*+*+*+*›             UNBUGGING BASIC!›› UNDOING THE BASIC GARBAGE QUIRK› A mini-tutorial by Les Wagar› Reprinted from  NORTH  SCOTLAND  ATARI› USER GROUP "FUTURA" newsletter, by OL'› HACKERS, N.Y.›› (Ed. This article, I  believe,  refers› to the famous ATARI BASIC BUG "B", not› the later "C" version, but it's  still› good advice for all!)›› BASIC GROWS ON YOU››      Have you ever noticed  that  your› Basic  programs seem to get bigger all› by   themselves,   taking  up  one  or› several sectors more disk  space  than› they  used  to?   Take VIEWDOCS.BAS on› Futura issue  11,  for  instance.   It› takes  up  24   sectors--but   without› changing  one  byte  of the program as› written,   it   should   take   up  22› sectors.›› ITS NOT THE PROGRAM››      The quirk is not in the program. › The  quirk  is  a  bug  in  the   SAVE› procedure.   If  you have been working› on   a   program--adding,    deleting,› whatever--or been working in Immediate› Mode with the program  installed,  and› then  proceed to SAVE the program, you› have likely added garbage data to your› program.   The  variable   list,   for› instance,  will  still   include   any› variables  which you have deleted from› the program or have  otherwise  played› around  with.   The simple solution to› the problem is:  don't SAVE, LIST.›› THE REMEDY!›   ›       To   SAVE  a  clean  version  of› VIEWDOCS.BAS,   enter   commands    in› Immediate Mode as follows:››       1. LIST "D?:VIEWDOCS.LST›       2. NEW›       3. ENTER "D?:VIEWDOCS.LST›       4. SAVE "D?:VIEWDOCS.BAS›› Your  BAS  version  now  takes  up  22› sectors.    You   have   removed   the› garbage.›› BUT››      Note in  passing  that  your  LST› version  takes up only 18 sectors, and› you may well ask why your BAS  version› is still taking up 4 more sectors than› it possibly could.›› WHY?››       There's   an   answer   to  that› question, too, but now you've  got  to› look  hard at the program itself.  How› many times do you repeat numbers  that› could be replaced by a variable?  If a› number is repeated  more  than  twice,› replace  it  with  a letter.  Let A=1,› B=2, C=0, D=3, etcetera,  replace  the› numbers  accordingly,  and   (lo   and› behold!) your SAVE after a LIST is now› getting close to  18  sectors--if  not› bang on!›› CAVEAT››      But  be careful, of course.  When› you start revising a  program,  ALWAYS› be  sure  a  working version is tucked› away somewhere out of reach.››     Have fun!›                *+*+*+*››