Introduction

This article gives details steps on how to download and install the LitDev extension for Small Basic. Small Basic 1.2 is compatible with most new versions of Windows. The LitDev extension acts as a library that more than doubles the default Small Basic library of objects. There are many features and reasons why we should try the LitDev extension.

About the LitDev Extension

Here’s the API Reference: https://litdev1.github.io/LitDev.html

Here are some highlights of objects/classes in the extension we should try out:

  1. LD3DView – Bring the capabilities for a full 3D graphics engine into Small Basic! So cool!
  2. LDPhysics – Boom! Bring on the game physics!
  3. LDController – Now we can use videogame controllers (USB gamepads and joysticks) to play the games we make!
  4. LDDebug – Hack together some basic debugging tricks! Debug the small and basic way!
  5. LDWaveForm – Remote controlled objects can be programmed by our Small Basic programs! No way? Yes way!
  6. LDWebCam – Now we can see! With our webcam.

And there are a lot more, which are available at https://litdev1.github.io/LitDev.html.

All these objects are available in the one extension.

Next, we will cover how to install this extension.

https://litdev1.github.io/index.html#Usage

Downloading the Latest Version

We’ll likely want the latest version on the top here, but we can install the beta version to try out whatever LitDev and others are currently experimenting with.

After we download the files, we’ll want to unzip the files and move them:

As with all Small Basic extensions, copy the extension dll and xml (inside the dll zip) to a lib sub-folder of the Small Basic installation folder, usually in one of the following locations:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Small Basic\lib
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Small Basic\lib
 
We may require to create the lib folder if it doesn’t exist.

Unblock the DLL File

The instructions then shows how to unblock the DLL file:

If the extension commands fail to appear in Small Basic (type LD and no options appear) then we may need to unblock the downloaded dll.  Right click LitDev.dll and select Properties and clear the block if present.  If it fails to unblock, then copy LitDev.dll to a folder where we have write access (e.g. Documents), unblock it there and then move back to the Small Basic lib folder.  Alternatively, unblock the downloaded zip file before unzipping the content.

All those problems are common.
 

Full Installation Instructions

Please follow the instructions/steps in the following way:
  1. Download the LitDev zip file from here.
  2. Save it somewhere. Unzip it.
  3. Copy/move the DLL file and the two XML files into the Small Basic extension folder. I think the “Lib” folder is automatically created in version 1.2 (because it houses the Kinect files). For me, the extension folder was: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Small Basic\lib
  4. We can try the “Unblock” troubleshooting steps above, but I had the worst scenario for unblocking the DLL file, so I’d start with that… Cut/Move the LitDev.dll file into our Documents folder.
  5. Right-click the DLL file and click Properties.
  6. In the Properties window, click “Unblock” at the bottom in the Security section (see image above). Click OK to close the window. At this point, we can re-open the window to double-check. We know that it worked if the “Unblock” option is now gone (under the Attributes section).
  7. Cut/move the LitDev.dll file back into the Small Basic “Lib” folder.
  8. Run Small Basic with LitDev objects to test it. Import “ZPX036” and click Run. Or, as another test, type “LD” and we should see the LitDev objects in the IntelliSense wheel.

LitDev Documentation

Once we’re up and running, check out the LitDev documentation to dig in:

As one can imagine, LitDev and many supporting developers put a lot of thought and effort into this extension.

Small Basic Extension Manager

Another alternative is to install the LitDev extension and any other extension via LitDev's Small Basic Extension Manager:

This is a utility program to manage Small Basic extensions. To install it, download ExtensionManager.zip, extract and save the contents in a folder somewhere and run SBExtensionManager.exe.

See Also

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