Problem Typing an Extended Line/Command in TI Basic

[ColecoFan1981]

I seem to have trouble typing a certain extended line/commands in TI-99/4A BASIC, when I type in multiple commands to program a game called Arrow Zap (from a 1984 book called Entertainment Games in TI Basic and Extended Basic).

 

The line in question:

820 PRINT "E/I= STARTS ARROW MOVING UP":"Q/Y= INVERTS PLAYING FIELD"::"AFTER **E**/**I** IS PRESSED, NO":"KEY IS FUNCTIONAL." There is no more space left to type on this line after I get to the "KEY..." part.

 

What worked for me was to shorten this line to only include the first two commands, and put the last one on a separate line (830 PRINT "AFTER **E**/**I** IS PRESSED, NO":"KEY IS FUNCTIONAL."), extending the total number of program lines from 442 (4420) to 443 (4430). But has anyone else had problems typing in the complete line/commands above on one line?

 

https://ia601609.us.archive.org/9/items/tibook_entertainment-games-in-ti-basic-and-extended-basic/entertainment-games-in-ti-basic-and-extended-basic.pdf

(go to page 36 - marked as page 35 in book itself)

 

~Ben

Edited February 18, 2017 by ColecoFan1981

[+Lee Stewart]

There is a syntax error in the middle of that statement. You cannot use “::” in the middle of a PRINT statement. If the intent is to give another CR, you can probably replace the “::” with “:"":”. [Do not type the surrounding “”]

 

...lee

[ColecoFan1981]

 

Lee,

 

Here's my predicament. It's not a question of an error, it's simply I cannot type more than four lines per line here, for space reasons. Has anyone else managed to add more than four lines per print command line?

 

~Ben

Edited February 18, 2017 by ColecoFan1981

[Torrax]

This will work if you type a space between the 2 colons ("... FIELD": :"AFTER ..."). This will make TI-Basic and Extended Basic do a double CR to the screen.

[+adamantyr]

I have a copy of this book, let me take a look when I get home...

[ColecoFan1981]

This will work if you type a space between the 2 colons ("... FIELD": :"AFTER ..."). This will make TI-Basic and Extended Basic do a double CR to the screen.

Still detects an INCORRECT STATEMENT.

 

~Ben

[+adamantyr]

Or I can look at the book online.

 

So on page 13 of the book they have a section on inputting lines where they call out some are too long and how to force it to give you additional space.

[+adamantyr]

Basically you use the editing feature by typing the line number and doing a FCTN-X to bring up the line and it gives you a little extra space while editing the line that way.

[ColecoFan1981]

Or I can look at the book online.

 

So on page 13 of the book they have a section on inputting lines where they call out some are too long and how to force it to give you additional space.

I just wish I knew how to do that on a PC keyboard... this is not a real TI-99/4A keyboard I'm using. The emulator I use, Classic99, has no specific mapping for the FCTN key.

 

~Ben

Edited February 18, 2017 by ColecoFan1981

[+adamantyr]

Classic99? Use the regular PC arrow keys or ALT in place of FCTN.

[ColecoFan1981]

Classic99? Use the regular PC arrow keys or ALT in place of FCTN.

ALT+8 does nothing for me. Or should it be ALT+F8?

 

~Ben

Edited February 18, 2017 by ColecoFan1981

[+Lee Stewart]

Continue using the up or down arrow keys to enter the current line and bring in the next line to edit.

 

...lee

[+adamantyr]

Try typing the line number and pressing the PC down arrow. If that does nothing, try ALT-X.

[ColecoFan1981]

Try typing the line number and pressing the PC down arrow. If that does nothing, try ALT-X.

Does not work in my situation (says "CAN'T DO THAT," I think for obvious reasons) nor does ALT+X. ALT+X continues to only go down. I wish I knew what you guys did on Classic99. Pay attention to my screenshot and reproduce that.

 

~Ben

Edited February 18, 2017 by ColecoFan1981

[+adamantyr]

I think Classic99 maps all the function keys to their respective F# keys. So pressing F8 should REDO.

 

Try this, from the BASIC command line:

- Type 830

- press the down arrow. You should now be in edit mode on line 830.

- press the right arrow until you hit the end of the line and it beeps

- press F8. Now the line should reload but one additional line of space is available at the end

[ColecoFan1981]

I think Classic99 maps all the function keys to their respective F# keys. So pressing F8 should REDO.

 

Try this, from the BASIC command line:

- Type 830

- press the down arrow. You should now be in edit mode on line 830.

- press the right arrow until you hit the end of the line and it beeps

- press F8. Now the line should reload but one additional line of space is available at the end

Already tried that... please let me know what you get.

 

~Ben

Edited February 18, 2017 by ColecoFan1981

[Torrax]

Tried to re-edit my post in time...

