asbasic.1.in

' t
.TH ASBASIC 1 "@UPDATED@" "" "User commands"
.SH NAME \"{{{roff}}}\"{{{
asbasic \- BASIC interpreter
.\"}}}
.SH SYNOPSIS \"{{{
.ad l
.B asbasic
.RB [ \-b ]
.RB [ \-l
.IR file ]
.RB [ \-r ]
.RB [ \-u ]
.RI [ "program " [ argument "...]]"
.br
.B asbasic
.RB [ \-\-backslash\-colon ]
.RB [ \-\-lp
.IR file ]
.RB [ \-\-restricted ]
.RB [ \-\-uppercase ]
.RI [ "program " [ argument "...]]"
.br
.B asbasic
.BR \-h | \-\-help
.br
.B asbasic
.BR \-\-version
.ad b
.\"}}}
.SH DESCRIPTION \"{{{
.SS "Introduction" \"{{{
.B asbasic
is an interpreter for the classic dialect of the programming language
BASIC, as typically found on microcomputers of the eighties.  If no
file is given, it reads optionally numbered lines from standard input.
Non-numbered lines are executed immediatly (direct mode), numbered
lines are stored in ascending order.  The line number must be a positive
integer.  All statements are compiled before the program is run, which
catches syntactic and other errors.  Keywords and variable names are
not case sensitive.
.PP
If a program with unnumbered lines is loaded, storing or deleting
numbered lines in direct mode is not possible.  You must use \fBrenum\fP
to renumber the program first or \fBedit\fP to modify the entire program
inside an editor.  If a numbered program is loaded, typing a line number
with an otherwise empty line deletes that line same the \fBdelete\fP does.
.PP
If a \fIprogram\fP is given, it is loaded, compiled and run; \fBasbasic\fP
will exit if program execution \fBstop\fPs, \fBend\fPs or just hits the
end of the program.  If the
first line of a program file begins with \fB#!\fP, it is ignored by
the interpreter.
.\"}}}
.SS "Statements" \"{{{
Each line of a BASIC program contains one or more of the statements below.
Multiple statements are grouped by a colon (\fB:\fP) in between them.
Brackets (\fB[\fP and \fB]\fP) are converted to parentheses when loading
a program for compatibility with dialects that use them e.g. to indicate
array indices.
.IP "[\fBcall\fP] \fIfunction\fP[\fB(\fP\fIargument\fP{\fB,\fP \fIargument\fP\fB)\fP]" \"{{{
Call the \fIfunction\fP or procedure.  The ANSI syntax requires the
keyword \fBcall\fP, whereas other BASIC dialects don't.  In \fBasbasic\fP,
\fBcall\fP is optional.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBchdir\fP \fIdirectory$\fP" \"{{{
Change the current directory to \fIdirectory$\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBclear\fP" \"{{{
Set all numerical variables to 0 and all string variables to the empty string.
All arrays lose their dimension and geometry.  All files are closed.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBclose\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP{\fB,#\fP\fIchannel%\fP}]" \"{{{
Close the specified channels.  If no channels are given, all channels
but the standard input/output channel \fB#0\fP are closed.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBcls\fP" \"{{{
Clear the screen.  Not all terminals support this.  The rarely used keyword
\fBhome\fP will be converted to \fBcls\fP when loading a program.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBcolor\fP [\fIforeground\fP\fB][\fB,\fP[\fP\fIbackground\fP][\fB,\fP[\fIborder\fP]]]" \"{{{
All parameters must be between 0 and 15.  If your terminal type supports
ANSI colour codes, the foreground colour will be set to the given value.
The background colour can only be set to one of the lower 8 colours,
selecting a higher colour silently uses the matching lower colour
(e.g. red instead of light red).  The border colour is always ignored.
The following colours are available: black (0), blue (1), green (2), cyan
(3), red (4), magenta (5), brown (6), white (7), grey (8), light blue
(9), light green (10), light cyan (11), light red (12), light magenta
(13), yellow (14), bright white (15).
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBcopy\fP \fIfrom$\fP \fBto\fP \fIto$\fP" \"{{{
Copy a file.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdata\fP \fIinput-data\fP{\fB,\fP\fIinput-data\fP}" \"{{{
Store data to be accessed by \fBread\fP.  The \fIinput-data\fP has the
same format as data that is read by \fBinput\fP statements.
Data can not be stored in direct mode.  This statement is ignored
during execution.  Abbreviation: \fBd.\fP
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdec\fP \fIlvalue\fP{\fB,\fP\fIlvalue\fP}" \"{{{
Decrement \fIlvalue\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdef fn\fP\fIfunction\fP[\fB(\fP\fIparameter\fP[\fB,\fP\fIparameter\fP...]\fB)\fP]" \"{{{
Define a function.  Function identifiers always start with \fBfn\fP.
A function ends and returns its value using \fB=\fP\fIexpression\fP.
Additionally, a function may return a value using \fBfnreturn\fP
\fIexpression\fP before reaching its end.  Functions can not be declared
in direct mode.  Note: Multi line functions are not supported by all
BASIC dialects.  Some dialects allow white space between the \fBfn\fP
and the rest of the identifier, because they use \fBfn\fP as token
to mark function identifiers for both declaration and function call.
\fBasbasic\fP removes that space when loading a program.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdefdbl\fP \fIvariable\fP[\fB\-\fP\fIvariable\fP]" \"{{{
Declare the global \fIvariable\fP as real.  Only unqualified variables (no
type extension) can be declared.  Variable ranges can only be built from
single letter variables.  Declaration is done at compile time.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdefint\fP \fIvariable\fP[\fB\-\fP\fIvariable\fP]" \"{{{
Declare the global \fIvariable\fP as integer.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdefstr\fP \fIvariable\fP[\fB\-\fP\fIvariable\fP]" \"{{{
Declare the global \fIvariable\fP as string.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdef proc\fP\fIfunction\fP[\fB(\fP\fIparameter\fP[\fB,\fP\fIparameter\fP...]\fB)\fP]" \"{{{
Define a procedure (function that does not return a value).  Procedure
identifiers always start with \fBproc\fP if defined this way.  A procedure
ends with \fBend proc\fP.  This is the BBC BASIC syntax.  Procedures can
not be declared in direct mode.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdelete\fP [\fIfrom\fP][\fB\-\fP|\fB,\fP][\fIto\fP]" \"{{{
Delete the specified line or range of lines.  Unlike \fBlist\fP, the lines
must exist.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdim\fP \fIvariable\fP\|\fB(\fP\fIdimension%\fP{\fB,\fP\fIdimension%\fP}\fB)\fP" \"{{{
Dimension the array \fIvariable\fP.  If the array variable already exists,
it must first be \fBerase\fPd.  The \fIdimension%\fP specifies the upper
index of the last element, not the number of elements! The lower index
is specified by \fBoption base\fP, it is zero by default.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdisplay\fP \fIfilename$\fP" \"{{{
Display the contents of \fIfilename$\fP on standard output, like
.IR cat (1)
does.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdo\fP" \"{{{
.IP "\fBexit do\fP"
.IP "\fBloop\fP"
Repeat the loop body in between \fBdo\fP and \fBloop\fP until \fBexit
do\fP ends looping.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdo until\fP \fIcondition\fP" \"{{{
.IP "\fBexit do\fP"
.IP "\fBloop\fP"
Unless the \fIcondition\fP is true or \fBexit do\fP ends looping,
repeat the loop body in between \fBdo while\fP and \fBloop\fP.
