Star Micronics NB-15 user manual Controlling With Basic

Page 41

CHAPTfiR 4

CONTROLLING

WITH BASIC

Subjects we’ll cover in Chapter 4 include-

*Listing BASIC programs on the printer; • Printing from BASIC;

• CHR$ function;

• Command syntax; • Problem codes.

In this chapter we will be teaching you how to use your printer’s features using the BASIC programming language. It is easy to communicate with your printer from BASIC and, though it has its detrators, BASIC is the nearest thing to a universal language among users of personal computers. But remember that it’s not the only way to communicate with your printer, as we have already seen.

SOME BASICS ABOUT BASIC

H First steps

The first things that a beginner learns to do are to list a pro- gram and to print a character string. Certainly these are the easiest operations one can do, but even they may depend on what computer you have. In Microsoft BASIC, we can list all the steps in a program by entering LIST. This lists them on the CRT screen; if we want to print them on a printer, we prefix the command with an L (enter LLIST).

The Microsoft BASIC command for outputting information is PRINT. Like the LIST command, this displays the information on the CRT screen so we have to add an L (+ LPRINT) if we want to use the printer. Just put whatever you want to print be- tween quotes and after LPRINT (anything enclosed in quotes is called a character string). For example, we would use LPRINT “Hello!” to output “Hello!” to the printer. We’ll see later how to

Image 41

Contents USER’S MANUAli Tatement Special Message to the New Owner Table of Contents CHR$ Chapter Controlling with BasicChapter Special Features of the Printer Functions of the Connector Signals TRS-80 Basic Appendix G Serial Interface SpecificationsSetting UP Your Printer Page Tion and movement for both removing and replacing the cover Page Print head Printer Slide the I/F board into the slot Page Getting to Know Your Printer Page Page Page Selecting and Loading Paper ‘igure 2-4. Raise the paper guide for loading single sheets You can insert a sheet of paper by using the release lever To align paper that is not in straight Sprocket cover You can raise While trrnirrgon the power Self-test DIP switch 2-2 on Efgh!jklmnopqr¶tuvwxyz~ ?lSS&‘ TOF During normal operation Connecting the Printer Page Memo Using Commercial Software Page Ascii Using Your Printer with Word Processors Page Memo Controlling With Basic List PR#ONEW Lprint Testing RUN ESC W Lprint CHR$27WCHR$l Lprint CHR$27WCHR$49 Lprint CHRS27Wl Memo Printing Text Lprint CHR$27 xl ESC Lprint Overlined OFF ESCLprint Undelined Boldface on Escso When you run this program you should get this Demonstration Condensed Here’s what you should get from this program OFF Elite mint Summary notes Memo Formatting Text This is what you will get This Line Spacing is SET to Run the program again. Now the results will look like this Here is what your printer will produce Lprint CHRS12 Line NumberIOI ESCNCHR$n Lprint this is LINE1 Next This is Line Return TWO Three Four ONE This command sets the horizontal tab to every eight columns Next Try thisprogram tosee how this works Lprint CHR$11 First TAB Lprint CHR$llFIFTH TAB CHR$O Lprint 2ND TAB of CHANNEL’ Memo Special Features Printer Lprint CHR$7 ESCVCHR$O Here is what this program will print Lprint CHR$27il Printing direction commands Function Control code Next Lprint Lprint Eighth bit controls Next J 129 LPRINTCHR$27 LPRINTCHR$27= Lprintlprint Double This is Double Sized Printing Lprint CHR$I Next LprintPage Creating Your OWN Characters Print Matrix Defining Your OWN Characters Usethisgridoronesimilartoittodefineyourown draftcharacters Wrong 128 Assigningavalueofcharacterspace Characterdesignsforthetwographsymbols Page Read MM LPRINTCHR$MM Next M Next N Lprint LPRINTCHR$I Next Lprint CHR$I Next LprintLprint LPRINTGERMANYCHR$9 Lprintscales Read MM Lprint CHR$MM Next M Data 1, 9, 2, 31,253,64, 32, 1,128,80MO+ml +m2 105 106