Issue #1 | THE STAUNCH 8/89'er | Oct-Nov-Dec 1986 Page 7 |
where in the middle of a sentence or paragraph, then proceed directly to Step 9.
9) Position the cursor on the first letter of the next word.
10) Hit the Insert Line key (IL), opening an insert.
11) Type a row of hard space symbols: '''''''''''.. I use at least ten. Just one or two won't always work. (You should be able to figure out why, with some familiarity.) Never use more than your RM value. If you've followed instructions you'll have 1 soft space before these. We need it.
12) Hit RETURN right after the '''''''''''.
13) Type the line "\WAIT Ready to rewind..." (sans closing backslash).
14) Hit RETURN. *
15) Type the command "\LINE-6,LM64\"
16) Hit the Insert Line (IL) key immediately following that command, to close up the insert.
17) We are now ready for the next column. Check your notes and locate your next bottom line in the text. The procedure, starting back at Step 7, is the same every time we do a left-hand column (with obvious wording changes in Step 7). However, for a right-hand column, like now (if this is your first pass thru these steps), there are vital exceptions. We still start at Step 7. But when editing a right-hand column (i.e., preparing for new page), always omit Steps 13 and 14, and replace the command in Step 15 with "\LM8,NP\". When all columns are processed, go to Step 18.
18) Leave EDIT, saving your edited file. You should now be ready to run PRINT normally, with output going to the printer. If you are not sure, run it to the screen again, as is, for a check.
* Between steps 14 & 15 is where to insert an LPI command to remind at different pitch if necessary. If desired, LPI could be reset before resuming print, by annexing a final term in Step 15.
When finally printing the hard copy, very gently take up the slack on the paper when you see "Ready to rewind..." on the screen. Then hit RETURN and let the paper reverse. It takes some practice. The first time I did it, it backed up too far and really had me puzzled. Turned out I was tugging too hard on the paper and causing slippage. I thought I was hardly touching it. Depending on your printer, and your courage, you may want to omit the WAIT message (13 and 14). Personally I like to be warned at times like that.
THE "MISSING COMMAND" IN MBASIC
MBASIC (Microsoft BASIC) for CP/M is an extremely powerful implementation of BASIC. (The hint to be described here may also work for HDOS; I couldn't try it. If it doesn't I'd like to hear from someone what the differences are.) The documentation that comes with MBASIC is also among the best with any software I've seen. With this BASIC, you can renumber lines, edit them, merge, and all sorts of things. But I found one thing I wanted to do with MBASIC that I could not do. It would be nice, I thought, if I could move a long line of code to another place in the program instead of having to retype it. The manual doesn't cover that one, but it can be done! I came across this in an old H-SCOOP once, while looking for something else (isn't that always the way!). It's on page 7 of the September 1982 H-SCOOP (see review) of H-SCOOP in this issue). That goes back a few years, but I didn't have MBASIC (or any BASIC) back then, so I wasn't paying attention. OK, let's forge an example to illustrate this. Suppose we have a long line of code, numbered 60, and we want to move it to line 380 without renumbering anything else. First we type LIST 60 and hit RETURN. Next, do a CTRL-A. The response should be an exclamation point (!). Now simply type the letter I (the MBASIC editor's "Insert" command), then type your new line number, in this case 380, and then a RETURN. The job is done, except you'll have to delete the original line 60, which mill still be there. If you hash to move more than one line, you must do them one at a time. This trick also comes in handy for making multiple copies of a line. If you have several lines that are similar, you can duplicate them and then "edit in" any variations, thus saving a lot of typing! —HL.
A LITTLE REVIEW ON H-SCOOP, AN H/Z NEWSLETTER
From the survey of our H8/H89 subscribers, a surprising number do not subscribe to H-SCOOP (and perhaps never have). So a word about it is in order. H-SCOOP is an H/Z-oriented newsletter, with circulation in the thousands, published by Henry E. Fale of Quikdata Computer Services, Inc., 2618 Penn Circle, Sheboygan, WI 53081. A one-year subscription is $24 in U.S.A. I've subscribed to H-SCOOP almost from the time I married my computer 4 years ago. That's a little misleading, as I also ordered all the back issues then available, and read every one of them. That's the next step up from a charter subscriber. I'll reprint a couple pieces from H-SCOOP, but it is not my intention to turn STAUNCH into a copier of info from other published sources. I may often refer to other published work, even amplify or expand on it, but I will not often copy it. Originality is the aim here: my own, and material from readers. I mill use "reprints" only when I find them exceptionally useful or interesting, and feel the information should be passed along, like the MBASIC piece in this issue.
But getting back to H-SCOOP. Over the years it