Tiko Editor (with full FreeBasic Compiler) (v1.0.3 Updated 2025.06.16)

[PaulSquires]

Tiko Editor (FreeBASIC Editor for Windows)

You will notice this new editor project on my github repository site. https://github.com/PaulSquires/tiko

I have also reactivated my support forum: https://www.planetsquires.com/protect/forum/index.php

Visually, Tiko Editor looks very similar to my WinFBE Editor [viewtopic.php?t=25215]. Tiko Editor replaces WinFBE because WinFBE has now been deprecated. It is 9 years old and has a lot of technical debt. You can certainly continue to use WinFBE forever, but there will be no further major updates.

Release versions are available at: https://github.com/PaulSquires/tiko/releases

**NOTE:** If you get a crash while trying to open a document or create a new document, or if you get a popup warning message box from the operating system saying that "a DLL is not found and reinstalling the program may fix this problem", then it means that you are missing the Visual C++ redistributable package that is normally available on most Windows 10 and Windows 11 machines. Download and install it from this Microsoft page: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/w ... w=msvc-170 Here is the direct link to the file: https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe

The big difference is that Tiko does not, and will not, have a built in visual designer. The Tiko editor already has many bug fixes and new features above WinFBE so if you switch to Tiko you should have no trouble. The Tiko Editor itself is a 64-bit application but the included FBC compiler can create both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.

Tiko also includes José Roca's news WinFBX/Afx2 framework/library. His new library has a complete DDT replacement (for those coming from PowerBasic, you know what DDT is). Using this new framework will make creating Windows applications extremely easy. More information on José Roca's Afx2 project can be found here: https://github.com/JoseRoca/WinFBX2

I have also started work on a language server for FreeBasic in order to integrate that into Visual Studio Code. That will certainly help bring new user attention to the FB language because a lot of new coders these days use Visual Studio Code. I have a fair amount of that project written (the guts of it at least) so I have to finish that project (it is written in FreeBasic).

Requirements:
- Windows 10 or later operating system. Older Windows versions are not supported because many newer API's are used in the source code.

The Tiko Editor is licensed under the GNU GPLv3 or later.

[deltarho[1859]]

Hi Paul

I tried to load my Encrypternet.bas into Tiko, but it closed without ceremony.

I loaded Tiko again and tried to type "P" but Tiko closed without ceremony.

Download tiko_suite.zip your self and try it. Perhaps the zip is corrupted.

[PaulSquires]

Thanks for trying. No issues here. I've had several others try the program without encountering your issue. Strange. Make sure that you unzip to a fresh folder and not over existing older winfbe editor files. The folder structures are different and Tiko uses the very latest scintilla control that I built from source last week. It does sound like it would be scintilla being the issue. You could try copying the scintilla64.dll and lexilla64.dll from your winfbe editor install to see if those older dll's work without gpf.

[fxm]

Same immediate problem (with Windows 10):
Start tiko
Command: File / New File
The tiko program crashes (closes) on the first keystroke.

[PaulSquires]

Same immediate problem (with Windows 10):
Start tiko
Command: File / New File
The tiko program crashes (closes) on the first keystroke.

Thanks fxm, I'll investigate.

[PaulSquires]

My initial thoughts is that this could be a problem with the new scintilla dll's that I compiled and their interaction with Windows 10 (I use Windows 11). If you could do me a favour and replace your existing two scintilla dll's with the ones in this download then that would be appreciated:

https://www.planetsquires.com/files/sci ... evious.zip

(As an aside, you won't have syntax highlighting using these dll's because I am using a newer lexer in Tiko).

Those dll's are from WinFBE and I have never had any similar gpf reports.

If this is indeed the problem then I will try to resurrect an old copy of Windows 10 and get the dll's working there.

[Löwenherz]

hello Paul .. I have changed Lexilla64 and Scintilla64 and my little example works
Build and execute. Quick run too.

Code: Select all

' test example works
' only syntax highlighting not

dim as integer a,b,c
a=10 : b=20 : c=a*b

dim as string st="Hello tiko " + str(c)
print st
sleep
' good work paul, thanks!

[PaulSquires]

Thanks Löwenherz appreciate the report.

Are you on Windows 10? It works on Windows 11 but appears to fail on Windows 10.

I just started a Windows 10 virtual machine and I an getting the same crash as previously reported. Crashes even if I swap out the scintilla dll's so the problem must be elsewhere. I'll get to the solution.

[fxm]

Now OK for me too.

[Josep Roca]

Hi Paul,

I'm using WIndows 10 and Tiko, as you know, but not with the suite but with what I have been downloading from your GitHub repository. Works perfectly in my system.

[fxm]

Already works with just the only modified Scintilla64.dll.

[Löwenherz]

Tiko tested with win 10 all OK Here for me

[PaulSquires]

It continued to fail on my test Windows 10 pro virtual machine no matter if I used the latest or older scintilla dll's.

The problem is that the new scintilla dll's also require the Latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable version:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/w ... w=msvc-170

Here is the permalink to the install file:
https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe

After installing this C++ dependency that Scintilla DLL requires, I was able to use the editor with no crashes.

Damn computers. I'll never tire of the never ending DLL dependency hell.

[deltarho[1859]]

I used WinFBE's Scintilla64.dll and no premature exit now.

Encrypternet compiles OK now.

Flaming Windows!

[deltarho[1859]]

OK, I am now going to play devil's advocate.

What we have is:

WinFBE + WinFBX => Windows SDK [1]
Tiko + WinFBX/Afx2 => Windows dialogs [2]

Why should I switch from [1] to [2]? So far, I cannot see a reason to switch.

As is, my 'Set compiler switches' (SCS) will not work with Tiko. I use SCS quite a lot, and it is invoked immediately after WinFBE starts.

I cannot do without it, so will stay with [1].

I will give some thought to a Tiko version of SCS.