308 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
308 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
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ZBasic Version 4.02 - December 7, 1987
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This file contains items of interest that didn't make it into the manual.
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Anything not specified in the manual, or changed since the manual has been
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printed, can be found in this file.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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The HERC.COM (and it's batch file loader, ZHERC.BAT) are only required if you
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wish to intermix text and graphics on the Hercules graphics screen. If you
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are only producing graphics, these files are not required. Just remember
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that the HERC.COM driver is a software emulation of text on the graphics
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screen. It works by actually drawing the characters on the screen from a
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predefined software font. Therefore, there is a great speed difference
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between text in MODE 2 and MODE 20.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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There are a couple of additional sample programs included on the disk which
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are not mentioned in the program. One of them deserves mention here. The
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ZCALC.BAS file contains the ZBasic source code to produce a spreadsheet with
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a very familiar command structure. Try it out! If you don't like it, modify
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it until you do!
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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The method used to store null (blank) lines in the tokenized source program
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has been changed, since the full screen editor would go totally FUNGUS
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(Fouled-Up, No Good, and generally UnSatisfactory) with the old way. Version
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4.00 stored null lines as a single null byte within the tokenized program.
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Version 4.02 and later stores null lines in the same format as the other
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tokenized lines. The full screen editor is much happier now. This does
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cause a problem with the programs that you've saved using version 4.0,
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though. If the program was saved in tokenized format (using the SAVE
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command), and it contained null lines, then that program will have to be
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converted to the new tokenized format. There are two methods for doing
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this. First method: Use version 4.00 to save the program in ASCII format
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(using SAVE*), and then reload it into version 4.02. Second method: Use the
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supplied conversion program which will translate any null lines into the new
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format. The name of this program is "nullfix.bas", and can be found on this
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distribution diskette. Run this program as you would any other ZBasic
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program. Any old tokenized programs that do not contain null lines will not
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cause any problems, and can be loaded normally.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Many people requested a way to change the colors of the screen in the line
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and screen editors. There is an additional file on the diskette titled
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"PATCHTBL.TXT" which lists the addresses within ZBasic which can be changed
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to customize the screen colors. Simply use the Patch option on the ZBasic
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startup screen to change the various attribute bytes. If you wish to save
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the changes that you've made, select Save from the same menu.
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In addition, the program "CONFIG.BAS" will allow you interactively alter the
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colors used in the line and screen editor. Simply load the program into
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ZBasic, and then RUN it. It will first ask you to specify the pathname of
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the ZBASIC.COM file that you wish to alter. Next, you will be presented with
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the main menu. Use the keypad arrow keys to move the cursor to the menu item
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that you want, then press either the RETURN key or the space bar. This same
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method is used to change the various colors within the submenus. When done,
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select the SAVE option to save the changes in your ZBasic file on disk, or
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select ABANDON to discard the changes.
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This program is supplied in source code format so that you can modify it to
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your own liking. Feel free to use the programming techniques in your own
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programs.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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To maintain compatibility with our other machine versions, the LIST command
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has reverted back to a normal screen display (no more highlighted tokens).
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LIST* still will highlight the tokens for you though. F1 in the line editor
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has been pre-defined as LIST* so that you can use it if you prefer the
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highlighted tokens. If that`s still not good enough, you can patch the
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location LISTFLG to 2ah to default to token highlighting. See the file
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"PATCHTBL.TXT" for the current address of LISTFLG.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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A couple of additions have been added to the KEY command in the line editor.
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Typing KEY without any parameters will toggle the current display state of
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the function key prompt at the bottom of the screen. (turning it off if it
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was on, and visa-versa).
