the default vertical tabs, which are set for every other line, or you can set tabs in one of two ways, in a single set or, for forms, in up to 8 sets, called channels.

Ordinary vertical tabs

Most often you probably will only need one series of vertical tabs. You set them with ESCape “B” in this format:

CHR$(27)“B”CHR$(n1) . . . CHR$(nk)CHR$(0)

where n1 to nk represent up to 16 numbers that specify the lines that get tab stops. The process is terminated by CHR$(0). If your system won’t send a 0, use any number lower than nk.

The allowable range of tab settings in the ESCape “B” sequence is 1 to 255, but a number greater than the current form length is ignored. Therefore, you would use a setting as large as 255 only when the line spacing is less than three dots (3/72-inch).

Because the top line of a page is line 0, you can set tabs at line 1 through 65 with the default form feed of 66 lines.

You can set up all the tabs you’ll need for a form without having to use all of them at once. Here, for example, is the beginning of a program that will result in a form used by a rental agent:

NEW10V$=CHR$(11)

20 LPRINT CHR$(27)“B”CHR$(8)CHR$(18)CHR$(18)CHR$(27) CHR$(37)CHR$(48)CHR$(0)

30LPRINT V$; “RENTAL MAINTENANCE REQUEST”;50 LPRINT V$90LPRINT V$; “TENANT”

So that your program will be concise, line 10 defines the vertical tabbing code as V$. Then line 20 specifies the six lines to which the printer will tab. When you RUN this program, the two sets of text of lines 30 and 90 print out at the first and third stops, while line 50 causes the printer to skip over the second stop. Figure 9-10 shows the printout.

You set the first tab for line 3, but the first printing is on the fourth line. This is because the printer counts the first line as the zero line.

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