Suzy B Software 2/Suzy B Software CD-ROM 2 (1994).iso/extras/textfile/hsbas_1/hsbas_1.txt

Text File | 1995-04-27 | 114KB | 3,343 lines

=========================================================================
(C) 1994 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May
be reprinted only with this notice intact.  The Atari Roundtables on
GEnie are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign
up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369.  Upon connection
type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt.Type XTX99437,GENIE
and press [RETURN]. The system will prompt you for your information.
==========================================================================
 ************
Topic 8         Sun Oct 25, 1992
ORA.TECH                     at 20:18 EST
Sub: HiSoft Basic 2

The BASIC of the 90's
200 message(s) total.
 ************
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 1         Mon Nov 02, 1992
HUMPHRIES.JR [Roger]         at 19:38 EST

Hi,

I guess I will get this one started.  I have been using HiSoft Basic for a few
years now, and have upgraded to HiSoft Basic 2.  I think it is a __great__
version of Basic.  Unfortunately it has not gotten a lot of user support or
interest in terms of sharing information.  There has been some message traffic
in the previous HiSoft topics, but not too much. Nor has there been much
uploaded in the way of samples, demos, etc.

Anyway, I like it, I think it deserves some good support (which it should get
now that Bob has got it in his stable), and I would like to see this be a busy
topic.

sSo dive in folks -- let's get this one going.

 -- Roger
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 2         Mon Nov 02, 1992
W.STEINERT [Wayne]           at 21:40 EST



        My upgrade request & bucks are on the way! I'm sure I'll be bugging
you soon... Does the WERCS that comes with BASIC 2 have the GDOS extension?


        Wayne


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 3         Tue Nov 03, 1992
CBARRON                      at 03:00 EST

  The thing about Hisoft Basic that I like is I don't need to remember what
tos a program was compiled under and what version of the compiler was used,
and I can compile generic basic programs from other platforms with little or
ussually no change whatsoever. it is fast and fairly compact for a basic.  I
will be upgrading shortly, but I have no qualms about it.
  It does deserve a little more support from its users.  Perhaps now that
upgrade path and aquiring path has improved there will be more sales and users
of it.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 4         Tue Nov 03, 1992
CBARRON                      at 03:01 EST

 Wayne...
  WERCS is a resource file editor. What 'GDOS' extension are you referring
to???  Perhaps you are wondering if BASIC 2 supports gdos??  I do not know i
still have the old version of the professional basic.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 5         Wed Nov 04, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:23 EST

I think Wayne is refering to the old WERCS+ product that we  have. This was
basically the standard WERCS package together  with GDOS and a leaflet
describing some of the programming side  of the original GDOS. As such its a
bit out of date. This isn't  included in HiSoft BASIC 2 - you get a version of
WERCS just for  use with HiSoft BASIC.

When SpeedoGDOS comes out we intend add library calls for this  to the HiSoft
BASIC 2  package. The existing package already has  the core routines you need
to use the original GDOS (detecting  that its there, openning a physical
workstation, loading fonts -  that sort of thing).

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 6         Thu Nov 05, 1992
J.SPIEGEL [Joe]              at 20:30 EST

I just completed my first Hisoft BASIC program that uses resource files (It's
in the library, although it won't be of much interest unless you have an X10
Powerhouse home controller).  I was wondering if it was possible to compile
the resource files into the program.  I know it is possible with other
languages.

I really like the toolkit provided with version 2.  I never quite got the
handle on resource files before.  The toolkit makes things easy.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 7         Thu Nov 05, 1992
J.SIEBEN [Mike]              at 22:39 EST

I was hoping to see a feature synopsys rundown of this product by now.  Oh
well then, a few questions.  How does this compare to GFA? How clean (no
tricks, illegal stuff) does it compile?  Does it use line numbers or labels?
How is the editor?

An idle GFAer Mike

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 8         Fri Nov 06, 1992
CBARRON                      at 07:08 EST

 Mike.....
  Well, I don't have version 2 but if it is downward compatible to version 1.x
then:
   It compiled clean legal tos independent code with 1.x, I see no reason for
a backslide in this department.  The code is reasonably fast and legal.
   It uses line #'s and or labels, functions and subroutines and all the
standard structured programning statements.
  Most of my original hisoft basic code uses neither labels or line #'s, just
structured programming statements and subroutines/functions.
  It compiles with few changes ST basic, Microsoft QuickBasic (some version
not necc. the abs. latest from MS). Old style MSbasic.   The editor did in 1.x
did no syntax checking so that code can be entered into the editor and
converted without a zillion syntax errors. It did and should integrate the
whole process making error correction 'fairly easy'. Came with a profiler and
other nice tools.  I can only guess that version 2.x is only better.
   You might look under the uploader HISOFT for press releases about their
products.  The should be a file describing at least the changes from 1.x to
2.x.  I have had both gfa and hisoft basic. Hisoft basic is the one that I
still use.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 10        Sat Nov 07, 1992
J.SPIEGEL [Joe]              at 12:18 EST

Here's some information obtained from the HiSoft BASIC, version 2 "Product
Information Sheet"

   extended and re-designed user interface with multi-window editor,
   integrated tools, full shell control, etc. [The editor allows 6
   windows, including a compiler message window. The "Tools" menu is
   configurable to allow external program launching.]

   resource construction set [WERCS] and debugger [MonSTB] included in
   the package

   closer compatibility with Microsoft QuickBASIC including new language
   features such as STATIC arrays

   complete high level GEM toolbox, including full source code in BASIC
   [the toolbox is a set of BASIC programs that can be "included" in
   your source code.  These provide easy access to GEM calls through
   BASIC subprograms and functions.]

   extensive support for the new Atari TT and MegaSTE computers

   pre-tokenization of source code for increased compilation speed

   re-written documentation with wide-ranging tutorials and an extended
   technical reference

   profiler for increasing the execution speed of your finished programs


   I've been using the program for a few weeks now and I am very impressed
with both its design and performance.  When I recompiled some of my older
(version 1.3) programs, the resulting code was more compact, even with all of
the safety and debugging features turned on.  The only minor irritation that I
have found so far is after a program is "run" from memory.  When the editor
comes back up, the window is restored to the location that was in view prior
to running the program, but the vertical slider is at the top of the bar.  The
window has to be scrolled to get the slider to appear in the correct position.

   The bottom line is that I would highly recommend the upgrade to this
version.


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 11        Mon Nov 09, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:39 EST

Joe,

I'm glad you like HiSoft BASIC 2.

It is possible to embed resources into HiSoft BASIC  programs but its not
straight forward. You could use the  resource de-compiler that comes with
Lattice C 5.5, write a  few functions to return the addresses of the dialogs
in  assemble, assemble the code that this produces and them  with your BASIC
program with the Lattice linker. This is  something that we hope to make
easier at some point in the  future.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 12        Mon Nov 09, 1992
W.STEINERT [Wayne]           at 22:32 EST

C Barron,


        I wasn't very clear... I had heard that there was a new WERCS with a
GDOS toolkit. I have the other one.


    Hi!


    Well, Hi-Soft BASIC 2 arrived in the mail today..... WOW! It's nice. I
won't go through the new features because someone here already has, but I had
to post here because I don't know any bit heads where I live so when I explain
my excitement they roll their eyes.  :-)

    There's a few things I really like about Hi-Soft BASIC, and 2 is even
better. I like the fact that you can create your own libraries. If this
language becomes popular people could create 'extensions' for it easily. I
also like the ability to 'Include' other source when compiling. I use DevPac a
lot and miss that ability with most Basics. I also like the fact that
GEM,AES,GEMDOS and other calls are used instead of basic statements and
functions whenever possible. It really makes the transition between assembly
and basic easier. The new editor is GREAT! It has many new features, and the
ability to have up to seven window is cool. It's nice to be able to peek at an
'included' file if you're not quite sure what's in it. I've only used it one
day and there's things I wouldn't want to give up! I became a 1/2 convert from
using GFA for basic to Hi-Soft about 2 months ago, now I'm fully converted.



    Enough rambling! If you like version 1, you'll LOVE version 2! Thanks for
letting me share my excitement... I HAD to tell someone.....


    Rat Fink

    (Wayne)

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 13        Tue Nov 10, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:26 EST

Joe.

I tried to emulate that editor scroll bar glitch after running  with the
current 2.02 release and I couldn't do so. Which  version do you have?


Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 14        Tue Nov 10, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 21:45 EST

 Dave I am doing some small util programs and need to put a directory in a
STRING$() can I do this with Hisoft Basic 2 and if so which Command.
 I tried the Files command but it will not redirect to a STRING().

 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 15        Wed Nov 11, 1992
W.STEINERT [Rat Fink]        at 00:21 EST

  Umm... Is the WERCS included with BASIC 2 the same as the 'stand alone'
WERCS except that you cannot choose a language? I ask this because I already
own WERCS and use it for DevPac and want to know if I really need both of them
on my drive....

One more question: I'm becoming more familiar with the PATH environment
variable since I've gotten the Portfolio, which uses DOS (Dumb Old-fashioned
System). My paths are long - ie. 'E:\HI_SOFT.2\SOURCE\ or
E:\HI_SOFT.2\INCLUDE\'. What I want to know is if there's a way to tell the
system that all paths are in E:\HI_SOFT.2\. I've seen ';' used in PATH
variables.... is that the answer? Say 'E:\HI_SOFT.2\; INCLUDE\,HGT\,SOURCE\

Any help would be great!

I must say that I feel BASIC 2 will completely change the way I do 'mixed'
programming (Assembly/BASIC). Using the debugger I can now easily pinpoint
areas that I may wish to re-write in assembly, and I can also add libraries
relatively easily. I've been writing one line programs like 'BEEP', compiling
them and then picking them apart, just to see how the compiler works. The
manuals are very well-written.  The 'User' manual caters to experienced
programmers as well as newbies...  I didn't fall asleep once! I know I'm going
on a bit, but I've always hoped for a contender to GFA BASIC that had many of
the features BASIC 2 has.

Rat Fink


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 16        Wed Nov 11, 1992
CBARRON                      at 04:17 EST

  The standard usage of ;'s in a path variable in the environment is a record
separator allowing more than one directory to be on the path,
  PATH=M:\;E:\LATTICE\BASIC\BIN\;E:\LATTICE\C\BIN\
 would search M:\ (a ramdisk),then E:\LATTICE\BASIC\BIN\ and finally
E:\LATTICE\C\BIN\ on most shells supporting an environment so that the command
   M:\foo
   E:\LATTICE\BASIC\BIN\foo
   E:\LATTICE\C\BIN\foo
 appending the executable extensions to the resulting file name. first one
found is used,

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 17        Wed Nov 11, 1992
J.SPIEGEL [Joe]              at 20:10 EST

Dave,
   I have version 2.02 of BASIC (Editor release 2.27).  Whenever I am editing
a program and then "run" it, the cursor and view are restored when I get back
to the editor, but the slider is always displayed at the top.  I have to click
in the slider area or on one of the arrows to get it to reposition itself
properly.  If I just compile the program, the editir is properly restored.  I
am running TOS 1.04 on a Mega ST.

Chris,
  If I understand what you are looking for, just use the DIR2STR example
program supplied with HiSoft BASIC.  Instead of appending a CHR$(10) and
CHR$(13) to each returned filename to create one long string, just assign the
filename to an element in your string array.

Rat Fink,
  Dave may have to verify this, but since WERCS is still a stand-alone program
(the editor only shells to it), there should be no problem using the full
version instead.


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 18        Wed Nov 11, 1992
W.STEINERT [Rat Fink]        at 21:56 EST

Dave & John,

I have Version 2.02 on TOS 1.62 (STe) and *do* experience the 'scroll bar
glitch'. I also have a TOS 1.04 (STf) machine that I'll check out. It doesn't
bother me though.


Chris,

There's a DEMO program on disk one or two that 'puts a directory in a string'.
They must've read your mind! :-) I'm pretty sure you can work out something
with it...


