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First Edition (January, 1990) (c) 1990 Excess-3/(Gh), All rights reserved including those to reproduce this manual and software parts thereof in any form without first obtaining written permission from Excess-3. This manual may contain technical errors or typographical errors. Every effort has been made to keep all relevant information up to date and as accurate as possible. Changes to the contents of this manual will be incorporated in future releases. Berlinetta is a copyright of Excess-3 and author Mohsen Al-Ghosein. Microsoft, GW-BASIC, QuickBASIC, MS-DOS are all trademarks of Microsoft Inc. BERLINETTA BASIC User Guide Version 1.0 Copyright 1990 Excess-3/(Gh). All rights reserved. Excess-3 TEL (818) 962-0060 FAX (818) 960-4969 =============================================================================== Table Of Contents 1. Copyright notice 2. Introduction 3. Installation 4. Sample session 4.1 Command line format 4.2 Using the editor 4.3 Writing a program 5. Syntax 6. Concepts 6.1 Background processing 6.2 Low level interface 6.3 File handling 6.4 Memory management 6.5 Screen management 7. Command reference 8. Appendices 8.1 Differences between BERLINETTA & GW-Basic (tm) ============================================================================== 2. INTRODUCTION BERLINETTA BASIC: A Resident BASIC Interpreter This TSR interpreter works on the push of a button allowing inexperienced users to create sophisticated memory resident applications without having to learn about the PC DOS & memory architecture. Advanced programmers can create very specialized applications that can even run in the background and control DOS tasks or display information in windows or use menus...etc APPLICATIONS: 1. Resident Programs: Available at the press of a button these include: - Calculators - File Managers - Note Programs - Calendars - Monitors (Memory mons., Port Mons., Device Mons...etc) 2. Background Applications: Programmers can design applications that run in the background with optionally displaying information in windows or directly on screen, or even give DOS programs key strokes. Examples: - On Screen Clocks - Background Communications - Printer Queuing - Keyboard Macros - Appointments & P.I.M. - Time or Date Alarms - As a sophisticated example, a background task can monitor the network server for the presence of a particular file and call a General Ledger to update an entry from AP or AR. - Monitoring ports (cash registers or bar readers) for special conditions. A user can set an alarm when the modem gets dialed to for example. 3. Application Development: 'BB' is interpreted which means that it provides a very easy and user friendly user environment for program development. Changes to the program are immediately reflected without the need to re-compile or re-assemble. Single Stepping and debugging are very easy. 4. Expression Evaluation Users can write small pieces of code that they use most frequently (Calculate next payment on mortgage or loan) and have them available from within their applications at the press of a button. Dynamic evaluation of expressions means that you can also use 'BB' as a very powerful calculator. BERLINETTA BASIC is a Copyright of Excess-3 & Author Mohsen Al-Ghosein. All Rights Are Reserved. ============================================================================== 3. INSTALLATION Berlinetta comes on a 5.25" 360K diskette. The contents of the diskette are as follows: File Remarks ___________________________________________________________ BB.COM Berlinetta BASIC Interpreter ALARM.BAS Alarm & time & date sample code KEYMAC.BAS Keyboard macro utility sample code GAME.BAS Sample TSR game FILEMAN.BAS Small file manager TSR SCRDMP.BAS A TSR to dump screen to a file Before you proceed with the installation process, it is advisable to make a working copy of Berlinetta for backup purposes. You are allowed only to make one copy for personal use. To install Berlinetta on your hard disk (e.g. C:), ■ Make a subdirectory called 'BB' (C:\>MD \BB) ■ Copy all files from the Berlinetta distribution disk to the sub- directory (C:\>COPY A:*.* C:\BB) You are now ready to proceed with using Berlinetta ============================================================================== 4. SAMPLE SESSION 4.1 COMMAND LINE FORMAT To start Berlinetta, you have to change to the directory in which Berlinetta was installed (e.g. C:\BB). The command line format is as follows: C:\BB>BB [-] [mXXXX] The square brackets '[]' represent optional parameters. Since Berlinetta is a memory resident program, the program initially only initializes the workspace, allocate all necessary memory, and then terminate and stays resident. The actual interpreter is only active when the key combination is pressed. To Un-install Berlinetta from memory: C:\BB>BB - This removes Berlinetta from memory and restores all memory allocated. The "m" command line parameter specifies the amount of additional Pool Memory required for Berlinetta. The value specified in "XXXX" is an actual decimal number between 1 and 30000. Example: C:\BB>BB m20000 This command loads Berlinetta, and specifies that additional memory of 20000 bytes is to be allocated from program and data areas. This feature is very unique to .COM and .EXE DOS files since all DOS programs have to declare the amount of memory used prior to installation. Berlinetta on the other hand, can allocate memory only as required with the advanced Berlinetta memory manager. For more details about memory allocation consult section 6.4 (Memory Management). After Berlinetta is installed a message similar to the following is displayed: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ BERLINETTA BASIC TSR Interpreter v1.0, 01/04/1990 │ │ Hot Key: <CTRL> + <Right Shift> │ │ (C) 1990 Excess-3/(Gh). All Rights Reserved │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ============================================================================== 4.2 USING THE EDITOR After Berlinetta becomes resident in memory, it can be activated at any time by pressing the control keys <CTRL> and <RIGHTSHIFT> simultaneously. The Berlinetta window pops up displaying a copyright message at the top left corner of the screen. The cursor is shown as a highlight that can be moved using the cursor keys. ■ To add a BASIC line just type the line number followed by the code corresponding to that line. ■ To delete a line just type the line number and press enter (no code). ■ If you type a command without a preceding line number, the command is executed. ■ While using the editor, the following keys are utilized: ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │Key Function │ │-----------------------------------------------------------------------│ │^C Clear the screen (CLS) │ │^R Start execution of current program (RUN) │ │^L Display a listing of the current program (LIST) │ │ Use PGUP & PGDN to browse the source, press │ │ <ESC> to stop the listing │ │^W Resize the window & Redraw it for programs that │ │ change the size of the window │ │ESC Go back to DOS or application, the background of │ │ the Berlinetta window is restored │ │PGUP Move cursor to top left corner of the screen │ │PGDN Move cursor to bottom left corner of the screen │ │DEL Delete character under the cursor │ │HOME Go to left of current line │ │END Go to end of current line │ │^C Stop execution of program (if program is running) │ │ │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ■ For programs that specify ENTRY_EXEC (Execution on entry), you may have to un- install Berlinetta, and install it again to load the code and change the source code. ============================================================================== 4.3 WRITING A PROGRAM In this section, a sample program that reads two numbers and prints out the result. ■ Start Berlinetta, and pop it up using the Hot Keys ■ Type in the following program: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 10 CLS │ │ 20 PRINT "Enter Your Name: " ; │ │ 30 INPUT n$ │ │ 40 PRINT "Hello " ; │ │ 50 PRINT n$ │ │ 60 PRINT "First #: " ; │ │ 70 INPUT x │ │ 80 PRINT "Second #: " ; │ │ 90 INPUT y │ │ 100 PRINT "The sum is: " ; │ │ 110 z = x + y │ │ 120 PRINT z │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Note that the commands can be entered in either upper or lower case. Also Note that variable names must have a space before and after them, eg. 100 a= a +b is incorrect syntax 100 a = a + b is correct syntax Now type 'RUN' at the prompt, and the program will execute. ============================================================================== 5. SYNTAX This section presents a brief overview of Berlinetta's Syntax: ■ Data Types Berlinetta has only two data types: Integers are two byte variables that can represent unsigned values between 0 and 65535 ( 0 and @FFFF hexadecimal). Unlike languages like 'C', and integer variable can hold the address of another variable (a pointer), or can be a file handle (FILE). String variables are followed by a dollar sign "$", and hold up to 80 bytes of string data. Both integer and string variables can have a maximum of two letters for the variable name with the first one having to be alpha-numeric. ■ Constants Integer constants are specified as either a decimal number or as a hexadecimal number. A hexadecimal constant is preceded by the '@' character. Example: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 10 a = 65535 │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ is equivalent to ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 10 a = @FFFF │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ String constants are represented by a literal string between quotation marks. ■ Expressions Berlinetta has a simple syntax designed for optimizing its performance and efficiency. The following rules apply for Berlinetta's expressions: 1. Only variable assignment can have an operator as part of the syntax ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 10 a = b + c │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ 2. No more than one operator can be placed in a single expression ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 10 a = c + b / d │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Is wrong and might produce erroneous results. 