This is equivalent to \fBwhile not\fP/\fBwend\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdo while\fP \fIcondition\fP" \"{{{
.IP "\fBexit do\fP"
.IP "\fBloop\fP"
While the \fIcondition\fP is true or \fBexit do\fP ends looping,
repeat the loop body in between \fBdo while\fP and \fBloop\fP.
This is equivalent to \fBwhile\fP/\fBwend\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBdo\fP" \"{{{
.IP "\fBexit do\fP"
.IP "\fBloop until\fP \fIcondition\fP"
Repeat the loop body in between \fBdo\fP and \fBloop until\fP until the
\fIcondition\fP is true or until \fBexit do\fP ends looping.  This is
equivalent to \fBrepeat\fP/\fBuntil\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBedit\fP [\fIline\fP]" \"{{{
Save the program to a temporary file, start an external editor on that
file and load the program again from the file.  If a \fIline\fP is given,
the editor is told to start on that line.  \fBasbasic\fP knows the calling
conventions for a number of common editors, but if your favourite is not
among them or does not support that feature, the line will be ignored.
The editor is specified by the environment variable \fBVISUAL\fP, or
\fBEDITOR\fP if \fBVISUAL\fP is not set.  If that is not set as well,
\fIvi\fP(1) is used.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBend\fP" \"{{{
End program execution.  If the program was started from direct mode,
return to direct mode, otherwise the interpreter terminates.  Although
allowed by BASIC itself, \fBasbasic\fP only allows \fBreturn\fP statements
to be followed by a colon and a comment, because anything else would
be unreachable.  In interactive mode, a diagnostic message is printed
to indicate the program did not just terminated after the last line.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBenviron\fP \fIentry$\fP" \"{{{
Modify or add an environment \fIentry$\fP of the form
\fIvariable\fP\fB=\fP\fIvalue\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBerase\fP \fIvariable\fP{\fB,\fP\fIvariable\fP}" \"{{{
Erase the array \fIvariable\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBfunction\fP \fIfunction\fP[\fB(\fP\fIparameter\fP[\fB,\fP\fIparameter\fP...]\fB)\fP]" \"{{{
Define a function (ANSI BASIC style).  A function ends using \fBend function\fP.
The name of the function is a local variable inside the function and its
value is returned as function result when program execution reaches the
end of the function.  Functions can not be declared in direct mode.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBfield\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP\fB,\fP\fIwidth\fP \fBas\fP \fIlvalue$\fP {\fB,\fP\fIwidth\fP \fBas\fP \fIlvalue$\fP}" \"{{{
Allocate \fIwidth\fP bytes in the record buffer to the \fIlvalue$\fP.
The total number of allocated bytes must not exceed the record length.
The same record buffer can be allocated to different lvalues
by using multiple field statements.  Fielded lvalues must be set
with \fBlset\fP and \fBrset\fP.  Simple assignments to them will cause
different storage to be allocated to them, thus not effecting the random
access buffer.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBfor\fP \fIlvalue\fP \fB=\fP \fIexpression\fP \fBto\fP \fIexpression\fP [\fBstep\fP \fIexpression\fP]" \"{{{
.IP "\fBnext\fP \fIlvalue\fP{\fB,\fP\fIlvalue\fP}"
The \fBfor\fP loop performs the initial variable assignment and then
executes the statements inside the loop, if the variable is lower or equal
than the limit (or greater than for negative steps).  The \fBnext\fP
statement verifies if the variable already reached the value of the
\fBto\fP \fIexpression\fP.  If not, it increments if by the value of
the \fBstep\fP \fIexpression\fP and causes a new repetition.  A missing
\fBstep\fP \fIexpression\fP is treated as \fBstep 1\fP.  The \fBnext\fP
statement may be followed by a list of lvalues.  Due to the dynamic variable
geometry, the lvalues themselves
are only checked for belonging to the same variable as those in \fBfor\fP.
If no lvalues are given, the
innermost loop is terminated.  For loops can be left by \fBexit for\fP.
Note: That statement is not offered by all BASIC dialects and most restrict
loop variables to scalar variables.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBget\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP [\fB,\fP\fIrecord\fP]" \"{{{
Read the record buffer of \fIchannel%\fP from the file it is connected to,
which must be opened in \fBrandom\fP mode.  If a \fIrecord\fP number is
given, the record is read there instead of being read from the current
record position.  The first record is 1.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBget\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP\fB,\fP[\fIposition\fP]\fB,\fP\fIlvalue\fP" \"{{{
Read the \fIlvalue\fP from the specified channel, which must be opened in
\fBbinary\fP mode.  If a \fIposition\fP is given, the data is read there
instead of being read from the current position.  The first position is 1.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBgoto\fP \fIinteger\fP" \"{{{
Continue execution at the specified line.  If used from direct mode, the
program will first be compiled.  The older two word \fBgo to\fP will be
converted into the newer \fBgoto\fP.  Although allowed by BASIC itself,
\fBasbasic\fP only allows \fBgoto\fP statements to be followed by a colon
and a comment, because anything else would be unreachable.  This also
concerns assigned \fBgoto\fP statements.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBgosub\fP \fIinteger\fP" \"{{{
Execute the subroutine at the specified line.  The older two word \fBgo
sub\fP will be converted into the newer \fBgosub\fP.  If used from direct
mode, the program will first be compiled.  The \fBreturn\fP statement
returns from subroutines.  Abbreviation: \fBr.\fP Although allowed by
BASIC itself, \fBasbasic\fP only allows \fBreturn\fP statements to be followed
by a colon and a comment, because anything else would be unreachable.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBif\fP \fIcondition\fP [\fBthen\fP] \fIstatements\fP [\fBelse\fP \fIstatements\fP]" \"{{{
If the \fIcondition\fP evaluates to a non-zero number of a non-empty
string, the statements after \fBthen\fP are executed.  Otherwise,
the statements after \fBelse\fP are executed.  If the \fBthen\fP or
\fBelse\fP statements are directly followed by an integer, \fBasbasic\fP
inserts a \fBgoto\fP statement before the number and if the condition
is directly followed by a \fBgoto\fP statement, a \fBthen\fP is inserted.
.IP "\fBif\fP \fIcondition\fP \fBthen\fP"
.IP "\fBelseif\fP \fIcondition\fP \fBthen\fP"
.IP "\fBelse\fP"
.IP "\fBend if\fP"
If the \fBthen\fP statement is at the end of a line, it introduces
a multi-line construct that ends with the \fBend if\fP statement (note
the white space between \fBend\fP and \fBif\fP).  This form can not
be used in direct mode, where only one line can be entered at a time.
Abbreviations for \fBthen\fP and \fBelse\fP: \fBth.\fP and \fBel.\fP
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBimage\fP \fIformat\fP \"{{{
Define a format for \fBprint using\fP.  Instead of using string
variables, print formats can be defined this way and referred to by the
line number.  The \fIformat\fP can be given as a string literal, which
allows leading and trailing space, or without enclosing double quotes.