Rat Fink


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 19        Thu Nov 12, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:32 EST

Chris,

There isn't a single command to read a directory into a string, you have to do
it via the GEMDOS fsfirst/fsnext;  like Rat Fink says there's an example of
this sort of thing in the manual.

Rat Fink,

Yep, the WERCS included in BASIC 2 is the same as the standard  issue except
for the restriction on the language.  Note however  that you'll need version
1.24 of WERCS if you want to make it  resident under the BASIC 2 editor (or
the Devpac 3 or Lattice  editors for that matter).

Re. editor, whoops - it looks like I was using an internal version that still
claims to be 2.02!  At least we know it'll be fixed for the next release.

Dave N. P.S. its best to avoid using periods (.)  in folder names as  some
software can get confused by these. (Even _ causes problems  under TOS 1.0)

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 20        Thu Nov 12, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 17:57 EST

Many Thanks Folks I am Uploading a TreuBasic to Hisoft Basic converter as a
PRG this weekend I will include the source as well.

 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 21        Fri Nov 13, 1992
CBARRON                      at 01:44 EST

 Very interesting I have a good collection of true basic routines, when I get
around to upgrade I can use them again....

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 22        Fri Nov 13, 1992
D.LIVINGST11 [ErnestBovine]  at 05:54 EST

 It's not too hard to embed a resource file in Basic, if you can include the
binary rsc file someplace, like INLINE in "that other Basic."
 You have to read a bunch of words from the 18-word rsc-file header to find
offsets to each part of the file (objects, tedinfos, array of pointers to the
strings, etc.)
 You have to do rsc_obfix on every object, and for each object (and tedinfo
etc) that needs an absolute pointer in its ob_spec field, you have to figure
out what that pointer is.  The ob_specs in the rsc file on disk contain array
indices, not addresses.
 I've got some GFA code around here someplace...
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 23        Fri Nov 13, 1992
CBARRON                      at 06:32 EST

  It is my understanding that this basic will link external modules. If I am
right there are routines available to do the imbedding almost automatically.
Fairly simple to use is rsc2src with the devpac support code as an example, if
you have an assembler.  No arithmetic at all just a fix_up routine and some
easy to use access vectors which a long peek or equivalent would do.  I assume
there are 16 and 32 bit ints in this basic.  If there is an inline those
approaches could be used, but if not and an assembler is available, there is
code in these libs to compile rsc files to assembler source. Rsc2src's code is
more compact than a raw copy of the rsc file.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 24        Sat Nov 14, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 17:08 EST

Problem
 LET FREMEM=FRE(-1)
 returns a -84321 value WHY!???

 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 25        Sun Nov 15, 1992
R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson]    at 10:40 EST

Chris,
  FRE(0) will return the next block of heap space available and FRE(-1) will
return the GEMDOS (system) free space. The heap space stores variables and
such and GEMDOS free space is what is not being used by the program.

HISOFT,
  I have a few questions. I currently program in GFA Basic. I love the
language and have come to really like a lot of features. However, I am
frustrated with the way things go (uncompatibility with new TOS versions and
long times between upgrades). I have thought about trying HS Basic 2.0. I
currently have the 1.x version and there were a few things that have kept me
from moving over and wanted to ask about them here.

  In GFA I can just use a variable and it is assumed to be global. I don't
have to define each variable I use and if I want it to be LOCAL, I can define
it that way. I realize this may seem to be the easy way out but, a program I
am currently working on is over 400K in source code and variables out the
butt. Will there be in the future, the ability to use a variable without
declaring it and the program assume it to be global?

  Will there be the ability to FOLD procedures and functions so that only the
name of the procedure or function is show? This make editing a breeze and
saves a lot of time looking through the 20,000+ lines of code.

  Will it automatically indent FOR..NEXT loops, IF...ENDIF, etc.?

  Does it have or will it have active error checking as you enter the line?

  These are just a few questions about 2.x. I have the HS Basic Pro version
1.x. I didn't play with it very long because I have become accustomed to the
short time and ease of editing my code. These are just a few things that keep
me from switching but, if these items are there or will be added, I may just
reconcider. It also depends on other factors but I will not bring that up
here.

  Thanks for any inforamtion you can provide. I have heard a lot of good
things about HS Basic 2.x but, I don't want to spend the money on something I
may not use. Thanks.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 26        Mon Nov 16, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:25 EST

Re embedding resource files:

HiSoft BASIC 2 doesn't have an INLINE statement; Carl's method  would work but
you would need Devpac 3, as the linkable code  that HiSoft BASIC uses needs
the Clink linker, as supplied with  Devpac 3 and Lattice C, but not with
HiSoft BASIC 2.


Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 27        Mon Nov 16, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 15:37 EST

Dave:
    Why am i getting a NEGITIVE number with a FRE(-1) What I need to know is
HOWMUCH RAM is installed in the current computer running the program.   HELP!

 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 28        Tue Nov 17, 1992
CBARRON                      at 02:36 EST

  HISOFT - you caught my curiousity, with Clink, is there a way to get some
LC5 routines to use the BASIC routines for double precision arithmetic rather
than those of LC5, so if I have a C routine that does something I don't have
two or three different copies of the same function such as software double
multiply. I am guessing that it still uses IEEE for double precision.  I have
some number cruncher routines I might want in a basic shell.  Might need
bindings but they should be easier than converting the library to basic.
   Also rsc2src.ttp produces a file where all the labels begin with a period
to be local, I assume this has not changed from devpac2 to devpac3.   The
labels for the assembler code are machine generated, but local variables makes
them super safe...
   A language 'junkie' I guess, but I have all of the above products in earier
versions and will be upgrading shortly.


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 29        Tue Nov 17, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:20 EST

Chris,

Like Wayne says FRE(-1) just returns the GEMDOS free  memory. It works fine
for me here.

Wayne,

The default for undefined variables remains STATIC (i.e.  not global). There
are certainly no plans to change this.  If you use DIM SHARED in your main
program then you can  automatically use the global version in all sub-programs
 and functions.

The only BASIC specific part of the editor is that it can  upper case your
reserved words for you.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 30        Tue Nov 17, 1992
J.EIDSVOOG1 [CodeHead]       at 18:27 EST

If you're using a word-sized variable for the return from FRE(-1), chances are
about 50/50 that you'll get a negative number.  Make sure you're using a long
word.

John
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 31        Tue Nov 17, 1992
R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson]    at 22:36 EST

Thanks Dave. Do you plan to add auto-indent and procedure folding in the
future?

  How does HS Basic 2.0 (or can it) handle modular programming? What I mean
is, if I have a main program with variables set to SHARED, GLOBAL, etc. and I
want to run a module (another compiled program), is there a way to easily pass
(or use) those variables in the module?

  Say I want to build a library of routines/procedures (uncompiled), is there
or will there be a way to INCLUDE those and the compiler merge them in. That
way, if I make a change to that routine, I can just recompile the main source
codes and automatically pull that routine in. It helps in that you don't have
to change the routine in all your modules/programs.

  Same question for compiled routines. If I create a routine and compile it
(not link it), can it be added to the LIBRARY and called from within a program
as a function/procedure?

  Thanks for the info.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 32        Wed Nov 18, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:21 EST

Carl,

Re maths routines:

Interesting idea there; yep HiSoft BASIC does use double IEEE format; but the
way numbers are passed is different to the C method so it wouldn't work.

Re local labels in Devpac:

Yep labels being with a dot are still local (by default).

Chris,

John's idea sounds possible - you want to store that width in a long or a
single not a standard integer.

Dave N.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 33        Thu Nov 19, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 00:10 EST

 Yup I tried it and FREMEM&=fre(-1) works Thanks folks this multi level
varables is new to me in basic's.   I am Uploading a TrueBasic to HSB2 PRG and
True basic source/HS2 source as well
 It will be PD so enjoy.

 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 34        Thu Nov 19, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:16 EST

Wayne,

Syntax directed auto-indent (we already have 'pure' auto-indent)  and
procedure folding aren't something we have planned for the  short/medium term.

As far as building modular programs, there are two principle  facilities:

1. Include files at compile time as you describe 2. You can build a pre-
tokenised file of often used  procedures/functions. This speeds up compilation
times  considerably.

You can't share variables accross separate executable files, nor  can you
write LIBRARYs (in the HiSoft BASIC 1 sense) in BASIC -  only assembler.

Dave N.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 35        Sat Nov 21, 1992
R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson]    at 12:56 EST

  Thanks Dave, the modular building sounds pretty good and is close enough to
what I was looking for.

  I do wish HISOFT would reconsider the procedure folding thing or even
something similiar. It makes life so much easier. I may have to look into HS
Basic 2.0 after all.

  What is the upgrade price from HS Basic Pro?

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 36        Sat Nov 21, 1992
ORA.TECH                     at 19:15 EST

Wayne - The upgrade from HS Basic Pro to HS Basic 2 is $64 ($59 + $5 S&H)

Bob @ ORA
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 37        Sat Nov 28, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 15:52 EST

 I am doing a D/A and need to allow the D/A to interupt a program when a Timer
reaches zero.  I also need it to check the timer at least once a minute.

 What calls should I use in HB2 to accomplish this Constant Reading of a Clock
in the D/A and not intrupt the current program until it reaches Zero?

 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 38        Mon Dec 14, 1992
J.KOSIOREK1 [Jack.K]         at 23:52 EST

Is there a way to find the base page address of a program in HiSoft  BASIC? Is
it possible - is an assembler routine necessary? Would it  be possible with
without an assembler routine? If it is possible, what are the specifics to
accomplish this.

Jack

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 39        Thu Dec 17, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:17 EST

Jack.K,

The current base page is one of the entries in the SYSTAB table. See  your
manual under SYSTAB.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 40        Thu Dec 17, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 15:25 EST

Dave What command do I use to get a VOLUME LABEL ?

 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 41        Sun Dec 20, 1992
J.KOSIOREK1 [Jack.K]         at 21:54 EST

Thanks Dave. I thought I read it somewhere in one of those 2 manuals. I have
another question and I bet you can lead me in the right direction. If I put a
dialog box in a window what is the general procedure to  scroll it and move it
around the screen? When I did this the location on the screen where the radio
buttons were displayed were offset from where I actually had to click the
mouse. I'm sure I am missing  something but I can't spot it in the code.

Jack.K
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 42        Mon Dec 21, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 12:56 EST

Jack you must do a form_dial after the move to tell the system where the new
locations are for the buttons etc.

Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 43        Mon Dec 21, 1992
HISOFT                       at 13:36 EST

Chris,

You need to use fsfirst from the GEMDOS library to get the  volume label.The
values for the attribute parameter are  given under the fattrib function.

Dave N.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 44        Mon Dec 21, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 22:53 EST

Many thanks Dave!!
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 45        Sat Dec 26, 1992
J.KOSIOREK1 [Jack.K]         at 20:10 EST

Chris

Thanks for the info about the form_dial. I will go back and check the code but
I believe you are right. I don't remember doing it.

Jack

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 46        Tue Dec 29, 1992
DRAGONWARE [Chris]           at 18:50 EST

If you folk are intrested I uploaded my routine for reading the free and used
space on any drive. it is file # 27121 "FREEUSED.BAS"

Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 47        Thu Jan 21, 1993
SFRT-ASST [Kenne@SFRT]       at 14:43 EST

I have HS BAsic can I upgrade to HSBII? If so, how?
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 48        Fri Jan 22, 1993
DRAGONWARE [Chris R.]        at 15:13 EST

 I am At present doing an ACC and I have to call a file selector and then the
RSC for the ACC and the RSC draws but then dissapears where the File selector
was What did I do wrong??

  Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 49        Sun Jan 24, 1993
ORA.TECH                     at 01:21 EST

Kenne,

You can upgrade to HiSoft Basic 2 by sending your original disk and $69 to:

Oregon Research Associates 16200 SW Pacific Hwy Suite 162 Tigard, OR 97224


Best regards,

Bob@ORA
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 50        Tue Jan 26, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:22 EST

Chris,

You need to put a window "behind" any dialog boxes that you ACC  displays.
That will stop the application (or the desktop)  underneath getting a redraw
event when the file selector goes  away.