3. Command and function parameters are either constants or variables only ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 10 a = GETCHAR( x , 5 ) │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ■ Operators ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ + a + b │ │ Adds two integers │ │ │ │ - a - b │ │ Subtracts two integers │ │ │ │ * a * b │ │ Multiplies two integers │ │ │ │ / a / b │ │ Divides two integers │ │ │ │ & a & b │ │ Bitwise and two integers │ │ │ │ | a | b │ │ Bitwise or two integers │ │ │ │ << a << b │ │ Return the value of 'a' shifted left 'b' bits │ │ │ │ >> a >> b │ │ Returns the value of 'a' shifted right 'b' bits │ │ │ │ COMP COMP( a ) │ │ Returns ones compliment of 'a' │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ============================================================================== 6. CONCEPTS 6.1 BACKGROUND PROCESSING One of the unique features of Berlinetta is the capability to develop applications that run in the background while other DOS applications continue running in the foreground. Three commands relate directly to background processing. ■ SET TICKS n Sets the number of clock ticks required before next execution of a Berlinetta program. 18 Clock ticks happen every second. In other words, setting the number of TICKS to 36 instructs Berlinetta to execute a specified program once every two seconds provided that the program enables background processing with PROC_BACK. ■ PROC_BACK This command instructs Berlinetta to go back to DOS. Execution resumes every n clock ticks specified using the SET command. If a line number is specified in the command, execution begins at the specified line. ■ BACK_OFF Stops background processing mode. The following program illustrates a simple background processing clock that displays the time on the top right corner of the screen. For more sophisticated background processing examples see the included programs. ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 10 SET TICKS 18 │<--- Execute very second │ 20 ALOCATE 72 , 0 │<--- Set cursor to 74, 0 │ 30 PRINT TIME$() │<--- Print current time │ 40 PROC_BACK 20 │<--- Go back & re-enter └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ============================================================================== 6.2 LOW LEVEL INTERFACE Berlinetta hosts a number of low level access features. These features provide programmers with full bitwise operations, access to the I/O ports, the entire 1MB segment of memory, and intel 8086 software interrupts (for DOS, BIOS, and applications). Low level operators provide bitwise operations such as bitwise and '&'. The commands relating to low level operations are: ┌────────────────────┐ │ POKE │ │ PEEK │ │ POKEB │ │ PEEKB │ │ INT86 │ │ INT86X │ │ IN │ │ OUT │ │ SET R_.. │ └────────────────────┘ ============================================================================== 6.3 FILE & DIRECTORY HANDLING Files are operated on using file handles. The application obtains a file handle when it opens a file for writing or reading, or when creating a new file. Berlinetta handles file I/O in a manner similar to C. ■ FGETC and FPUTC use a sequential mode of file operations. ■ FSEEK moves the file pointer to specific locations. ■ FREAD, and FWRITE dump record buffers to files. ■ FCREATE create a new file. ■ FOPEN opens a file for reading, writing, or both. ■ FPRINT prints formatted data to a file. ■ FEOF checks for the end of the file. ■ FDEL deletes a file. ■ FREN renames a file. ■ MKDIR makes a new directory. ■ RMDIR removes a directory. ■ CHDIR changes to a specific directory. ■ FEXIST, and DIREXIST check for presence of files or directories. ============================================================================== 6.4 MEMORY MANAGEMENT One of Berlinetta's most unique features is the ability to dynamically allocate and release (free) memory. Programs can request buffers to be allocated dynamically for use with file I/O for example. The next diagram provides a view of Berlinetta's memory architecture: ┌────────────────┐ │ │ │ OTHER │ │ │ │────────────────│ │ Variables │ │────────────────│ │ Interpreter │ │────────────────│ │ Memory Pool │ │────────────────│ │ DOS │ └────────────────┘ When Berlinetta is loaded, only 1000 bytes of Memory Pool space. If the mXXXX command line parameter is provided , more memory is allocated as required. The memory pool is used by the editor to allocate storage for newly added lines. Each line occupies 80 bytes of memory so if you have an application that is to use 100 lines it is required that you start Berlinetta with a memory pool size of at least 8000 bytes (BB m8000). In addition a program may request the system for dynamic memory using the Alloc call. This provides programs with C like dynamic buffer management. It is highly recommended that you load Berlinetta with a large memory block (e.g. 25000 bytes) , and develop your application. After the program is developed, only the memory required by the program and its buffers needs to be allocated for Berlinetta saving memory for other DOS applications. ============================================================================== 6.5 SCREEN MANAGEMENT Berlinetta provides a full set of character screen management functions and commands. These provide capabilities to: ■ Print Integers and strings PRINT ■ Print hexadecimal values PRINT HEX$( n ) ■ Put characters directly to the screen PUTCHAR ■ Write attributes to the screen PUTATTR ■ Read characters from the screen GETCHAR ■ Read attributes from the screen GETCHAR ■ Save portions of the screen to a buffer WSAVE ■ Restore memory from buffer WLOAD ■ Control the system window parameters SET ============================================================================== 7. COMMAND REFERENCE ALLOC FUNCTION FORMAT p = ALLOC(n) Allocate n bytes, and return pointer to allocated memory. If no memory is available, a value of zero is returned. 