Liren Large Software Subsidy 9/09.iso/l/l075/1.ddi/TBHELP.TBH

Turbo BASIC Help | 1988-11-05 | 40.1 KB | 1,113 lines

TURBO BASIC HELP FILE.
$*$* &&&&$*$
Index
 Help on Help
Directory option
 Bounds option
    Editing commands
 Chain files
Edit window
 Change dir option
8087 option
 Changing colors
Environment variables
 Character set
    Environment windows
 Close option
Error messages
 Colors option
    Executable option
 Communications opt
EXE file setting
 Compile command
File command
 Debugging
File names
 Directories option
Goto option
'Go on...
Index
 Hotkeys
Miscellaneous option
 Include directories
Moving windows
 Include files
    Music buffer setting
 Keyboard break option New option
 Load option
Next option
 Load setup options
Open option
 Main file option
Options command
 Main menu
OS shell option
 Memory setting
Overflow option
 Message window
Palette box
 Metastatements
Parameter line option
 Metastatements option Quitting Turbo
'Go on...
Index
 Rounding numbers
Syntax
 Running a program
Tile option
 Run-time error option Trace option
 Save option
Trace window
 Saving setup options  Turbo directory opt
 Setup command
    Window command
 Stacking windows
Windows
 Stack size setting
Write to option
 Stack test option
Zoom option
 Welcome to Turbo Basic's Help.  Use the arrow
 keys to move the selection bar to any of the
 highlighted items.  The Home key takes you to
 the first item on the screen; End takes you to
 the last.  The 25th line gives you help on how
 to move around.  Note that if you press F1
 while you're in the Help system, it will bring
 up the Help index.
 Here's some general topics to get you started
 using Turbo Basic.
Character set
Editing
Hotkeys
Main Menu
    Windows
 The Turbo Basic menu system is both logical
 and intuitive.  You'll find that several of
 the main menu commands have both pull-down and
 pop-up menus, offering you many programming
 options.  Here's what the main menu has to
 offer:
 File
Compile
 Options
Setup
Window
Debug
 You can either press an arrow key to move to
 the desired option and then press Enter or
 simply press the highlighted capital letter
 of the option you want.
Go on...
 Use the arrow keys to select which part of a
 menu item, window, or system box you want to
 change, then press Enter.  The palette box
 of colors will be displayed on your screen.
 You can restore the original colors by
 selecting "Restore defaults."
 Keep in mind that any colors you change will
 be lost once you exit Turbo Basic unless you
 save them using the Save Options/Window/Setup
 in the Setup menu.
 Turbo Basic has a number of hotkeys you can
 use no matter where you are in the main menu.
 Two of the most important are probably Esc,
 which takes you back to the main menu, and
 Alt-X, which exits you to DOS.
Function
--------------------------------------------
    Takes you to context-sensitive
    Saves your file
    Creates a new file
    Zooms the active window (only Run
and Edit are zoomable)
'Go on...
Function
------------------------------------------
Switches to the next active
window
Goes to the active window
(in the editor, F7 functions
differently)
Scroll Lock
With the arrow keys, sizes
and moves the active window
Returns you to the main menu
Alt-F5
Zooms the active window at
runtime
Alt-F6
Switches to the next active
window at runtime
'Go on...
    Function
-----------------------------------------
Alt-F9
Toggles between tracing and
executing your program
Alt-F10
When tracing, single-steps to
next line number, label, etc.
Alt-C
Compiles the currently loaded
program
Alt-D
Takes you to the Debug menu
Alt-E
Takes you to the Edit window
'Go on...
 After selecting the Colors option, use the
 arrow keys to move to and select which part
 of the screen you'd like to redefine the
 colors for.
 Any colors you change will be lost once you
 exit Turbo Basic unless you save them using
 the Save Options/Window/Setup in the Setup
 menu.
 For example, use the Right arrow key to move
 to the Edit command from the File command, or
 else just press E from anywhere in the main
 menu. Pressing the Alt key and the letter of
 any of the main menu options will get you to
 the option (or action) desired.