Dave N.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 51        Wed Jan 27, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 00:05 EST

Bob  --  Did you receive my upgrade request?  Been awhile since I sent for it.
I took the photocopy route for the disks.

                [( )   Jack   ( )]
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 52        Wed Jan 27, 1993
DRAGONWARE [Chris R.]        at 14:25 EST

Thank You Dave can you give some code examples??

Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 53        Thu Jan 28, 1993
ORA.TECH                     at 22:44 EST

I am sorry Jack, we have no record of receiving your upgrade request. No
invoice has been processed and It's not in the in box.  I'll check around.

Best regards,

Bob@ORA
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 54        Fri Jan 29, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:26 EST

Chris,

Unfortunately I'm a bit busy finishing off TruePaint at the  moment to do an
example but qall you need to do is to open a bro all  window at the same co-
ords as your dialog box and then close it  when your dialog box goes away.

Dave N.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 55        Sat Jan 30, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 17:37 EST

Bob  --  Well at least we know something..  I habitually use the envelopes
received with "Junk Mail" and found out the hard way that the written address
does _not_ mean a thing to the USPS.  Mail is delivered according to the
little lines at the bottom of the envelope, and the devil take the hindmost!
I ususally mark them out, and may have screwed up this time.  I'll stop
payment on the check and start over again come Monday.        Thanks

                [( )   Jack   ( )]

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 56        Thu Feb 04, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 00:29 EST

Bob  --  After the snafu, the upgrade arrived today, Wed.  Thanks for the
prompt service.  I'll get a check in the mail tomorrow, I hope, for the
shipping fee.  --You didn't tell me about that, <G>.

                [( )   Jack   ( )]
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 57        Sat Feb 06, 1993
D.SEBERG [IceBerg]           at 00:55 EST

Hello (to all you experienced programmers out there),

I have just recently started down the path of HSB-2.  I've taken upon myself
the task of rewriting my personal libraries from the OTHER well known basic to
HSB-2 as a learning experience.

I've kind of gotten stuck on how to clear the keyboard buffer using HSB-2.
Using the OTHER basic I could clear the keyboard buffer with the following
code:

 PROCEDURE buffer_clear
   LPOKE XBIOS(14,1)+6,0
 RETURN

I've tried various usages of:

 FUNCTION iorec&(BYVAL devno%)

but have met with no success.  I'd appreciate any guidance that anyone can
throw my way.

Thanks,

         Dave
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 58        Sat Feb 06, 1993
D.SEBERG [IceBerg]           at 01:37 EST

I think I've answered my own question from my previous post, although it's
kind of hard to test this sub program outside of an actual application.
Anyways, does this seem like the correct way to clear the keyboard buffer?


 LIBRARY "xbios"
 '
 CALL buffer_clear
 '
 ' Sub Program to clear keyboard buffer
 SUB buffer_clear
   POKEL iorec&(1)+6,0
 END SUB


Thanks again for any insight.

         Dave
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 59        Tue Feb 09, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:30 EST

IceBerg,

That's certainly the equivalent of your GFA program.


Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 60        Thu Feb 11, 1993
DRAGONWARE [Chris R.]        at 15:21 EST

I am presently doing a metafile utility and need to set
vm_pagesize(handle,FNAME$) can I do this in hsb2?

 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 61        Mon Feb 15, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:26 EST

Chris,

You need to do your own vm_pagesize call using the old ST BASIC  VDISYS calls.
If it weren't for the fact that I'm in a mad panic  finishing off TruePaint,
I'd do you some sample code.

Dave N.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 62        Mon Feb 15, 1993
DRAGONWARE [Chris R.]        at 15:26 EST

Thank You Dave that gives me a place to look and try

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 63        Thu Feb 18, 1993
EXPLORER.5 [Robert Goff]     at 22:08 EST

This is about Hisoft Basic version 1.3, but I hope I can get an answer here
anyway.

I wrote a short program to do some character translation in a 2.5 megabyte
file. (Some field delimiters in a text file needed to be changed so that dbMan
would recognize them.) Initially, I input the text in 10k chunks on the
assumption that minimizing disk access would improve overall performance.

Then I noticed that the execution slowed down significantly as the translation
loop worked through the 10k string. So I reduced the size of the chunks to
2.5k and improved overall performance by a factor of three (5 hrs processing
time vs. 15 hrs.)

Here's the nut of the translation loop:

 i = 1
 while i <= buf_len&
    in_chr$ = mid$(in_buffer$, i, 1)
    if in_chr$ = chr$(13) or in_chr$ = chr$(10) then
       out_buffer$ = out_buffer$ + """" + chr$(13) + chr$(10) + """"
          if mid$(in_buffer$, i+1, 1) = chr$(10) then
             incr i
          end if
    elseif in_chr$ = "|" then
       out_buffer$ = out_buffer$ + """" + "," + """"
    else
       out_buffer$ = out_buffer$ + in_chr$
    end if
    incr i
 wend

Would you please tell me why reducing the size of in_buffer$ improved the
performance? I suspect that either mid$() or incr slow 'way down when the
numbers get big; which one? Is there a better way to accomplish this function?

Thanks.

 |) |
 |)O|)
 Robert Goff
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 64        Fri Feb 19, 1993
R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson]    at 01:50 EST

Robert,
  MID$ is definately a time consumer. I have found that when dealing with long
strings, it is better to access the information directly from memory than
using MID$. Also, if you can get away from building up the string before
outputting it, it will also save you some time.

  I am not sure why it slows dowm after it gets into the string. Other
languages do this also. The test I did showed a slow down by direct access
also. Using direct access mode, you could increase the string to about 5K and
still come out way ahead. The test I did came up with a saving of .56 seconds
per 2.5K block.

  The best thing (with a file this large) would to either BLOAD it all into a
buffer allocated with MALLOC (if possible) or read it into a buffer using
FNfread& and then convert it using the direct way. You could also copy info in
blocks from the buffer to the string if need be.

  Time consuming items are, using MID$, building a string up, reading the file
using INPUT and writing the file using PRINT. Also, if every line does not
contain a CHR$(13) and/or CHR$(10), then you could check the string to see if
it contains those character first by using INSTR (IF INSTR(in_chr$, CHR$(13))
or INSTR(in_chr$, CHR$(10)) THEN..)

  Now, what I mean by direct mode is you read the info in the string directly
from the memory location of each character in the string. When you do this,
then the characters are numbers instead of letters. You would have to convert
the numbers back to characters using CHR$(x). This may sound like it takes
more time but, it doesn't. Also, you have to start at the location returned by
SADD(). You could also do away with in_chr$. Example:

  i = 0
  while i <= buf_len&
    IF PEEKB(SADD(in_buffer$)+i)=13 or PEEKB(SADD(in_buffer$)+i)=10 THEN
      out_buffer$ = out_buffer$ + """" + CHR$(13) + CHR$(10) + """"
      IF PEEKB(SADD(in_buffer$)+i+1) = 10 THEN
        INCR i
      END IF
    ELSEIF PEEKB(SADD(in_buffer$)+i) = 124
      out_buffer$ = out_buffer$ + """" + "," + """"
    ELSE
      out_buffer$ = out_buffer$ + CHR$(PEEKB(SADD(in_buffer$)+i))
    END IF
    INCR i
  WEND

  The reason I use SADD each time is because of the way strings move around, I
find it a lot safer to do it in the command. It may take a small amount of
extra time but, it is safer. With you building up a string during the loop,
there is a chance that in_buffer$ would get moved.

  I am sure there are other tricks and I know a few more but, I don't know the
full situation. Sorry for the length of the response but, I kinda got carried
away.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 65        Sat Feb 20, 1993
EXPLORER.5 [Robert Goff]     at 21:55 EST

Wayne, thanks, that's exactly the kind of answer I was looking for.

I understand accessing the characters directly in memory, and I could even see
loading the input directly into a static mmalloc'd memory buffer. How would I
"get away from building up the string before outputting it"? By writing the
translated characters to a different memory block? They can't just be
transposed in place.

Hmm. Copy info in blocks from the input to the output -- There's an idea.

Too bad this was pretty much a one-shot utility -- I probably won't need it
again for a _long_ time, so I probably won't take the time to improve and
test. But I'll save this message with the source code, and if I do need it
again...

 Thanks,
 |) |
 |)O|)
 Robert Goff
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 66        Sun Feb 21, 1993
CBARRON                      at 01:36 EST

  Use of 'pointers' to the static arrays (aren't arrays of integers statically
allocated anymore) and updating them as you go along is another 'speed' hint.
It wont matter if you store the buffer in an int array if all accesses are of
the form  x= peekb(pointer&)

    x = peekb(pointer&):incr pointer&: incr bytes_read
    if bytes_read = too_many then goto get_new_block
    if  x=13 or x = 10 then
       if x = 10 then
           incr pointer&
       endif
       pokeb out_pointer&, 34:incr out_pointer&
       pokeb out_pointer&, 10:incr out_pointer&
       pokeb out_pointer&, 34:incr out_pointer&
    etc...

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 67        Mon Feb 22, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:29 EST

Here's an example of a metafile sub opcode binding using VDISYS defint a-z

 library "gemvdi"

vm_pagesize 200,300
  sub vm_pagesize(byval page_width,byval page_height)
 pokew intin,0   'sub-op_code for vm_pagesize
 pokew intin+2,page_width
 pokew intin+4,page_height
 pokew contrl,5
 pokew contrl+2,0
 pokew contrl+6,3
 pokew contrl+10,99
 vdisys 1 end sub

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 68        Mon Feb 22, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:29 EST

Robert,

MID$ isn't that slow in itself and if you aer selecting a single  character it
takes the same time regardless of the size of the  sting. Your original
program is generating a lot of temporay strings  and hence a lot of garbage.
You are also creating a lot of  garbage as you fill up your output string; I
guess that with a  smaller input buffer you are getting fewer garbage collects
and  thus its going much quicker. To avoid generating as much garbage tou can
allocate the output  buffer to be a fixed size and then use
MID$(out_buffer$,j)=in_chr$ over whatever to store your strings in the output
buffer without  generating termporary strings. Wayne's method has successfully
removed the garbage that your  input was generating. It is essential that you
use SADD rather  than storing the address as this will move when a garbage
collect occurs.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft. .


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 69        Tue Feb 23, 1993
EXPLORER.5 [Robert Goff]     at 21:59 EST

Ah, thanks, Dave. I didn't think about the memory management that must be
going on as the run-time dynamically allocates the output string.

Can I allocate the output buffer ahead of time and still treat it as a string?
Something like output$ = space(1024)?

 |) |
 |)O|)
 Robert Goff
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 70        Thu Feb 25, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:24 EST

Robert

Thats precisely the technique that the BASIC compiler itself uses.

Dave N.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 71        Tue Mar 02, 1993
EXPLORER.5 [Robert Goff]     at 00:57 EST

Is there any way using print statements to get a status number to overwrite
itself? I want to show progress through a file, so I'm printing file positions
on the screen at intervals. The only problem is that each number prints on a
new line and eventually the screen starts scrolling. I'm using the ";" at the
end of the print statement, but I can't get the cursor back to the beginning
of the line without causing a linefeed. Any ideas?

 |) |
 |)O|)
 Robert Goff
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 72        Tue Mar 02, 1993
R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson]    at 01:30 EST

Robert,
  Try using the LOCATE command.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 73        Tue Mar 02, 1993
NTACTONE [Ron Hunter]        at 05:14 EST

Robert,
   Sure there are lots of ways to do the positioning.  Look at things
 like Position or Locate, or just store the length of the number you
 are printing and then do that many backspaces before printing the
 next one...  That looks pretty good.


