Bill Kramer

Bill Kramer, CADENCE columnist, popular Autodesk University instructor, and lead programmer for AUTO-CODE in Dublin, OH has been writing and speaking about programming for over 20 years. Bill has taught at both the corporate and collegiate level and is the author of numerous books, including AutoCADET's Guide to Visual LISP.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clark

Welcome to the Code Wizard's Laboratory

Programmers are wizards. At least we would have been considered such in an earlier time. We work with magical devices, recite magical spells, read scrolls, and speak in strange languages and about strange things. Having been an avid Dungeons and Dragons player in the 1980's, I have often felt that what I did for a living, program computers to perform feats that were only in the imagination of others, was bordering on magic in the eyes of many. So we are wizards, and with that in mind, you have entered the Code Wizard's Laboratory.

Scrolls & Potions

A collection of useful utility functions and example applications. All presented with source code containing comments (the scrolls) and ready to run VLX files (the potions) when applicable.

• Draw a Chart
• Attribute Utility
• Attribute Magic
• Automation Functions
• Visual LISP Date Utility Functions
• Programmer's Utility
• Edit Text Utility

Wizard's School Handouts

Articles about how to make the most of the programming environment we work in.These articles are for students of programming magic wanting to gain skills in Visual LISP and the concepts that are employed.

• Chart Drawing
• Using AutoCAD Automation
• Understanding Visual LISP Project Properties
• Introduction to Visual LISP Projects
• Hunting Down Problems - Part 2
• Hunting Down Problems - Part 1
• Cool Tools in the VLIDE
• Visual LISP Applications
• Adding Defaults to Prompts

Ethereal Tours

• AUTO-CODE
• Eclipse Chasers

Astral Projections: Through the Wizard's Looking Glass

This is the fun stuff. I'm an avid amateur astronomer, and every month I'll be sharing some of my astrophotography along with what's happening in the night sky. Don't all wizards have a telescope?

This image was taken during the total solar eclipse of December 4th 2002. During Autodesk University, but on the other side of the world, the sun went out for less than two minutes. The Wizard was there with his 89 mm telescope (f/14) and camera to obtain this picture (and others). Scanned from slide film, this picture looses much of the detail and majesty of the event however it still shows the primary features of the corona and prominences (red flames).

More astronomy pictures are available at Bill and Ted's Excellent Astro-Picture Page.