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The second new addition has the following syntax:
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KEY x {,|=} ["]command["]
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This will allow you to customize the actions of the function keys in the line
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editor. For example, if you seldom use the CONFIG command, but frequently
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use the RENUM command, you can use the following statement to change the
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definition of the F7 key:
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KEY 7 = RENUM
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The symbol represents a carriage return at the end of the command. It is
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entered into the command string by pressing the ESC key. The editor will
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translate it appropriately. The "command" can be optionally surrounded by
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quotes, and must be a valid line editor command. It can be no longer than 15
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characters. You can not use a string variable (as with some other BASIC's),
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since this is not a program statement. This is ONLY a line editor command.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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If you happen to get to the LOAD prompt by mistake (for example, if you press
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F1 in the screen editor instead of Alt-F1), you can press CTRL-C to exit the
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prompt and then try again. Same goes for the SAVE prompt.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Many people have asked for a way to change the color of the text produced on
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the EGA graphics screens. The COLOR statement can't be used, since it
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affects the graphics colors while in graphics modes, and the MODE statement
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resets the default character attribute to 7 whenever you change into a
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graphics mode. The solution is to sidestep the system by POKEing into the
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ZBasic data area. The character color attribute is stored at 033Bh in the
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data segment. To change the attribute so that any characters will be printed
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in blue (attribute = 1), use the following statement:
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POKE &33B, 1
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Any attribute value from 0 to 255 can be used, and follows the attribute
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rules as outlined on page A-37, table 2, of the ZBasic reference manual.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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As stated in the manual, the CALL statement (pg. A-31), and the DEF USR
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statement (pg. A-47) allow a segment specifier in addition to the address.
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This way, the machine language routine can be anywhere in memory. The
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segment specifier is optional, and I just wanted to clarify what happens with
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and without the segment value.
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If you use the statement
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CALL LINE 100
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or
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DEF USR 0 = LINE 100
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the compiler will generate the necessary code to perform a NEAR call (which
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means that it must be within the current code segment). Therefore, your
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subroutine must end with a NEAR RET (MACHLG &C3). If, on the other hand, one
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of the following statements is used
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CALL LINE 100, MEMC
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or
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DEF USR 0 = LINE 100, MEMC
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then the compiler will generate a FAR call, and the subroutine MUST terminate
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with a FAR RET (MACHLG &CB). These two examples would effectively accomplish
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the same thing, except that the second examples would take a little longer to
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execute.
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One way to keep this all straight is this: if you are CALLing a MACHLG line
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that is located somewhere within your ZBasic program, don't specify the
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segment. The compiler will automatically assume that it is in the code
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segment. If, on the other hand, you DIMension a dummy array, and then BLOAD
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a machine language subroutine into that area of memory, then use the segment
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specifier whenever you access that subroutine (and make sure that it
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terminates with a FAR RET).
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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The EOF function behaves differently, depending on how you are accessing the
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file. If you are using INPUT# or LINE INPUT#, then the EOF function will
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return true (-1) if an end-of-file mark (1Ah) is encountered in the file. If
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you are using the READ# statement to retrive data from the file, then the
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function will not return true until the physical end-of-file is reached (i.e.
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when MS-DOS returns an EOF error). Keep in mind that MS-DOS does not know
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what your program's record length is. Therefore, it's physical end-of-file
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error will occur when it has reached the end of the last allocated sector of
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your file (which will probably be past the actual end of your file).
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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If you prefer to have the full screen editor default to insert mode (as
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opposed to overwrite mode, as shipped), simply patch the INSRTFLG location
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from 82H to 02H. Instructions for using the patch command can be found on
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page B-15 of your ZBasic manual. The current address of INSRTFLG can be
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found in the PATCHTBL.TXT file included on your master disk.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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We have discovered that ZBasic will run just fine within a Microsoft (R)
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Windows window, as long as you follow a few simple rules. First, make sure
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that your ZBasic is configured to be NOT IBM text compatible. This way,
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Windows can intercept any text output and convert it to the necessary
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graphical representation of the characters. Also, make sure that you don't
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try to do any graphics while Windows is active. It won't hurt anything, but
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it won't accomplish anything either (the graphics are invisible).
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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The TIMER function now returns the number of seconds since midnight down to
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the nearest hundredth of a second. This matches BASICA's function.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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There have been numerous reports of little inconsistencies in the fourth
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edition manual, so get your pen ready and follow along while I make
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corrections.
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Pg 77-
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Line 9 of the "QUICK SORT" subroutine has a typographical error. The
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variable 'R1' in the second statement should be 'RI'.
