SB BBC @ GBR Oldie hints/tips #182-185 Hints and tips from the archives of Wakefield BBC Micro User Group... 182. Stripes in Wordwise Plus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A simple OS command will produce vertical stripes in preview mode so that along with the LNS command, it would be quite easy to align characters either vertically or horizontally. There are two ways in which vertical stripes can be displayed; either projected in between characters or running through the middle of a character. An added bonus is that stripes could be in any of the BBC colours including flashing ones! The green embedded command is: OS"FX155,n" where the value of n=1 for red stripes between characters or n=17 for red stripes through the middle of characters. Obviously values n=2 & n=18 would give green stripes, 3 & 19 yellow and so on. Curious effects can be achieved if for example two OS commands are issued with say n=1 & 18 respectively. Stripes in two colours viz red (between characters) and green (through characters) are obtained. The possibilities are endless! Have fun! NB: It is said that these effects can be generated in the later versions of WORDWISE but it does not work on mine. (Ed: I have tried it on version 1.4E and it works. TRY flashing colours - you go cross eyed!) 183. View text ruler ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the nice things about Interword is the text ruler which shows the column numbers, and therefore lets you know exactly where your text will be printed on the paper. An easy way to recreate this in View is to include a dummy ruler on a Comment line showing text positions, with the actual Ruler 'floating' underneath. If markers 1 and 2 are placed at each end of the comment line the 'dummy' ruler can be copied anywhere into the document by pressing the COPY key with the current ruler being copied using SHIFT and COPY. CO |....:..10....:...20....:...30.. etc ... 110....:..120....:..130.| .. >...........*...............*..............< 184. Master ADFS compacting routine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you try a *MAP command after *COMPACT, you will often find that only partial compaction has taken place. If fuller compaction is required, you have to try again. The short program below can be kept in the root "$" directory of all your discs, and when CHAINed will carry out several 'passes' until there is only one gap when *MAP is issued. Each pass takes less time than the previous one, even if the same number of gaps result. Occasionally, a disc can be very reluctant to compact below 2 gaps, though it will make it eventually. The program therefore prompts you after 10 passes, in case you don't want to bother to go the whole way. Typically, I found that between 1 and 4 passes were needed with most discs. You can alter the maximum number of passes via the variable T% in line 10, and you can alter the number of gaps it will attempt to compact down to, via the variable N% in line 10. (You will save a lot of time by increasing this to 2, as long as this is sufficient for your purposes.) Do not alter the variable A%. The program keeps you informed about how many passes it has made, and shows the free space on the disc when it has finished. Note the *COMPACT start page of 0F in line 20 to avoid corrupting the program itself, which should reside at the normal PAGE setting of &E00. Therefore, if you do add anything to the listing, even just a few extra spaces, then just check that PRINT~TOP gives a Hex number starting with an E and not an F. The spaces after the line numbers are shown for clarity only, and should be omitted. 10 T%=10:N%=1:A%=0:REPEAT:MODE135:*MAP 20 V%=VPOS-1:A%=A%+1:IFV%>N%ANDA%<=T%THENPRINT'"Pass ";A%:*COMPACT 0F 71 30 UNTILV%<=N%ORA%>T% 40 IFV%>N%THENPRINT'"Another try? ";:IFCHR$(GETAND&DF)="Y"THENRUN 50 PRINT''"Compacted"':*FREE 185. Master battery pack + internal modem ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The early type of Lithium 'incendiary device' was replaced by a rather bulky pack of 3 'AA' size 1.5v Duracell batteries, which occupied the space intended for the internal modem. Despite the warning on the pack, I see no reason why the owner should not replace the individual cells when necessary. The positive lead has an 'idiot diode' in series, to prevent damage to the computer if the batteries are inserted wrongly, and to prevent the computer from attempting to charge 'flat' batteries. There is also a 100 Ohm resistor in series with the negative lead, which prevents damage to the batteries if the output is accidentally short-circuited. When plugging the pack back into the main PCB, note that the black lead goes to the North pin, (nearest the rear), the red lead goes to the central pin, and the South pin is unconnected. Hold down the "R" key whilst turning the power back on, so as to reset the RAM ready for you to enter the *CONFIGURE options. (The latter are best held on disc as a *SPOOLed file, ready to *EXEC back in when required.) Finally, you should reset the internal real-time clock/calendar. The current type of battery pack still uses 3 Duracells, but they are in a shrink-wrap plastic covering, which makes it much more compact. It fits neatly down the small slot immediately to the left of the keyboard PCB, and immediately in front of the PSU. This frees the internal modem space for whatever you want to put there, including a modem of course. Replacing the individual cells oneself is not as easy as with the older pack, but it is by no means impossible. The pack costs 3-68 from Beebug, (3-50 to Beebug members), plus 1 pp, and the part number is "0807B - Master Battery Pack". Beebug also do an internal modem, which frees the RS423 port for other uses, including software on ROM, for 119, (113-05 to Beebug members), plus 3-75 pp. The modem is multi-standard, with auto-dial, auto-answer, and various other bells and whistles. The part number is "0759E - Master Internal Modem". 73 Rick G4BLT @ GB7WRG