Edited this month by: C.J.Richardson. There has been much discussion about
teletext format. Some like it, others
don't. If you don't, please do not
reformat the disc just yet! Press BREAK
and enter A101 from the menu, now.
The advantage of this format is that
you can read up and down the text using
the cursors. This is especially useful
in something like an instruction file.
The use of colour and graphics can also
make articles more interesting to read.
Die hard mode 3 viewers may read this
article in mode 3 with all traces of
teletext removed. There is just one
concession, the text is in yellow. From
the menu, enter "A" followed by the
article code. Try A101.
An article may also be printed out.
Enter "P" followed by the article code.
From the menu try P101. The printout
will be in the same format as above.
The menu system is similar to that used
in other issues of 8 bit.
Select items from the main menu by
entering the three digit code number
and pressing RETURN.
To use the software menus, select the
item by repeatedly pressing SPACE.
Then press RETURN.
I hope you find this disc entertaining.
If you encounter any problems or just
want a chat, ring me on:
Or drop me a line at:
Issue 24 will be edited and distributed
by Daniel Shimmin. So send your
submissions/money to Daniel before the
DECEMBER 12th deadline please.
His address is:
1 Oakwood Drive
Heaton
Bolton
BL1 5EE
Daniel is not sure whether he will get
issue 24 to you before christmas.
Another article on how to get a cheat
into a game. Extending the ideas given
by M.T.Farnworth in issue 21. Also
including the instructions for DISM, a
disassembler on this months disc. There
is something here for all cheats.
From advanced hints to things you can
do with no machine code experience at
all.
Not that it bothers me but......
Just for your information.
Subtle hint to all you keen programmers
and text editors out there with
something to say and opinions to share.
John Ilsley, 27N has contributed this
article which explains how you can,
with the flip of a switch toggle
between ROM and RAM on a Master 128.
The article requires you to be accurate
with a soldering iron. Please be very
careful if you intend to have a go. 8BS
cannot be held responsible if you weld
yourself to anything, or even worse,
damage your computer.
Printer ribbons are not cheap and it
does seem such a waste throwing one
away when the cloth is still intact.
M.Needham (6EE) has his own way of
saving a few quid without covering
himself in endorsing ink.....
The info for Theodore Gray's graphics
program.
An explanation of the simple TILES
program on issue 22.
Information about the file "utils"
which is a bundle of short basic
routines that John Carpenter (53B) sent
in. These routines could be quite handy
in your own programs.
DFS users unfortunately lose out a bit
here. As there is not enough room on 1
DFS disc to cram in all the available
software, ADFS users get an extra menu
and a bit more software. Bear that in
mind when you have a few pennies spare!
This machine code program will list all
the variables in memory apart from the
resident intiger variables A% to Z%.
It will list all PROCedures and
functions called so far. This is a
useful debugguing tool. If you type
*VLIST after a program stops, you will
be shown what variables have been used
and which procedures have been called.
This program is used by the mag. It
converts the teletext files to ASCII
for mode 3 display or printout. It will
however stand on it's own as a program
to convert files to ASCII.
You may select the converter from the
software menu. The program will first
ask for the drive that you wish to read
from and then for the file you wish to
read. The version of 7to3 that you will
be using is virtually the same as that
used by the mag but with a REM removed
from the start of line 270.
If you LIST the program, it will tell
you which lines to remove REM
statements from so that you may:
1. Convert any other file.
2. Print out any other file.
3. Save the converted data back to disc
A machine code disassembler. The
instructions for which are to
be found in the article on
putting cheats into games.
This program will be mainly
of use to the experienced
fiddler. After you have
digested the article,
you may want to have
a look at a routine
in your memory.
Try looking at
&900 to read
one of the
routines
which will
be there
now!
Do you lose files in your ADFS filing
system?
Are you fed up of entering programs
into a menu?
Do you get fed up of searching through
directories for a program?
I was prompted to write the program
ADFSMEN after I had shown my son how to
save a program to ADFS. He then fully
expected to see it in the menu.
However, the name and load function had
to be entered into the menu program
first.
The program ADFSMEN assembles a machine
code file which is then saved to disc.
A !BOOT file is then built and *OPT 4 3
set.
After this all you do is press shift
break to load the menu system. The code
reads the catalogue and displays the
information on a mode 7 screen in two
columns. There is just enough room to
fit one full directory onto one screen.
To enter a directory or run a program,
just press the symbol alongside the
name (some are shift+key).
If the symbol is RED, then the entry is
a directory and you will be taken into
that directory. It's catalogue will
then be displayed.
If the symbol is YELLOW, the entry is a
program. The code tries to distinguish
between BASIC and non basic programs
and acts accordingly.
