These tips work equally well for Just BASIC, with the few restrictions applicable to the free version.

I'm just a hobbyist like you, and have only been using Liberty Basic a few months, but I've found some simple shortcuts which work well for me.  You do not have to use any of these tips, but perhaps you'll find the answer to a problem you are having.  (You cannot create distributable programs with Liberty Basic unless you have purchased a "Gold" license.)

One of the things we all want to do with Liberty Basic is to create distributable programs for sharing.  We will generally be sharing with three types of computer users:

• Persons or hobbyists who have Liberty Basic installed.
• Internet chums, with various computer skills, who probably do not have Liberty Basic.
• Users of shareware who most likely will not have Liberty Basic.

When sharing with other hobbyists who have Liberty Basic, all you need to send is the filename.bas file, allowing them to place the program in their Liberty Basic folder to run and/or edit your program.  This is most desirable if you and a friend are collaborating on a project.

When sharing with internet chums, you will generally want to send a filename.exe file which includes the TKN file, runtime engine, and any supporting files, such as images, text, or data files.  The runtime engine and required files are over 2MB in size.  If your chum does not have cable or DSL, downloading will take a long time.  Some mail-handlers will balk at files over 1 MB in size, and you may not even be able to send the file.

The files above must be included with all distributable files if your user does not have Liberty Basic, but these are not enough.  It's usually best to create a folder for your files, and create a single archive containing all needed files.  Each program must have a TKN file and a EXE file.  When sharing with another LB hobbyist, you need not concern yourself with the required files.  If you are sharing with an internet chum, you need to send them at least once.  Simply request your chum to create a folder for Liberty Basic programs where he/she will save your programs.  When sending future programs, you only need to send the TKN file, and any supporting files used by your program.  As long as the SLL and DLL files are in the same folder, they will be shared by each program.

It is possible to have more than one TKN and EXE file in the same Liberty Basic folder, but it's not necessary to send the EXE file (which contains the runtime engine) with each program.

The runtime engine (run401.exe) will usually be the largest file needed by your program.  Before zipping, it will be about 2.7 MB.  I've zipped only the runtime engine and the required SLL and DLL files, to produce a WinZip archive of 1.28 MB, or a WinRAR archive of 1.09 MB.  If you are concerned about saving your entire program to a single floppy, WinRAR will allow you 20 KB more space for the TKN file than WinZip.  Of course, not all programmers or users will have WinRAR available, so you may have to create a self-extracting file which will be slightly larger than a regular archive.  As shown above, you can have more than one TKN and EXE file in the same folder, and they will run just fine.

If the person you are sharing with has a dialup connection, you can save more time by sending only the TKN, image, and data files required for the program (images, sounds, text, etc.).  I remember my extremely slow dialup which required about 10 minutes to download each megabyte.  Be courteous and  keep your users in mind.

The user must have a  filename.exe file to run each filename.tkn file.  This is easier than you might think.  Tell your user to simply right-click on the run401.exe and choose "copy," then paste the copy into the same folder, as shown below.

After a copy has been pasted, simply rename it to the exact name of the TKN file, using the EXE file extension.  Double-clicking on the EXE file will run the program properly.

If you're creating a Shareware program, and perhaps soliciting a donation for your effort, consider distributing your program, runtime engine, and supporting images and data files on a CD.  The cost for CD's is dropping everyday, and postage is inexpensive also.  You can also distribute your program as a downloadable file, perhaps creating a self-extracting Zip or RAR file.  When creating an EXE file, you can specify the folder where your program will be installed.

Your comments or suggestions are appreciated.  We all learn by sharing.