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 74        Wed Mar 03, 1993
EXPLORER.5 [Robert Goff]     at 01:37 EST

I tried the backspace trick; it didn't work. I'll try locate, thanks.

 |) |
 |)O|)
 Robert Goff
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 75        Wed Mar 03, 1993
DRAGONWARE [Chris R.]        at 20:13 EST

Robert ..
 Make a RSC that you can place the text in and use a form that is  updated by
a setptext and a redraw that looks great if you need demo code look at the
scroll demo i uploaded the object draw routines will work if you remove the
Form DO command


 Chris
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 76        Sun Mar 28, 1993
J.KRZYSZTOW [JEFFREY]        at 11:29 EST

I have an issue of Atari ST Review that has v1.xxx of HiSoft BASIC that says I
can upgrade to version 2 by sending 49.95 pounds.  Is there anyway I can get
this upgrade through Oregon Research?  If so, please tell me how.  I would
really like to be able to get version 2.

Thanks Jeffrey
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 77        Tue Apr 06, 1993
ORA.TECH                     at 01:05 EDT

Yes you can upgrade to HS Basic 2 from the magazine version by sending the
magazine disk and $80 to:

Oregon Research Associates 16200 SW Pacific Hwy Suite 162 Tigard, OR 97224


Best regards,

Bob@ORA
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 78        Wed Apr 07, 1993
DRAGONWARE [Chris R.]        at 18:39 EDT

Has anyone made a IMG->MAC routine that they may want to share??

 Chris Roberts
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 79        Thu Apr 08, 1993
DHAMM [DAVE HAMM]            at 22:58 EDT

  Question can I upgrade from HiSoft Basic Professional? I have the Michtron
version 1.23

   Dave Hamm


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 80        Fri Apr 09, 1993
ORA.TECH                     at 22:01 EDT

Dave,

Yes you can.  Just send your original disk and $69+$5 S&H to:

Oregon Research 16200 S.W. Pacific Hwy., Suite 162 Tigard, OR 97224

to receive your upgrade from HiSoft Basic Professional to HS Basic 2. The
upgrade includes the entire package with 3 new disks and 2 manuals with over
800 pages of documentation.

Best regards,

Bob Luneski
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 81        Sun Apr 11, 1993
DANNY.M [Yooperman]          at 11:31 EDT

I seem to recall an article in one of the British magazines of several months
back announcing the arrival of HS BASIC 2 (HSB2) as saying that it would be
packaged with a very comprehensive manual that acutally taught HSB2.  Is that
true?  If so, does your generous upgrade offer extend to registered owerns of
HS BASIC that was marketed by MichTron?
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 82        Sun Apr 11, 1993
EXPLORER.5 [Robert Goff]     at 17:13 EDT

Just to refresh some of our memories, what are the new features in version 2
that make it worth seventy bucks?

 |) |
 |)O|)
 Robert Goff
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 83        Sun Apr 11, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 20:15 EDT

Dave N  --  While I shall freely admit that I haven't RTFM from cover to cover
would you pls help on this problem?

        To wit:  I have a program that is to save numbers in a
        sequential fashion via:
                for i=1 to n
                input "",S(i)
                next
        and then later store that data, along with other.

This worked OK with HiSoft Pro, but after conversion to HS2 (really all I had
to do was take out the "FN's" from FNform_alert) the program does not want to
work.  Another prg without multiple inputs works fine under HS2.

Example:  the number 65 is stored as "5.330973694061278D-315", which of
course, the rest of my program does not want to deal with. [ Probably a good
move! :-) ]

Would you point me in the rite direction for the answer?

Also, when I do an Alt-X to run from HS2, it goes thru a new compilation, even
tho it has already been compiled, _and then_ does not run!  Obviously my lack
of reading time is hurting... :-)

                [( )   Jack   ( )]


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 84        Sat Jul 03, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 20:58 EDT

I'm _still_ waiting for a reply to my question posted last April!
                [( )   Jack   ( )]
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 85        Sat Jul 03, 1993
ORA [Bob]                    at 22:51 EDT

It most certainly was eaten by Aladin by now, could you repost to jog our
collective memories :-)

Best regards,

Bob@ORA
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 86        Sun Jul 04, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 19:02 EDT

Bob - Its MSG #83 and its still there, just checked!  If necessary I'll
repost, but it ain't all that short and rather not.
                [( )   Jack   ( )]
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 87        Mon Jul 05, 1993
DHAMM [DAVE HAMM]            at 22:40 EDT

  Help!  I'm trying to use the tutorial in the manuel.
 The hgt1.bas example, I'm getting a Error:108 Function or sub-program in
Library " Gemaes at line 21 in file G:\hbasic\hgt\toolbox.bas  Can anyone tell
me where to start looking for the problem.

 I'm using HiSoft Basic TT  2.02 24 March 92

 Dave Hamm

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 88        Wed Jul 07, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:18 EDT

Jack,

Are you using a pre-2.02 version of the TT compiler? That might explain the
INPUT problem.

If you have compile to disk selected the editor won't run your program on Alt-
X it'll just compile it.

DAve Nutkins, HiSoft. P.S. Sorry for the delay - I overlooked your original
message.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 89        Wed Jul 07, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:19 EDT

Dave Hamm,

That error 108 is function or sub-program redefined in the  library. It sounds
like some how you've got two LIBRARY  "GEMAES" statements getting parsed.
Perhaps you have the  library in a pre-tokenised file and you are including
it.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 90        Wed Jul 07, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 23:45 EDT

Dave --  To the best of knowledge I'm using everything that came with my
upgrade to v2.?...  As to the compile to disk part ??  What I did is what I
had always done, but I'll check it out tomorrow.  Stay tuned.  But even so,
why the change? If it is?  It worked fine before!!

And I do NOT have a TT, just an old 1040STf, with a few minor upgrades!!!! ie
TOS 1.4 and 2.5M ram.

                [( )   Jack   ( )]
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 91        Thu Jul 08, 1993
DHAMM [DAVE HAMM]            at 02:41 EDT

  Thank you, thats exactly what I was trying to do.

 Dave Hamm

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 92        Fri Jul 09, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:15 EDT

Jack,

Oh well that can't be the problem with your program not working then.  Could
you cut down your program to something small that shos the problem  and send
it to me via GEnie mail and I'll investigate.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 93        Sat Jul 10, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 20:47 EDT

Dave  --  At this point I am extremely perplexed, confused etc. Prior to
trying to cut down the program to the problem area I re-compiled, just to make
sure what was what.

First, I think I owe you and Bob an apology for causing much ado about
nothing.

Second, what I said happened in my msg #83 did in fact occur, last April.

Third, I can't get it to reproduce.  :-)  Maybe what I should have done is
rerun the program before doing a re-compile.  Unfortunately I did not and
apparently it over-writes if there is a PRG of the same name in the same file
area.  The _new_ re-compiled PRG performs as expected!!  If memory serves I
have another program which exhibited similiar problems.  I will pursue that
thread.  Maybe all it takes is a re-compile!?

Fourth, I tried to compile the revised HS2 version with the HS Pro compiler
but it did not want to do the job.  Undoubtedly due to the deleted "FN's" in
form_alert.

Fifth, there are only two bytes difference in the two versions.  With HS Pro -
31873 bytes, with HS v2.02 31871 bytes.

Again, my apologies.                [( )   Jack   ( )]



 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 94        Sun Jul 11, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 16:27 EDT

Dave  --  Back to square one.  I do have a problem!  Just picked the wrong
program to look at.  Reducing it to e-mailable length may prove to be
difficult.
                [( )   Jack   ( )]
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 95        Sun Jul 11, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 19:31 EDT

Dave --  In the process of reducing the problem to a managable size I wondered
about _"Defdbl a-z"_ ...

On a hunch I disabled it.  And wouldn't you know, it save the input numbers.
Defdbl worked just fine with HS Pro.  And works just fine in HS 2.02 with the
PRG I _thought_ was the problem.  But with the one at hand, it records numbers
which look like they are Log base "e" in origin.

To obtain the accuracy desired I determined that Defdbl was necessary.  I
shall pursue this and try and find out if leaving it out entirely works or
what.  Some of the desired saves are calculated results and may/maynot come
right!

Any thoughts?                [( )   Jack   ( )]

ps:  Did get it a small (500 b) size.  I'll e-mail if you like. <J>
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 96        Tue Jul 13, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:25 EDT

Jack,

I can only think of two things: 1.You had something very strange in your AUTO
folder or DA  when you tried before. 2. Your machine's memory was a bit dodgy
but its O.K. now.

Dave N.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 97        Fri Jul 16, 1993
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 23:43 EDT

Dave  --  Nothing else seems to be bothered by the AUTO file etc, including at
least one other HSPro conversion.  Same comment may also apply to the memory.

I used a global "defdbl a-z" instruction.  Changing to the specific variables
had no effect on the problem.  I will e-mail what I have isolated the problem
to if you'd like.  Or alternately via pigeon mail.  The latter might be
better, as I could perhaps include more info.

The prg appears to give correct results w/o _any_ definition of numeric
accuracy.  Though I did read in the manual, I think, that defsgl (that's
single) was standard.  Is that correct?

Also the time "delay" does not appear to work any more.  Can not fimd it in
either manual and do not remember where I found it.  The ? is moot, as I have
made a change to the prg which I like better.  Just curious.

                [( )   Jack   ( )]

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 98        Sun Jul 25, 1993
JWC-OEO [Jon]                at 19:27 EDT

  ORA,

Your May/June news letter mentioned that there was an upgrade to HiSoft Basic
2 planned that would include Falcon specific documentation.  Has this been
released yet?

Jon
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 99        Wed Jul 28, 1993
ORA [Bob]                    at 11:55 EDT

The Falcon language version upgrades are expected anytime now,

Best regards,

Bob@ORA
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 100       Sat Sep 18, 1993
J.KOSIOREK1 [Jack.K]         at 20:54 EDT

Any word on the HiSoft BASIC 2 upgrade? You know the one with  FALCON and
MultiTOS stuff.

Waiting ..... still waiting.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 101       Tue Sep 21, 1993
HISOFT                       at 13:17 EDT

The new version of HiSoft BASIC should arrive late this week  here in England
but it'll take a while to get across the pond.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 102       Wed Jan 05, 1994
W.JAMES-STEI [Wayne]         at 03:53 EST

  Anyone get their HBASIC 2.10 upgrade yet? I _hope_ mine's on the way.

    Wayne - Wednesday, January 05, 1994 - 00:55 a.m. PST
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 103       Mon Jan 10, 1994
R.QUEZADA [B-B-Q]            at 22:06 EST

Where do you get the upgrade to 2.10?  How much is it?  The basic works great
on a Falcon030, but I would like to compile with 68030 instructions. Anyone
know if the new upgrade will do that?  I know the TT interpreter that came
with my 2.0 does that, but it requires a co-processor.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 104       Wed Jan 12, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:16 EST

I'll leave details of the upgrade pricing to Robb.

HiSoft BASIC 2.10 doesn't have a "68030 with no fpu option". The  improvements
in the code generated would be quite minor compared  with the huge improvement
that the FPU version gives on such  systems. The biggest "win" would be in 32
bit divides - but if  your program's speed is dependent on one of those you
probably  ought to look at recoding the algorithm.

There's a whole lot of other stuff in the upgrade though!

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 105       Thu Jan 13, 1994
V.VALENTI                    at 00:48 EST

Could you give me some benchmarks for HiSoft Basic 2.10.  I am currently using
GFA, but would like to get the most of the Falcon without having to always
write my own routines.  Is the speed comparable?

Vince
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 106       Thu Jan 13, 1994
ORA [Bob]                    at 11:25 EST

Upgrades are available through us at $39 + s/h and proof of ownership.  V.
2.10 is fully Falcon compatible and enhanced, and the upgrade comes with a
manual addendum.

Robb @ ORA

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 107       Thu Jan 13, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 21:50 EST


  Well, got my Hi-Soft BASIC 2.10 update today, as well as Lattice 5.6.  Nice
job on both counts! The "Modern Atari Systems Software" book is excellent, and
the fact that each item is shown in HB2, LC5 and Devpac 3 makes it even
better. If you're using HB2 and have a newer Atari, you should really check
out this book. The 2.10 update also has quite a few new additions to the GEM
Toolbox, such as Speedo and MiNT support.

