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Languguage OS II Version 10-94 (Knowledge Media)(1994).ISO
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updates.doc
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1994-02-23
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Documentation NOTES FOR PC/PILOT VERSION 4.4
The supplied manual matches PC/Pilot version 4.0. The following
notes provide information on changes to the product since that
version.
New Features in PC/PILOT Version 4.4
- E:label when a label is put on an end statement, after the Use stack
is popped, a search is made for the label. In previous versions,
if the label is not found, an error message is produced. In
version 4.4, if the label is not found, the Use stack is popped
again, thereby returning one more Use level, then another
search is performed for the label. This process repeats until
the label is found, or the program has returned all the way
to the lowest use level. In that case, an error message is
displayed and the program returns (to DOS).
This feature can be used to return out an indefinite number
of levels to a menu or other main branch point.
- Command-line arguments - Upon entry to a Pilot program, the command
line arguments can be found in %B, the answer buffer. This
includes all the items after, but not including, the PI or
CPI command that started Pilot. Each command line argument
is followed by a single space in %B. For example, the
command: "PI myprog 6 This is IT" would enter the
program "myprog" with %B="myprog 6 This is IT "
New Features in PC/PILOT Version 4.3
Version 4.3 follows version 4.1. There is no version 4.2. Version 4.3 is
compiled with a newer optimizing version of Microsoft C, resulting in a
slightly smaller executable code size and about a 10% improvement in
typical program execution speed.
New feature summary:
- Support of some MCGA and VGA graphics modes
- Accepts E-notation for numbers (example: C: x = 12.34e12 + 3.23e-5 )
- LX: op code to clear all variable from the variable table on a Link.
Adding the X modifier to the L: command causes all variables to be
discarded in the process of the Link operation. Example: LX:part2
- Timing -- The delays used for animation of text and sprites, and
for the sound command have been normalized so that they should
produce reasonably similar results on any model computer.
The main new feature in this release is the support of MCGA and VGA
graphics modes. The new mode numbers are as follows:
TS:M17 - sets the 640 x 480 pixel, 2-color graphics mode.
TS:M18 - sets the 640 x 480 pixel, 16-color graphics mode.
TS:M19 - sets the 320 x 200 pixel, 256-color graphics mode.
Modes 17 and 19 are available on all PS-2 models whether they have
MCGA or VGA adapters. Mode 18 is not available on MCGA, only VGA.
In all three modes PC/PILOT supports normal text operations, and
vector/turtle graphics commands of the G: statement. So you can
type text using the standard character set, define viewports, set
text color, etc. Graphics commands such as Forward, Right, Left,
Draw, Color and Line Width select, Arc and Paint can be used.
These modes do not support the setting of a background color.
Modes 17 and 19 suppport GSX: and GX: commands without a file name
argument. That is, you can save and restore to memory only.
Modes 17 and 19, but not 18, also support font output of text and
the use of sprites. You need AFL 4.3 to create the sprite files for
these modes.
You can display full or partial PCX graphic images in modes 17 and 19
using any one of several display wipes/fades. Picture display requires
AFL 4.3.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Features that were new in PC/PILOT Version 4.1
- The environment symbol PIPATH can be used to direct PILOT to search multiple
directories for PILOT files. PIPATH is for PILOT programs what PATH is for
DOS programs. PIPATH is initialized via the DOS SET command, for example:
SET PIPATH=A:;B:
would cause PILOT to always search disk A:, then B: when a needed file is
not found in the current working directory. The format of PIPATH is similar
to that of PATH. It may be a list of drive and/or directory names, each
one separated from the next by a semi-colon. Another example:
SET PIPATH=C:\PART1;C:\PART2
You can use PIPATH to aid the separation of a PILOT program onto two
diskettes, or into several directories. It could also be used to increase
execution speed by placing the most critical PILOT modules in a ram-disk,
leaving the remaining files on a real disk. In this case, make the ram
disk the current working directory and use PIPATH to refer to the files
on the real disk.