1. =============================================================================== BEEP COMMAND FORMAT BEEP Make a beep sound. This function uses the BIOS PRINT CHR(7) routine. 2. =============================================================================== BOXTYPE COMMAND FORMAT BOXTYPE n Change BOX type for next box to be redrawn. The available box types are: n = 0 ------------> Single Line Box n = 1 ------------> Double Line Box n = 2 ------------> Block Box Note that CLS actually draws a box around the screen, and should be treated like a draw box command. 3. =============================================================================== COMINIT FUNCTION FORMAT a = COMINIT(p,b,t,s,w) Initialize COM port 'p' to baud rate 'b', parity 't', stop bits 's', and word length 'w'. The actual parameter options are: p = 0 to 3. b = 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, or 9600 bits per second. t = 0 for no parity, 1 for even parity, 3 for odd parity. s = 0 for 1 stop bit, and 1 for 2 stop bits. w = 0 for 7 bit word length, 1 for 8 bit word length. Returns the COM port Line Status. See Appendix 4. =============================================================================== COMGETC FUNCTION FORMAT a = COMGETC(p) Get a character from port 'p' and returns it. To check status of COM port, use function COMSTATUS(p). 5. =============================================================================== COMPUTC FUNCTION COMPUTC(p,c) Put character 'c' to port 'p'. It returns the line status of the port. 6. =============================================================================== COMPUTS FUNCTION FORMAT COMPUTS(p,s) Copy string 's' to COM port 'p'. It returns the line status of port 'p'. 7. =============================================================================== COMSTAT FUNCTION FORMAT COMSTAT(p) Return the line status of COM port 'p'. 8. =============================================================================== COMP FUNCTION FORMAT a = COMP(n) Return one's compliment of 'n'. 9. =============================================================================== CHDIR FUNCTION FORMAT a = CHDIR(str) Change directory to string 'str'. If a zero is returned, then the function was successful, otherwise a value of 65535 (@FFFF) is returned. 10. =============================================================================== CHR$ FUNCTION FORMAT b$ = CHR$(n) Return a string representing character ASCII 'n'. 11. =============================================================================== CLS COMMAND FORMAT CLS Clear BERLINETTA's Window, and reset the cursor position to the top left corner of the window. 12. =============================================================================== DATA COMMAND FORMAT DATA [int const] | [str const] .... Store data items for use by the READ command. 13. =============================================================================== DATE$ FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = DATE$() Return today's date in month/day/year format. The date can be set by using the BIOS setup routine. 14. =============================================================================== DEBUG COMMAND FORMAT DEBUG on/off Enable or disable the BERLINETTA Source Code Debugger. See 'DEBUGGING' for details. 15. =============================================================================== DBOX COMMAND FORMAT DBOX x1,y1,x2,y2 Draw a box with corners at (x1,y1) for the top left, and (x2,y2) as the bottom right corner. The box line type is determined by the BOXTYPE command. Note that the DBOX command uses absolute (Screen) coordinates. 16. =============================================================================== DVAL FUNCTION FORMAT a = DVAL(str$) Return the date value of a particular string. The date value is required for comparing dates. Example: 10 d$ = DATE$ 20 dv = DVAL( d$ ) 30 lm = DVAL("12/22") 40 IF dv > lm THEN 60 50 STOP 60 PRINT "Date Alarm Active....!!!!!" 17. =============================================================================== DIREXIST FUNCTION FORMAT a = DIREXIST(str$) Returns TRUE (1) is the directory exists, and FALSE (0) is it doesn't exist. 18. =============================================================================== ERASEWINDOW COMMAND FORMAT ERASEWINDOW Restore the system window's background from the background buffer. This command is used when the actual starting position or dimensions of the system windows are changed. To actually redraw the system window, two commands must be used: REDRAW, and CLS respectively. Example 10 ERASEWINDOW 20 SET WINDOWX 5 30 SET WIDTH 40 40 REDRAW 50 CLS 19. =============================================================================== ENTRY_EXEC COMMAND FORMAT ENTRY_EXEC Enable automatic execution when the Berlinetta control keys are pressed 20. =============================================================================== FOR COMMAND FORMAT FOR n = start TO end Initialize variable 'n' to 'start' and start a loop to 'end'. The loop is executed when a NEXT n command is issued. 