I/O Board
SELF-DELETING TYPOThanks for the fine utilities in the January 1985 Antic, "BASIC Searcher" and "TYPO II." After use, "BASIC Searcher" is self-deleted in a very neat two-line routine. I have adapted those lines to "TYPO II" so that it will remove itself after doing its work. All you have to do is type GOTO 32230 outside the program proper.
TYPO II KUDO
I think TYPO II is a miracle worker. No more staying up late at night trying to find a small error.
NOT SO BITTY INFOBITS
We've received quite a few letters about "Infobits" (December 1984). Our readers want to know how to erase information after it's entered. This seems to be more complicated than it sounds, but we've turned the problem over to author Andy Barton and we'll be sure to let you know if he produces a solution.
While you're waiting, Andy offers the following changes to "Infobits" that will cause the search routine to ignore the difference between capital and lower case letters, as long as the search input is in upper case. In the BASIC listing, change:
The 18th number in line 2002 from 42 to 48;
The first number in line 2004 from 191 to 185;
The fifth number in line 2004 from 223 to 217;
The second number in line 2006 from 176 to 182;
The second number in line 2007 from 186 to 192, and
The last number in line 2007 from 86 to 92.
Or, to do the same in the assembly language listing, insert the following
lines:
451 ROL A
452 BPL P1.1
453 AND #BF
454 P1.1 ROR A
ALTERNATE REALITY LIVES!
Many readers have been anxious to know how soon they can get Alternate Reality, the fantasy role-playing game with superb graphics that we previewed in November 1984. The game was recently licensed by Datasoft (19808 Nordhoff Place, Chatsworth, CA 91311, (818) 701-5161.) Datasoft plans to market the entire seven-disk series. The first disk, "City," will be priced at $39.95.
RE-RUNNING FROM RESET
Is there any way to make a program rerun automatically if the [SYSTEM RESET] key is pressed?
Yes. We've included a few suggestions from the ABCs of Atari Computers by David Mentley, reprinted here by permission of Datamost-ANTIC ED
This BASIC program below will POKE in a machine language routine
which resets the disk boot pointer to a new program that essentially types
RUN when you push [SYSTEM RESET]. This is easy to do for machine language
programs, but is not so clear for BASIC programs.
To make machine language programs restart, put the initialization
address in locations 12 and 13 ( OC and OD). [SYSTEM RESET] will just start
the program over.
To reset and RUN a BASIC program, type in this routine (it goes
in page 6). Then LOAD your BASIC program. Type POKE 12,0 and POKE 13,6
to run the program when SYSTEM RESET is pressed. You can put the POKEs
in the program if you are not going to have to access the disk drive in
the program. (From Novatari, February, 1983.)
10 FOR B=1536 TO 1590:R
EAD A:POKE B,A:NEXT B
20 DATA 162,0,142,68,2,
232,134,9,173,48,2,133,
203,173
30 DATA 49,2,133,204,16
0,4,177,203,133,205,200
,177,203
40 DATA 133,206,162,0,1
60,82,189,52,6,145,205,
232,200,224
50 DATA 3,208,245,169,1
2,141,252,2,108,250,191
,50,53,46
55 LIST 60,70
60 REM **BE SURE TO PO
KE 12,0 AND
70 REM ** * POKE 13,6 AFT
ER TYPING RUN
POSITIONING TYPO II
If your television overscans lines, the TYPO codes will be partially off the screen and unreadable. Change the first part of line 32210 to read POSITION 2,15.
COVER COMPLAINT
Noticing your January cover, my wife said to me, "Aren't you a little old to be reading Superman comics?" The majority of Antic covers are so childish and comic-like that it is embarrassing to be caught reading one. Anyone seeing it on a newsstand would assume it's a kiddie magazine. I think your covers promote the detrimental concept that "the Atari is only a game machine."