One thing I need to know more about is the GB function(?). I see it mentioned
in the M.A.S.S. book, and I assume it's the Global Parameter Block. I can't
find it in either HBASIC manual index, though I see it in reserved words and a
small mention in the accessory appendix. I want to check if MultiTOS or Geneva
is running, and if so alter the applications name in the desk menu. I've done
it in Lattice, but not sure how in BASIC 2.

Thanks for any information.


  Now back to work.

  Wayne



 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 108       Fri Jan 14, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:18 EST

Vince,

Its a while since I've done any benchmarking of HiSoft BASIC vs  GFA - the
'journalists' over here were making such stupid  comparisions that we stopped
quoting them.

Broadly you should fine the speed approximately the same - some  things will
be faster in HiSoft BASIC and some faster in GFA.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 109       Fri Jan 14, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 17:47 EST

Vince,

I switched over to HI-Soft BASIC 2.10 from GFA for precisely the same reason
you want to. I wanted to get more out of my Falcon & I wanted support. I am
happy to say I have both with HI-Soft BASIC. I would really recommend that you
also pick up the book "Modern Atari System Software", which is also from Hi-
Soft and outlines every new system call in HI-Soft BASIC 2.10, Lattice 'C',
and Devpac 3. It also has loads of other useful information, such as the Style
Guide which outlines suggestions from Atari regarding a standard for user
interfaces. HI-Soft BASIC 2.10, with the GEM Toolbox, let's you whip out quick
utilities in record time - and they look great with a super interface. Having
Pop-ups, windowed objects, etc. is _very_ easy, or you can always go deeper
and do it yourself.  Another nice thing about HI-Soft BASIC 2.10 is that it is
very compatible with Microsoft BASIC, so there's loads of books out there that
you can buy that will be relevant. I use HI-Soft BASIC 2.10, and Lattice C as
well as other Hi-Soft/Oregon Research products and have to say the support is
excellent. Persons from Hi-Soft and Oregon Research are always available on
GEnie to answer questions. I was unsure of the switch to HI-Soft BASIC 2 from
GFA at first - I had become accustomed to using GFA to whip out my 'quickie'
programs - but once I got going I never looked back. Having a multi-window
editor, pre-tokenising, _support_ for new machines, etc. is a nice way to go!
:-)

I know I sound a little excited, but I just got my upgrades, along with the
M.A.S.S. book, and now I can really utilize all the new features of my Falcon.
BTW, I also highly recommend the book "The Atari Compendium". It has a lot of
very useful information in it.

See ya,

Wayne - Friday, January 14, 1994 - 02:41 p.m. PST

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 110       Fri Jan 14, 1994
R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson]    at 21:54 EST

   The support from ORA & HISOFT is definately excellent.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 111       Sat Jan 15, 1994
JRH [Roger]                  at 08:18 EST

Dave Nutkins,

 >There's a whole lot of other stuff in the upgrade though!

I have version 2.01, and was not planning to upgrade as I thought the only
change was to make HB2 Falcon compatible.  If that is not the case I would
probably upgrade, since I think it is the best Basic available, and have been
using it for several years now.  Could you give me an idea of what else has
been included.

My system is a TT030, 4/16 megs RAM, monochrome monitor.


Robb,

And what's this about the "Modern Atari Systems Software" book. Is it the
"manual addendum" that comes with the upgrade, or is it something that is
available separately?

Thanks,

Roger

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 112       Sat Jan 15, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 16:05 EST

Hi,

I'm having a small problem with the new AES_version function in Hi-Soft BASIC
2.10 . I want to show the AES version and other machine information in my main
help box, but the value returned by:

aes=aes_version

is 832 on my Falcon. I put a constant value in aes to test the rest of the
routine (it puts the version in a F_TEXT in the dialog) and all works fine.
Is there a format to the AES version that I'm not aware of?

I also need to know about GB. I see it mentioned in the M.A.S.S. book as well
as a reserved word in Hi-Soft BASIC, but can't find it in the manual anywhere.
I looked at the way you got the AES version but still can't figure out how GB
is sorted out.

On another note - Hi-Soft BASIC 2.10 is great. I have been able to literally
'whip up' a very nice looking MultiTOS friendly program in about 6 hours! I
spent more time in WERCS and planning on paper than coding it. The new
windowed dialogs, key shortcuts and other enhancements are very nice. I did
add the abilty to specify a default extension in FILESEL.BAS, though.

Any information on aes_version and also GB would be great!

Thanks in advance...

Wayne - Saturday, January 15, 1994 - 01:08 p.m. PST
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 113       Sat Jan 15, 1994
MIKE-ALLEN [NM~SysOp]        at 23:08 EST

Wayne,

832 decimal is 340 Hex.  The AES version is stored in a packed BCD format. You
have AES version 3.40, I believe.


        Mike Allen
        ST HelpDesk~Sysop

        Written: 7:40 PM Mountain Time
                 Saturday, January 15, 1994



 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 114       Sun Jan 16, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 00:11 EST

Has anyone translated the GFA / Geneva include file to Hi-Soft BASIC 2.10 yet?
I am working on it and it's not a big deal - but I hate reinventing the wheel!

Thanks in advance...

Wayne - Saturday, January 15, 1994 - 09:11 p.m. PST
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 115       Sun Jan 16, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 02:42 EST

Mike,

<blush> Ooohhhhhhhh...... I _get_ it. Thanks for the answer.

pssst - You know anything about the GB function?

Thanks,


Wayne - Saturday, January 15, 1994 - 11:07 p.m. PST
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 116       Sun Jan 16, 1994
MIKE-ALLEN [NM~SysOp]        at 04:20 EST

Wayne,

GB function?

I don't use Basic of any ilk.  My distaste goes back to MicroSoft Basic for
CP/M.  I switched to C and Pascal as soon as discovered them.  <hehe>

Actually the modern Basics are almost indistinguishable from Pascal anymore.

The only reason I knew the answer to the AES version number was because some
of us in the Programming RTC were writing programs to report various versions,
AES among them.  I wrote in assembly but some of the others wrote in C.  We
expected some GFA or HiSoft basic submissions, but none came in.  If you are
interested, check out cat3/top11 and/or drop into the RTC on the 1st and 3rd
Thursdays of each month at 10pm Eastern.  We have some very interesting (and
lively) discussions.  I know that I am learning a bunch.

        Mike Allen
        ST HelpDesk~Sysop

        Written: 2:16 AM Mountain Time
                 Sunday, January 16, 1994

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 117       Sun Jan 16, 1994
NTACTONE [Ron Hunter]        at 10:07 EST


 >Actually the modern Basics are almost indistinguishable from Pascal anymore.
 >
 >        Mike Allen
 >        ST HelpDesk~Sysop
 >----------

   Huh?  What version of Basic makes you code your application upside down,
and which version isolates you completely from the hardware? Basic and Pascal
are a LOT less similar than C and modern Basics.. Many things translate almost
directly from HiSoft and GFA Basic to C.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 118       Sun Jan 16, 1994
MIKE-ALLEN [NM~SysOp]        at 17:06 EST

Ron,

Look at a pascal and a modern basic program.  I see PROCEDURES and FUNCTIONS
all over the place.  I see case insensitivity.  I see words (ENDIF, END,
BEGIN, etc.) instead of characters ({,}).


To be honest, I have always programmed 'up side down.'  Started this way with
interpreted languages which ran faster if the subroutines were at the
beginning of the code.  K&R seemed to use this standard in C.  [main(argc,
argv) always seemed to be the last thing in a prg.]  And, yes, pascal doesn't
allow forward references directly.

I still think modern Basic code looks more like pascal than anything else.

        Mike Allen
        ST HelpDesk~Sysop

        Written: 2:53 PM Mountain Time
                 Sunday, January 16, 1994

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 119       Sun Jan 16, 1994
NTACTONE [Ron Hunter]        at 19:05 EST

Mike,
   I guess it depends on who is writing it (Basic), whether it looks more like
C or Pascal, but the basic purpose of Pascal, and their goals are different.
Pascal was developed to teach use of ONE programming methodology, and to
isolate the programmer from the hardware, Basic was developed to allow non-
computer-science users to access the power of the computer.  Both languages
have far outgrown their original concepts, but they retain a different
orientation.. C, on the other hand was developed BY programmers, FOR
programmers, and you can get as close to the hardware as you want in it, and
it is CERTAINLY not for the non-programmer..
   Frankly, if I can't do it in Basic, I don't do it.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 120       Sun Jan 16, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 22:27 EST

Mike,

Actually I was vague - GB isn't a function, but I think like a C data
structure of the Global Parameter Block (_AESglobal). I can check if the app
is running unter MultiTOS/Geneva and if so change it's name in the Desk menu,
etc. It's mentioned in 'Modern Atari Systems Software'.

I can see how you would dislike older BASICs. I use Lattice C and sometimes
DevPac 2 for things like CPXs or whatever, but some of my programs are quick
utilities that wouldn't be worth spending lots of time on. With Hi-Soft BASIC
2.10 I was able to whip out an organiser for my Aladdin addresses in about 2
days (7 hours).  It has dialog boxes in windows, keyboard and dialog
shortcuts, MultiTOS compatible, etc. For things like that you cannot beat a
modern BASIC. Also Hi-Soft BASIC 2.10 has access to DSP and other parts of the
Falcon, MultiTOS, etc. just like Lattice. I'm a big fan of easy to use
languages on the Atari range because the way it's going I feel that users will
have to supply a lot of the software for the machine - so anything that makes
that possible is good with me.

See Ya!

BTW, I'll check out the Topic and also work up a 'System Check' routine in Hi-
Soft BASIC 2.10  - as soon as I have time! <g>

Wayne - Saturday, January 16, 1993 - 07:16 p.m. PST


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 121       Mon Jan 17, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 00:20 EST

Hey,

I figured out my GB question. If you want to find out if the system is in
multitasking mode do this:

number_apps=PEEKW(PEEKL(GB+4)+2) ' number_apps =  1 Single Tasking '
number_apps = -1 Multi Tasking

Then you can use:

id%=PEEKW(PEEKL(GB+4)+4) result=menu_register% BYVAL id%,BYVAL name$


With name$ being the name you want for your applicatio in the Desk menu under
MultiTOS or Geneva.


I'm whipping up a quickie 'Versions' program to show how to let users know
system software versions. This could be good for bug reports etc. when you
release your software. I need to know anyway, so I'll share it.

See Ya!

Wayne - Saturday, January 16, 1993 - 09:23 p.m. PST

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 122       Mon Jan 17, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 02:08 EST

Ummmm... this is embarrassing. Could anyone remind me how to convert HEX to
DECIMAL in Hi-Soft BASIC? I _know_ it's staring at me, but I haven't done any
programming for about 6-7 months...

Also, I need a person each with these machines: STe Mega Mega STe TT

I plan to share the 'system check' code but I want to check that it works
first. Of course it started real simple, but now I want ad _all_ the cookies,
etc... That 'feature creature' is sneakin' upon me! <g>

Also, the Multi tasking code could have been simpler (I'm posting on one
machine while coding on another, so I revised right after the post (of
course!)).

IF PEEKW(PEEKL(GB+4)+2) = -1 THEN
      ' Then Multi Tasking (Geneva/MultiTOS) ELSE
      ' Then Single Tasking END IF

A CPU check would be:

IF GETCOOKIE("_CPU",cpu&) THEN
        PRINT "CPU is a ";68000+cpu& END IF


Thanks,

Wayne - Saturday, January 16, 1993 - 11:10 p.m. PST


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 123       Mon Jan 17, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 02:51 EST

Me _again_..... don't roll your eyes! OK, where do I look for the TOS version?
I got yer cookies, I got yer AES, I got yer GEMDOS, CPU and machine... All I
need is TOS version and it's done. <help...>

Wayne - Saturday, January 16, 1993 - 11:48 p.m. PST

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 124       Mon Jan 17, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 10:50 EST

Well... I guess I don't need the answers too fast now - my studio is a mess
from the earthquake... It was pretty bad, I live in Los Angeles...

