Disk Command

by Nicholas Higgs

 

Issue 27

May/Jun 87

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Disk Command is a set of new commands that you add to BASIC or ASSEMBLER to assist in editing your programs.

The listing presented here will not give you the new commands directly. You must insert a formatted disk with either DOS 2 or DOS 2.5 (it might work with DOS 3 but I haven't tested it) in drive 1 and then run the Basic program which will produce an AUTORUN.SYS file. When you re-boot the computer (switch on and off you will now, if you typed the DATA statements right(!), find a message on your screen. The message will say 'type HELP'. If you wish, typing HELP will display the HELP MENU.

HOW IT WORKS

The machine code program interrupts the Get-byte routine of the Screen Editor and points it to the Disk Command routine. This waits until RETURN is pressed and then checks the table of new commands before resuming its normal routines.

The program protects itself from being overwritten by your programming by moving up MEMLO (743,744) and storing itself beneath it. It also interrupts DOSINI (12,13) so that when you press SYSTEM RESET it re-runs. The machine code is less than 3K in length and because the commands are table driven it shouldn't be very difficult to add extra commands as necessary.

AtariLister - requires Java

THE COMMANDS

COMMAND OBJECT FORMAT

DIR

Disk Directory

DIR

RENAME

 

Rename File

 

RENAME D:oldfile,newfile (note the D: in first filename but not in
second.)

DELETE

Delete file

DELETE D:filename.ext

LOCK

Lock file

LOCK D:filename.ext

UNLOCK

Unlock file

UNLOCK D:filename.ext

WRDOS

 

Write DOS.SYS

WRDOS (You must type Y to prompt if want to write DOS.SYS to Drive D1:. N.B. DUP.SYS is not written)

MEMO

 

 

Goto Memo Pad

 

MEMO (400/800 Users will remember the Note Pad obtain by typing BYE. This is similar to that only screen will turn green and you use the ESCAPE Key to EXIT)

HEX

 

 

HEX to Decimal Conversion

HEX hhhh (where hhhh is a 4  figure Hexadecimal number between 0000 and FFFF)

 

DEC

 

 

Decimal to HEX Conversion

DEC Decnum (where Decnum is any Decimal number between 0 and 65535)

 

#FORMAT

 

 

Format Disk

 

 

#FORMAT (You need to reply Y to the prompt FORMAT (Y/N) for safety. The # was used so as not to get confused with the BASIC FOR statement)

KILL

 

 

 

Delete Routine

 

 

 

KILL (This command allows you to type DOS. If you type DOS without typing KILL first the System will `appear' to LOCK UP. Pressing system reset will correct this then typing DOS again will take you to DOS. It is still better o type KILL before typing DOS.

HELP

 

Show list of Commands

HELP

 

COL

 

Make Screen colour BLACK

COL (Just a personal preference I  prefer the screen black !!)

 

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