\fBasbasic\fP converts the second form to a quoted string.  This statement is
ignored during execution.  \fBNote\fP: No two dialects share the syntax
and semantics for numbered print formats, but many offer it one way or
another.  This statement allows you to adapt much existing code with small
changes, but probably differs from most dialects in one way or another.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBinc\fP \fIlvalue\fP{\fB,\fP\fIlvalue\fP}" \"{{{
Increment \fIlvalue\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBinput\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP\fB,\fP][\fB;\fP][\fIstring\fP[\fB;\fP|\fB,\fP|\fB:\fP]]\fIlvalue\fP{\fB,\fP\fIlvalue\fP}" \"{{{
The \fBinput\fP statement prints the optional prompt \fIstring\fP and
a trailing question mark (\fB?\fP).  After, it reads comma separated
values and assigns them to the given variables.  If too few values are
typed in, missing values will be requested with the prompt \fB??\fP.
An empty value for a numeric variable means zero.  If too much input
data is given, a warning is printed.  If a channel other
than \fB#0\fP is specified, no question marks or error messages will be
printed, instead an error is returned.  A semicolon before the prompt
will not move the cursor to a new line after pressing RETURN.  If the
prompt is followed by a comma, colon or no punctuation at all, no question mark will
be printed after the prompt.  \fBNote\fP: Some dialects allow a string
expression instead of the \fIstring\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBkill\fP \fIfilename$\fP" \"{{{
Delete a file.
.\"}}}
.IP "[\fBlet\fP] \fIlvalue\fP{\fB,\fP\fIlvalue\fP} \fB=\fP \fIexpression\fP" \"{{{
Evaluate the \fIexpression\fP and assign its value to each \fIlvalue\fP,
converting it, if needed.
\fILvalues\fP are variables or array variable elements.  All assignments
are performed independently of each other.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBline input\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP\fB,\fP][\fIstring\fP\fB;\fP|\fB,\fP]\fIlvalue$\fP" \"{{{
The \fBline input\fP statement prints the optional prompt \fIstring\fP,
reads one line of input and assigns unmodified it to the \fIlvalue$\fP.
Using a comma instead of a semicolon makes no difference with this
statement.
.\"}}}
.IP "[\fBl\fP]\fBlist\fP [\fIfrom\fP][\fB\-\fP|\fB,\fP][\fIto\fP]" \"{{{
List (part of) the program text.  Control structures will automatically
be indented.  If the parameter \fIfrom\fP is given, the listing starts
at the given line instead of the beginning.  Similarly, \fIto\fP causes
the listing to end at line \fIto\fP instead of the end of the program.
The given line numbers do not have to exist, there are merely a numeric
range.  The syntax variant using a minus sign as separator requires that
the first line is given as a literal number.  This statement may also
be used inside programs, e.g. for \fBlist erl\fP.  \fBllist\fP writes
the listing to the lp channel.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBload\fP [\fIfile$\fP]" \"{{{
Load the program \fIfile$\fP (direct mode only).  The name may
be omitted to load a program of the name used by a previous \fBload\fP
or \fBsave\fP statement.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBlocal\fP \fIvariable\fP{\fB,\fP\fIvariable\fP}" \"{{{
Declare a variable local to the current function.  The scope ranges
from the declaration to the end of the function.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBlocate\fP \fIline\fP,\fIcolumn\fP" \"{{{
Locate the cursor at the given \fIline\fP and \fIcolumn\fP.  The first
line and column is 1.  Not all terminals support this.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBlock\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP" \"{{{
Wait for an exclusive lock on the file associated with the \fIchannel%\fP
to be granted.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBlset\fP \fIvariable$\fP\fB=\fP\fIexpression\fP" \"{{{
Store the left adjusted \fIexpression\fP value in the storage
currently occupied by the \fIvariable$\fP.  If the storage does not suffice,
the \fIexpression\fP value is truncated, if its capacity exceeds the length
of the \fIexpression\fP value, it is padded with spaces.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBrset\fP \fIvariable$\fP\fB=\fP\fIexpression\fP" \"{{{
Store the right adjusted \fIexpression\fP value in the storage currently
occupied by the \fIvariable$\fP, padding with spaces from the right if
the storage capacity exceeds the length of the \fIexpression\fP value.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB=\fP\fImatrixVariable\fP" \"{{{
Matrix variables are one or two-dimensional array variables, but the elements
at index 0 in each dimension are unused.  The \fIvariable\fP does not
have to be dimensioned.  Note: If it is, some BASIC dialects require
that its number of elements must be equal or greater than that of
the \fImatrixVariable\fP, which is valid for all matrix assignments.
The \fIvariable\fP will be (re)dimensioned to the geometry of the
\fImatrixVariable\fP and all elements (starting at index 1, not 0)
of the \fImatrixVariable\fP will be copied to \fIvariable\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB=\fP\fImatrixVariable\fP[\fB+\fP|\fB\-\fP|\fB*\fP \fImatrixVariable\fP]" \"{{{
The \fIvariable\fP will be (re)dimensioned as for matrix assignments
and the matrix sum (difference, product) will be assigned to it.  Note:
Some BASIC dialects require that result matrix \fIvariable\fP must not
be a factor of the product, e.g. \fBa=a*a\fP is illegal in those dialects.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB=(\fP\fIfactor\fP\fB)*\fP\fImatrixVariable\fP" \"{{{
Assign the scalar product of the \fIfactor\fP and the \fImatrixVariable\fP to
\fIvariable\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB=con\fP[\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP]" \"{{{
Assign a matrix whose elements are all \fB1\fP to \fIvariable\fP.
If dimensions are specified, the matrix \fIvariable\fP will be
(re)dimensioned.  A missing number of \fIcolumns\fP (re)dimensions the
variable with 2 columns, including column 0.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB=idn\fP[\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP]" \"{{{
Assign a matrix whose diagonal elements are \fB1\fP and remaining
elements are \fB0\fP to \fIvariable\fP.  Some dialects can only
generate square matrices and use only one argument to specify both
rows and columns.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB=inv(\fP\fImatrixVariable\fP\fB)\fP" \"{{{
Assign the inverse of the \fImatrixVariable\fP to \fIvariable\fP,
(re)dimensioning it if needed.  Only two-dimensional square matrixes can be inverted.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB=trn(\fP\fImatrixVariable\fP\fB)\fP" \"{{{
Assign the transposed elements of \fImatrixVariable\fP to \fIvariable\fP,
(re)dimensioning it if needed.  Note: Some BASIC dialects require that
\fIvariable\fP and \fImatrixVariable\fP are different.  Only two-dimensional
matrixes can be transposed.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB=zer\fP[\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP]" \"{{{
Assign a matrix whose elements are all \fB0\fP to \fIvariable\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat input\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP\fB,\fP]\fIvariable\fP[\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP]{\fB,\fP \fIvariable\fP[\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP]}" \"{{{
This statement reads all elements of a matrix \fIvariable\fP without row
or column 0 from the specified channel (or standard input, if no channel
is given).  For two-dimensional matrices, the elements are read in row order.
Elements are separated with a comma.
If the channel is \fB#0\fP, the prompt \fB?\fP is printed until all elements are read.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat print\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP[\fB,\fP]][\fBusing\fP \fIformat\fP\fB;\fP]\fImatrixVariable\fP{\fB;\fP|\fB,\fP \fImatrixVariable\fP}[\fB;\fP|\fB,\fP]" \"{{{
Print the given \fImatrixVariable\fP, optionally using the \fBusing\fP
format string or line (see \fBprint using\fP below) for
formatting the matrix elements.  If no format string is used, a following
comma prints the elements in zoned format (default), whereas a semicolon
prints them without extra space between them.  The output starts on a new
line, unless the output position is already at the beginning of a new line.
