8-Bit Software Online Conversion

                                                             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.                                    