21. =============================================================================== FLAGS SET / GET PARAMETER FORMAT SET FLAGS n a = GET( FLAGS ) Provides access to the flags register. 22. =============================================================================== FCOLOR SET / GET PARAMETER FORMAT SET FCOLOR n a = GET( FCOLOR ) Provides access to the system window color. Example SET FCOLOR @47 Sets the window color to white on red 23. =============================================================================== FCREATE FUNCTION FORMAT h = FCREATE(str$) Create file 'str$'. A File handle is returned that can be used to close, open, or write to the file. If the file cannot be created a zero value is returned as the handle. 24. =============================================================================== FOPEN FUNCTION FORMAT h = FOPEN(str$,mode$) Open file str$ and return handle of the file to read, write, seek, or close. The mode$ specifies what the file is opened for: mode$ = "r" Open file for reading only mode$ = "w" Open file for write only mode$ = "rw" Open file for read and write Example fp = FOPEN("sys$cfg","rw") 25. =============================================================================== FCLOSE FUNCTION FORMAT a = FCLOSE(n) Close file with handle 'n', and flush all I/O Buffers associated with the file. Further use of the file handle is not possible. 26. =============================================================================== FDEL FUNCTION FORMAT f[ = FDEL ( str$ ) Delete file with the name 'str$'. 27. =============================================================================== FREN COMMAND FORMAT FREN f1$ f2$ Rename file 'f1$' to 'f2$' 28. =============================================================================== FPRINT COMMAND FORMAT FPRINT fp, string expression FPRINT fp, integer expression Print a string or a value to a file. If the value to be printed is an integer then the actual value is stored not the string representing the value. To store the value as a string use the function 'STR$' to convert the integer to a string, and then use FPRINT. 29. =============================================================================== FINPUT COMMAND FORMAT FINPUT fp, a FINPUT fp, b$ Read an integer or string from file pointed to by handle 'fp'. Integer input expects the byte value of the integer and not it's string representation. 30. =============================================================================== FSEEK FUNCTION FORMAT a = FSEEK( fp , mode , offset ) This function sets / returns the offset within a file pointed to by file handle 'fp'. The movement of the pointer depends on 'mode': If mode = 0 then move relative to beginning of file If mode = 1 then move relative to the current position If mode = 2 then move relative to the end of file This function is very versatile since it can be used to position the file pointer, return the current position, or determine the file size: Examples: ■ To determine the size of a file pointed to by handle 'fp': s = FSEEK( fp , 2 , 0 ) ; Point to end of file and return offset b = FSEEK( fp , 0 , 0 ) ; Point back to beginning of file ■ To access record 'n' in a file pointed to by 'fp' when the record size is 80 bytes: p = n * 80 ; Get position of record a = FSEEK( fp , 0 , p ) ; Point to the record ■ To determine the current position: p = FSEEK( fp , 1 , 0 ) In all of the previous cases, FSEEK always returns the new offset. 31. =============================================================================== FEOF FUNCTION FORMAT a = FEOF( fp ) Returns TRUE if the file pointer in file 'fp' is at the end. 32. =============================================================================== FEXIST FUNCTION FORMAT a = FEXIST( str$ ) Returns TRUE if file 'str$' exists, otherwise it returns false. 33. =============================================================================== FFLUSH COMMAND FORMAT FFLUSH fp Flushes all file buffers associated with file 'fp', and writes them to disk. This command can be used to make sure that all changes are updated to a database after adding a record for example. 34. =============================================================================== FREE COMMAND FORMAT FREE pt Frees memory previously allocated by ALLOC function. The memory manager attempts to un-fragment the memory as much as possible, but that does not guarantee that memory will be fully restored to previous state. 35. =============================================================================== FREAD COMMAND FORMAT FREAD fp , pt , n Reads 'n' bytes from file pointed to by 'fp' and store the data to buffer pointed to by pointer 'pt'. 36. =============================================================================== FWRITE COMMAND FORMAT FWRITE fp, pt , n Write 'n' bytes to file with handle 'fp' from the buffer pointed to by pointer 'pt'. 37. =============================================================================== FETCH COMMAND FORMAT FETCH pt , a$ Get string 'a$' from buffer 'pt'. This command is used to retrieve a particular field from a database buffer. 