A blank line is printed between matrix variables.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat read\fP \fIvariable\fP[\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP]{\fB,\fP \fIvariable\fP[\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP]}" \"{{{
Read constants from \fBdata\fP statemets and assign them to the elements
of the matrix \fIvariable\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat redim\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP{\fB,\fP \fIvariable\fP\fB(\fP\fIrows\fP[\fB,\fP\fIcolumns\fP]\fB)\fP}" \"{{{
Resize a matrix \fIvariable\fP.  The matrix must not exist before, in
which case it will be created.  If it does exist, it must be of the same
dimension, but it may be smaller or larger.  Truncated elements will be
permanently lost, new elements will be set to \fB0\fP for numeric and
\fB""\fP for string variables.  Identical positions in the old and the
new matrix keep their value.  Note: Some BASIC dialects require that
the matrix variable must exist before, some only forbid to grow matrix
variables beyond their original dimension and some keep the values at
the same storage position, which appears as if they got shuffled around
when changing the size and as if previously lost values reappear.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmat write\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP[\fB,\fP]]\fImatrixVariable\fP{\fB;\fP|\fB,\fP \fImatrixVariable\fP}[\fB;\fP|\fB,\fP]" \"{{{
Write the values of the given \fImatrixVariable\fP to the specified channel or
to standard output if no channel is given.  Different values are
separated by commas and a newline is written at the end of a line.
Strings will be written enclosed in double quotes and positive numbers
are not written with a heading blank.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmid$(\fP\fIlvalue$\fP\fB,\fP\fIposition%\fP[\fB,\fP\fIlength%\fP]\fB)=\fP\fIvalue$\fP" \"{{{
Replace the characters starting at the given \fIposition%\fP inside
\fIlvalue$\fP with the characters from \fIvalue$\fP.  An optional
\fIlength%\fP limits how many characters of \fIlvalue$\fP are replaced.
The replacement will not go beyond the length of \fIlvalue$\fP.  Note:
Not all BASIC dialects support this statement.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBmkdir\fP \fIdirectory$\fP" \"{{{
Create a \fIdirectory$\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBname\fP \fIoldname$\fP \fBas\fP \fInewname$\fP" \"{{{
Rename the file \fIoldname$\fP to \fInewname$\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBnew\fP" \"{{{
Erase the program to write a new one (direct mode only).
All files are closed and all variables removed.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBon\fP \fIchoice%\fP \fBgoto\fP \fIline\fP{\fB,\fP\fIline\fP}" \"{{{
If the integral value of \fIchoice\fP is 1, execution continues at the
first specified \fIline\fP, if 2, on the second, etc.  If the value falls
outside the range for which lines are given, execution continues at the
next statement.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBon\fP \fIchoice%\fP \fBgosub\fP \fIline\fP{\fB,\fP\fIline\fP}" \"{{{
This is similar to \fBon goto\fP, but a \fBgosub\fP is executed instead
of the \fBgoto\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBon error goto 0\fP" \"{{{
If executed in the context of an exception handler, re-throw the last
exception that happened.  Otherwise disable exception handling.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBon error\fP \fIstatements\fP" \"{{{
Register the \fIstatements\fP as exception handler to catch any thrown
exceptions.  Exception handlers inside procedures are always local:
If a procedure aborts by an unhandled exception, that exception may be
caught by its caller.  If the \fIstatements\fP do not abort the program
or jump elsewhere, execution continues at the next line.  Note: This
more general form differs from traditional interpreters that require
\fBon error goto\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBon error off\fP" \"{{{
Disable exception handling.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBopen\fP \fImode$\fP\fB,\fP[\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP\fB,\fP\fIfile$\fP[\fB,\fP\fIlength\fP]" \"{{{
Open the \fIfile$\fP through the \fIchannel%\fP.  The mode must be
\fB"i"\fP for input, \fB"o"\fP for output, \fB"a"\fP for appending
output or \fB"r"\fP for random access.  Opening the file for random
access requires the record \fIlength\fP to be specified.  This syntax
is used by MBASIC and some other interpreters.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBopen\fP \fIfile$\fP [\fBfor\fP \fBinput\fP|\fBoutput\fP|\fBappend\fP|\fBrandom\fP|\fBbinary\fP] [\fBaccess\fP \fBread\fP|\fBwrite\fP|\fBread write\fP] [\fBshared\fP|\fBlock read\fP|\fBlock write\fP] \fBas file\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP [\fBlen=\fP\fIlength%\fP]" \"{{{
Open the \fIfile$\fP through the \fIchannel%\fP.  Files opened in
\fBinput\fP mode must already exist, whereas the other methods create
them as needed.  If the file is opened for random access and no record
\fIlength\fP is specified, a record length of 1 is used.  This is the
ANSI BASIC syntax found in more modern programs.  The \fBbinary\fP mode
is similar to \fBrandom\fP mode, but there is no fixed record length:
Data is read and written directly using \fBget\fP and \fBput\fP without
using \fBfield\fP.  If no open method is specified, the file is opened
as \fIrandom\fP.  Optionally, a file access mode can be specified.
.IP
The file locking implementations vary greatly between dialects: Some
implementations offer independent locks for reading and writing,
others offer shared locks (usually used for many readers) and
exclusive locks (usually used for writers).  Additionally, locks may
be advisory/cooperative or mandatory.  Most dialects use exclusive
locks of highest protection by default.  \fBasbasic\fP implements POSIX
shared/exclusive locks, which are usually advisory, and offers the
following:
.RS
.IP \fBshared\fP
any process can read or write file
.IP "\fBlock read\fP"
shared lock, \fBopen\fP fails if file is locked exclusively
.IP "\fBlock write\fP
exclusive lock
.IP "default"
no lock is taken, same as \fBshared\fP
.RE
.IP
Programs using locks may fail if the dialect they were written for
had different lock semantics!
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBoption base\fP \fIbase\fP" \"{{{
Specify the lowest array index for \fBdim\fP (zero by default).  Note:
Many BASIC dialects enforce the base to be 0 or 1, further they require
the base to be specified only once and before creating any arrays.
\fBasbasic\fP allows to set an individual base for any array, but all
\fBmat\fP functions require the bases of their operands to be equal and
to be 0 or 1.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBoption run\fP" \"{{{
Ignore terminal interrupts (usually control c) and XON/XOFF flow control (control s/control q).
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBoption stop\fP" \"{{{
Accept terminal interrupts (usually control c) to stop a program and
XON/XOFF flow control (control s/control q) to stop and resume terminal
output.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBout\fP \fIaddress\fP\fB,\fP\fIvalue\fP" \"{{{
Write the \fPvalue\fP to the I/O port \fIaddress\fP.  Direct port
access is not available in the portable version.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBpoke\fP \fIaddress\fP\fB,\fP\fIvalue\fP" \"{{{
Write the \fPvalue\fP to the memory \fIaddress\fP.  Direct memory
access is not available in the portable version.
