HyperNext

HyperNext is a freeware visual software development system aimed at beginner programmers that runs on Macintosh and Windows computers. It was inspired by HyperCard and includes a GUI having controls such as buttons and listboxes, and an interpreted English-like programming language. HyperNext also includes a high-level object-oriented compiled BASIC. The HyperNext Studio package comprises three complementary applications that can help users create and run software under Windows and Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 platforms:

(1) HyperNext Creator is similar to Hypercard and enables users to create their own software, both cross-platform standalone applications and stacks for the freeware HyperNext Player. The design interface of Creator has just a design window, one toolbar and a mode switcher. Its three modes of Design, Preview and Run enable rapid switching between the creation/editing and running of programs.

(2) HyperNext Developer builds plugins/libraries for HyperNext Creator and allows users to extend the functionality of Creator with their own or 3rd party plugins. HyperNext Developer has a very similar user interface to that of Hypernext Creator and places built plugins directly into the Creator's plugin folder. For faster plugin development is possible to have both Creator and Developer open simultaneously.

(3) HyperNext Player is a standalone application similar to Hypercard Player in that it runs stacks created by its creator application, HyperNext Creator. HyperNext Player is freeware and there are versions for Windows and Mac OS X and Mac OS 9 platforms.

Programming environment

HyperNext has a relatively simple design interface that allows programs to be quickly run and tested. Controls such as buttons can be selected on the toolbar and then added to the design window. Once placed, controls can have their properties changed and their scripts edited using the in-built script editor.

The main programming language used by HyperNext is simply called HyperNext and is loosely based on Hypercard's HyperTalk language. HyperNext is an interpreted English-like language and has many features that allow creation of full applications and stacks. These features includes a large variety of keywords to affect and receive feedback from its many GUI control types and multi-media capabilities using Apple Quicktime. Midi notes and sounds can be played using Note Player and HyperNext's sprite surface has various uses including game development. The Macintosh versions include functions to run the AppleScript scripting language.

The HyperNext language can be extended with user-defined or third-party plugins developed using HyperNext Developer. HyperNext also has the ability to run RBscripts at runtime so allowing users to make their own programmable applications. There is a wide range of RBscript code and similar BASIC code already available at various [http://www.rbgarage.com/rbg/index.php sites] on the internet. RBscript is a version of REALbasic, a modern object-oriented BASIC developed by REAL Software.

HyperNext has a [http://www.tigabyte.com/hnfiles/neural.html framework] for developing neural networks and comes with [http://www.tigabyte.com/hnfiles/rescreator.html examples] showing how to implement neural network training and testing. The example projects and stacks include analysis of patient heart data, DNA sequences and second hand car prices.

A recent introduction to HyperNext is the ability to control biofeedback devices such as the LightStone [http://www.mindmodulations.com/prodwd.html] using USB HID communications. The LightStone device sends out data that can be processed to give heart rate and skin conductance values which can then be monitored by a program to aid meditation or enable biofeedback games to be played. HyperNext has an example project and stack that display graphically the data from a LightStone device.

External links

* [http://www.tigabyte.com/index.html The Official HyperNext site]
* [http://www.tigabyte.com/docs/QuickStart.pdf HyperNext QuickStart Guide]
* [http://www.tigabyte.com/docs/LanguageReference.pdf HyperNext Language Reference]
* [http://www.downloadsquad.com/2005/07/07/hypernext-for-rad/ HyperNext for RAD]
* [http://experts.about.com/e/h/hy/hypercard.htm Hypercard Encyclopedia & Clones]
* [http://pan.uqam.ca/pan/pmwiki.php/HyperCard/OtherCards Pantechnicon: Hypercard and other xCards]
* [http://www.farad.com.au/mac_links/mac_developer_tool_links.php Macintosh Development Tools]