Topic: Question regarding a Book I came across

[StykFacE]

I recently came across a PDF eBook titled "Visual LISP Guide: AutoCAD 14" and it has a print date of April 23, 1998 and is 517 pages long and looks to be pretty in depth. A few questions:

• Would this be a good source of learning even though it's coming on 12 years old?

If the above question is "yes" then here are some more:

• Is there a distinction between AutoLISP, Visual LISP, and VBA or am I just missing the term meaning?
• I know that since AutoCAD 2010, VBA does not come installed. Is VBA going away and should I start learning another language?

Most of you guys should know that I know how to open and monkey around with existing code. I have even written a few very small custom LISP programs for myself, the biggest one done all by me was probably 6 lines. I am at a point where I really need to start getting more familiar with custom programming to further extend my skills for my company instead of relying on taking what has been written and trying to fit it in. If I print this book (plus two others I have) and bind them, keep them on my desk, then in my freetime I can try and run through them.

Any comments for me and what I should do?

[CAB]

Yes
Yes
Yes

IMO

[rkmcswain]

Dang.. I could have gotten away with three words...?

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?t=42365

[CAB]

I knew someone would fill in the gaps.

[David Hall]

IMO Lisp will never die, because its built into Autocad.  That being said, like RK said, .Net or C++  may serve you best.  I have used Lisp, VBA, made macros and scripts, all of which served the purpose at the time.  Some of those I keep using daily, because of ease of use.  However, I am now moving all my custom stuff to .Net to stay current with everybody else.  VBA will work in 2010 if you install the enabler, but will it be there in 2011?  We dont know, so we need to move forward with someting we know will be.

[Lee Mac]

I have looked into C++, and am doing a bit of C programming currently, and, it could just be that I am new to the language, but no matter how much more I learn of C++/C, I still prefer coding in LISP/VLISP... things just seem clearer, and with a more logical structure... as I say, it may just be that I am very much an amateur in other languages, so don't really have a "global view" on things... but I am still enjoying LISP/VLISP more than any other language I have tried to learn...

So, that said, I would encourage you to learn LISP/VLISP and delve right in - they are great languages to code in, and, once you get started, not too difficult to pick up.

Thats my 2 cents

Lee

[Vali]

I'd like to come across the same book. I'm only vanilla LISP now and want to go visual.

Have a nice day,
v.

[Lee Mac]

I'd like to come across the same book. I'm only vanilla LISP now and want to go visual.

Have a nice day,
v.

I still believe that the easiest way into Visual LISP is through dissecting examples (perhaps some simple code found on the forums) using the Visual LISP Editor Help files (admitted they are written for VBA, but it doesn't take much to make the connection to Visual LISP).

Good luck,

Lee

[CAB]

I'd like to come across the same book. I'm only vanilla LISP now and want to go visual.

Have a nice day,
v.

You've come to the right place.

Welcome to the Swamp.