    Function
--------------------------------------------
Alt-F
Takes you to the File menu
Alt-O
Takes you to the Options menu
Alt-R
Runs currently loaded program
Alt-S
Takes you to the Setup menu
Alt-X
Exits the Turbo Basic system
 The File command provides a number of options.
 This is where you'll spend a lot of time--
 naming files, doing saves, writing to disk,
 and more.  Select an option that you want to
 know more about:
 Load
    Save
 Write to
Main file
Directory
 Change dir  OS shell
 Use Load to select a work file to
Compile
 At the prompt, you can enter any legal file
 name.  Choose unique file names and avoid the
 extension names .EXE, .BAK, .COM, and .BAT.
 Pressing Enter after the prompt for a file
 name or entering wildcards (* and ?)  followed
 by Enter will bring up the directory facility.
 Use the arrow keys to move around and then
 press Enter when you reach the file you want.
 The New option erases any text that is
 currently in the editor and gives the
 default name NONAME.BAS to the file.
 Use Save to save your current work file to
 disk.  An old version will be given a .BAK
 extension unless you toggle off the option
 Backup source files (in the Miscellaneous
 pop-up window of the Setup command).
 If you attempt to save a NONAME.BAS work file,
 you are prompted to rename it first.  Pressing
 Enter will save your file as NONAME.BAS.
 Use Save to save your current work file to
 disk.  An old version will be given a .BAK
 extension unless you toggle off the option
 Backup source files (in the Miscellaneous
 pop-up window of the Setup command).
 If you attempt to save a NONAME.BAS work file,
 you are prompted to rename it first.  Pressing
 Enter will save your file as NONAME.BAS.
 After editing, use the Write to option to
 write the current edit file to disk under a
 new name.  You are prompted for a file name
 to write to.
  Miscellaneous Commands con't
  -------------------------------------
  Find
Ctrl-QF
  Find & replace
Ctrl-QA
  Repeat last find
Ctrl-L
  Control character prefix
Ctrl-P
  Abort operation
Ctrl-U
  Restore error message
    Ctrl-QW
'Go on...
  Search Options
  ------------------------------------------
    Searches backwards
    Searches globally
    n = any number; searches n times
    Replaces without asking
    Ignores uppercase/lowercase
    Searches for whole words only
 The Directory option is handy when you
 want to get a directory listing, to search
 subdirectories, and to change the mask on
 the fly.  You can specify a mask using the
 wildcard characters * and ?, following the
 usual DOS rules.
 You can use the arrow keys to move around
 the directory listing and subdirectories.
 Select another directory with the Change dir
 option.  At the prompt, type in the directory
 path that will become your current directory.
 You can use any legal path name.
 As a note, the Executable directory contains
 .EXE and .TBC files generated by the Turbo
 Basic system.  The Include directories
 hold files that contain the Include compiler
 directive.  The Turbo directory file is
 where Turbo Basic expects to find system
 files: TB.EXE, the config files (.TB), and
 the help files (.TBH).
 Choose the OS option when you want to call the
 DOS operating system--Turbo Basic will remain
 resident in memory.  Once DOS has been loaded,
 you can execute any DOS commands.  Type EXIT
 to return to Turbo Basic.
 Use the Quit option to exit from the Turbo
 Basic system to DOS.  If you've modified a
 work file without saving it, you are prompted
 to do so now.  (Alternatively, you can exit
 Turbo Basic by pressing Alt-X from anywhere
 in the menu system.)
 If you're at all familiar with SideKick's
 Notepad, this editor should be a breeze.
 Press E to get into the Edit window and enter
 text just as if you were typing at a
 typewriter.  When you want to end a line,
 simply press the Enter key.  To exit from the
 editor, press Esc.
 The editor's status line indicates the drive,
 name, and extension of the file being edited,
 which line and column number contain the
 cursor, whether you're in Insert or Overwrite
 mode, and whether the auto-indent and tab
 features are on.
'Go on...
 After you finish writing or editing your file,
 press Esc to get back to the main menu.  Your
 file will still be displayed onscreen, but
 you won't be able to do anything to it until
 you press E to return to the editor.
 The next screen gives you a summary of some
 of the most commonly used commands (take a
 look at Chapter 3 in the manual for the more
 complex ones).
