User`s manual

name must be used to tell the disk drive what to do. In addition, the disk drive's

device number must be specified. If no device number is listed, the computer

assumes the program is on tape.

FORMAT FOR THE LOAD COMMAND:

LOAD name$ , device# , command#

The program name is a string, that is, either a name in quotes or the

contents of a given string variable. Some valid names are: "HELLO",

"PROGRAM #1", A$, NAME$.

The device# is preset on the circuit board to be #8. If you have more than

one drive, see chapter 8 on how to change the device number. This book assumes

that you're using device number 8 for the disk drive.

The command# is optional. If not given, or zero, the program is LOADed

normally, that is, beginning at the start of your available memory for BASIC

programs. If the number is I, the program will be LOADed at exactly the same

memory locations from which it came. In the case of computers with different

memory configurations, like VICs with 5K, 8K, or more memory, the start of

BASIC memory is in different places. The command# 0 permits BASIC

programs to LOAD normally. Command# I is used mainly for machine

language, character sets, and other memory dependent functions.

EXAMPLES

LOAD "TEST", 8

LOAD "Mach Lang", 8, I

NOTE: You can use variables to represent device numbers, commands, and

strings, as long as you've previously defined them in your program.

Directory of Diskette

Your Datassette™ tape deck is a sequential device. It can only read from

the beginning of the tape to the end, without skipping around the tape and

without the capability of going backward or recording over old data.

Your disk drive is a random access device. The read/write head of the disk

can go to any spot on the disk and access a single block of data which holds up

to 256 bytes of information. There are a total of 683 blocks on a single diskette.

. Fortunately, you don't really have to worry about individual blocks of

data. There is a program in the disk drive called the Disk Operating System, or

the DOS. This program keeps track of the blocks for you. It organizes them into

a Block Availability Map,or BAM,and a directory.