.\"}}}
.IP "[\fBl\fP]\fBprint\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP[\fB,\fP]][\fBusing\fP \fIformat\fP\fB;\fP]{\fIexpression\fP|\fBtab(\fP\fIposition\fP\fB)\fP|\fBspc(\fP\fIlength\fP\fB)\fP|\fB;\fP|\fB,\fP}" \"{{{
Evaluate the expressions and print their values to the integral
expression \fIchannel%\fP.  If no channel is given, the standard output
channel \fB#0\fP will be used.  The statement \fBlprint\fP prints to the
printer channel and no other channel can be specified.  The \fBusing\fP
format string or line may contain the following characters:
.RS
.IP "\fB_\fP"
Print the following character instead of interpreting it as formatting
command.
.IP "\fB!\fP"
Print the first character of a string.
.IP "\fB\e\fP"
Print two more characters of a string as there are
spaces between the backslashes.
.IP "\fB&\fP"
Print a string without any formatting.  Note: Some BASIC dialects use
\fB&\fP characters to specify the string width.  A single \fB&\fP would
only print the first character in those dialects.  In other dialects,
an ampersand represents one digit of the numeric format, padding the
number with zeroes.
.IP "\fB+\fP"
A plus at the beginning or end of a numeric format causes the sign to
be printed at the beginning or the end.
.IP "\fB\-\fP"
A minus at the end of a numeric format prints a trailing minus after
negative numbers and a space else.
.IP "\fB,\fP"
A comma inside the integral part of a numeric format inserts a comma
before each three-digit group of the integral part of the number.
It also represents one digit in the format.  Although one comma suffices,
it makes formats more readable to insert a comma every three digits.
.IP "\fB#\fP"
Each hash sign represents one digit of the numeric format.  If there
are fewer digits in the integral part of the value, it is preceded by
spaces.
.IP "\fB^\fP"
Each caret represents one digit of the exponent.  At least three carets
are required, because the exponent is leaded by an \fBE\fP and the
epxonent sign is always printed.  The number is printed in the numeric
format asked for by hash signs with the exponent adjusted accordingly,
e.g. printing \fB5\fP using \fB###.##^^^^^\fP results in \fB500.00E-002\fP.
.IP "\fB*\fP"
Like a hash sign, but the number will not be preceded by spaces, but
by asterisks.
.IP "\fB0\fP"
Like a hash sign, but the number will not be preceded by spaces, but
by zeroes.
.IP "\fB.\fP"
The dot specifies the position of the decimal point between a
pound/asterisk sign group for the integral value and an optional pound
sign group for the precision of the fractional part.
.IP "\fB$\fP"
A dollar sign prefixes the number with a dollar.  Further dollar signs
increase the numeric width like \fB#\fP and \fB*\fP.  If the dollar sign
stands in front of all padding, it will precede it, otherwise it will be
printed after any padding.
.IP "any other character"
Any other character is printed literally and separates different numeric
fields of a multi-field format.
.RE
.IP
If no format is given, positive values are printed with a heading space,
negative values are printed with a heading minus, the precision is set
as required and the number is followed by a space.  \fBprint\fP without
\fBusing\fP will advance to the next line if the value of the expression
no longer fits into the current line.
.IP
A semicolon concatenates the output while a comma puts the values in
columns.  A trailing semicolon suppresses printing a trailing newline.
The pseudo function \fBtab\fP, which must only be used within \fBprint\fP
statements, spaces to the specified print position (column) with 0 being
the leftmost position.  If the current print position is already beyond
\fIvalue\fP, it does nothing.  If \fIvalue\fP is beyond the output width,
advancing the position stops there.  The pseudo function \fBspc\fP is similar
to \fBtab\fP, but it prints as many spaces as specified by its argument.
Abbreviation: \fB?\fP or \fBp.\fP
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBput\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP [\fB,\fP\fIrecord\fP]" \"{{{
Write the record buffer of \fIchannel%\fP to the file it is connected to,
which must be opened in \fBrandom\fP mode.  If a \fIrecord\fP number
is given, the record is written there instead of being written to the
current record position.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBput\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP\fB,\fP[\fIposition\fP]\fB,\fP\fIvalue\fP" \"{{{
Write the \fIvalue\fP to the specified channel, which must be opened
in \fBbinary\fP mode.  If a \fIrecord\fP number is given, the data is
written there instead of being written to the current position.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBrandomize\fP [\fInumber%\fP]" \"{{{
Seed the random number generator.  If no argument is given, it will be
initialised with a random number.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBread\fP \fIlvalue\fP{\fB,\fP\fIlvalue\fP}" \"{{{
Read constants from \fBdata\fP statements and assign them to the
\fIlvalue\fPs.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBrem\fP \fIarbitrary text\fP" \"{{{
This statement introduces comments.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBrename\fP \fIfrom$\fP \fBto\fP \fIto$\fP" \"{{{
Rename a file.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fB'\fP \fIarbitrary text\fP" \"{{{
This is an alternative form of comments, which can directly follow
statements without a colon.  An exclamation mark instead of the
quotation mark is also recognised and converted to a quotation mark.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBrenum\fP [\fIfirst\fP[\fB,\fP\fIincrement\fP]]" \"{{{
Renumber the program.  The \fIfirst\fP line number and the line number
\fIincrement\fP can be optionally given.  If omitted, a value of 10 will
be used for both.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBrepeat\fP" \"{{{
.IP "\fBuntil\fP \fIcondition\fP"
Execute the loop body and repeat doing so if the \fIcondition\fP is
not zero.  The loop body will be executed at least once.  Abbreviation:
\fBrep.\fP
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBrestore\fP [\fIline\fP]" \"{{{
Restore the data pointer to the first \fBdata\fP statement for reading
data again.  An optional line number restores the pointer to the first
\fBdata\fP statement in that line.  Abbreviation: \fBres.\fP  Note: Some
BASIC dialects allow to specify a line without a \fBdata\fP statement
and search beginning from that line for one.  This implementation
does not allow that, because it is more often an error than used as
a feature.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBresume\fP \fIline\fP" \"{{{
End an exception handler and continue execution at the specified line.
This is only needed if you intend to re-throw exceptions by on \fBon error
goto 0\fP.
Although allowed by BASIC itself, \fBasbasic\fP
only allows \fBresume\fP statements to be followed by a colon and a comment,
because anything else would be unreachable.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBrun\fP [\fIline\fP|\fIfile$\fP]" \"{{{
Compile the program, clear all variables, close all files and start program execution.
If a file is specified, the file is loaded first and run from the
beginning.  If a line is specified, execution starts at the given
line.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBsave\fP [\fIfile$\fP]" \"{{{
Save the program to the given \fIfile$\fP (direct mode only).  The name may
be omitted to save the program under the name used by a previous \fBload\fP
or \fBsave\fP statement.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBselect case\fP \fIselector\fP" \"{{{
.IP "\fBcase\fP \fImatch\fP{\fB,\fP \fImatch\fP}"
.IP "\fImatch\fP = \fIexpression\fP [\fBto\fP \fIexpression\fP] | \fBis\fP \fIrelop\fP \fIexpression\fP"
.IP "\fBcase else\fP"
.IP "\fBend select\fP"
Execute the statements after the first \fBcase\fP statement that
matches the \fIselector\fP expression, then skip to the \fIend select\fP
statement.  A single \fIexpression\fP matches its value, \fBto\fP matches
the range between the first and the second \fIexpression\fP including the
limits, and \fBis\fP compares the \fIselector\fP using the relational
operator with the \fIexpression\fP.  The \fIcase else\fP branch always
matches if none of the above did.  If the \fIselector\fP does not match
any branch, control passes to the statement following \fBend select\fP.