'Go on...
  Cursor Movement Commands
  ------------------------------------------
  Character left
Ctrl-S or Left arrow
  Character right
Ctrl-D or Right arrow
  Word left
Ctrl-A
  Word right
Ctrl-F
  Line up
Ctrl-E or Up arrow
  Line down
Ctrl-X or Down arrow
  Scroll up
Ctrl-W
  Scroll down
Ctrl-Z
  Page up
Ctrl-R or PgUp
  Page down
Ctrl-C or PgDn
'Go on...
  Insert & Delete Commands
  ------------------------------------------
  Insert mode on/off
Ctrl-V or Ins
  Insert line
Ctrl-N
  Delete line
Ctrl-Y
  Delete to end of line  Ctrl-QY
  Delete character left  Ctrl-H or Backspace
  Delete character
Ctrl-G or Del
  Delete word right
Ctrl-T
'Go on...
  Block Commands
  -----------------------------------
  Mark block begin
Ctrl-KB or F7
  Mark block end
Ctrl-KK or F8
  Mark single word
Ctrl-KT
  Copy block
Ctrl-KC
  Move block
Ctrl-KV
  Delete block
Ctrl-KY
  Read block from disk  Ctrl-KR
  Write block from disk Ctrl-KW
  Hide/display block
Ctrl-KH
  Print block
Ctrl-KP
'Go on...
  Miscellaneous Commands
  ------------------------------------------
  Quit edit, no save
Ctrl-KD, Ctrl-KQ, or
  Save and edit
    Ctrl-KS or F2
  New file
  Tab
Ctrl-I or Tab
  Tab mode
Ctrl-OT
  Auto indent on/off
Ctrl-OI
  Restore line
Ctrl-QL
  Set place marker
Ctrl-KN
  Find place marker
Ctrl-QN
'Go on...
 Once you open the window of your choice, it
 becomes the active window.  From that point
 on, all other window commands will only affect
 the active window.
 The Close option hides, or makes "invisible,"
 the currently selected window.  Note, however,
 that you can still write to the "closed"
 window.
 Use the Next option to select another window
 as the active window without returning to the
 Open option.  If you press Next repeatedly,
 you'll cycle through the windows.  When you're
 in a window or main menu, pressing the F6 key
 will accomplish the same thing.
 After you've Opened a window, use Goto to
 enter that window without returning to the
 main menu.
 Tiling makes all of the active windows occupy
 an equal portion of the screen.  The F6 key
 switches the active window.
 Stack layers all active windows to the largest
 possible size.  Pressing F6 will bring the
 last screen in the stack to the top of the
 screen.
 The Zoom option zooms to full size the Run
 and Edit windows.  Toggle Zoom again to
 restore your original screen setup.
 The Turbo directory is where Turbo Basic
 expects to find the system files:  TB.EXE,
 the configuration files (.TB), and the help
 file (TBHELP.TBH).
 After selecting this directory, you are
 prompted for a drive and a path.  Type it
 in and then press Enter.
 If you change your mind about the directory
 you've selected and want to reselect, you
 can press Esc any time prior to leaving the
 system box and before pressing Enter.  This
 will return you to the directory selections.
 The Colors option lets you define the colors
 of any window, menu, or system box and their
 respective items by using the arrow keys and
 pressing Enter.
 Any colors you change will be lost once you
 exit Turbo Basic unless you save them using
 the Save Options/Window/Setup in the Setup
 menu.
 The Directories option lets you define a drive
 and path to the three directories used by the
 system:
 Include
for files containing Include
compiler directive
 Executable  for .EXE and .TBC (chain) files
 Turbo
for Turbo Basic system files
 The default directory is whatever directory
 you happen to be in when you start up Turbo
 Basic.
 The Load Options/Window/Setup lets you load
 a .TB file from the Turbo directory and
 reset the system with the parameters in that
 file.  After entering the file name, press
 Enter to have Turbo Basic accept it.
 The Save Options/Window/Setup lets you save
 the current configuration file in a .TB file
 in the Turbo directory.  No matter what
 extension is used, it will be stripped off
 and .TB appended.  The default file name
 TBCONFIG.TB is automatically used at startup.