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Pg 108, 111, 112, 117, 118-
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The variable NAME$ contains an MS-DOS version reserved word. Change the
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variable to NM$.
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Pg 168-
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The list of reserved words on the page pertain to the standard version
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of the language. Due to the many enhancements made to the MS-DOS version,
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the following are also reserved words for this version only. Page number
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following the reserved word shows which page the word is referenced on.
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' - 316 ARR - A58 AS - 278 BCD - A58 BEEP - 178
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BLOAD - A29 BSAVE - A30 CARDTYPE - A33 CASE - 183 CHDIR - A34
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CINT - A35 COM - A40,A66 COMBUFF - A38 COMMAND$ - A41 COMMON - 192
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COORDINATE - 195 CSRLIN - 197 EOF - 220 FCB -
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FILES - A50 FRE - A52 GET - 232 IS - KEY -
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MKDIR - A60 NAME - 278 OFF - A40 PAINT - A72 PALETTE - A73
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PATH$ - A74 PRESET - 306 PSET - 306 PUT - 306 RANDOMIZE - 309
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RESET - 319 RMDIR - A79 SCREEN - A80,A81 SEG - A58
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SELECT - 328 SHELL - A82 STR - A58 SYSTEM - 339 TFORMAT - A83
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TIMER - A85 VARSEG - A91 VIEW - A92 WAIT - A93 WINDOW - 195
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Pg 172-
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The example run erroneously shows comma's between the printed numbers.
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Those commas would not be printed by the example program.
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Pg 201-
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DATE$ function: In the remarks section, mention is made that the MSDOS
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version can set the date from within a program. The example given is
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incorrect (the slashes aren`t allowed in the string). See page A-42 for the
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correct syntax.
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Pg 232-
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The formula for calculating the memory requirements for the GET
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statement has an extra ")" character at the end.
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Pg 255, 256-
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The LINE INPUT statement is actually two words. The manual incorrectly
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shows the command as one word, and the system will not parse the words as
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keywords if SPACES BETWEEN KEYWORDS is selected in the configuration.
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Pg 263-
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The second word in the second line of DEFINITION should be "useful".
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Pg 327-
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The description for SAVE+ says to be sure that your program doesn't use
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label references. This is exactly opposite from what it should say. Since
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this command does not save the line numbers with the text of the program, the
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program SHOULD use label references so that it will still run correctly when
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reloaded.
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Pg A-20-
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The entry and exit parameters for address &118 are incorrect. On entry,
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ES:SI should point to the destination string. On exit, ES:SI will point to
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the standard ZBasic string.
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Pg A-38-
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The printed syntax shows that the command is made up of two words. This
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is incorrect. It should read:
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COMBUFF (port)
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Pg A-61-
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In the description for MODE 20, the address and size of the Hercules
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graphics buffer is incorrect. Page 0 starts at &HB000 and is 32K bytes long.
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Page 1 starts at &HB800 and is also 32K bytes long. Also, reference is made
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to a HERC.BIN file on the diskette. This should read HERC.COM.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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The MOUSE(1) and MOUSE(2) functions normally return values using the
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standard ZBasic coordinates of 1024 x 768. If your program uses a
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COORDINATE statement to alter the screen coordinate system, the mouse
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functions will return values to match your new coordinate system.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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For the mouse to operate properly on the Hercules Graphics Screen, your
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program must perform it's MODE 20 statement prior to initializing the mouse
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with the MOUSE(0) function.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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We have included a ZBasic cross-reference program on this master disk. It
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can be found in the XREF subdirectory. Documentation is included in the same
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subdirectory.
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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We want to make this the best BASIC available on MS-DOS computers. We can't
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do that without your feedback, though. If you have any comments,
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suggestions, complaints, etc, please write us a letter and let us know your
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thoughts. Try to be as specific as possible when suggesting something, or
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complaining about something. We can't implement a suggestion, or fix a
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complaint, unless we know exactly what you're talking about.
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And lastly, thank you for purchasing ZBasic. We sincerely hope that we can
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have a long and fruitful relationship!
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Zedcor, Inc.
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4500 E. Speedway, Suite 22
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Tucson, AZ 85712
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