Re: How send Applesoft program to PC-DOS

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

Jeff Blakeney (CUTjefbla@bconnex.net) quoted me...

: >Oh.  Wait a minute, I forgot...you don't have a comm program for the ][.
: >
: >Well, maybe that will help.  Okay, do this instead.  Make sure that your
: >serial ports are connected together, and run the comm program on your PC. 
: >Now, for our purposes, lets assume you have the serial card in Slot #2.
: >
: >Force the PC into terminal mode.
: >
: >Make sure the ][ is displaying a *40-column* screen.
: >
: >Now, try typing "IN#2" on the ][.  Type something on the PC.  It should
: >appear on the Apple.  (Cool, ain't it?!)
: >
: >In fact, try typing "PR#2".  On either computer.  Now, you should get an
: >Applesoft prompt on your terminal screen!  In fact, you can use the PC
: >comm program as a keyboard for your ][!
: >
: >All right, at this point, you should have data flying back and forth
: >between the two machines.  On the ][, type "POKE 33,33".  
: >
: >Now, on the PC, tell your comm program to start a text capture.  Tell it
: >to add line feeds after carriage returns.
: >
: >On the ][, load the BASIC program, and type LIST.  The program listing
: >will appear on the Apple screen and be dumped into the PC comm program's
: >capture buffer.
: >
: >To break communications, type "IN#0" and "PR#0" on the ][.

: This is the method that I was going to describe to him.  The only
: things I might add is that you have to make sure that the PC and II's
: baud rates are the same.  Preferably 19200 if you want a speedy
: transfer.

: Second thing is that once you have typed IN#2 and PR#2 (or 1 if the
: serial port is in slot 1) is that everything should be typed using the
: PC keyboard.  This is because anything you type on the II after those
: two commands will NOT appear on the II's screen.  It is much easier to
: type it on the PC as everything you type and would normally be
: displayed on the II will be displayed by the PC's terminal program.

Actually, if you are working in 40-columns at least, when you do IN#2,
the console input is redirected through the SSC.  Fortunately, the SSC is
kind enough to include keyboard reads in its data input loop, so IN#2 does
not disable your keyboard.  Likewise, so long as you are looking at the
40-column screen, PR#2 redirects the output hook to the SSC, but the SSC
does writes back to the screen.  So you don't lose your monitor either.

In my opinion, this is one of the wonderful things about Apples.  I/O can
be cleanly redirected.  From Applesoft.  Want to use an external terminal?  No
problem.  Want to generate a hard-copy output?  No code changes
required...just redirect output to printer.  Oh, sure, you can do it on
other platforms, but generally not from BASIC (I never liked the LPRINT
statement...)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
-- 
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