 The Window option lets you resize and move any
 active environment window using the following
 commands:
 Open
Close
 Tile
Stack
 By default, all environment windows are active
 until closed.
 To move a window, use the Scroll Lock and
 arrow keys; resize using Scroll Lock and the
 Shift and arrow keys.
 To enter a directory name, type the drive name
 and then the directory path: C:\TURBO
 The backslash indicates the path starts from
 the root.
 To enter a subdirectory name for the drive
 you're currently in, type a backslash and
 then the subdirectory name.  To reach the
 subdirectory of another drive, enter the
 complete path name: C:\BASIC\GRAPHICS
'Go on...
 When you're in the palette, you can use the
 arrow keys to move around in the palette box.
 Notice that as you move through each color,
 the item you've selected to change takes on
 the color you're currently positioned on.
 Once you've found a color you like, press
 Enter to accept it and Esc to exit from the
 palette box.
 Any colors you change will be lost once you
 exit Turbo Basic unless you save them using
 the Save Options/Window/Setup in the Setup
 menu.
 You can use a combination of keystrokes to
 resize and move an active environment window
 (the one with the double bars around it).
 To resize a window, first toggle on the Scroll
 Lock key.  Then hold down the Shift key and
 use any of the arrow keys to make the active
 window as large or as small as desired.
 To move a window, again toggle on the Scroll
 Lock key and use any of the arrow keys to
 move the window to a new position onscreen.
 Every subdirectory listing has the . and ..
 special files.  The single period (.)  file
 name identifies the directory being listed
 as a subdirectory.  The double period (..)
 file name refers to the parent of the
 subdirectory.
 There are four environment windows:
  Edit
Message
Trace
 An active window is the one that has a double
 border around it.  You can only have one
 active window at a time.
 You can resize and move these windows or make
 them invisible.  Go to the Window command in
 the main menu to perform these actions or use
 some of the hotkeys available.
 The Trace window lists any program line
 numbers, labels, and procedure and function
 names as your program runs.  To trace your
 program, you can do one of two things:
 1.  You can toggle on Trace in the Debug
command.
 2.  You can place the TRON/TROFF commands
within your program.  Using these commands
in your program overrides the system Trace
switch.
 In the Edit window, you can create and edit
 any of your programs using Turbo Basic's
 built-in screen editor.  Press F5 to Zoom
 the Edit window.
 The Turbo Basic Editor works much like editors
 in the world-at-large (go to the editing help
 screen for the commonly used commands).  If
 you don't name your work file (using the Load
 command in the Files pull-down menu), the
 default file name NONAME.BAS will be assigned.
 The Message window acts as a program status
 window.
 After compiling a program, the window will
 display the total number of lines and
 statements in the program, and the amount of
 free space left.
 After running a program, the Message window
 shows in hexadecimal the size of the code
 segments, the stack, and the data area of the
 generated program.
 The Run window simply displays your program
 output.  You can Zoom the Run window prior
 to running your program by pressing F5.  To
 Zoom the window while running your program,
 press Alt-F5.
 After you've run your program, you can also
 pan the contents of the Run window. Notice
 that the Run window is the active window
 (it has a double border). Press F7 to go to
 it and then use the arrow keys to move left,
 right, up, or down to review the window's
 contents.
 Toggle on Backup source files to automatically
 back up (append the extension .BAK to) your
 files.  Toggle it off when you don't want to
 create a backup file each time you do a save.
 When working with large programs, you may need
 or choose to break the source into manageable
 sections.  Used in conjunction with $INCLUDE
 metastatements, the Main file selection lets
 you compile multiple source file programs.
 The source module defined as the Main file
 should be the one with the $INCLUDE directive.
 To edit any module of the program, always make
 it the currently loaded file.
 After you select the Compile option from the
 main menu, Turbo Basic determines whether the
 current work file is different from the Main
 file.
!Go on...
 If the files are not different (or if Main
 file has not been selected), then the file
 is compiled.  If the files are different,
 you are prompted to save the work file (if
 it has changed), and then the Main file is
 loaded into memory.
