POWER USER FEATURE
jdBasic Workspaces
a persistent, turbocharged REPL
Workspaces turn the Windows console REPL into an always-on development instrument: independent sessions, searchable history, autocomplete, and live timer tasks — all without leaving the terminal.
What makes Workspaces different?
1) Syntax highlighting
Readable code in the console REPL — keywords, strings, numbers, comments.
2) Dedicated history (F7)
Your own REPL history viewer — faster than scrolling and hunting old commands.
3) Search REPL history (F8)
Find commands you typed days ago. Great for “I solved this once…” moments.
4) Autocomplete (serious)
Completion for commands, custom types, map keys, and even COM objects.
5) 4 independent sessions
F1–F4 are 4 *separate* worlds: their own code + vars + types + history.
6) Persisted history
History is saved, so your “working memory” survives restarts.
7) SAVEWS / LOADWS: bring back everything
Save and restore: code, variables, history, and custom types. (Think: persistent investigations, reusable automation consoles, and “pick up tomorrow”.)
8) RECUR timers (live tickers)
New REPL commands RECUR / CLEAR_RECUR for periodic tasks — perfect for dashboards, log tailers, and live monitoring.
Hotkeys at a glance
| Key | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| F1–F4 | Switch workspace | Each workspace has its own code/vars/history/types |
| F7 | History viewer | Browse previously entered commands |
| F8 | Search REPL | Search history quickly |
Tip: If you also support alternative keybindings (Ctrl+something), list them here.
How people actually use it
Workspace split strategy
- F1 scratchpad / calculations
- F2 automation toolbox (filesystem, regex, CSV)
- F3 “SQL console” / COM automation (Windows)
- F4 monitoring (RECUR tickers)
This keeps context clean: no “one session full of unrelated experiments”.
Example: save a long investigation
' Save everything: code, vars, history, types
SAVEWS "LogInvestigation"
' Later (or tomorrow): restore instantly
LOADWS "LogInvestigation"No re-imports, no re-setup — continue where you left off.
Want this REPL experience?
Workspaces are part of the native jdBasic Windows console REPL. Try the browser REPL for language basics, then use the native build for the full power workflow.