To: 999 (all members)
From: 6EE (MICK NEEDHAM)
Subject: VIEW SUITE INFO
Instructions for improved View
Suite
Acorn User September 1985
The original View Suite appeared
in the September 1985 issue of
Acorn User. The version here is
basically the same, but with a
few added improvements, the main
one being that all the commands
appear at the bottom of a mode 3
screen. I have found it so useful
I would not use View without it.
All the program files should be
on side 0 of the disc, with the
View files on drive 2 if
possible. The boot file should be
set to load the View ROM image
into sideways RAM, (if you don't
have it in ROM); set the drive
for the one you want to save your
View files on, in this case you
require drive 2, or any drive you
require; then to CHAIN the program
"C.CAT"
The program "C.CAT" sets the
system ready for you to use View.
It first of all asks if you want
to catalogue a View disc. If yes
it will then ask which drive.
Pressing return gives the default
drive set in the boot file. The
program will then list the first
line of each file if it starts
with the CO (COMMENT) command
only found on View 3. Each file
is numbered. You just enter the
number of the file you want then
press return. The other choice is
to go straight into View. Then
the function key definitions are
loaded, mode 3 selected, screen
text changed to green, function
key definitions printed at the
bottom of the screen, screen
scrolling slowed. Then help
screen one, listing all View 3
commands is *typed onto the
command screen, you are then
ready to start.
Function key definitions can only
be used in the command mode
f0 HELP One - Screens the View
commands help page.
f1 HELP Two - Screens the printer
commands help page.
f2 SAVE Safe - Saves a file named
'SAFE' then locks it, will unlock
it if used again.
f3 PRINT Memory - Will send file
in memory to printer.
f4 SCREEN Memory - Will screen
file in memory. (see f6).
f5 GREEN Screen - Changes text to
green if in mode 3.
f6 TO Screen - Loads file 'C.t'
as if it was a printer driver,
will send text to screen when f4
pressed. Make sure any file in
memory is saved, as it will be
lost.
f7 DRIVER FX.4 - Loads printer
driver named FX.4.
f8 DRIVER - Loads alternative
printer driver.
f9 PRINT Sheets - Sends file in
memory to printer in sheet mode.
For more details see the View
Suite article in the September
1985 issue of Acorn User.
You can also add the synchronised
ruler cursor from the November
1986 issue of Micro User, with
alts. in March and August 1987
issues, this provides a
synchronised cursor that moves
along the ruler at the top of the
screen in the same position as
the text cursor, as the Micro
User programs are still
copyright I cannot include it
with View Suite.
Mick Needham
EDITOR... IMPORTANT. Due to the large
number of files that are in this suite,
I have archived it into one file called
View. De-archive it onto a new disc
with the de-archive program Arch`De.
The De-archiver is on this issue.
Copy the archived file "View" onto a
blank DFS formatted disc. Load the
program "Arch`de". Insert the disc with
the archived file "View". Type RUN.
Answer the first question "2" to
de-archive. Answer the next question
"View" to de-archive the View suite.
Answer the next question "1" to
de-archive. Then Wait. When the
program has ended, type *OPT 4 3, you
should then be able to use SHIFT+BREAK
to run the disc.
To: 999 All Members
From: 3WU (Fred Price)
Subject: An Editorial Dedication
After reading our Editor's suggestion
of suggested methods of cleaning your
trusty old Beeb as in issue 40.
I thought that it was time and some
flowers would be appropriate. So centre
and set your printer up and collect
your bouquet from FLOWERS, and as
sound doesn't travel very well I can't
send you any Roses From The South OR
the Rose of Trallee.
Fred
To: 999 (all members)
From: K8C (A.Adams)
Subject: PENTOMINOES
A pentomino is like a domino, but is
made up of 5 small squares, instead
of two. There are 12 basic pentominoes
of different shapes. If they may
not be turned over, then rotating them
will lead to 41 different aspects.
If they may be turned over, then there
are 63 different aspects (an odd number
in both cases, because the X-shaped
piece presents the same aspect however
it is turned or rotated).
The current suite of programs will:
(i) display the 41 or 63 aspects, with
reference numbers (note that the same
aspects do not bear the same reference
numbers in the two series),
(ii) find all the ways of packing
different sized boxes from either set,
and (iii) display the results of the
examination.
EDITOR... IMPORTANT. Due to the large
number of files that are in this suite,
I have archived it into one file called
Pent. De-archive it onto a new disc
with the de-archive program Arch`de.
The De-archiver is on this issue.
Copy the archived file "Pent" onto a
blank DFS formatted disc. Load the
program "Arch`de". Insert the disc with
the archived file "Pent". Type RUN.
Answer the first question "2". Answer
the next question with "Pent".
Answer the next question "1" to
de-archive. Then Wait. When the
program has ended, type *OPT 4 3, you
should then be able to use SHIFT+BREAK
to run the disc.
The programs JISAWM and BOXESM will not
run on the standard BBC as they use the
command *SHADOW. Some of the programs
contain the DFS only *DRIVE command.
By C.J.Richardson.
