Star Micronics Delta Assigning a value to your character, Download character definition command

Page 92

80

Delta User’s Manual

Assigning a value to your character

We’ve done a pretty thorough job of designing and describing a user-defined character. But the Delta has room for 189

download characters-how does it know which user-defined char- acter we want to print? Exactly the same way it knows which standard character we want to print: every character is assigned a unique number.

The standard characters are assigned the ASCII codes-num- bers from 0 to 255. For the download character sets there are two banks of characters that can be defined: values from 33 to 126 and 160 to 254. This means that once a character is defined and assigned a value (and the download character set is selected), you can use that character on the printer the same way you would any standard character. You can send the character with the same ASCII value (for instance, if you had assigned your character a code of 66, it would print each time you sent a character “B” to the printer). You can also access the character from a BASIC program with the CHR$ function-in this case LPRINT CHR$(66) would print the character.

Except for the limitation that download characters must be assigned values in the range of 33 to 126 or 160 to 254, there are no rules or restrictions on the use of numbers. This means you can use whatever is most convenient for you-perhaps seldom-used keys can be replaced by more useful characters. In our example, we’ll assign the heart a value of 72, which is the ASCII value for the letter “H”. This way, when we want to print a heart, all we have to do is send the printer an “H”-that’s easy to remember!

We could hardly write bridge columns with just a heart, so in Figure 7-9 we’ve made completed grids for all four card suits. In order to make them easy to use, we’ve assigned the club a value of 67 (the ASCII value for “C”), the diamond is 68 (“D”), and the spade is 83 (“57’). The information on the grids is now complete (except for proportional width data-a more advanced topic we’ll take up shortly).

Download character definition command

You’ve read through a long explanation of download charac- ters and we haven’t even told you the command syntax yet! Now the wait is over. This is the most complex command in the Delta repertoire and now you’ve got the necessary knowledge to imple- ment it. Here it is:

(ESC) "*" CHR$(l)nln2mlm2m3m4m5m6m7m8m9m10mll

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Page 91 Page 93
Image 92
Page 91 Page 93
Contents Delta User’s Manual @Copyright 1983 Star Micronics, Inc Special Message to the New Owner Delta User’s Manual Table of Contents Creating Your Own Characters Special Features Delta PrinterFormatting Your Output Getting It All Together Maintenance Appendix F Atari 400/800 Computers Appendix D TRS-60 ComputersAppendix E Osborne, Kaypro and CP/M Computers Appendix DIP Switch Settings Appendix Character Style ChartsAppendix Commodore VIC-20 Computers AppendixConsumer Response 309 DIP Switch Quick Reference Warranty Inside Back Cover Command Quick ReferenceDelta User’s Manual Serial busy protocols XONlXOFF Protocol ACK protocol IndexTables Xii Delta User’s Manual Closer Look Paper separator and paper guide used with roll paper Roll paper holder and holder shaft used only with rollPage Parallel interface connector the place where you hook Paper Selection and LoadingLoading single sheets Delta User’s Manual Loading roll paper Delta User’s Manual Closer Look Loading sprocket-feed paperOpen the tractor covers to expose the sprocket teeth Bottom feeding Delta-15 Figure I-10.Delta ready to run with sprocket-feed paperDelta User’s Manual Ribbon Installation Self-Test Closer Look Delta User’s Manual Getting Started With Delta Using Commercial Sojtware Getting Started With Delta First, some terminologyAscii Using Delta with SuperCalc Using Delta with word processorsPage Using this book without learning Basic Getting Started With DeltaEstablishing communications ListOPEN4,4 CMD4 List PRINT#4 CLOSE4 NEW Lprint Testing RUN NEWNEW LPRINTCHR$7 RUN CHR$ functionNEW LPRINTCHR$27CHR$52 2$3LPRINT Testing RUN Escape CodeSome problem codes ESC$=CHR$27 l@ LPRINTESC$Delta User’s Manual Printing Text With Delta ChapterPrint pitch Commands @ Lprint this is Elite Pitch PrintingLprint Condensedis the Narrowestpitch Lprint NOW WE are Back to Pica Pitch PrintingLPRINTCHR$27W CHR$@NOW Were Back to Normal Expanded printI s H153Print Commands LPRINTCHR$14EXPANDEDELITE PitchLprint NOW WE are Back to Unexpandedpica Printing Making Delta print darkerPrint EmDhasis a Commands Lprint this is DOUBLE-STRIKEPRINTINGItalic Commands Italic printingUnderJining Superscripts and subscriptsMixing modes Superscript Subscript commandsNEW Lprint Thisline Uses Build Instructionset LPRINTRESET.ALL$ Lprintelites Elite LPRINTPICA$ Pica LPRINTRESET.ALL$ ReturnREGULAR.HEADING$= STRING$27,*+ Regular ReturnItalics = False LPRINTROMAN$ Repeatwith ItalicsIf Pica = False then LPRINTFOUR.DOT$ GOTO3590 If ENLARGED= True then LprintHere is the chart it produces Control Code FunctionPage Delta User’s Manual Line Spacing and Forms Control Changing Line Spacing This is what you will get Line spacing Commands Run the program again. Now the results will look like thisNEW Lprint Linenumber Moving down the page without a carriage returnForms Controls Form feedForm length commands Changing the Page LengthTop and bottom margin commands Lprint PAY to the OrderLineSpacingandFormsControl51 Summary Control codeESC Delta User’s Manual Formatting Your Output NEW Lprint ONECHR$9TWOCHR$9THREE CHR$9 Four One-shot tab command Left and right margin commands5B END 13@ Lprint ReturnLPRINTCHR$27P CHR$l@ CHR$Z@CHR$@ One-shot vertical tab command Control Code FunctionLChapter Now hear thisBell commands Initializing DeltaSome Miscellaneous commands Putting Delta to sleepPrinting to the bottom of the sheet Unidirectional printingPrinting Direction Lprint LprintNext NEW Lprint Backspacedoes not Lprint I===WORK Lprint Deletedoes notLprint Work Backspace and deleteBlock graphics characters and special symbols Eighth Bit controls3pl Lprint I II=11CHR$ICHR$9 4pI Next I Lprint Next J Macro control code International Character set commandsInternational character sets Macro instruction Commands Startdefinition Macro Lprint CHR$18 PicaOFF Regularprint END MacroFunction Bell Disable bell Enable bell Reset Off-lineOn-line Control codeDelta User’s Manual Creating Your Own Characters Dot Matrix Printing 000 0 eeeS&fee Defining Your Own Characters Rule I Download characters are seven dots highRule 2 Dots cannot overlap 8WRONG Add up each column of dotsCreating YourOwn Characters Download character definition command Assigning a value to your characterCharacter designs for the four card suits Next M Figure Y-10. The attribute byte n2 for our heart characterPrinting Download Characters LPRINTCHR$27CHR$36CHR$@ DEFINTA-Z Read X LPRINTCHR$X Next JNext Lprint Return DECKCARD=X Next Card ReturnLPRINTSUIT$SUIT Download Character dejfinition commands Proportkmal Characters12@ Lprint CHR$BITS 138 Next Only Difference Is the way They Are Accessed Creating Your Own Characters Lprint DEF.DOWN.CHAR$ NUMERAL.BOT$NUM= CHR$ASCII+ 2 + CHR$ASCII+ Mixing Print Modes with Download Characters Utility Program Gosub 950RETURN Gosub 660 Return REM **** Display Menu for Edit Mode Summary
Top Page Image Contents