\fBNote\fP: Some BASIC dialects treat this case as an error.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBshell\fP [\fIcommand$\fP]" \"{{{
If a \fIcommand$\fP is given, it is executed as child process of
\fBasbasic\fP as bourne shell command.  If used without a \fIcommand$\fP,
the shell specified by the environment variable \fBSHELL\fP (defaults
to the bourne shell if not set) is started without arguments.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBsleep\fP \fIpause\fP" \"{{{
The program pauses for \fIpause\fP seconds.  If your system allows it,
fractional seconds can be used.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBstop\fP" \"{{{
Stop the program.  Apart from printing where the program stopped, this
is identical to \fBend\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBsub\fP\fIfunction\fP[\fB(\fP\fIparameter\fP[\fB,\fP\fIparameter\fP...]\fB)\fP]" \"{{{
Define a procedure (function that does not return a value).  A procedure
ends with \fBsubend\fP; the alternative forms \fBsub end\fP and \fBend
sub\fP are converted to \fBsubend\fP when loading programs.  A procedure
can be left by \fBsubexit\fP; again the alternative forms \fBsub exit\fP and
\fBexit sub\fP and converted to \fBsubexit\fP when loading programs.
Procedures can not be declared in direct
mode.  This is the ANSI syntax.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBswap\fP \fIlvalue1\fP\fB,\fP\fIlvalue2\fP" \"{{{
Swap the contents of \fIlvalue1\fP and \fIlvalue2\fP.  Both must
be of identical type.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBsystem\fP" \"{{{
Exit from \fBasbasic\fP.  Alternatively, \fBbye\fP may be used.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBtron\fP" \"{{{
Enable tracing by printing the line number of each executed program line.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBtroff\fP" \"{{{
Disable program tracing.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBtruncate\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP" \"{{{
Truncate the file after the current position.  The file must be opened with
write access.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBunlock\fP [\fB#\fP]\fIchannel%\fP" \"{{{
Release any locks on the file associated with the \fIchannel%\fP.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBunnum\fP" \"{{{
Remove all line numbers that are not needed, which is the the opposite
to \fBrenum\fP.  This command is specific to \fBasbasic\fP, although a
similar command is found in Bytewater BASIC.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBwait\fP \fIaddress\fP\fB,\fP\fImask\fP\fB,\fP\fIselect\fP" \"{{{
Wait until the I/O port \fIaddress\fP (XORed with \fIselect\fP, if specified)
masked out using \fImask\fP is not equal zero.  Direct port access is not
available in the portable version.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBwhile\fP \fIexpression\fP" \"{{{
.IP "\fBwend\fP"
While the \fIexpression\fP is not zero, the loop body, ended by \fBwend\fP,
will be repeatedly executed.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBwidth\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP[\fB,\fP]] [[\fIwidth%\fP][\fB,\fP\fIzone%\fP]]" \"{{{
Set the channel \fIwidth%\fP.  After \fIwidth%\fP characters have been
printed to the channel, a newline character is automatically sent to it
for starting a new line.  A \fIwidth%\fP of zero sets the channel width
to infinite.  Optionally, the \fIzone\fP width can be specified.  Note: Some
dialects use this, others use the \fBzone\fP statement.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBwrite\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP[\fB,\fP]]{\fIexpression\fP|\fB,\fP|\fB;\fP}" \"{{{
Write the values of the given expressions to the specified channel or
to standard output if no channel is given.  Different expressions are
separated by commas and a newline is written at the end of the list.
Strings will be written enclosed in double quotes and positive numbers
are not written with a heading blank.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBxref\fP" \"{{{
Output a list of all functions, global variables, \fBGOSUB\fP and \fBGOTO\fP
statements and the line numbers where they are referenced.
.\"}}}
.IP "\fBzone\fP [\fB#\fP\fIchannel%\fP[\fB,\fP]]\fIwidth%\fP" \"{{{
Set the channel zone \fIwidth%\fP.  A comma in PRINT advances to the
next print zone, similar to a tabulator.
.\"}}}
.\"}}}
.SS "Expressions and Functions" \"{{{
Expressions consist of operators or functions that act on integer,
real (floating point) or string values.  Beside decimal notation,
integer values can be written as hexadecimal values by prefixing them
with \fB&h\fP and as octal values by prefixing them with \fB&o\fP.
String constants may contain paired double quotes to specify double quote
characters inside strings.  If the constant is terminated by the end of
the line, the trailing double quote can be omitted.  Numeric constants
with the suffix \fB#\fP or \fB!\fP are always regarded as floating point
constants, \fBasbasic\fP ignores the precision specification, because it
does not offer different precisions.  Integer constants may be followed
by the suffix \fB%\fP.  If an integer literal is outside the integer
value range, it is treated as a floating point literal.
.PP
The table below shows the available operators with decreasing priority.
The operator \fB=>\fP is converted to \fB>=\fP, \fB=<\fP is converted
to \fB<=\fP and \fB><\fP is converted to \fB<>\fP when programs are loaded.
.PP
.TS
box,center;
c l
cfB l.
operator	meaning
_
^	exponentiation
_
\-	unary negation
+	unary plus
_
*	multiplication
/	floating-point division
\e	integer division (equal to fix(a/b))
mod	modulo
_
+	addition, string concatenation
\-	substraction
_
>	greater than
>=	greater than or equal to
\&=	equal to
<>	not equal to
<=	less than or equal to
<	less than
_
not	binary complement
_
and	binary and
_
or	binary or
xor	binary exclusive or
eqv	binary equivalent
imp	binary implication
.TE
.sp .5v
.PP
Besides operators, various builtin functions can be used in expressions.
The dollar character (\fB$\fP) denotes that the argument must be of
the type string.  The actual parameters of functions, both builtin
and user-defined, as well as subroutines, are passed by value.  Note:
Modern (not old) ANSI BASIC passes actual parameters by reference.
Many classic dialects don't offer call by reference and \fBbas\fP
follows that direction.  Arguments to functions and subroutines must
be enclosed in parentheses.  Note: Some dialects allow to omit them,
which introduces ambiguity in some cases.
.IP "\fBabs(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the absolute value of \fIn\fP.
.IP "\fBasc(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the numeric value of the first character of the \fIstring\fP.
.IP "\fBatn(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the arctangent value of \fIx\fP.
.IP "\fBbin$(\fP\fIn%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string containing the binary conversion of \fIn%\fP.
.IP "\fBbin$(\fP\fIn%\fP\fB,\fP\fIdigits%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string containing the binary conversion of \fIn%\fP
with the specified number of \fIdigits%\fP.
.IP "\fBchr$(\fP\fIvalue%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string of length 1 that contains the character with the given
\fIvalue%\fP.
.IP "\fBcint(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the integral value value nearest to \fIx\fP (rounded upwards).
.IP "\fBcode(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the numeric value of the first character of the \fIstring\fP.
This is the same as \fBasc(\fP\fIstring\fP\fB)\fP, used by dialects
that took non-ASCII systems into consideration.
.IP "\fBcommand$\fP"
Return extra command line arguments after the program name, separated
by spaces.  The program name is not part of the return value.  Note:
This function is implemented for compatibility and does not deal with
arguments with embedded spaces.
.IP "\fBcommand$(\fP\fIn%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the \fIn%\fPth argument passed to the program, starting with 1.