 If any errors are found during compilation,
 the file containing the error is loaded so
 that you can correct it.  Once the error has
 been corrected and compilation restarted, you
 are prompted to save the work file and the
 Main file is then reloaded.
 Turbo Basic's character set includes A to Z,
 a to z, and 0 to 9.  The numbers 0 to 9; the
 symbols ., +, and -; and the letters E, e, D,
 and d can all be used to form numeric
 constants.
 These symbols have specific meaning in Turbo
 Basic:
 Symbol
Function
 ----------------------------------------------
assignment operator
addition and string concatenation
operator
'Go on...
 Symbol
Function
 ------------------------------------------
subtraction and negation operator
multiplication operator
division operator
integer division operator
exponentiation operator
integer-type declaration operator
long-integer-type declaration
character and nondecimal base
descriptor
single-precision-type declaration
character
'Go on...
 Symbol
Function
 ------------------------------------------
double-precision-type declaration
character
string type declaration character
and metastatement prefix
function/procedure arguments,
arrays, expression prioritizing
valid only for arrays
(space) separator
all-purpose delimiter
decimal point and file name
extension separator
'Go on...
 Symbol
Function
 ------------------------------------
remark delimiter
all-purpose delimiter
statement delimiter
PRINT substitute
relational operator
relational operator
string delimiter
line continuation character
%Topic menu
 When your compiler begins executing or when a
 generated .EXE file starts executing, it will
 actually search the environment variable space
 for these variables.
 Though you don't need to set these variables,
 they're available if you need them.  If you
 choose not to set them, the current directory
 searches for files, creating temporary ones
 in which to store to default variables.
  Once you've written and compiled your
  program, use Run to execute it.
  Ctrl-Break interrupts your program and
  returns to the main menu.  Note, however,
  that this only works if you've toggled on
  the Keyboard break option in the Options
  menu.
'Go on...
  When an error occurs, you're placed in the
  editor at the point of error.  An error
  description appears on the status line;
  correct the error and then recompile.
  If you've made changes to the source, when
  recompiling your program, the Message
  window will show in increments of 20 the
  number of lines and statements processed.
  The Run window shows your program's output;
  while running it, use Alt-F5 to Zoom this
  window.
  The Compile command compiles the currently
  loaded program.  Set the Compile to switch
  in the Options menu to compile to an .EXE
  file, to a .TBC file, or to memory (the
  default).
  If a Main file is not specified, then the
  loaded file is compiled.  If you select Main
  file, you are prompted to save the current
  work file.
'Go on...
  When compiling, the number of lines and
  statements processed are recorded in the
  Message window.
  When an error occurs, you are placed in the
  editor at the point of error.  The status
  line displays the error's description;
  correct your file and recompile.
 Enter the size of the receive buffer for your
 communications port (1 or 2).  The minimum is
 0; the maximum is 32767; the default is 256.
 Use the $COMn metastatement in programs to
 allocate space for either of the two serial
 receive buffers.
 Use the Stack size option to enter a new
 stack size within the interval 1024 to 32K
 (400 Hex to 7FFE Hex).  The default size is
 1024 bytes (one paragraph equals 16 bytes).
 Enter the size of the background music buffer.
 When you're not using the SOUND or PLAY
 statements, set this to zero so your resulting
 code will be smaller.
 The minimum is 0; the maximum is 4096 notes;
 the default is 32 notes (or 256 bytes; 1 note
 equals 8 bytes).The $SOUND metastatement
 can also be used to declare the buffer's
 capacity.
 You can use the Communications option to
 specify the size of the receive buffer for
 your communications port (1 or 2).  The
 minimum is 0; the maximum is 32767; the
 default is 256.  Use the $COMn metastatement
 in some programs to allocate space for either
 serial receive buffer.
 Compiling to memory produces the fastest
 results when you're in a development
 environment.  So use this setting when
 you're debugging and testing your program.
 The EXE setting is usually used after you've
 already debugged your program.  It creates
 files that are runnable from the operating
 system.  The file extension .EXE is appended
 to these files.