Wayne - Monday, January 17, 1994 - 07:50 a.m. PST



 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 125       Mon Jan 17, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:21 EST

Wayne,

The GB function simply returns the address of the global array that is used to
 call the AES. It has actually been in HiSoft BASIC since version 1. In fact
it is  one  of the ST BASIC compatibility functions. With ST BASIC there
weren't  named access to gem calls you had to fill in the GEM arrays yourself.
To  discourage people from using these we left them out of the HiSoft BASIC 1
manual - I guess we should have included them in the HiSoft BASIC 2  manuals.

So to check out the version number of the AES that you are running you can
use
  aes_version=PEEKW(PEEKL(GB+4))

and to see if you are running a version of the AES that supports potentially
infinite numbers of applications use
  IF PEEKW(PEEKL(GB+4)+2)= -1 THEN ...

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 126       Mon Jan 17, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 19:08 EST

Ok, put all the books back up, etc. after the earthquake and now I've dug this
sucker out again and am coding onward. So, I have the TOS Version, etc.

CONST sysbase%=&h4F2

tos_version=SPEEKW(SPEEKW(sysbase%)+&h2) os_date=SPEEKL(SPEEKW(sysbase%)+&h18)
gemdos_date=SPEEKW(SPEEKW(sysbase%)+&h1E)


It was bugging me... <g>

I feel very stoopid but I still don't know how to convert hex into decimal.
The TOS Version has the major revision in the HIGH BYTE & minor in the LOW
BYTE. I put the number in my Pro Calc and know it's right but it's hex and I
want to display it in decimal. Otherwise I've got a simple little program
shell with a 'Help' screen and 'System' screen (actually windowed dialog
boxes) to share.

See Ya!

Wow! - we just had a BIG aftershock! The room was swirling... very weird... I
no likeeee this, no sirreeeee

Wayne 1/17/1994
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 127       Mon Jan 17, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 21:26 EST

 >The GB function simply returns the address of the global array that is used
to
 > call the AES. It has actually been in HiSoft BASIC since version 1. In fact
 >it is  one  of the ST BASIC compatibility functions. With ST BASIC there
 >weren't  named access to gem calls you had to fill in the GEM arrays
yourself.
 >To  discourage people from using these we left them out of the HiSoft BASIC
1
 >manual - I guess we should have included them in the HiSoft BASIC 2
manuals.
 >
 >So to check out the version number of the AES that you are running you can
 >use
 >  aes_version=PEEKW(PEEKL(GB+4))
 >
 >and to see if you are running a version of the AES that supports potentially
 >infinite numbers of applications use
 >  IF PEEKW(PEEKL(GB+4)+2)= -1 THEN ...

Dave,

Does that mean there's a better way to find the '_AESglobal' array than GB in
Hi-Soft BASIC 2.10?

Thanks,

Wayne - Monday, January 17, 1994 - 06:28 p.m. PST


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 128       Mon Jan 17, 1994
R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson]    at 22:23 EST

 Wayne,
   Try...

   tos_ver = VAL(HEX$(PEEKW(PEEKL(PEEKL(&H4F2)+8)+2)))

   Not sure how HiSoft Basic handles peeks but, in GFA, it places th
 machine in Supervisor mode for you during peeks. You will need to be
 in Supervisor mode for this.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 129       Mon Jan 17, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 23:46 EST

Wayne,

You again! <g> Hey, No Wayne, no gain! I saw that on a Wayne's World 2 ad. Are
_you_ sick of "Partytime Excellent" "Wayne's World Wayne's World!"

Oh, thanks for the code <g> .

Wayne - Monday, January 17, 1994 - 08:35 p.m. PST


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 130       Tue Jan 18, 1994
ORA [Bob]                    at 11:24 EST

Roger,

MASS is available separately.  Price is $39.95 + s/h

Robb

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 131       Tue Jan 18, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:23 EST

Roger,

Here are the main improvements in version 2.10:

 * Major improvements to the GEM toolbox including extended  dialog routines
with keyboard short cuts and pop up menus.  Also easy to use "dialog in a
window" routines
 * Improved code generation
 * Named compiler options
 * MultiTOS friendly dynamic heap option
 * Long integer constants
 * New libraries for SpeedoGDOS, MiNT, MultiTOS and the  Falcon XBIOS
 *  Improved debugger (like that from Devpac 3) with better  source facilities
and which works in any mode on the Falcon
 * WERCS now supports the MultiTOS/Falcon 3D effects.
 * Editor walking menus work under Falcon TOS.

The upgrade includes a 32 page booklet describing the new  features (apart
from the new operating system calls). The  OS calls are documented in the book
Modern Atari System  Software. This is something that is available separately
because it includes the calls for Lattice C and Devpac as  well. We supply it
with the Lattice upgrade (as that's the  most expensive product) but this way
people with more than  one of our languages don't get multiple copies of it.

Wayne,

Sorry about my last message - I see you got it sorted over  the weekend before
I had time to reply. I hope you are OK  after the Earthquake.

To use Hex numbers in your BASIC programs prefic them by  &h. So &h340
corresponds to version 3.40 of the AES. To  print out values in hex use the
HEX$ function:

PRINT HEX$(version)

or whatever.

os_header&=SPEEKL(SPEEKL(&h4f2)+8) os_version&=PEEKW(os_header&+2)

This will give the version no in a similar form to the AES  version e.g. TOS
3.06 is &h306.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 132       Tue Jan 18, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 22:54 EST

Just a quick note to let you know I uploaded VERSIONS.ZIP to the library. It
has Hi-Soft BASIC 2.10 source code and shows how to do a few things in HB2
like register the applications name in the Desk menu under MultiTOS or Geneva
and get the TOS , AES & GEMDOS versions as well as the machine & processor
cookies. Thanks to Wayne Watson for the hex conversion information - it was
bugging me!

BTW, I don't know the file # yet, but if you search for versions you'll find
it after 1/19/1994

See ya!

Wayne - Tuesday, January 18, 1994 - 07:39 p.m. PST


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 133       Wed Jan 19, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 01:28 EST

Dave,

Thanks for the response - you _are_ allowed to have weekends <g>. I figured it
out and U/L'd the source, mentioned in the last posting.

Thanks,

Wayne - Tuesday, January 18, 1994 - 10:11 p.m. PST

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 134       Wed Jan 19, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:24 EST

GB is the only way of accessing the global array in HiSoft  BASIC 2.10.

To print the aes version nicely with a full stop etc you  could use some like
this:

 sub print_version(byval a%)
 if a%>&h1000 then
    print hex$(a%>>12);
    a%=a% and &hFFF
 end if
 print hex$(a%>>8);
 a%= a% AND &Hff
 print ".";HEX$(a%>>4);HEX$(a% AND &hF)
 end sub

HiSoft BASIC doesn't use supervisor mode for "ordinary"  PEEKB/PEEKW/PEEKL;
these are in user mode to keep them fast  - SPEEKB etc do the same thing in
supervisor mode and will  also let you read words and longs from a long
boundary on a  68000 machine.

Dave N.


Dave N.

*S
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 135       Sun Jan 23, 1994
JRH [Roger]                  at 09:20 EST

Wayne,

Thanks for uploading VERSIONS - particularly the HiSoft Basic 2 listing with
it.  I like HB2 a lot, and have been using v2.01 since it was first released,
although my time is very limited and I have not really played with the toolbox
stuff at all.  I have ordered v2.10 and hope to see it soon.  Possible that
plus your examples will get me motivated to start doing some more programming
and really getting into the more advanced features of HB2.  I have a couple
programs I would particularly like to modify to run in multi-tasking mode.

So, thanks for sharing your stuff.  It is certainly going to help me get a
fresh start.

I am running Versions on both a Mega ST4 and a TT030.  On both machines the
TOS Date is displayed incorrectly.  Just checked it this morning on the TT,
and I get TOS Date 9199 1_,____ as the date.

Roger

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 136       Sun Jan 23, 1994
R.QUEZADA [B-B-Q]            at 22:36 EST

Anyone know if the upgrade to 2.10 allows reading of Jaguar enhanced
controllers in those enhanced ports on the Falcon?  The STICK function of my
version 2.02 doesn't seem read them at all.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 137       Mon Jan 24, 1994
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 22:08 EST

Dave  --  I think I asked this question some time ago but don't recall if it
ever got answered:  Why, using HSBv2.02, does invoking "RUN" via "Alt X" or
the dropdown menu just compile the program and then stop, not continue on and
run it? as it did in my original v1.23?

                [( )   Jack   ( )]


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 138       Tue Jan 25, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 22:34 EST

Roger,

Thanks for the input. I plan to share whatever I learn as I go. I am mainly
trying to make everthing I write at this point as MultiTOS / Geneva aware as
possible. I don't think I'll ever use alert boxes (form_alert) again, but
instead used windowed dialogs with key equivs. Hi-Soft BASIC 2.10 makes it so
easy to write nice programs and the HGT lets you get going and then specialize
any code you want as you go. I _wish_ I had _lots_ of time to program... <g>

Hmmm..... I'll have to check into the TOS version thing. It worked on my ST
(1.04) and Falcon (4.04), so I'll go to my friendly Atari dealer and try some
stuff there.

Thanks,

Wayne - Monday, January 24, 1994 - 10:28 p.m. PST

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 139       Wed Jan 26, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:47 EST

B-B-Q,

I dopn't think we changed anything between 2.02 and 2.10. I  beleive the
intention is that the Jaguar controller should  work like the STE joystick but
we haven't been able to try  it (the Jag isn't available over here yet).

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 140       Wed Jan 26, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 23:19 EST

You know, I just bough a spare Jaguar controller and it sure did say
STe/Falcon compatible. I'll plug it in and get back to you.... after a few
rounds of Raiden! <g>

Wayne - Wednesday, January 26, 1994 - 08:07 p.m. PST

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 141       Thu Jan 27, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:27 EST

Jack,

I'm sorry if I missed your message first time round.

The only reason I think of that "Run" in HiSoft BASIC 2.02  won't run your
program is if you have compile to disk  (rather than to RAM) switched on.

B-B-Q,

Further to my last message it appears that the Falcon  analog joystick port is
not compatible with the STe one at  all although it is at the same address in
the memory map.

Sorry about that.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 142       Thu Jan 27, 1994
HEAD.TRIP [Wayne]            at 21:05 EST

Hi,

Someone sent me a note asking how to check if the printer is online. I came up
with this function, which checks if the printer is online, and if it isn't
lets the user either Cancel the printing operation or turn on printer and
select OK.

You would call it like:

IF printer_ready THEN

  *** Do your printing routine ***

END IF


I tested it here and it was OK - if something is goofy with it please let me
know, I am but a humble 'newbie' to most of this <g>.

(BTW, the HBX is because I have an HBX folder like the HGT one where I keep Hi-
Soft BASIC eXtensions that I write. Then I use them like the HGT, 'REM
$include'ing what I need & usually pre-tokenising.)

Wayne - Thursday, January 27, 1994 - 05:36 p.m. PST

-------- Cut Here -------------------------------

' Printer HBX ' Started 1/27/94 ' Wayne Steinert

LIBRARY "GEMDOS" LIBRARY "GEMAES" DEFINT A-z

' Check if printer is ready to receive... ' Returns -1 if printer ready '
Returns 0 if user wants to abort the printing FUNCTION printer_ready STATIC
res
  WHILE NOT cprnos%
    res=form_alert (2,"[3][ Printer | not ready...][ Cancel | Retry ]")
    IF res=1
      printer_ready=0
      EXIT FUNCTION
    END IF
  WEND printer_ready=-1 END FUNCTION

-------- Cut Here -------------------------------
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 143       Sat Jan 29, 1994
J.HUGHES23 [Jack ]           at 19:19 EST

Dave  --

 >The only reason I think of that "Run" in HiSoft BASIC 2.02  won't run your
 >program is if you have compile to disk  (rather than to RAM) switched on.

Well, you diagnosed that one right on the nose.  Took me awhile to find the
dropdown menu, but it works fine now.  Hope I remember till the next time!

