possibilities, i found for myself nothing which will be convenient in all parameters. From the programs of analogous kind, which i know more or less, i can select IDL, IGOR-PRO, Mathematica. But they are huge and expensive monsters which have possibilities much more than that is necessary for ordinary user. And to use them for a creation of own applications is not a simple work.

This is why i have decided to create my own program - interpreter of my own programming language - which is called ACL (advanced command language) in analogy with IDL. This work was relatively simple for me due to the reason that this language differs little from the language which i have elaborated 13 years ago for the personal computers of the first generation working in DOS, from the 086. In that time almost nothing exists and i worked very conveniently with my language and had practically fast Windows environment on DOS computer. So i needed only in translation of the interpreter from the FORTRAN enhanced ASSEMBLER to the Java. Of course, it is impossible to made all at once, therefore the program is developing step by step. A version of this program is poined out in the title. Its sense is simply a date of creation, namely, 8.3.20 means 2008 year, 3-th month, 20-th day. This way allows one to distinguish versions easily.

The language ACL is a set of commands for execution as in old Basic or in any command file of operating system. Some commands are able to fulfill only one operation, other commands fulfill a set of operations. Even a syntax of the language is formed as commands. This means that grammatically there is not distinction in language between micro-commands and macro-commands. The commands can be organized in procedures, and procedures can be written in the main file, in other files or even temporarily in the text array of the program memory. There are the command for executing elementary mathematical calculations and the command for executing macro-calculations like two-dimensional Fourier transformation or convertion of image formats. The block of main commands consists of command for calculations, comand for read and write data of any format, command for a work with files, commands for loops, conditions and procedures. In addition to the above mentioned commands there are well developed mathematical block, commands for creation of interface and graphics up to animation and sound. Possibilities of elementary graphics are the same as in Java because i took all from Java. The are color gradient, clip, complex contour (path), filling of area by images. However, this version has in addition many ways for fast creation of graphics file of any kind of complexity including quasi-three-dimensional figures of two-dimentional dependences, three-dimensional figure like axonometric projections of 3D objects, as well as imaging of matrices as a maps of darkness.

On the other hand, possibilities for creation of interface for the time present are restricted by only widely used frames but at the same time all may be done more simply as in any visual language or in Java. Moreover, the procedures written in the file can be formatted in such a way that they becomes super-commands and can be called by name. This extremely simplifies a creation of head program because all help work can be presented as super-commands. The super-commands are written by users, and a definite basic set is created by me step by step and is included in the distributive program. A convenience of super-commands is that being once made they can be useful for a long time, so the programming becomes easier with the time. There is arises a super-language of macroses, own for each user, although the libraries can be mutually enhanced. They also are good examples of ACL usage for beginners.

I don't show publicity pictures on this site because it is impossible to present all possibilities of the new version. One can see some pictures in the article about a version for a pocket computer. Version for a posket computer is always weaker in development but step by step many from large version pass to the pocket version. I note that in addition to pointed above possibilies there is a technique for a work with zip-files. Even the program itself is packed in one file "vkACL.jar", which is self-extracting archive. The command #file has an option of navigation over the whole file structure of computer and a possibility to make a preview of image files. Here is even a possibility to show web-pages written in HTML language with internal browser. At last the first version of postscript generator appears for an automatical creation of postscript graphics. This graphics is very useful for a scientific publications and printing on postscript printers. For this purpose i have well developed program VKPS (see description on this site) but it written in FORTRAN and has own language. Here the same work is programming with ACL.

The program interpreter is added by a set of ready ACL programs. During a first run of the program the latter writes on the hard disk several folders containing a set of files which are used then. The main menu contains the option "Run" and inside it the sub-option "Build-in ACLpro". This option allows user to run a set of ready programs made by author for which a knowledge of ACL is not necessary. Among them there are a demonstration program, Calculator, program for working with simple data base like card base and some others. This set will be increased in the future. The other sub-option "User's ACLpro" allows user to run from the menu his own programs. Since any program can run any other program, the interpreter can be organized as infinite program which can execute all needed. Of course, i create my own programs with ACL and i have many such programs. For example, i have several presentations made as quasi-movie with photos collected in various trips. Pictures change each other automatically under background music and off-screen voice comments. This comments can be written by means of the program itself using the command #sound. I have as well a scientific program which shows in the same manner set of images of coherent x-ray optics registered with a high resolution x-ray detector as 16-bit matrices. I have also a program which is able to simulate such images and to calculate numerical matrices of size 1024 x 1024 pixels. But these programs are out of compact version and are made only for me.

A description of ACL language is involved in the program environment in menu "Help" as a set of web-pages. These web-pages can be shown during an edition of the current ACL program. The html files are in the folder "hdata". The description consists of general remarks, definitions of the commands, their parameters and arguments as well as some ways of programming. As it is pointed above, i have made several applications. These programs can be used for learning as well. Unfortunately, some last modifications of the language is not decribed in english (only in russian) due to absence of free time. I hope to improve this disadvantage in the future.

An installation of the program is very simple procedure. First you check an existence of JRE on your computer. This may be done by running the command
. . . .>java -version
If JRE is absent, it must be installed. See above how to make this. For example, for Windows OS the distributive file has a size 14 Mb. Then click a link at Download in the beginning of the article and take one of two zip-files containing the file "vkACL.jar". You can put the file in some empty folder with name, for example, [vkACL] and run it. On Windows OS it is sufficient to click the file (or run by other way) but a general way is to run the command
. . . .>java -jar vkACL.jar
from the command line (Terminal or Total Commander). This way is convenient in the case of nonstandard errors which are not blocked by interpreter because you will obtain a diagnostic from Java RE. Sometimes it is useful to spesify a path to java.exe program.

In case of problems write me in [ Guest book ] or send e-mails on address vkacl@yandex.ru.

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