 Use this setting when you want to produce
 files that can be chained or run from a Turbo
 Basic-created .EXE file.  These files do not
 include library routines and thus cannot be
 run independently.  The files produced with
 this option have the extension .TBC appended
 to their names.
 When compiling a program, you can choose from
 three different file settings:
 Memory
EXE file
Chain
 Use the arrow keys to move to the desired
 option or press the key that corresponds to
 that option.
 Turn on the 8087 required option when you're
 using an 8087 coprocessor chip for program
 execution.  When you have this option on,
 Turbo Basic generates the best possible code
 for floating-point operations, both fast and
 compact, using inline 8087 statements.  The
 disadvantage is that a program generated with
 this option on won't run on a machine without
 an 8087.
 With the 8087 option off (the default),
 programs can go both ways; that is, if an
 8087 is available, the program will use it.
 If not, the program will use software routines
 to accomplish the same thing (only slower).
 Turn on the keyboard break option in order to
 stop a program with a Ctrl-Break sequence.
 (This only applies to Ctrl-Break, not Ctrl-C).
 Keep in mind that Ctrl-Break doesn't take
 effect until your program outputs text (not
 graphics) to the screen or printer or performs
 keyboard input.  What this means is that you
 cannot interrupt sequences that don't perform
 I/O.
 Toggle on the Auto save edit option in the
 Setup menu so that your program is saved
 automatically in case you crash or hang.
 Toggle on Bounds to get the compiler to
 generate array subscript-checking code.
 Subscript-checking code ensures that a
 subscript is appropriate (given the size of
 the array it is to be used on) before reading
 or writing the indicated element.  With Bounds
 checking on, a subscript range error (error 9)
 is reported whenever your program attempts to
 use a subscript too large or too small for a
 given array.
 Note that the compiler always reports constant
 out-of-range subscripts.
 Compile your program with the Overflow option
 on in order to detect the generation of any
 overflow errors.  Overflow occurs when an
 arithmetic operation produces a value beyond
 the storage capacity of integers (-32,768 to
 +32,767).
 Turning off this option can cause the
 assignment of an erroneous value(s).
 Overflow checking occurs for integers, long
 integers, or either of the floating-point
 types (single precision and double precision);
 however, integers have some exceptions (for
 example, register calculations).
 When compiling, toggle on Stack test if you
 suspect your programs are running out of stack
 space.  This switch causes Turbo Basic to
 generate code that checks for stack collisions
 upon entry to each subroutine, function, or
 procedure.
 If you want to allocate more stack space, use
 the $STACK metastatement.
 Select Parameter line to get Turbo Basic to
 prompt for the string that the COMMAND$
 function returns the next time a program is
 run.  Type in your string and press Enter to
 accept it.
 This option lets you simulate command line
 information to help you in debugging programs
 from within Turbo Basic.
 Metastatements control the compiler at compile
 time (different from standard statements,
 which control the program at runtime).  Called
 compiler directives, they always begin with a
 dollar sign ($).  Note, however, that your
 source program can override these settings.
 You can control three metastatements through
 this option:
 Stack size
redefines the stack
 Music buffer
determines the size of
the background music buffer
 Communications
changes the allocation of
each serial receive buffer
 Use the Trace option to globally set program
 tracing.  You can override this switch with
 embedded TRON and TROFF statements.
 The Trace window will display statement
 labels, line numbers, and procedure and
 function names.
 Use the key combo of Alt-F9 to toggle between
 tracing and executing your program.  Alt-F10
 single-steps to the next line number, label,
 and so on.
 Find errors in your .EXE and .TBC files by
 using this option; no messages are given in
 these cases.  Note, however, that when you're
 running a program within the Turbo Basic
 system, the following is automatic:
 1.  Enter the program counter value in the box
provided. Turbo Basic finds the correspond-
ing point in your source code and places
the cursor on the statement of error.
 2.  When a run-time error occurs, Turbo Basic
tells you the error number and its value
in the processor's program counter at the
time of error.
Go on ...
 The window you've selected is now the "active"
 window (note the double border around it).
 From now on, all other window commands will
 affect this window.
