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GlitterIDE

Hello, and welcome to this, the simplest website possible for the Glitter IDE project. GlitterIDE is an all in one coding environment that is meant primarily as an extension of the Scratch block based coding environment. GlitterIDE is meant to be a stepping stone from Scratch to more traditional text-based programming languages, but also provides a useful tool for anyone interested into getting into coding with relative ease.

HELP!!

I, the Author (Matthew) have been working on this for a number of years, and I've put lots of work into it. There is lots more that I want to do, and I'm fully capable of doing it, except I need support with two things. The first is people being enthusiastic for this project. Please subscribe to the Youtube channel, and follow on Bluesky. The second is money. I cannot really afford to keep working on this, unless I can get a least a little income to support it, so please consider giving a little on Patreon. I will add other options later.

You can pass me an electronic message at glitteride at proton period me

Downloads

Downloads are provided as is at the moment. Provided versions need to be unzipped, and the launch icon clicked to start. Installer versions will come when project is a bit more stable. Instructions on how to use downloads

Early preview

Apple Mac versions are not available as I do not own, or have easy access to a Mac. If you would like to see them, please consider donating me a computer to build and test them on. Cheers.

Features

GlitterIDE is an ongoing project, but currently has a large set of features implemented, or partly implemented (with lots more to go though). A brief list of what to currently expect include:

An all-in-one Itegrated Development Environment, where code can be entered, compiled, and tested within the one app
A solid foundation of the core language (with lots of room to growth), that extends the approach of Scratch, but in a text based form
Uses 'implicit cooperative' multitasking
The ability to import and use Scratch 2 and Scratch 3 projects
A built-in image editor
A built-in layout editor
The ability to export projects to Scratch 2 format (importable into Scratch 3), and compiled HTML/Web (suitable for use on itch.io)
An ability to also create limited apps for the Commodore 64 computer, with built in emulator (this is an ongoing project, to be extended to other retro computers), that brings the Scratch like multitasking to an 8-bit computer
A simple text-editor, with some support for basic coding editing (the aim is to have a significantly more advanced editor with block-style visual coding seamlessly working with text-base
The concept of scenes, where the app is broken down into separate scenes, with their own layout, and scripting
The beginings of a framework to enable no-code environments to be created (so far, the "action" framework)
And lots more!!!

Future Features

General language extensions - local variables, definable functions, more generally messaging, for-loops, data structures and classes
A Python like version of the scripting language
A more advanced editor with seamless drag and drop of in place text (with text completion,etc...). Basically, a designed from the get-go hybrid editor of direct text with block like coding
Extend the image editor to vector art with layers, with more options including curves
Framework extension to include a movable camera view (with definable world size and viewport sizes), including a Z component for pseudo 3D
Having animations as separate entities, instead of just one block of costumes
A spritesheet importer (and exporter), to build animations from a spritesheet
Improved audio handling, including a retro style synthesiser generator tool, and a music tracker
Support for tile maps, including a tile map editor
App network support
Multiuser editing, and connecting via local netowrking, to share work and teacher led feature control for class room work
More advanced C64 features including a sprite editor, charset editor, and screen editor
Extension to other retro architectures - most likely Atari 8-bit (and other 6502 computers), Amiga/Atari ST, and Acorn Archimedes
Improved HTML export
Export to Java code, with specific posible targets to include Java 1.5 (for legacy systems as well), and Android
Export to C/SDL
Possibly export to Haxe for more general onward compiling to general systems
Microcontroller projects, with in-tool testing, where inputs/outputs are given by user developed gui apps, designed to aid in making hobby level projects (such as games). Targets will be AVR Arduino style controllers, and ARM style (M0 mailnly) - the aim will be to support Micro:bit, Pico, Uno R4. Also Pic16 for the challenge (emulator and compiler code is already mostly written)
And more (this is a never ending projects of interesting things to add)

Documentation

Author's note on AI

Yeah, I've used AI for some video thumbnails and a goofy splash screen, but in general this is an AI free tool. I do not have any interest in using AI to code Glitter IDE (and have not used it so far), and I do not intend to include any AI integration. The language will end up being similar enough to other languages that using AI externally may be useful, but ultimately this is a tool to get your hands dirty coding.

Screenshots