COMPUTE!'s Listing Converntions

Many of the programs which are listed in COMPUTE! use special keys (cursor control keys, color keys, etc.) To make it easy to tell exactly what should be typed in when copying a program into the computer, we have established the following listing conventions.

For The Atari

All the editing and cursor control characters are spelled out and surrounded by brackets in the program listings: {CLEAR} for "clear screen." Other characters, such as CTRL-T (the "ball" character) will be listed as the "normal" character, but it will be within brackets: {T}. A series of identical control characters will be indicated by a number within the brackets: {3 DOWN} means type ESC CURSOR-DOWN three times; {12 R} would mean type CTRL-R twelve times. Remember to press the ESC (escape) key before each cursor control key. If you should see {ESC} itself in a program listing, you would press ESC twice.

Two of the control characters, {=} and {-}, should be shifted. Any reverse field text will be enclosed within vertical lines. (In other words, any time you see a vertical line within a program listing in COMPUTE!, press the Atari logo key {}.)

Atari Conventions

{CLEAR} = SHIFT - < (Clear Screen)
{UP} = CTRL - minus (Cursor Up)
{DOWN} = CTRL - equals (Cursor Down)
{LEFT} = CTRL - plus (Cursor left)
{RIGHT} = CTRL -asterisk (Cursor right)
{BACK S} = BACK S (Back space)
{DELETED} = CTRL - DELETE (Delete character)
{DEL LINE} = SHIFT - DELETE (Delete Line)
{INSERT} = CTRL - INSERT (Insert Character)
{INS LINE} = SHIFT - INSERT(Insert line)
{ESC} = ESC (ESCape key pressed twice)
{TAB} = TAB (Tab key)
{CLR TAB} = CTRL - TAB (Clear tab settine)
{SET TAB} = SHIFT - TAB (Set tab stop)
{BELL} = CTRL - 2(Ring buzzer)

For PET/CBM/VIC

Generally, any PET/CBM/VIC program listings will contain bracketed words which spell out any special characters: {DOWN} would mean to press the cursor-down key; {3 DOWN} would mean to press the cursor-down key three times.

To indicate that a key should be shifted (hold down the SHIFT key while pressing the order key), the key would be underlined in our listing. For example, S would mean to type the S key while holding the shift key. This would result in the"heart" graphics symbol appearing on your screen.

Sometimes in a program listing, especially within quoted text when a line runs over into the next line, it is difficult to tell where the first line ends. How many times should you type the SPACE bar? In our convention, when a line breaks in this way, the ˜ symbol shows exactly where it broke. For example:

100 PIRNT "TO START THE GAME ˜ YOU MAY HIT
       ANY OF THE KEYS ON YOUR KEYBOARD."

shows that the program's author intended for you to type two spaces after the word GAME.

For The Apple

Programs listed as "Microsoft" are written for the PET/CBM, Apple, OSI, etc. Although the programs are general in nature, you may need to make a few changes for them to run correctly on your Apple. Microsoft BASIC programs written for the PET/CBM sometimes contain special cursor control characters. The following table shows equivalent Apple words. Notice that these Apple commands are outside quotations (and even separate from a PRINT statement). PRINT"[RVS]YOU WON" becomes INVERSE: PRINT "YOU" : NORMAL

[CLEAR[ (Clear Screen) HOME
[HOME] (Home cursor) VTAB 0: HTAB 0
[DOWN] (Cursor down)
  POKE 37, PEEK (37) + (PEEK (37) < 23)
[UP] (Cursor up)
  POKE 37, PEEK (37) - (PEEK (37) > 0)
[LEFT] (Cursor left) PRINT CHR$ (8);
[RIGHT] (Cusor right)
  POKE 36, PEEK (36) + (PEEK (36) > 32) + PEEK (33)))

[RVS] (Inverse video on. Turns off automatically after a carriage return. To be safe, turn off inverse video after the print statement with NORMAL unless the PRINT statement ends with a semicolon.)

INVERSE

[OFF] (Inverse video off) NORMAL

Shifted characters can represent either graphics characters or uppercase letters. If within text, just use the non-shifted character, otherwise substitute a space. Some "generalized" programs contain a POKE such as POKE 59468, 14. Omit these from the program when typing it in. One final note: you will probably want to insert a question mark or colon within an INPUT prompt. PET/CBM and many other BASICs automatically print a question mark:

INPUT "WHAT IS YOUR NAME"; N$
      becomes
INPUT "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"; N$

All Commodore Machines

Clear Screen {CLEAR}
Home Cursor {HOME}
Cursor Up {UP}
Cursor Down {DOWN}
Cursor Right {RIGHT}
Cursor Left {LEFT}
Insert Character {INST}
Delete Character {DEL}
Reverse Field On {RVS}
Reverse Field Off {OFF}

VIC Conventions

Set Color To Black {BLK}
Set Color To White {WHT}
Set Color To Red {RED}
Set Color To Cyan {CYN}
Set Color To Purple {PUR}
Set Color To Green {GRN}
Set Color To Blue {BLU}
Set Color To Yellow {YEL}
Function One {F1}
Function Two {F2}
Function Three {F3}
Function Four {F4}
Function Five {F5}
Function Six {F6}
Function Seven {F7}
Function Eight {F8}
Any Non-implemented Function {NIM}

8032/Fat 40 Conventions

Set Window Top {SET TOP}
Set Window Bottom {SET BOT}
Scroll Up {SCR UP}
Scroll Down {SCR DOWN}
Insert Line {INST LINE}
Delete Line {DEL LINE}
Erase To Beginning {ERASE BEG}
Erase To End {ERASE END}
Toggle Tab {TGL TAB}
Tab {TAB}
Escape Key {ESC}