Thanks,                [( )   Jack   ( )]
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 144       Sun Feb 06, 1994
C.WAWRZYNIAK                 at 11:57 EST

Thanks... I'll definately try this routine for the printer. Programming is a
constant learning trend.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 145       Mon Mar 07, 1994
R.QUEZADA [Rob]              at 20:45 EST

I just sent away for the HiSoft Silver Support for HiSoft BASIC 2.02 How do I
upgrade now to 2.1?  Do I have to wait for someone to send me something by
mail, or can I order it via e-mail through HiSoft?  I really need this new
version badly.  I've waited about 1 1/2 months and haven't received anything
in the mail.
   It says that I have access to closed technical support conference on CIX.
What is CIX?
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 146       Mon Mar 07, 1994
A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt]       at 21:59 EST

Rob,

CIX is the European connection to BIX, an old and foggy U.S. online service.

Al

:)
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 147       Wed Mar 09, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:22 EST

Rob,

CIX is a major U.K. online service for programmers and users of

many platforms. It has probably got more users over here than  anything over
than Compuserve.

Although the CIX system evolved from the same, Cosy  conferencingsoftware, CIX
and BIX aren't related apart from the  name.

Our Silver support service is really designed for people in  countries where
we don't have an active distributor like ORA.

We do have you registered for Silver Support you should have got  an
introductory letter and notification of the 2.10 upgrade -  I'll mail you the
pricing for that upgrade when I can check on  the shipping charge to the U.S.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 148       Wed Mar 09, 1994
A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt]       at 21:40 EST

Thanks for clarifying CIX's relationship (or lack of it) with BIX. When I was
a regular on BIX, the owner at that time (Byte) made it clear that CIX had a
commonality with BIX, and I never questioned that is was. ("Yeah, we have two
letters in common ...")

Al
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 149       Wed Mar 09, 1994
R.QUEZADA [Rob]              at 22:01 EST

Dave,
     Thanks.  I'm looking forward to getting it.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 150       Sun Mar 20, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 01:22 EST

I am looking at getting a basic language, I have played with STOS but found it
to limiting and not enough support for non-game programing. I have GFA 3.5
that came on a Cover disk, but I am running on a F030 and want to be able to
use all resolutions and the DSP, FPU, as well as the TT's hi res mono TTm195.

Is HB still being upgraded/active, I have heard some rumors to the contrary,
and what is the state of GFA, have they made or making 4.0?

I also see a lot of code for GFA in the British mags in PD catalogs, is there
the same thing for HB?

I am still rather new to programing and need all the pre written code I can
get my hands on.

My first real project is a ACC for Stalk the Market, it will display all of
the stocks in a news paper format for quick viewing.  STM makes you load up
each stock seperatly and draws its graph.  I just want to know which stocks
are up and which are down.

I might expande it to be a full blown T/A stock program if HB is easy enough
to get to grips with.

Thanks

Bman
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 151       Sun Mar 20, 1994
R.WATSON15 [Wayne Watson]    at 15:46 EST

 Bman,
   Forget GFA as it is no longer supported by the company and does not
 work very well on the newer machines. HB2 is the better choice as it
 is still supported and updated.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 152       Wed Mar 23, 1994
ORA [Bob]                    at 12:58 EST

B Man,

HiSoft Basic is definately still being supported and upgraded.  The newest
version was released in October, with Falcon and TOS 4 support.  The code in
mags for GFA is fairly similar to what you would do in HSB, so it could give
you some help.  HSB is also similar to Microsoft Quikbasic, so there are some
books out there that can help, and we are working on getting some more example
programs done and out in the public.

Robb @ ORA

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 153       Thu Mar 24, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 02:14 EST

Well I ordered HB 2.1 and the Atari System's book, not the Conpendium, do I
need both?

What is OR's price on these?

I would love to get a few PD disk of pre done code, that could be just
inserted into my prg's to save much time.  I hate to reinvent code that is
already out there unless it is a great learning experience.  I see that the
british PD houses have GFA code disks for sale, may be they have HB 2 and just
don't advertise it???

Maybe we can start a new lib on genie and get people that use or are
registered to send in useable code (moduals) that they have done?  I am
willing to help organize this.

My prob is that I can design the fudge out of the user interface of a good
prg, but have limited coding skills.

Does HB2 use line numbers?

Will GFA's ability to "hide" code like that of sub routines be added to HB
2.?, this looks to go to be true and makes prg more managable.

Thanks

Bman
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 154       Fri Mar 25, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:16 EST

Bman,

You need Modern Atari System Software (MASS) if you want to  use the Falcon
stuff, SpeedoGDOS, MultiTOS & MiNT because  it includes the details of the
BASIC bindings.

The Compendium has extra information on the ST operating  system calls (esp
the lowlevel ones) compared with the  HiSoft BASIC 2 manuals but it doesn't
have the details of  the types of parameters etc for the BASIC calls.

You can use linenumbers in HiSoft BASIC if you really must.  HiSoft BASIC has
so many structured statements that gotos  generally aren't required and if
they are using a named  label is preferable.

Unfortunately the structure of the existing editor would  make it very
difficult to implement folding in the near  future.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 155       Fri Mar 25, 1994
ORA [Bob]                    at 15:51 EST

B Man,

Our retail price on HSB2 is $139.95, and MASS is $39.95.  The Atari compendium
is a good tool for programmers, and has information dealing with all versions
of TOS, where MASS deals only with new features like TOS 4, MultiTOS, etc.

The Idea of sharing code is a good one, maybe talk to the sysop, and have them
contact us if they think it is feasible.

You can use line numbers in HSB2, but there is no 'hide-code' in this version,
although there are other ways of managing code, such as pre-tokenised files.

Robb @ ORA

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 156       Sat Mar 26, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 18:02 EST

Cool, what are some good books to get to grips with Data Base programing?  Is
it Quick basic that HB is compatible with?

Bman
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 157       Wed Mar 30, 1994
HISOFT                       at 12:19 EST

Bman,

Yep its QuickBASIC (3) that HiSoft BASIC is compatible  with.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 158       Wed Mar 30, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 18:04 EST

I just bought HS Basic from Toad and got version 2.02.  What do I need to do
to get version 2.10?  Should I conntact Toad or will you update me?

Wercs looks very powerful, I am wondering how one does slide bars? Has this
already been coded?

There is a lot of info to read, but I'm a quick learner. Is there a GFA to HSB
converter? Is there any source code over the pond in PD libraries?

One quick question, what is the best way to prg the following?  If someone
clicks on ATC it will allow them to input all the data to the right of the
symbol. If they click on any of the other fields, they can only edit that
field.

Should I use Wercs, or have routines to draw all the box's and text info to
the screen?

STM ADVISOR Symbol  Current price +/-  Shares held Cost Average Commisions ect.. -------------------------------------------------
------------ ATC        $7.00     -.50       1,000    $5.00       $20 --
----------------------------------------------------------------
            AMTC ------------------------------------------------------------------


Thanks

Bman
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 159       Wed Mar 30, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 23:24 EST

Um Genie made a mess of my last message.  A little reformating will show you
what I had in mind, everything does line up. ;')
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 160       Mon Apr 04, 1994
ORA [Bob]                    at 16:11 EDT

Upgrade to HSB 2.1 is $39 plus s/h.  Send us your original disk, and we will
send you the upgrade, which includes a manual addendum.

Robb @ ORA

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 161       Tue Apr 05, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 01:35 EDT

Should Toad be selling 2.1?  I think I will call them and have them get 2.1,
as I just bought it new and got an older dated version.  I don't blame ORA,
but $39 is a bit steep for an upgrade, that I shouldn't need.

Bman
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 162       Tue Apr 05, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:31 EDT

Bman,


Sliders for windows are created when you create the window; you  have to roll
ones within dialogs yourself. If you use the HiSoft  GEM Toolbox, it has stuff
to handle scrollable windows for you.

I don't know of a GFA to HiSoft BASIC convertor, I'm afraid. It  is the sort
of thing that is difficult to do automatically in  full generality. To be
honest I haven't had time to see what PD  libraries over here have as far as
hiSoft BASIC source code; in  general our users seem to want to hold on to
their source code  rather more than GFA types, I don't know why!


Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 163       Wed Apr 06, 1994
J.KOSIOREK1 [Jack.K]         at 22:35 EDT

BMan I believe there is a program that shows how to do sliders in a  dialog
box with HiSoft Basic somewhere in this library. Sorry I cannot remember its
name but I think a search on HiSoft or Sliders should find it. I know I
downloaded it from here quite a while ago. It has quite a few useful comments.

Jack
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 164       Thu Apr 07, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 22:43 EDT

Thanks Jack,

What version are you running?  Any chance you would up load or Fmail me some
prg's???

I am looking at buuilding some moduals then uploading them to the Lib, so that
everyone can use and modify them.

I hope other people will do the same, thats the one advantage that GFA has
over any other basic.

Has WERCS been improved for version 2.1 over 2.02?  I would like to have a way
to be in move mode or in sizing mode, as both make it very hard to do what I
would like to do.

Thanks

Bman
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 165       Thu Apr 07, 1994
E.EDELENBOS [-Ed-]           at 23:18 EDT

Hello.  I am new to this area.  I have been searching for a way to get access
to the FPU on my AdSpeed board from Hisoft Basic.  Is there a way? Is there a
lib I can include.  I can't (for the life of me) find anything in the manual.
Thanks in advance.  (P.S.  it is equal to the Atari Mega FPU board in
operation.  i.e. Peripheral mode)
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 166       Mon Apr 11, 1994
ORA [Bob]                    at 15:05 EDT

Actually, the upgrade includes the new program, new libraries, plus a manual
addendum, so $39 is not all that much.

Robb @ ORA

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 167       Mon Apr 11, 1994
E.EDELENBOS [-Ed-]           at 19:36 EDT

Robb, in the upgrade, is there a library to include FPU use?  I need to  check
to see what version I have.  Can you tell me what the latest vers. number is?
Thanks.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 168       Tue Apr 12, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:27 EDT

B Man,

The improvements in WERCS for HiSoft BASIC 2.10 over 2.02  are only in the
area of 3D buttons for MultiTOS and the  Falcon. I take it that you've got
lots of small objects.  One hint is to always click near the top left of small
 objects when you are editting these. Remember you can also  use the Extras
command (Alt-E) for precise control of  object sizes etc.

The GEM yoolkit has been greatly enhanced.

Ed,

I'm afraid that you can't access a peripheral FPU from  HiSoft BASIC. It isn't
something that could be easily  added.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 169       Tue Apr 12, 1994
E.EDELENBOS [-Ed-]           at 18:52 EDT

Dave, thanks for the info.  It didn't hurt to ask.  (Grin)
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 170       Tue Apr 12, 1994
S.MCGEE2                     at 22:33 EDT


        I purchased HiSoft Basic 2.1 in January of this year and am happy to
say it's the best Basic I've ever used. The toolboxes in particular are
invaluable and make programming GEM a breeze. My question is on documentation
for the new toolbox routines which begin with an 'x'
(xHGTloop,xForm_do,xHandleDialog). These routines must have been written after
the manual and are not documented. There are examples for some but not all. I
heard that addendum to previous versions were included with updates. Could
this be the missing docts?
        Secondly, there is an example for loading and displaying images using
the images(index...) array. There is no example or any text of how to write to
this array or copy window graphics to this array. Anyone want to field this
one? Thank you in advance,


Sam


 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 171       Wed Apr 13, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:19 EDT

Ed,

The latest version of HiSoft BASIC is 2.10. With the TT version  (which also
works on the Falcon with FPU) there is support for  inline generation of FPU
code. There is no option for i/o mapped  support for 68000 machines.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.,

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 172       Wed Apr 13, 1994
E.EDELENBOS [-Ed-]           at 18:23 EDT

Thanks Dave.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 173       Thu Apr 14, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:25 EDT

Sam,

The new toolbox routines are described in the version 2.10  Addendum that is
supplied with the product and with  upgrades.

