How to Write a Program Using the Supernova Programming Language

This is a step-by-step guide about writing your own computer program using the Supernova Programming Language!

This article has been marked as historical.

Supernova Programming Language is no longer actively used. (Posted 2020-12-07).

Steps

Before starting, it's best to do some research on it first. You're not going to want to reinvent the wheel. So, for example, if you're making a text editor app using the Supernova Programming Language, you should search for something like: "What GUI type to use", or "What are the best text editors". Then, use them as inspiration for your program.
Before you write your first program, make sure that you've downloaded the Supernova Compiler. If you haven't, just download it from https://sourceforge.net/projects/supernova/files/Supernova/
After you downloaded the compiler, the next thing to do is to extract it. You can choose any directory you want on your computer. Confirm that you've downloaded the correct version, because there are 2 versions of the Compiler: the Windows version, and the Linux version.
The compiler comes with various code samples. This step is optional, but, if you want to try out the compiler, just test out one of the sample codes before you start making programs. This will let you know whether your computer supports the compiler or whether the compiler works, or not.
After you've done all of the steps above, the next thing to do is to write your first program. The first program is the "Hello World!" Program. The code for it is: "i want window and the window title is Hello World." (Without the quotes). This produces an empty window with the title "Hello World". Now, save it with the name helloworld.nova the .nova file extension is the file extension for the Supernova Programming Language.
After writing your first app, the next thing to do is to compile your app. To compile your app, just run the .nova file using the Supernova Compiler. This will automatically compile your .nova file to a .star file. The .star file will be located in the same directory as your .nova code.
After compiling your app, you should now have a .nova.star file in the same directory as your .nova file. Next you'll need to rename it to .star, and removing the .nova extension. Then, rename your .star file to the app name that you want, e.g: HelloWorld.star.
You can't run your .star file without an interpreter. So, the creator made an interpreter for it. The interpreter file is the same file as the compiler, which is NOVA.exe. Now, what you're going to do is to copy NOVA.exe to the same folder as your .star file. Then, rename your NOVA.exe file to the same name as your .star file. For example, if your .star file is HelloWorld.star, then you should rename NOVA.exe to HelloWorld.exe.
After trying to write the most basic type of program, it is now time to take it to another level by writing a code that creates a window with one button. The code for it is: "i want window and the window title is Button. i want button and the button caption is Hello. and button left is 15. and button top is 25. you show window" (Without the quotes). This will generate a window with the title "Button" and a single button with the caption "Hello" and the button will be located 15 pixels from the left border of the window, and 25 pixels from the top border of the window. Save it as a .nova file. You can name it as you wish, but it needs to be a .nova file. That way, the compiler can easily detect your source file.
To compile your application, the steps are the same as the "Hello World" program that you've created. The steps are: Run your .nova file, test it out and check if there are any errors. If it has no errors, congratulations! Your first app is successfully created - even though it has a button that does nothing! After you run your .nova file, the compiler will generate a .nova.star file in the same directory as your .nova file.
After the .nova file gets compiled, you should rename your .nova.star file and remove the .nova extension. Now, it will just be a compiled file with the .star extension.
After renaming your compiled file, it is now ready to be distributed. To distribute it, copy the NOVA.exe compiler to the same folder as your .star file. Then, rename your NOVA.exe compiler to the same name as your .star file. For example, if your .star file name is MyApp.star, then you should rename your NOVA.exe file to MyApp.exe.
To distribute your app, you should distribute both of the files. The .star file, and the .exe file. The .exe file will act as an interpreter for the .star file. After that, you can store both of your files to a .zip file using 7Zip or WinRAR, and upload it to a web file hosting site. Then you can just copy the download link and share it with others, or you can shorten the download link using a link shortening site before sharing the link to others.
You can boost the popularity of your program by posting about your program on social media. YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the best ideas for boosting popularity. You can also boost the popularity of your program by making an article on Fandom or CodeProject.
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