38. =============================================================================== FILL COMMAND FORMAT FILL pt , chr , n Fill buffer pointed to by pointer 'pt' with 'n' characters 'chr'. This command is used to initialize a record buffer to a particular state. 39. =============================================================================== GOTO COMMAND FORMAT GOTO n Branch processing to line number 'n'. If 'n' is beyond the end of the program, execution stops. If line 'n' does not exist, a jump to the next line is performed. 40. =============================================================================== GOSUB COMMAND FORMAT GOSUB n Jump to subroutine at line 'n', and resume processing until a 'RETURN' command is encountered. 41. =============================================================================== GETCHAR FUNCTION FORMAT a = GETCHAR( x , y ) Returns a word with the low byte as the character ASCII at screen location (x,y), and the high byte with the attributes of that character. This function is useful for writing screen dump, or character based games. 42. =============================================================================== GET FUNCTION FORMAT a = GET( sysvar ) Return the value of one of BERLINETTA's System Variables. The system variables can be set by using the 'SET' command. Currently supported System variables include: R_AX, R_BX, R_CX, R_DX, R_SI, R_DI, FLAGS ; 8086 registers WINDOWX ; Current window x WINODWY ; Current window y WIDTH ; Current width HEIGHT ; Current height TICKS ; No ticks before ; next execute. 43. =============================================================================== HEX$ FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = HEX$( n ) Return a string representing a four digit hex number of integer 'n'. 44. =============================================================================== INPUT COMMAND FORMAT INPUT a$ INPUT a Read a string / value from the keyboard and store it in variable. 45. =============================================================================== IF COMMAND FORMAT IF cond THEN line1 IF cond THEN line1 ELSE line2 If condition is true jump to 'line1', if ELSE is required then goto 'line2'. 46. =============================================================================== INT86 COMMAND FORMAT INT86 n Execute 8086 software interrupt 'n'. To set values of registers use the 'SET' command. The returned values of registers can be obtained by using the 'GET' command. This command does not recognize segment registers R_DS, and R_ES. 48. =============================================================================== INT86X COMMAND FORMAT INT86X n Execute 8086 software interrupt 'n' with access to segment registers. 49. =============================================================================== INKEY FUNCTION FORMAT a = INKEY() Wait for a key to be pressed and return a word with the high byte representing the Scan Code, and the low byte representing the ASCII code. 50. =============================================================================== IN FUNCTION FORMAT a = IN( p ) Fetch a byte from port 'p'. This provides access to the 8086 I/O port addressing. 51. =============================================================================== KBSTATUS FUNCTION FORMAT a = KBSTATUS() Returns the current status of the keyboard. The byte returned represents the following: Bit Significance 7 Insert ON 6 Caps Lock ON 5 Num Lock ON 4 Scroll Lock ON 3 Alt key is down 2 Ctrl key is down 1 Left shift is down 0 Right shift is down 52. =============================================================================== KBHIT FUNCTION FORMAT a = KBHIT() Returns a character if the keyboard has been hit, otherwise it returns a FALSE (zero). 53. =============================================================================== LOCATE COMMAND FORMAT LOCATE x , y Set cursor position to 'x' column, and 'y' row relative to the starting window coordinates. 54. =============================================================================== LIST COMMAND FORMAT LIST LIST n Display a listing of the current program code. This is an editor command. ■ To stop the list press <ESC>... ■ To view the previous page press <PageUp>... ■ To view the next page press <PageDown>... 55. =============================================================================== LOAD COMMAND FORMAT LOAD "filename" LOAD a$ Load the program "filename" into memory. 56. =============================================================================== LOWER FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = LOWER("SYSTEM") Return a lower case representation of its parameter. 57. =============================================================================== LRTIM FUNCTION FORMAT a = LTRIM(str) Remove blanks from the left (start) of the string. Example: PRINT LTRIM( " this is text" ) this is text 58. =============================================================================== LEN FUNCTION FORMAT a = LEN( str ) Return the length of a given string. 59. =============================================================================== LPTSTAT FUNCTION FORMAT a = LPTSTAT( p ) Return the status of Centronics (Parallel) port 'p'. The status byte can be interpreted as follows: Bit Significance 7 Printer not busy 6 Printer acknowledge 5 Out of paper 4 Printer selected 3 I/O Error 2 unused 1 unused 0 Printer timed-out 60. =============================================================================== LPTINIT FUNCTION FORMAT a = LPTINIT( n ) Initialize printer port 'n', and return the status of the port (See LPTSTAT). 