 If the selected window had been closed, it
 will be created and will be brought to the
 screen, or made "visible" again.
 Environment variables are variables that
 actually override compiler and/or program
 options, and are determined by using the SET
 command in DOS.  You may want to use these
 variables if you have some special hardware
 needs or if you're a developer who needs a
 dynamic environment.
 Environment variables affect the entire
 environment in which a program is executed.
 So once you set a variable, it's in effect
 until you reset it to another value or turn
 off your machine.
'Go on...
 If you find yourself consistently setting
 these values one way, you may want to enter
 the SET command into a batch file or into your
 AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
 Turbo Basic's environment variables allow you
 to override compiler and run-time options for
 8087 support and Color/Graphics Adapter "snow"
 checking.
'Go on...
 The following example sets up an environment
 for 8087 use by typing at the DOS prompt
 SET 87=yes
 where yes means you have an 8087; no means
 even if you have an 8087, don't use it.  The
 default setting is yes.
 For CGA snow-checking, you could type
 SET CGASNOWCHK=no
 where no doesn't do snow-checking and yes does
 snow-checking.
Go on...
 After selecting the Include directories,
 you are prompted for a drive and a path.
 Type it in and then press Enter.  You can
 enter multiple directories in this option
 by separating them with semicolons:
  C:\TB; C:\DOS
 If you change your mind about the directory
 you've selected and want to reselect, you can
 press Esc any time prior to leaving the system
 box and before pressing Enter.  This will
 return you to the directory selections.
 After selecting the Executable directory, you
 are prompted for a drive and a path.  Type it
 in and then press Enter.
 If you change your mind about the directory
 you've selected and want to reselect, you can
 press Esc any time prior to leaving the system
 box and before pressing Enter.  This will
 return you to the directory selections.
 Toggle on Auto save edit when you want to
 automatically save your current work file
 before Running a program.
 Toggle on Backup source files to automatically
 back up (append the extension .BAK to) your
 files.  Toggle it off when you don't want to
 create a backup file each time you do a
 Save.
 The Miscellaneous option offers you access to
 two handy options:
 Auto save edit
Backup source files
 The Options command provides a number of
 compile options that when chosen will have a
 global effect.  These options control the
 entire compilation unless overridden by
 internal source program metastatements.
 Compile to
8087 required
 Keyboard break
Bounds
 Overflow
Stack test
 Parameter line
Metastatements
 The Setup command offers several options that
 allow you to either inspect any of the setup
 parameters, alter them, or permanently record
 the current configuration in a .TB file.
 Colors
Directories
 Miscellaneous
Load Options/Window/Setup
 Save Options/Window/Setup
 Use Debug when you're trying to debug
 your programs.  It offers these valuable
 options:
 Trace
    Run-time error
 By recompiling, Turbo Basic calculates the
 point in a source program that corresponds to
 a run-time address in an executable program.
 Metastatements are compiler directives that
 operate at a different level than regular
 language statements, controlling the behavior
 of the compiler at compile time.  All
 metastatements always begin with a dollar sign
 ($).  Turbo Basic's metastatements include:
 $COM
$INLINE
 $DYNAMIC
$SEGMENT
 $EVENT
$SOUND
 $IF/$ELSE/$ENDIF
$STACK
 $INCLUDE
$STATIC
 $COM
Syntax: $COMn size
 Allocates space for the serial port receive
 buffer.  The default is 256.  n indicates the
 communications adapter and size is an integer
 constant defining the capacity of the buffer
 for that adapter.
 $DYNAMIC
Syntax: $DYNAMIC
 Declares default array allocation to be
 dynamic.  $DYNAMIC takes no argument.
 $EVENT
Syntax: $EVENT {ON|OFF}
 Controls generation of event-trapping code.
 $IF/$ELSE/$ENDIF
Syntax: $IF const
... statements
[$ELSE
... statements]
$ENDIF
 Define portions of a source program to skip
 or compile.  const is a named constant or
 constant value.  If const is nonzero (True),
 then the statements between $IF and $ENDIF
 are compiled and the statements between
 $ELSE and $ENDIF are not. The $ELSE clause
 is optional, but $ENDIF is required.
