Finding the right keys for commands?

Emulator and emulator development specific topics
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Paul Panks
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Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 7:23 pm

Finding the right keys for commands?

Post by Paul Panks »

I'm having a bit of difficulty on the EightyOne emulator finding the proper keys for specific commands and functions. For example, I can't get the computer to do: PRINT CHR$(8)

This should print a semi-solid block (low-res graphics), but it just gives me an "S" cursor, which I understand means "Syntax Error".

How do I do these things while using a PC keyboard and the EightyOne emulator? "F" (function) is also on the same key as "New Line", so do I press "Shift Newline" to get to an "F" cursor?

Paul
jond
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Re: Finding the right keys for commands?

Post by jond »

Hi Paul, this is a real problem. I get round it by having the keyboard map up at all times when programming. On my computer keyboard chr$ is accessed by pressing ctrl and shift simultaneously which changes the cursor to the inverse f symbol and then pressing u. Sometimes I just count how many keys to the left or right of a known function is on the keyboard map to find the right key on my computer. Hope this helps!

jon
jond
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Re: Finding the right keys for commands?

Post by jond »

Actually I've just worked out that shift and enter (or newline if you will) or ctrl by itself will give you the function cursor. Ctrl by itself works with eightyone but not ,it seems, with vb.81.
jon
RWAP
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Re: Finding the right keys for commands?

Post by RWAP »

I do like the idea of some emulators which allow you to type in a line of BASIC using your PC keyboard into a separate parser - it then works out the various tokens used by the BASIC - this can be a fast way of entering a line.

Otherwise, is there an easy way of entering a program in a text editor and then importing it?
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yerzmyey
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Re: Finding the right keys for commands?

Post by yerzmyey »

Hello.

Yes, ZX81 has this peculiar feature it makes "F" cursor with Shift+Enter.
Depending on emulator, it can be right or left shift.

I noticed that for coding the best is stil Extender emulator (as it's fast).
For testing progs the best is EO, because it seems the most real.

I like very much also Vb81 because it's in half of a way between both mentioned above. :)

Vb81 and EO have keyboard layout under F1 key, I use it often. I don't know if Extender has anything like that.

Greetings.
Y
IN NIHILUM REVERTERIS - a big text-adventure game for ZX81: http://tiny.pl/g2m6m
"MONOCHROME" issue 5 - (Spring 2014) free paper/PDF magazine about ZX81: http://tiny.pl/q2m44
ZX81 COMPETITIONS 2007/2009: http://zx81.republika.pl/
Paul Panks
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Re: Finding the right keys for commands?

Post by Paul Panks »

I also noticed that, by default, the editor adds a space to each command, e.g.:

instead of "10 PRINT" it sometimes does "10 PRINT " (note the 2 spaces between the 10 and PRINT.

Paul
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gus
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Re: Finding the right keys for commands?

Post by gus »

RWAP wrote: Otherwise, is there an easy way of entering a program in a text editor and then importing it?
I prefear the real thing, but yes, you can use some tools from XavSnap :) http://dskcenter.free.fr/zxtools.html

Gus
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