61. =============================================================================== LPTPUTC FUNCTION FORMAT a = LPTPUTC( p , c ) Output character 'c' to printer port 'p', and return the status of the port. 62. =============================================================================== MIN FUNCTION FORMAT a = MIN( x , y ) Returns the minimum of 'x' and 'y'. 63. =============================================================================== MAX FUNCTION FORMAT a = MAX( x , y ) Returns the Maximum of 'x' and 'y'. 64. =============================================================================== MID$ FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = MID$( s$ , p1 , p2 ) Return the substring of string 's$' starting at position 'p1' with a length of 'p2' characters. Example PRINT MID$( "123456789", 3, 2) 34 65. =============================================================================== MKDIR FUNCTION FORMAT a = MKDIR( path ) Make a directory pointed to by string expression 'path' if possible. It returns a hex value of @FFFF is an error is encountered. 66. =============================================================================== NEXT COMMAND FORMAT NEXT var Increment the variable 'var', and return to the loop starting with the 'FOR' command using the same variable. 67. =============================================================================== NEW COMMAND FORMAT NEW Erase current program from memory. 68. =============================================================================== OUT COMMAND FORMAT OUT port, value Output a byte 'value' to 'port' through the 8086 I/O port ranges. 69. =============================================================================== PRINT COMMAND FORMAT PRINT string PRINT int Display string constant (or variable), or integer value on the screen. If the end of the command is a semicolon ';' then the cursor position will point to the end of the displayed value, otherwise the cursor is moved to the first column of the next line. 70. =============================================================================== PUTCHAR COMMAND FORMAT PUTCHAR a Display character with the ASCII value of 'a' on the screen and move cursor to next position. 71. =============================================================================== PUTATTR COMMAND FORMAT PUTATTR x , y , attr , n Put 'n' 'attr' attributes on the screen starting at column 'x', and row 'y'. 72. =============================================================================== PROC_BACK COMMAND FORMAT PROC_BACK PROC_BACK n Restore the background screen and start processing in background mode. If a parameter 'n' is specified then execution will start at line 'n'. 73. =============================================================================== PUSHKEY COMMAND FORMAT PUSHKEY n Push a key value into the keyboard buffer. The lower byte of the value specifies the actual ASCII value, and the upper byte represents the keyboard scan code. 74. =============================================================================== PUSHWORD COMMAND FORMAT PUSHWORD str Push the word represented by 'str' into the keyboard buffer. This command is useful if execution of a particular action is required at a specific time. Example 10 a$ = TIME$() 20 a = TVAL( a$ ) 30 b = TVAL( "12:00" ) 40 IF a >= b then 100 50 PROC_BACK 60 STOP 100 PUSHWORD "dir/w" 110 PUSHKEY 13 120 BACK_OFF 130 STOP 75. =============================================================================== PEEKB FUNCTION FORMAT a = PEEKB( addr ) Return the byte value stored at memory location 'addr'. The address offset is always relative to BERLINETTA's data segment. 76. =============================================================================== PEEK FUNCTION FORMAT a = PEEK( addr ) Return the word stored at memory location 'addr'. 77. =============================================================================== POKEB COMMAND FORMAT POKEB addr , value Store the byte represented by 'value' at memory location 'addr' 78. =============================================================================== POKE COMMAND FORMAT POKE addr , value Store the word represented by 'value' at memory location 'addr'. 79. =============================================================================== RUN COMMAND FORMAT RUN Start execution of current program in memory 80. =============================================================================== READ COMMAND FORMAT READ a READ a$ Get next data value and store it in parameter. 81. =============================================================================== RESTORE COMMAND FORMAT RESTORE Restore the data pointer to the top of the program. 82. =============================================================================== RETURN COMMAND FORMAT RETURN Return from subroutine to next line after being called by a 'GOSUB' command. 83. =============================================================================== REDRAW COMMAND FORMAT REDRAW Redraw background screen and hide editor window. 