Most programs will be run, it may fail
occasionally sometimes due to incorrect
page settings or being an unrunnable
piece of data or ASCII file.
The first and last two bytes of the
file are read. If they are not &D, &D,
&FF respectively, the program is *RUN.
Otherwise, the program is CHAINED.
To MOUNT another disc or move back to
the $ directory, insert a new disc into
drive 0 and press $. The new catalogue
will then be displayed.
John Ilsley's very useful program on
issue 22 was begging for this! CONVRS2
Is a program which will convert over 40
ways. Inches to centimetres tons to
kilogrammes etc. Including a fuel cost
reckoner and length of travel time
calculator. Use the cursors to select
the conversion required, then press
RETURN. Follow the on screen prompts to
make the conversion.
A short interrupt routine which causes
a cursor to scroll at the next print
position regardless of whether the
cursor is turned on or off with
VDU23;8202;0;0;0;. The routine was sent
in by John Ilsley as a block of code.
After the comments from B27 published
in issue 22 requesting source code, I
have disassembled the code using DISM.
The source program is on this disc as
CURSOR. This is quite an interesting
routine to add to your programs.
A program which will print itself out.
Steve Flintham laid down this challenge
in issue 22. CHAIN "BASREAD", Press
RETURN, the program reads itself from
memory and uses the data in the DATA
lines to print itself out correctly. An
extension of this is to use the same
principle to read Basic directly from
disc. If you enter a file name instead
of just pressing RETURN, the file will
be converted directly from disc. This
may be a useful tool for looking
through a disc without loading
programs into memory. Codes below 32
are replaced with an "@". This is to
avoid display problems, with codes
such as 21 which will disable the
display.
20G. Roy Dickens has sent in this
program. It is full of useful info to
enable you to work out what you are
due. Roy reminds us that the
information in the program will
probably be out of date by April, he
says that he will update it.
Another program from John Ilsley.
This Basic program will convert an
Inter-word written document into an
ASCII file. The program starts with an
advert for John's bulletin board. Enter
the name of a file to be read, then
enter the name for the save. The
program then reads the Inter-word file
and saves a new ASCII file. After a
while the conversion is completed and
the new file is *TYPED. I have included
an interword example file for you to
convert. Firstly, copy both programs on
to a blank disc. They are InterRd, the
converter and iwprots, the Inter-word
file.
Print it out. Stick it on the wall.
scribble on it. The program prints out
on an EPSON FX compatible printer a
whole year with a page for each month
and a large box for each day. Write
appointments, shifts, lessons etc in
the boxes. To print a calendar answer
three simple questions:
1. The quantity of calendars required.
2. The year to be printed.
3. The first weekday of the year.
John Carpenter's bundle of short
routines. See the mag article (112) for
more info.
The second part of Mirolaw Bobrowski's
excellent trilogy on Poland. Maps and
text give a history of Poland to the
present day. The program presents you
with a title page and short tune. Press
SPACE to see the first map, text is
printed below each map explaining some
of Poland's history. A beep prompts you
to press SPACE to obtain a new section
of text or map. When the program ends
press BREAK to re-load the main 8BS
menu.
The 3rd part of this trilogy is still
under consideration. Miroslaw is keen
to receive comments on the first two
parts, so please send comments through
the usual channels to the 8BS editor.
Christmas is coming, the goose is
getting fat, please put ten bob in the
envelope, etc.
Remember last Christmas? Duncan Webster
put these carols on the disc, or rather
the program to play them, but there was
no data for the program to play.
Miroslaw Bobrowski has re-submitted the
program. So, just in case Daniel
Shimmin doesn't get issue 24 to you
before christmas, here it is. Stick it
on as you decorate the christmas tree.
S.Johnson (18E) has sent in this short
program that draws a union jack. It
will not work on a model B. There is a
screen dump of the file which has been
turned into a CHAINable file on the
disc. This can be selected from the
menu also.
S.Johnson (18E) has sent in this very
good program containing 5 very short
PROCedures that will draw letters
in outline, wide or 3D style, contained
in 3D boxes or borders. The program has
a demo mode. List it, there are plenty
of REMs in it. You may find some of the
Procedures handy in your own programs.
Model B users please note that the
boxes will not appear although the
letters will.
Theodore Gray (19F) sends us this Basic
graphics program. It draws spirals at
pre-detemined positions, with a chosen
size and colour. Full instructions are
to be found in the mag menu.
A sound sample from CJR-5.
Most of the programs by myself on this
disc are heavily "REMmed". One of the
possibly annoying tricks is to put some
control codes in the first line of the
program to force mode 7 and paged mode.
If this is not to your taste, type 10
before attempting to list the program.