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Overview of BASICODE-3C

A forum that handles issues with BASICODE in general, please join the BASICODE e-group.

Other BASICODE overviews:

• BASICODE-1
• BASICODE-2
• BASICODE-3 (in English) and BASICODE-3 (in Nederlands)
• ideas on BASICODE-4

Content of this page:

• General rules
• Colours in BASICODE-3C
  
• Allowed BASICODE-3C commands
• Allowed BASICODE functions
• Allowed BASICODE operators
• Subroutines
• Line numbers
• Running BASICODE programs
  

General rules

• BASICODE has a standard method of putting programs on a tape (frequency and ASCII codes)
• BASICODE variables names are maximum two characters long. The first character has to be a capital letter and the optional second letter can be a number or a capital letter.
• All variables beginning with O are reserved for use inside the BASICODE Translator.
• BASICODE-3C reserved variable names are: A, AS, AT, CC, CN, CT, FN, FR, HG, HO, GR, IF, IN, IN$, LN, NF, NF$, PI, RV, SD, SP, SR, SR$, ST, TI, TO, SV, VE and VG.
  
BY can't be used when incorporating BB4W (did not exists when BASICODE was developed) in list of BASICODE capable systems.

• String have a maximum length of 255 characters.
• A BASICODE line is maximum 60 characters (also the DEF FN command).
  
• BASICODE-3C's initialization (after GOTO 20) sets HO and VE to the screen size of the text window (HO = number of characters per line minus one; VE = number of lines minus one).
• BASICODE-3C program should end with GOTO 950
• BASICODE screens is preferable at least 40 chapters wide 
• Graphics proportions are horizontal : vertical = 4 : 3 .
  
• (VE,HO) = (0,0) is top left corner of graphical and text screen
  

Colours in BASICODE-3C

Upto BASICODE-3 Basicode was black and white for both back- or foreground color. Only in BASICODE-3C (1991) colour is included. The colour of the background colour is set with CC(1). The forgroundcolour is set in CC(0). The colour values are used in almost all text or graphic commands. You can set CC(0) and CC(1) at the following way:

value	colour
0	black
1	blue
2	red
3	violet
4	green
5	light blue
6	yellow
7	white

Allowed BASICODE-3C commands

Allowed BASICODE functions

Allowed BASICODE operators

Subroutines

• 10   First line of subroutine module (one is not allowed to call this line from the BASICODE program)
• 20   System reset, clearing of variables, etc. Furthermore it starts the BASICODE programs (one is only allowed to call this line from the BASICODE program at the start)
• 100 Go to text window and clear text screen.
• 110 Set cursor to position given by the variables HO and VE. 
  
• 120 Return cursor position in variables HO and VE. 
• 150 Print SR$ in a pronounced way (like inverse text). Three characters are inserted at the beginning and appended at the end.
  
• 200 Read key stroke and return it in IN$ and IN.
  special codes: 28 = cursor left, 29 = cursor right
  30 = cursor down, 31 = cursor up
  127 = delete
  no key pressed: IN$="" and IN=0
  CN contains the ASCII-code of the capital letter if a small one is pressed and the other
  way around.
  Furthermore IN can now contain function keys. If a function key is pressed IN contains its negated number.
  
• 210 Wait and read the pressed key and return it in IN$ and IN (see for special codes line 200).
• 220 Provide in IN the code present at screen position given by the variables HO and VE (see for special codes line 200).
• 250 Beep.
• 260 Return random number in RV (0 <= RV < 1).
• 270 Do a garbage collect and return the amount of free memory in FR
• 280 Disable the stop/break key (FR=1) or enable (FR=0).
• 300 Convert number SR to string, returned in SR$
• 310 Convert number SR to string with a string length of CT and with CN places after decimal point; returned in SR$,
• 330 Convert all letters in SR$ to capital letters
  
• 350 Print SR$ on the printer.
• 360 Carriage return and line feed on the printer.
• 400 Produce a tone using SP, SD and SV
  SP is frequency level: 0 = lowest, 60='central C', 127 = highest
  SD is the tone duration in steps of 0.1 seconds
  SV is the volume: 0=muted 7=medium, 15=loud
  This subroutine keeps running during the time of SD.
  
• 450 Wait SD*0.1 seconds or for a key stroke
  When ended: IN$ and IN contain the possible keystroke (see for special codes line 200). SD contains the remaining time from the moment the key was pressed or zero (if no key was pressed)
• 500 Open the file NF$ according to the code in NF:
  NF = even number: input: NF= uneven number: output
      NF= 0 or 1 BASICODE cassette
      NF= 2 or 3 own system memory
      NF= 4 or 5 diskette
      NF= 6 or 7 diskette
      IN=0: all OK, IN=1: end of file, IN=-1: error
• 540 Read into IN$ from the opened file NF$ (in IN the status, see line 500)
• 560 Send SR$ towards the opened file NF$ (in IN the status, see line 500)
  
• 580 Close the file with code NF
• 600 Switch to graphic screen and clear graphic screen
  
• 610 Plot a point at graphic position HO,VE (0<=HO<1 en 0<=VE<1) in foreground color <CC(0)> if CN=0 or in background color <CC(1)> if CN=1
  
• 630 Draw a line towards point HO,VE (0<=HO<1 en 0<=VE<1) in foreground color <CC(0)> if CN=0 or in background color <CC(1)> if CN=1
• 650 Print SR$ as text from graphic position HO,VE (0<=HO<1 en 0<=VE<1). HO and VE stay the same value.
• 950 End the program and set the BASIC interpretator in normal mode.
  

Line numbers

The following line numbers method is used in BASICODE-3C:
0 -   999:	The BASICODE translator subroutines;
1000 - 1010:    mandatory in the form of:
		1000 A=<total memory space needed of all strings>: GOTO 20: REM program-name
                1010 <rest of program>
1011 - 19999: 	The rest of the BASICODE program;
20000 - 24999: 	possible machine-dependant subroutines;
25000 - 29999: 	DATA-lines; 
30000 - 31999:  REM-lines with a short description of the program and links to literature;
32000 - 32767: 	REM-lines with name and address of author.

Running BASICODE programs

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