84. =============================================================================== REM COMMAND FORMAT REM comment line ; comment line This command places a comment within the file, and is not actually executed. 85. =============================================================================== RAND FUNCTION FORMAT a = RAND() Returns a random value between 0 and 65535. 86. =============================================================================== RTRIM COMMAND FORMAT RTRIM b$ Remove blanks from the end of string 'b$'. 87. =============================================================================== RMDIR FUNCTION FORMAT a = RMDIR( path ) Remove directory with name 'path' and returns a value of @FFFF if the function call was not successful. 88. =============================================================================== SYSTEM COMMAND FORMAT SYSTEM Go back to DOS prompt from the editor. 89. ============================================================================== SET COMMAND FORMAT SET sysvar value Sets one of BERLINETTA's system variables to the specified value. Example SET R_AX @FFE1 ; Sets register AX the hexadecimal value @FFE1 90. ============================================================================== SAVE COMMAND FORMAT SAVE fname Save current file in memory as 'fname'. If fname does not have an extension, the extension '.BAS' is automatically appended. 91. ============================================================================== STOP COMMAND FORMAT STOP Stop execution of current program. 92. ============================================================================== STR$ FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = STR$( n ) Returns a string representation of integer 'n'. 93. ============================================================================== SUBSTR FUNCTION FORMAT a = SUBSTR( s1$ , s2$ ) Returns the position of string 's1$' within string 's2$'. If 's1$' does not exist in 's2$' a value of @FFFF is returned. ============================================================================== SCMP FUNCTION FORMAT a = SCMP( s$ , i$ ) Compares two strings and returns TRUE if the strings are equal, and false if they are not. 94. ============================================================================== SJOIN FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = SJOIN( s1$ , s2$ ) Returns a string consisting of the concatenation of 's1$', and 's2$'. 95. ============================================================================== STORE COMMAND FORMAT STORE ptr , s$ Store string variable 's$' at memory location 'ptr'. 96. ============================================================================== TIME$ FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = TIME$() Returns a string representing the current time in "hh:mm:ss" format. The hour format is in 24 hours. 97. ============================================================================== TVAL FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = TVAL( s$ ) Returns an integer representing the time in numeric format. This can be used to compare two time strings. 98. ============================================================================== UPPER FUNCTION FORMAT a$ = UPPER( b$ ) Returns a string representing the upper case of string 'b$'. 99. ============================================================================== VAL FUNCTION FORMAT a = VAL( b$ ) Returns the value of string 'b$'. 100. ============================================================================== WSAVE COMMAND FORMAT WSAVE x , y , w , h , ptr Save a section of the screen starting at column 'x', row 'y' with width 'w' , and height 'h' to buffer pointed to by 'ptr' 101. ============================================================================== WLOAD COMMAND FORMAT WLOAD x , y , ptr Restore screen portion stored at buffer 'ptr' starting at position 'x', and 'y'. 102. ============================================================================== LLIST COMMAND FORMAT LLIST LLIST n Dump current BASIC file to the printer. ============================================================================== FGETC FUNCTION FORMAT c = FGETC( fp ) Get next character from file pointed to by file handle 'fp'. ============================================================================== FPUTC FUNCTION FORMAT c = FPUTC( fp , c ) Put a character to the file and update file pointer. ============================================================================== 8. APPENDICES 8.1 APPENDIX-A BERLINETTA vs. GW-BASIC GW-BASIC and QuickBASIC (tm) provide a standard for BASIC programming, however, both languages are oriented towards entry level programming not developing high- end applications or system utilities. While a number of features in GW-BASIC are not provided in Berlinetta, Berlinetta is mainly oriented towards providing a convenient interpreted that is available at the press of a button. Some of the differences between Berlinetta & GW are outlined below: Berlinetta GW-BASIC Floating point No Yes Full expressions No Yes Memory Resident Yes No Develop TSRs Yes No Char Screen Management Yes No Graphics No Yes Bitwise operators Yes No Dynamic memory Yes No Memory requirements 23K-64K 128K Compiler Soon QuickBASIC C like file handling Yes No ==============================================================================