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The BBC Microcomputer User Guide

Written by John Coll

Edited by David Allen

British Broadcasting Corporation

Contents

Introduction 5

1 Getting going 7

Giving the computer instructions - Part I

2 Commands 21

3 An introduction to variables 24

4 Writing a simple program 27

5 Recording programs on cassette 34

6 Some sample programs 38

Giving the computer instructions - Part II

7 AUTO, DELETE, REM and RENUMBER 53

8 Introducing Graphics 55

9 More on variables - string, real & integer ASCII codes, CHR$ and ASC 62

10 PRINT and formatting. Cursor control 67

11 INPUT 78

12 GET and INKEY 81

13 TIME and Random numbers 84

Structure in BASIC language

14 REPEAT... UNTIL, TRUE and FALSE 87

15 FOR... NEXT 91

16 IF... THEN... ELSE 98

17 PROCEDURES 102

18 FUNCTIONS

19 GOSUB 113

20 GOTO, ON GOTO and ON GOSUB 118

Giving the computer instructions - Part III

21 Yet more on variables - Arrays 120

22 READ, DATA and RESTORE 126

23 Integer handling 130

24 String handling 135

25 Programming the User Defined function keys 141

26 Operator precedence 144

27 Error handling 147

28 Use of teletext mode (MODE 7) 150

29 Advanced Graphics: (logical, inverse, actual colours), PLOT, GCOL, animated graphics, user definable characters 160

30 Sound 180

31 File handling 188

32 Speeding up programs and saving memory space 194

Reference section

33 BASIC keywords alphabetical summary 197

34 VDU drivers 377

35 Cassette files 390

36 Changing filing systems 400

37 Merging BASIC Programs 402

38 Using printers 404

39 Indirection operators 409

40 HIMEM, LOMEM, TOP and PAGE 414

41 Operating system, statements (*commands) 416

42 *FX calls and OSBYTE calls 418

43 Assembly Language 442

44 Analogue input and user input-output ports 467

45 Expanding the system 471

46 Error messages 474

47 Minimum abbreviations 483

48 Appendix 485

ASCII Teletext codes and shapes 486

ASCII codes and shapes (MODES 0 to 6) 488

ASCII (MODES 0 to 6) displayed character set 490

ASCII hexadecimal codes 492

Text planning sheet 493

Graphics planning sheets 494

Keyboard codes 497

Board layout 498

External connections 499

Memory maps 500

Memory map assignments 502

Circuits layouts 503

VDU code summary 507

6502 Instruction Set 508

FX call summary 510

Operating System call summary 512

The BBC Microcomputer User Guide was written by John Coll and edited by David Allen for the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Optical character recognition and original formatting effort by Mark Usher.

HTML version maintained by: Kade "Archer" Hansson; e-mail: archer@dialix.com.au

Last updated: Monday 12th February 2001