The function of PIPATH is automatic and takes no special programming in
the PILOT program. Whenever a ".PIL" file is to be loaded due to a
LINK or USE statement the current directory is searched first. Then,
if the file is not found, and PIPATH has been set, the directories on
the PIPATH are searched in order. PIPATH is also in effect for the
FJ: and FJX: statements which are used to load pictures, binary files,
sprites and fonts. PIPATH is NOT in effect for the FX: statement.
- The VX: statement is now used to call DOS programs from within your PILOT
program. Prior to this version, EXEC was used for this. You should no longer
use EXEC with version 4.1 or higher. Instead, use the VX: statement,
FORMAT - VX:string-expression
Example - VX:"DIR"
Example - C: CMD$ = "BASIC HELLO"
VX: CMD$
Old PILOT programs that used EXEC.BIN can still be used provided that the
new file EXEC.BIN from AFL version 4.2 or higher is used. Also note that
it is a larger file so the string variable may need to be longer.
- To determine the PC/PILOT version number, enter the command PI, or CPI
with no program name after it. In a version prior to 4.1 you just get an
error message "missing program name". In version 4.1 or higher you will
see a version number displayed.
- Version 4.1 permits up to 220 variable names and up to 500 label names
(label names are cleared by a L: statement).
- EGA sprite files no longer have the suffix ".SPR". In order to distinguish
them from CGA sprite files, the suffix ".SPE" is now used for EGA sprites.
This is the suffix expected by EGASE.
- Due to conflict with Windows "Program Information Files", PILOT font files
now use the suffix ".FMF" rather than ".PIF".
- To make greater use of memory, you can load fonts, sprite tables and PIQ
images into memory outside of your string space. To do so use the command:
FJX: var$,"filename"
This works like the FJ: statement found in the version 4.0 manual except
that adding the X modifier causes the string variable to be created from
memory external to PILOT to save string space for other uses. You can
use these external strings only for fonts, sprite tables and pictures to
be displayed via PIQSHOW. See the documentation for PIQSHOW to determine
the different calling parameters which must be used.
- LWR(x$) is a new built-in function which returns the lower case value of
string x$.
- INS(x$,y$,z) When INS has three arguments, the first is the source string,
the second is the search string, and the third is the substring location
in x$ where the search is to begin. If the search string is found at or
after position z in the source string, the position value is retured. Other-
wise a value of zero is returned. This is an extension of the INS function
in the manual.
- SWP(x$,y$) When SWP has three arguments, the first is the source string,
the second is the search character, and the third is the replacement
character. the function returns a string equal to the source string with
all occurances of the search character replaced by the replacement character.
- BWA(x$,y$) is a new built-in function which returns the one-character
string resulting in the bit-wise binary AND of the two string characters
found as the first characters in string x$ and string y$.
- After any string assignment statement the system variable %LEN contains
the length of the assigned string.
- The semi-colon may be used in place of a comma in D: statements, between
string names.
- Numeric arrays are initialized to all zeros when created.
- The two character sequence #\ is not displayed when found in the text
of a type statement. This sequence is used as a marker by the ProPi
authoring system.
- A label consisting of only an asterisk, "*", is called a "null label".
A JUMP statement can specify a jump to the last null label passed. Thus
more than one null label can appear in a program without conflict. The
advantage of the null label is that it does not use up of the 500 possible
labels. It is used when a short loop is to be coded. For example:
C:I=1
*
th:#I,
C:I=I-1
J(I<10):*
- Items missing or in error in the version 4.0 manual:
- When using an extended (256-character font) character 0 must be blank.
- The rectangle command - TS:R0,x,y in all graphic modes (greater than
or equal to 4) displays a solid box of the current foreground color
using the character typed by "F6 [" in EZ. To make this work right
you must include an N: statement defining this character to all one
bits (64 "/" characters).
- The maximum duration for a sound in the S: statement is 255, not 63.
- When a U: statement is executed, the last Accept location (as in
J:@A ) is stacked along with the return point. When the subroutine
returns, the last Accept location is restored. So the location of
the last Accept is always relative to the current subroutine.
End of list of features new in version 4.1