 

This will work for the PRINT command in TI Basic and Extended Basic if you make a practice of typing a space between double colons ("... FIELD": :"AFTER ..."). Both will print a double CR to the screen. After entry the listing will show a double colon in TI Basic, but in Extended Basic the space will be retained.

 

The PRINT command in TI BASIC allows the use of double colons which is a big no go in Extended Basic.

 

Also type as much as you can -- the last bit will be "..., NO":"KEY I" (double colon - TI Basic only) or "..., NO":"KEY " (space between the double colon). The character under your cursor at the end of the line should be a " .

 

Press enter.

 

Type 820 then press FCTN-E (UP ARROW). You will then have an extra line you can edit and save.

 

This is a lot easier in Extended Basic as all you have to do after enter is to press FCTN-8 (REDO).

 

You can see the difference by saving a TI-BASIC program with multiple double colon's in the PRINT statement to disk/cassette. Load it into Extended Basic and then listing it -- all the double colons are displayed with a space between them.

[ColecoFan1981]

Tried to re-edit my post in time...

 

This will work for the PRINT command in TI Basic and Extended Basic if you make a practice of typing a space between double colons ("... FIELD": :"AFTER ..."). Both will print a double CR to the screen. After entry the listing will show a double colon in TI Basic, but in Extended Basic the space will be retained.

 

The PRINT command in TI BASIC allows the use of double colons which is a big no go in Extended Basic.

 

Also type as much as you can -- the last bit will be "..., NO":"KEY I" (double colon - TI Basic only) or "..., NO":"KEY " (space between the double colon). The character under your cursor at the end of the line should be a " .

 

Press enter.

 

Type 820 then press FCTN-E (UP ARROW). You will then have an extra line you can edit and save.

 

This is a lot easier in Extended Basic as all you have to do after enter is to press FCTN-8 (REDO).

 

You can see the difference by saving a TI-BASIC program with multiple double colon's in the PRINT statement to disk/cassette. Load it into Extended Basic and then listing it -- all the double colons are displayed with a space between them.

I can still only type four lines at a time - meaning only previously typed things can be corrected! No extra space to be had.

 

~Ben

Edited February 18, 2017 by ColecoFan1981

[+adamantyr]

Already tried that... please let me know what you get.

 

~Ben

I just got home so I can actually run the software...

 

It worked just fine for me... I didn't even have to do REDO, when the line came up it automatically gave me extra space at the bottom:

 

edit.bmp

[ColecoFan1981]

I just got home so I can actually run the software...

 

It worked just fine for me... I didn't even have to do REDO, when the line came up it automatically gave me extra space at the bottom:

 

Thank you very much!

 

~Ben

[+Lee Stewart]

The other thing you can do is to copy the program from the source you posted above and use the “Paste XB” option of the “Edit” menu.

 

...lee

[Torrax]

What basic are you trying to type the listing in? TI Basic or Extended Basic? This will help everone out here.

 

Also try using the right ALT key for TI's FCTN key.

[ColecoFan1981]

What basic are you trying to type the listing in? TI Basic or Extended Basic? This will help everone out here.

 

Also try using the right ALT key for TI's FCTN key.

It's TI standard BASIC... but I finally got it working now!

 

I managed to do another test line:

110 PRINT "GOODBYE STRANGER, IT'S BEEN NICE/HOPE YOU FIND YOUR PARADISE/TRIED TO SEE YOUR POINT OF VIEW/HOPE "

Then entered the line number and pressed the up key, went to the end of it and voila! More text could be added ("YOUR DREAMS WILL ALL COME TRUE"). I tried it again once more to put in even more text!

 

~Ben

[+RXB]

It's TI standard BASIC... but I finally got it working now!

 

I managed to do another test line:

110 PRINT "GOODBYE STRANGER, IT'S BEEN NICE/HOPE YOU FIND YOUR PARADISE/TRIED TO SEE YOUR POINT OF VIEW/HOPE "

Then entered the line number and pressed the up key, went to the end of it and voila! More text could be added ("YOUR DREAMS WILL ALL COME TRUE"). I tried it again once more to put in even more text!

 

~Ben

If you are using Classic99 you might have a much more easy time using RXB 2015 instead.

 

RXB will run 99.9 of Basic with no problems and a quicker way to write XB programs is use Windows notepad and just paste them into XB using Classic99 paste feature.

Or you can use RXB CALL USER("DSK3.FILENAME") that uses DV 80 Text files like TI Writer with Carriage Returns at the end of each line.

 

There are demos1 to C and this is demo 1 that explains and shows CALL USER;

 

[Torrax]

Ben, do you want the files listed in the book? Or are you adventurous and want to type them in by hand.