The first returned argument (index 0) is the program name.
.IP "\fBcos(\fP\fIx_rad\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the cosine value of \fIx_rad\fP.
.IP "\fBcvd(\fP\fIx$\fP\fB)\fP"
Convert a string value generated by \fBmkd$(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP back to
a floating point value.  The string characters contain the bytes of a
C double precision value.  The string length and the byte encoding is
machine dependent and not portable.
.IP "\fBcvs(\fP\fIx$\fP\fB)\fP"
Convert a string value generated by \fBmks$(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP back to
a floating point value.  The string characters contain the bytes of a
C single precision value.  The string length and the byte encoding is
machine dependent and not portable.
.IP "\fBcvi(\fP\fIx$\fP\fB)\fP"
Convert a string value back to an integral value.
The string characters contain the bytes of a signed little endian number
and the sign bit of the last byte determines the sign of the resulting
number.
.IP "\fBdate$\fP"
Return the date as a 10-character string in the form
\fImm\fP\fB\-\fP\fIdd\fP\fB\-\fP\fIyyyy\fP.
.IP "\fBdec$(\fP\fIx\fP,\fBformat$\fP\fB)\fP"
Convert \fIx\fP to a string according to the \fBprint using\fP \fIformat$\fP.
.IP "\fBdeg(\fP\fIradians\fP\fB)\fP"
Convert radians to degrees.
.IP "\fBdet\fP"
Return the determinant of the last matrix inverted.
.IP "\fBedit$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB,\fP\fIcode%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the result of editing the \fIstring$\fP as indicated by the \fIcode%\fP.
The following editing codes are available:
.RS
.IP 1
discard parity bit
.IP 2
discard all spaces and tabs
.IP 4
discard all carriage returns, line feeds, form feeds,
deletes, escapes and nulls
.IP 8
discard leading spaces and tabs
.IP 16
convert multiple spaces and tabs to one space
.IP 32
convert lower case to upper case
.IP 64
convert left brackets to left parentheses and right
brackes to right parentheses
.IP 128
discard trailing spaces and tabs
.IP 256
suppress all editing for characters within matching
single or double quotes.  If the matching quote is missing,
suppress all editing up to the end of the string.
.RE
.IP
The codes can be added for combined editing operations.
.IP "\fBenviron$(\fP\fIn%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the \fIn%\fPth environment entry in the form
\fIvariable\fP\fB=\fP\fIvalue\fP, starting with 1.  If \fIn%\fP is larger
than the number of entries, an empty string is returned.
.IP "\fBenviron$(\fP\fIvariable$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the value of the specified environment \fIvariable$\fP.  If there
is no such variable, an empty string is returned.
.IP "\fBeof(\fP\fIchannel%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return true if the end of the channel has been reached.  This must be
used to avoid that \fBinput\fP tries to read past the end of a file.
.IP "\fBerl\fP"
Return the number of the line where the last exception was thrown.
.IP "\fBerr\fP"
Return a numeric code for the last exception that was thrown.  The use
of this function is not portable.
.IP "\fBexp(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the value of e raised to the power of \fIx\fP.
.IP "\fBfalse\fP"
Return 0.
.IP "\fBfind$(\fP\fIpattern$\fP[\fB,\fP\fInth%\fP]\fB)\fP
Return the first (or \fInth%\fP, starting from 0, if specified) filename
that matches the given pattern or the empty string, if no filename
matches the pattern.  This function is usually used to check for the
existance of a file.  The pattern may use the wildcards \fB*\fP to match
an arbitrary number of characters and \fB?\fP to match a single character.
Note: On some systems, the star does not match a dot inside a filename.
In this implementation, the star matches everything and \fB*.*\fP only
matches files with a dot in their name, not files without an extension.
Some systems also encode file attributes in the eigth bit of the
file name and programs strip that bit from the output of \fBfind$\fP.
It is recommended to use only 7-bit file names with applications using
this function.
.IP "\fBfix(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the integral part of a floating point value.
.IP "\fBfp(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the fractional part of a floating point value.
.IP "\fBfrac(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the fractional part of a floating point value; same as \fBfp\fP.
.IP "\fBfreefile\fP"
Return the first free file handle.
.IP "\fBhex$(\fP\fIn%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string containing the hexadecimal conversion of \fIn%\fP.
.IP "\fBhex$(\fP\fIn%\fP\fB,\fP\fIdigits%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string containing the hexadecimal conversion of \fIn%\fP
with the specified number of \fIdigits%\fP.
.IP "\fBinkey$\fP[\fB(\fP\fItimeout%\fP[\fB,\fP\fIchannel\fP]\fB)\fP]"
Wait at most \fItimeout\fP hundredths of a second for a character to
be read from the terminal.  If a character could be read, return it,
otherwise return the empty string.  Omitting the \fItimeout%\fP will
return immediatly if no character is available.  Note: Some BASIC
dialects wait until a character is available if no timeout is given
instead of returning an empty string.  Convert those programs by using
\fBinput$(1)\fP instead.
.IP "\fBinp(\fP\fIaddress\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the value of the I/O port \fIaddress\fP.  Direct port access is
not available in the portable version.
.IP "\fBinput$(\fP\fIlength\fP[\fB,\fP\fIchannel\fP]\fB)\fP"
Read a string of \fIlength\fP characters from standard input or from
the specified \fIchannel\fP.  The characters will not be echoed.
.IP "\fBinstr(\fP\fIhaystack$\fP\fB,\fP\fIneedle$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the position of \fIneedle$\fP in \fIhaystack$\fP.  If \fIneedle$\fP
is not found, then 0 is returned.
.IP "\fBinstr(\fP\fIstart%\fP\fB,\fP\fIhaystack$\fP\fB,\fP\fIneedle$\fP\fB)\fP"
As above, but start searching at position \fIstart%\fP (first position is 1).
.IP "\fBinstr(\fP\fIhaystack$\fP\fB,\fP\fIneedle$\fP\fB,\fP\fIstart%\fP\fB)\fP"
As above, but some BASIC dialects have this order of parameters.
.IP "\fBinstr(\fP\fIhaystack$\fP\fB,\fP\fIneedle$\fP\fB,\fP\fIstart%\fP\fB,\fP\fIlength%\fP\fB)\fP"
As above, but only limit search to the first \fIlength%\fP characters
starting at position \fIstart%\fP.
.IP "\fBint(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the integral value nearest to \fIx\fP (rounded downwards).
.IP "\fBint%(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Same as \fBint\fP, but return an integer.
.IP "\fBip(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the integral part of a floating point value; same as \fBfix\fP.
.IP "\fBlcase$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the string with all characters changed to lower case.
.IP "\fBlower$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Same as \fBlcase\fP, some dialects call it this way.
.IP "\fBleft$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB,\fP\fIn%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the first \fIn%\fP characters of the \fIstring\fP.  If \fIn\fP is
greater than the number of characters in the string, the whole
string is returned.
.IP "\fBlen(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the length (number of characters) of the \fIstring\fP.
.IP "\fBloc(\fP\fIchannel%\fP\fB)\fP"
If used on random-access files, the number of the last accessed record
is returned.  For sequential files, the current read/write position is
returned.  Note: Some BASIC dialects return the record position in bytes
and the read/write position in pseudo-records.
.IP "\fBlof(\fP\fIchannel%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the size of the file that is attached to the channel (bytes
for sequential or binary files, records for random-access files).