I'm afraid I don't have an example of updating an Image  array once its loaded
I'm afraid. Its something I keep  meaning to write but some how I've never
found the time.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 174       Sun Apr 17, 1994
R.QUEZADA [Rob]              at 00:29 EDT

Dave,
     I sent out my HiSoft Basic 2.02 disks to you for the 2.10 upgrade.  I was
wondering if you could tell me about when they would be shipped out.

You should have gotten them by now, I guess.  Any information would be
appreciated, since I have something I've been working on and I need the
upgrade to finish.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 175       Tue Apr 19, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:19 EDT

Rob,

I can't help re your shipping of your upgrade; I work for  HiSoft here in
England rather than Oregon, giving technical  help on our products; Robb@ORA
is the guy to ask.


Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 176       Tue Apr 19, 1994
ORA [Bob]                    at 14:44 EDT

Rob,

There is no Dave here at ORA, and if you are here in the US, upgrades should
be done thru us.

Robb @ ORA

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 177       Tue Apr 19, 1994
S.MCGEE2 [Sam]               at 22:10 EDT

HISOFT,
     My compiled HSBasic 2.1 program is over 100K and strings and arrays are
using over 500K of memory. I occasionally get an 'Out of memory' error. The
Technical Reference states that the heap may be full. Is it just a matter of
increasing the size of: rem $option Knnn
     Also, the Reference describes String descriptors under the Advanced
Options but the HSBasic 2.1 shows Dynamic Heap size. System: Falcon 4M. Sam
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 178       Thu Apr 21, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:24 EDT

Yes, if you get Out of Memory its most likely because the  heap is full (this
is when your progam is running isn't  it?). You can also get this message when
you haven't left  enough memory to the operating system.

If you aren't multi-tasking then its best to use the Leave  Size option to
just leave some memory to the OS - that way  your program will get more memory
for itself.

The "Dynamic Heap Size" isn't described in the Technical  Reference because it
wasn't added until HiSoft BASIC 2.10.  It sets the cut off point when using
the new dynamic heap  which is designed for programs designed to run under
Multi- tasking systems.


Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 180       Fri May 06, 1994
R.QUEZADA [Rob]              at 22:52 EDT

I was just wondering......  In GFA Basic, there was a reserved word: "L~A"
that returns the Line-A address.  I was wondering if there was a way to
calculate that address with HiSoft BASIC 2.10?  I need it for converting my
STOSFix program I wrote so it will actually work with MultiTOS.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 181       Sat May 07, 1994
S.MCGEE2 [Sam]               at 15:29 PDT

 Rob,
  There is a HISoft Basic demo here in the library on how to use the
 naughty Line-A functions. Search under HISoft Basic. I think it's the
 only HSB file here with source code.
 Sam
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 182       Mon May 09, 1994
J.WISNIEWSK2 [Jeff - ST'er]  at 19:04 EDT

  Several questions about HiSoft Basic 2:

        1) Is there something special about writing a AUTO folder
           program with this version of basic?.  Or am I missing
           something?.

        2) I notice that some of the sample source code here on GEnie
           uses a library called GEMACC, is this library available?.

Thanks.

                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                ^^^^    JSW    ^^^^
                ^^^^   ST'er   ^^^^
                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Monday, May 9, 1994 - 5:27:36 pm
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 183       Mon May 09, 1994
C.WAWRZYNIAK                 at 19:44 EDT

I'm not too familiar with AUTO folder programming.

You don't need the library GEMACC in HiSoft BASIC 2.0 nor in 2.1 It was needed
in v1.x In place of GEMACC, you need GEMVDI library.

Cheersd
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 184       Wed May 11, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:14 EDT

Jeff,

You should read Appendix G (Desk Accessories) of the Technical  Reference
Manual if you are converting a HiSoft BASIC 1 program  that uses the obsolete
GEMACC library.

To write a program for the Auto folder, write it as a TOS  program; rename as
PRG and then copy it to the AUTO folder.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 185       Tue May 17, 1994
S.MCGEE2 [Sam]               at 19:32 PDT

 HiSoft,
      I purchased HiSoft Basic 2.1 in February and have been
 struggling with some of the new features. I happened to read an ad
 for HS Basic 2.1 which says it includes a 30 page addendum which
 covers these new features. My package did not include this
 addendum. How do I go about obtaining one?
 Sam
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 186       Tue May 24, 1994
HISOFT                       at 13:22 EDT

Sam,

Please contact Oregon Research.

Dave Nutkins, HiSoft.

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 187       Tue May 24, 1994
ORA [Bob]                    at 20:49 EDT

Yes, Sam.  Please contact us at your convenience.

Best regards, Bob@ORA
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 188       Sat Jul 09, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 20:40 EDT

Guy's I just got the upgrade to 2.1, thanks.

I am having some probs tho.  Heres whats happening:

 1. When I try to complie and run the example on page 156 of the User
 manual in ST RAM, I get a "Not enough memory around line 1222"
 "65 code generation failed at line 9" message.  how do I correct for
 this?  It will compile and save to disk.

 2. It is having problems find where files are.  If they are not in
 the root of Basic folder, it throws a fit.

Hope to hear back soon.

Bman
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 189       Mon Jul 18, 1994
T.WILKINSON1 [TomWilkinson]  at 21:37 PDT

This might just be the dumbest question ever asked here, but here goes:

Is there an interpreter in Hisoft Basic 2.x? I have just bought the package
from Oregon, and have used the compiler, but can't find any interpreter to run
programs before compiling. Thanks for any help.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 190       Wed Jul 20, 1994
CBARRON                      at 00:56 EDT

 It's not a dumb question, but I do not believe there ever was a Hisoft Basic
interpreter.  It should compile fast enough so an interpreter is not needed,
and the code does not have to be 'fixed' to compile after it runs in an
interpreted mode.  Compile and run should be easy point an click operations,
but I think save, compile, run is a better sequence....

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 191       Fri Jul 22, 1994
RHFACTOR                     at 02:07 EDT

Question for the HiSoft'ers out there ....  I read somewhere that there was or
is a converter program that transformed HiSoft code to GFA or visa-versa ...
anyone have any details ??
       RHFactor
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 192       Sat Jul 23, 1994
J.KOSIOREK1 [Jack.K]         at 10:34 EDT

Tom: HiSoft Basic compiles extremely fast. (Faster Than Most Interpreters
Interpret) TOS programs can be compiled and run from the Menu Selection but
GEM programs must first be compiled and then they can be run from the menu
option (RUN OTHER PROGRAM) or you can quit BASIC and run it  from the desktop.
The only problems I ever had running a GEM program  from the HISOFT EDITOR
SHELL was when it couldn't find my resource file (.RSC). Of course, once I
told BASIC where to find it in the  preferences menu option it worked fine.
Hope this helps.

Jack
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 193       Tue Jul 26, 1994
T.WILKINSON1 [TomWilkinson]  at 08:34 PDT

Jack, thanks for your reply. I guess I am just used to the GFA interpreter for
fast testing and debugging. Oh well, not a problem. Thanks again.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 194       Sat Aug 13, 1994
C.WAWRZYNIAK [Criss-Cross]   at 20:55 EDT

Hi folks,

The example on page 131 of the Tech. Ref. manual of HiSoft BASIC 2 shows how
to turn off keypress clicks. What I would like to know, how do I got about to
turn ON keypress clicks?

Also, the routine on page 229 of the STeSound library, (same book as
mentioned above) is wrong.  I get error 53  If I remove the THEN at the end of
the first line, then HiSoft BASIC 2 claims that one of the right brackets
should be a comma.


Any help on getting results of the above two problems, would be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 195       Sat Aug 13, 1994
S.MCGEE2 [Sam]               at 22:40 PDT

 Criss-Cross

 {
 The example on page 131 of the Tech. Ref. manual of HiSoft BASIC 2 shows how
 to turn off keypress clicks. What I would like to know, how do I got about to
 turn ON keypress clicks?
 }


 According to The Atari Compendium:
 Memory Map location &H484 (byte)

 Bit   Meaning if set
 ---   --------------
  0    Enable key click
  1    Enable key repeat
  2    Enable system bell
  3    Cause Bconin() to return shift status

 I suspect setting any of these bits to zero disables the function:


 {
 Also, the routine on page 229 of the STeSound library, (same book as
mentioned
 above) is wrong.  I get error 53  If I remove the THEN at the end of
 the first line, then HiSoft BASIC 2 claims that one of the right brackets
 should be a comma.
 }

 It looks like an END IF is missing. If the 'IF' executes more than one
 statements, END IF is required.

 Sam

 ps So Scott doesn't sue me: Everyone buy the Compendium!  :)
    Sorry about the C notation.
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 196       Tue Aug 16, 1994
C.WAWRZYNIAK [Criss-Cross]   at 20:59 EDT

Hi folks,

I'm experimenting with windows in HiSoft BASIC 2.10 but am not having much
luck.  I CAN get windows to open and stuff like that but I am having trouble
in passing control to another window.

For example: I have window 1 open, the main program. As soon as  the user
presses the right mouse button, window 2 opens up. Window 1 goes into the
background & window 2 comes in the foreground. At this point the user presses
any key on the keyboard and window 2 should be now in the background and
window 1 comes into the foreground. This is where I'm having trouble with.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 197       Tue Aug 16, 1994
S.MCGEE2 [Sam]               at 21:05 PDT

 Chris-Cross,
     If you are using the toolkit for windows (strongly recommended) then
 you just need the SUB TopAWindow which takes your window handle for a
 parameter. This is discribed on page 7 of the Addendum. As the text states,
 the XADDRESS.BAS program is excellent way to learn to use xHGTloop.

 If you don't use the toolkit you have to have to use wind_update and
 a bunch of other stuff and 'walk the rectangle list.' See the SUB ReDraw
 in WINDOW.BAS. Since it's already written and debugged, I use the
 toolkit. :)

 (Any corrections to my mistakes are appreciated.)

 Sam
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 198       Mon Sep 05, 1994
T.WILKINSON1 [TomWilkinson]  at 07:48 PDT

 I am having a little trouble with some of the examples in the
 HiSoft Basic Manual. I tried to compile the TWDM.BAS file on page
 154 and got the following errors. I'm using a 4 meg Falcon and
 About HiSoft Basic shows more than 2.25 meg free , but 0 alternate
 free. Can anyone help on this one?
 The following is the error that was generated:
 HiSoft BASIC for the Atari version 2.10
 21 September 93 2.10
 Compiling C:\LANGUAGE\HISOFTBA\HGT\TWDM.BAS
 Tokenising
 Parsing
 Generating code
 not enough memory around line 1192
 Error:  65 Code generation failed at line 6 in file
 C:\LANGUAGE\HISOFTBA\HGT\TWDM.BAS
 I later managed to compile the file by juggling where the twdm.bas
 file was located. Can anyone tell me just how important paths are?
 If you include toolbox.bas, do you need to say where it is?
 For eg. REM $include C:\LANGUAGE\HISOFTBA\HGT\TOOLBOX.BAS
 Thanks for any help
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 199       Mon Sep 05, 1994
B.AEIN [B Man]               at 19:24 EDT

Tom,

I had the same problem!  Try under the Compile menu, where it says output: St
Ram, TT RAM, Disk, Maximum!  Try changing Maximum to like 500k.

Does Auto indent work on your machine? No go here!

Robert,  can you tell me how to get this to work? I wish OR was more active in
supporting this great software, we need code and a helping hand trying to
learn how to use GEM.

In case you did not know, St Review has a Hisoft Tuturial in their mag, I have
like the last 5 issues or so.  I haven't had time to get in to them too deep
as I am still relearning Basic.  Some months even have code on the cover disk
to play with.

If anyone is interested I might be able to upload the articals and source from
the disks.

Bman
 ------------
Category 33,  Topic 8
Message 200       Tue Sep 06, 1994
HISOFT                       at 12:46 EDT

You need to increase the program buffer size which you do by  selecting
"Output to" in the compiler options, then choosing the  "Maximum..." option,
then increase the amount of memory allocated  to the program buffer.

Alex Kiernan, HiSoft.
 ------------