I have been intending to do this one
for a while now. This program will
archive up to 50 filenames into one.
Especially useful for DFS users. DFS
has a filename limit.
The program will allow you to add files
to the archive at a later date. You
cannot delete files from the archive
(the program could be adapted to do
so).
The program allows you to de-archive
all files or just one and then run it.
You may view the files in the archive.
You may also use * commands.
To use the program:
CHAIN"Arch`de"
The main menu offers you 3 options and
a * command facility:
Option 1. Archive Files.
Choosing this option takes you to a
sub-menu with 2 further options. The
first of which is to start a new
archive, the second to continue
building an existing archive. Both
options start by asking which archive
you want to begin/add to. You then
enter the name/s of the file/s to
archive. Finish by pressing RETURN.
Option 2. De-Archive Files. When you choose this option you are
first asked which archive you want to
split. Enter the filename of the
archive you wish to split. You are then
presented with the available archived
files in that archive. You may now
choose option 1 to de-archive all of
the files or option 2 to de-archive
just one of the files.
If you choose to de-archive just one
file, when de-archiving is complete,
you will be given the option to CHAIN
or *RUN the de-archived file or to
continue in the archiver/de-archiver.
If you use a twin drive, you have no
need to copy archived files to the
blank disc first. Make the drive with
the blank disc the current drive with
*DR. <num>. Then when prompted for the
source file, enter the full pathname
including the drive number.
For example. The archived file View is
in drive 2. The blank disc is in drive
1. Load the de-archiver. Type *DRIVE 1.
Type RUN. Enter 2 to de-archive.
Enter :2.View. Enter 1. The file will
be de-archived directly from drive 2 to
drive 1.
Option 3. View Archived Files. Choosing this option allows you to see
what files are in an archive. Enter
the name of the archive.
* Command. Type * followed by any * command to
change drives etc. Remember that some *
commands corrupt memory and will
overwrite the program.
Do not enter file names longer than 10
characters. This will not allow full
pathnames in ADFS, but as ADFS uses a
directory structure, there is no need
to archive files for ADFS.
This program will probably feature on
future 8BS issues as it enables single
programs to be easily fished out of a
large archive. As a lot of the programs
submitted to 8BS are short and sweet,
this will no longer pose a problem for
DFS users.
By C.J.Richardson. I got hold of an Epson Stylus 400
recently and wrote this Basic program
which I then blew into eprom. I can now
call it up with a simple * command,
enter a two digit code and hey presto,
a printer containing the style that I
want to print in.
The program "ProgPrt" contains codes
for a Stylus 400 some of which may work
on other printers. The program should
be easy enough to alter to suit your
printer.
Ensure that your printer is switched on
and ready to go. Run the program
ProgPrt. You will be presented with a
list of printer options. Enter the two
digit code next to the option. The
printer will now be ready to print in
that style. Terminate the program by
pressing ESCAPE, then enter your word
processor and print out text or run the
program that prints out the text.
Some options when chosen require
parameters to be entered, you will be
prompted for these parameters and given
the various options.
There is a test option that prints out
a short phrase for you to see if the
style is what you want. There is a
further option that allows you to enter
your own text. This is useful if you
are typing a label or address onto an
envelope for instance as a "one off".
To: 999 (all members)
From: K2K (Peter Davy)
Subject: Random numbers with virtually
equal occurrence of each value.
The above heading sounds rather vague
but I couldn't think of any better way
of putting it. In the wake of the
National Lottery it is common to think
about random numbers in the range 1 to
49. Running the program MODLOT3 on
this disk for any length of time shows
that the frequency of numbers of 1's,
2's, 3's etc. produced by repeatedly
evaluating RND(49) show appreciable
differences. The program UNIFVAL on
this disk produces a stream of random
numbers between 1 and 49 in which the
individual values are present with
virtually equal frequency.
The program UNIFVAL simulates a hopper
containing 49 balls numbered from 1 to
49. A ball is taken at random and its
number provides the first value for the
stream of random numbers. Before
drawing a second ball from the
hopper, a ball numbered 1 is placed in
the hopper. Before drawing a third
ball, a ball numbered 2 is placed in
the hopper and so on until before
drawing the fiftieth ball a number 49
ball is placed in the hopper. From
this point the numbers of the added
balls start at 1 again.
The amount of balls in the hopper
remains at 49. Equal amounts of 1's,
2's, 3's etc. are entering the hopper.
It follows therefore that the balls
leaving the hopper will also show
virtually equal amounts of 1's, 2's,
3's etc. There will be small
discrepancies as a result of the
hopper not finishing up with one of
each value 1 to 49.
As the program runs, the total amounts
of 1's, 2's, 3's etc. are displayed on
the screen. However I think the
demonstration would be more convincing
if the random numbers generated are
also displayed. Each batch of 49
values is printed on the screen. At
any time the execution of the program
may be stopped by pressing the P key.
A longish press is needed as execution
will only stop when at the end of a
batch of 49 vaues. After pressing P,
execution may be re-started by
pressing R or stopped altogether by
pressing F.
Now let's think of what use we could
make of such a stream of random
numbers!
PRESS BREAK