 Conditional compilation statements can be
 nested 256 deep.
 $INCLUDE
Syntax: $INCLUDE filespec literal
 Includes a text file.  Use it to compile the
 text of another file along with the current
 file.  The $INCLUDE mechanism causes the
 compiler to treat the included file as though
 it were physically present in the original
 text.
 $INLINE
 Syntax: $INLINE [byte list]|[filespec literal]
 Declares inline machine code in an inline
 subprocedure.
 $SEGMENT
Syntax:  $SEGMENT
 Declares a new code segment.  Use this
 to break up your source program when
 the compiler reports that the 64K segment
 limitation has been exceeded.
 $SOUND
Syntax: $SOUND buffer size
 Declares the capacity of the background
 buffer.  buffer size is a numeric constant,
 indicating the capacity of the PLAY
 statement's background buffer (1 to 4096
 notes).
 $STACK
Syntax: $STACK count
 Declares the size of the run-time stack.
 count is a numeric constant from 1024 to 32K.
 The default is 1024 bytes (400H).
 $STATIC
Syntax: $STATIC
 Declares the default array allocation to be
 static.  $STATIC takes no arguments.  Space
 for static arrays is allocated at compile
 time.
 There are two types of errors in Turbo Basic:
 compile-time and run-time.  Compile-time
 errors are errors in syntax (missing symbols,
 misspelled commands, etc.)  discovered by the
 compiler.  Run-time errors are anomalies
 caught by error-detection mechanisms the
 compiler places in your executable programs.
 If a compile-time error occurs, you are placed
 in the editor, with the cursor positioned at
 the point of error.  You only need correct the
 error and recompile.  Turbo Basic lists the
 error number and a brief description of the
 error.  Compiler errors have error codes of
 256 and above.
Go on...
 Run-time errors occur when a compiled program
 is executed.  They can include file-system
 errors, improper function calls, memory
 errors, and a myriad of other problems.
 If a run-time error occurs in a program you're
 executing from within Turbo Basic, you'll also
 be placed at the point of error.  A run-time
 error occurring in a program run from DOS will
 simply be displayed in numeric form (not
 text).
 Refer to the ON ERROR and ERROR statements
 and the ERR, ERL, and ERADR functions for
 information about run-time error trapping.
 The program structure of a line of Turbo Basic
 source text consists of the following:
 [linenumber] statement[:statement]...['comment]
 label:
 $metastatement
'Go on...
 linenumber is an integer in the range 0 to
 65535.
 statements are the building blocks that make
 up programs.  A line can contain none, one, or
 several statements, each separated by a colon.
 comment can be any text added to the end of a
 line and separated from the program itself by
 a single quote (').  REM can also be used as
 a comment delimiter.
'Go on...
 label must appear on a line by itself, and
 serves to identify the statement immediately
 following it.  Labels must begin with a
 letter and be followed by a colon.  It can
 contain any number of letters and digits.
 $metastatements are statements that operate
 at a different level than standard statements,
 controlling the compiler at compile time.
 They are called compiler directives, and must
 always begin with a dollar sign ($).
 Unlike Interpretive BASIC, Turbo Basic doesn't
 always round the fractional part of a number
 up.  Turbo Basic treats in a special manner
 any number containing a 5 in its fractional
 part.  The number is always rounded toward the
 closest even number.  For example, 0.5 would
 be rounded down to 0; 9.005 would be rounded
 down to 9.00.
 When you save data, you are creating a file
 that can be used for input or output.  A file
 name consists of two parts, separated by a
 period:
 filename.ext
 where filename can be from one to eight
 characters, and ext is an optional type
 extension of up to three characters.  If a
 file name is longer than eight characters,
 Turbo Basic truncates the name and adds a
 period at its end.  An extension name longer
 than three characters is also truncated.
'Go on...
 File names and extensions can contain the
 following characters:
 A-Z  0-9  ( ) { } @ # % ^ & ! - _ ' / ~
 The space character cannot be used and
 lowercase letters are automatically converted
 into uppercase.
 File names in Turbo Basic statements must be
 in string form; for example:
 KILL "MYFILE.BAK"