This may not work correctly for files with sizes that exceed the range
of integer numbers.  Note: Some BASIC dialects return the number of
bytes even for random-access files.
.IP "\fBlog(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the natural logarithm of \fIx\fP.
.IP "\fBlog10(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the base-10 logarithm of \fIx\fP.
.IP "\fBlog2(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the base-2 logarithm of \fIx\fP.
.IP "\fBmatch(\fP\fIneedle$\fP\fB,\fP\fIhaystack$\fP\fB,\fP\fIstart%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the first position of \fIneedle$\fP in \fIhaystack$\fP that
is greater than or equal \fIstart%\fP.  If the search fails or if
\fIstart%\fP exceeds the length of \fIhaystack$\fP, 0 will be returned.
The following characters in \fIneedle$\fP have a special meaning:
\fB!\fP matches any letter, \fB#\fP matches any digit, \fB?\fP matches
any character and \fB\e\fP quotes the next character, e.g. \fB\e?\fP
matches a question mark.
.IP "\fBmax(\fP\fIx\fP\fB,\fP\fIy\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the maximum of \fIx\fP and \fIy\fP.
.IP "\fBltrim$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the string without leading spaces.
.IP "\fBmid$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB,\fP\fIposition%\fP[\fB,\fP\fIlen%\fP]\fB)\fP"
Return the substring of \fIstring\fP that begins at the given
\fIposition%\fP (the first character is at position 1).  If \fIstring\fP
is too short for a substring of \fIlen%\fP characters, fewer characters
will be returned.
.IP "\fBmin(\fP\fIx\fP\fB,\fP\fIy\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the minimum of \fIx\fP and \fIy\fP.
.IP "\fBmkd$(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string whose characters contain the bytes of a C double precision
number.  The string length and byte encoding depends of the machine type
and is not portable.
.IP "\fBmks$(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string whose characters contain the bytes of a C single precision
number.  The string length and byte encoding depends of the machine type
and is not portable.
.IP "\fBmki$(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string whose characters contain the bytes of a little endian
integral value.  The string length depends of the machine type, but
the little endian encoding allows to store only e.g. the first two bytes
if the value does not exceed the range of a signed 16 bit number.
.IP "\fBoct$(\fP\fIn%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string containing the octal conversion of \fIn%\fP.
.IP "\fBpeek(\fP\fIaddress\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the value of the memory \fIaddress\fP.  Direct memory access is
not available in the portable version.
.IP "\fBpi\fP"
Return the constant pi.
.IP "\fBpos(\fP\fIdummy\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the current cursor position, starting with 1 as the leftmost
position.  The numeric \fIdummy\fP argument is needed, because old BASIC
implementations did not allow functions without arguments.
.IP "\fBpos(\fP\fIhaystack$\fP\fB,\fP\fIneedle$\fP\fB,\fP\fIstart%\fP\fB)\fP"
Same as \fBinstr$\fP, some dialects use this function name.
.IP "\fBrad(\fP\fIdegrees\fP\fB)\fP"
Convert degrees to radians.
.IP "\fBright$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB,\fP\fIn%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the last \fIn\fP characters of the \fIstring\fP.  If \fIn%\fP is
greater than the number of characters in the string, the whole
string is returned.
.IP "\fBrnd(\fP[\fIx%\fP]\fB)\fP"
Return a random integer number between 1 and \fIx%\fP.  If \fIx%\fP is zero,
one or missing, a real number between 0.0 and 1.0 is returned.  If \fIx%\fP is
negative, the random number generator will be seeded with \fB-\fP\fIx%\fP
and the functions returns a value as if \fB-\fP\fIx%\fP had been passed
to it.
.IP "\fBrtrim$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the string without trailing spaces.
.IP "\fBseg$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB,\fP\fIposition%\fP\fB,\fP\fIlen%\fP\fB)\fP"
Same as \fBmid$\fP, some dialects use this function name.
.IP "\fBsgn(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the sign \fIx\fP: \-1 for negative numbers, 0 for 0 and 1 for
positive numbers.
.IP "\fBsin(\fP\fIx_rad\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the sine value of \fIx_rad\fP.
.IP "\fBspace$(\fP\fIlength%\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string containing \fIlength%\fP spaces.
.IP "\fBsqr(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the square root of \fIx\fP.
.IP "\fBstr$(\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string that contains the decimal represantation of \fIx\fP.
.IP "\fBstring$(\fP\fIlength\fP\fB,\fP\fIx\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string of size \fIlength\fP whose characters have the decimal
code \fIx\fP.
.IP "\fBstring$(\fP\fIlength%\fP\fB,\fP\fIx$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return a string of size \fIlength%\fP whose characters are the first
character of \fIx$\fP.
.IP "\fBstrip$(\fP\fIstring\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the string with the eighth bit of each character cleared.
.IP "\fBtan(\fP\fIx_rad\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the tangent of \fIx_rad\fP.
.IP "\fBtime\fP"
Return the current value of the centisecond counter.
.IP "\fBtime$\fP"
Return the time as a 8-character string in the form
\fIhh\fP\fB\-\fP\fImm\fP\fB\-\fP\fIss\fP.
.IP "\fBtimer\fP
Return the number of seconds elapsed since midnight local time.
.IP "\fBtrue\fP"
Return \-1.
.IP "\fBucase$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Return the string with all characters changed to upper case.
.IP "\fBupper$(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
Same as \fBucase$\fP, some dialects call it this way.
.IP "\fBval(\fP\fIstring$\fP\fB)\fP"
If possible, then convert the \fIstring$\fP into an integer or floating
point value, ignoring trailing junk.  Otherwise, return 0.0.  Like
anywhere else, hexadecimal values are specified by a leading \fB&h\fP.
.\"}}}
.\"}}}
.SH OPTIONS \"{{{
.IP "\fB\-b\fP, \fB\-\-backslash\-colon\fP"
Convert backslashs to colons.  By default, a backslash is the operator
for integer division, but in some BASIC dialects it forms compound
statements as the colon does.
.IP "\fB\-l\fP \fIfile\fP, \fB\-\-lp\fP \fIfile\fP"
Write \fBLLIST\fP and \fBLPRINT\fP output to \fIfile\fP.  By default,
that output will be written to \fB/dev/null\fP.
.IP "\fB\-r\fP, \fB\-\-restricted\fP"
Restricted operation which does not allow to fork a shell.
.IP "\fB\-u\fP, \fB\-\-uppercase\fP"
Output all tokens in uppercase.  By default, they are lowercase,
which is easier to read, but some BASIC dialects require uppercase.
This option allows to save programs for those dialects.
.IP "\fB\-h\fP, \fB\-\-help\fP"
Output usage and exit.
.IP "\fB\-v\fP, \fB\-\-version\fP"
Display version information and exit.
.\"}}}
.SH AUTHOR \"{{{
This program is copyright 1999\(en2014 Michael Haardt
<michael@moria.de>.
.PP
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
.PP
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
.PP
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
THE SOFTWARE.
.\"}}}
.SH HISTORY \"{{{
There has been a \fIbas\fP(1) command in UNIX v7, but its syntax
was strongly influenced by C, unlike common classic BASIC dialects, and
thus not compatible with this implementation.
.\"}}}
.SH "SEE ALSO" \"{{{
The Usenet group comp.lang.basic.misc discusses the classic BASIC dialect.
.\"}}}