[Coco] [CoCo] More Progress with Color Forth

[Stephen Pereira]

I have continued my work on Color Forth, and I now have additional files working.

The original source code I did first is the Color Forth nucleus.  When you assemble it and LOADM it, you will find that you have the ability to use the Forth language from the command line, but it does not yet have the ability to edit screens, because the code for the editor has not yet been entered.  The Color Forth manual has additional source code as Color Forth screens in addition to the source code of the Color Forth nucleus.

I created a .DSK file which is a copy of all that I have at present.  It contains several source and executable files:

-  CCFORTH.ASM  &  CCFORTH.BIN
-  CCFTMPLT.ASM  & CCFTMPLT.BIN
-  CCFEDITR.ASM & CCFEDITR.BIN
-  CCF-MISC.ASM  & CCF-MISC.BIN

All of these files were assembled using EDTASM6309 from Robert Gault.

If you wish to load Color Forth and play with it in immediate mode from the command line, then:
LOADM”CCFORTH” EXEC

If you want to try out the editor and edit code into your own screens, then:
LOADM”CCFEDITR”
LOADM”CCFORTH”
EXEC

Once you are in Color Forth, you must then compile the screens you previously loaded into Color Forth.
The easiest command to do this is:

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD

After that, the editor will be available.

To get into the editor and be working in screen 1, just type:

1 EDIT

To exit the editor, type:

QUIT

These commands and the other editor commands are described in the Color Forth manual.

The file CCFTMPLT is a file containing a set of 8 empty screens that one can use for creating their own screens offline.  Use caution - Color Forth can hold 8 screens, each containing 32 lines of 32 characters.  Each of the lines in the screens in the CCFTMPLT.ASM file has 32 spaces in it.  When you type in your own code, you must REPLACE the spaces in the line you are entering, so the lines remain 32 characters long.

The file CCF-MISC contains a bunch of other miscellaneous code that was in the Color Forth cartridge, but has to be entered separately (like the editor) as it stands today.  It does not contain the editor, so you can only use immediate mode from the command line but you have an expanded vocabulary:
LOADM”CCF-MISC”
LOADM”CCFORTH”
EXEC

Once you are in Color Forth, you must then compile the screens you previously loaded into Color Forth.
The easiest command to do this is:

4 3 2 1 LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD

At present, the cassette I/O is not installed for saving and loading.  Hence I have constructed this method of building screens as assembly language files so they can be loaded into place prior to loading Color Forth.

Since I am using the bit banger port for Drivewire, I have not attempted to do anything with the printer, either.

This is still very much a work in progress.  Next, I am intending to experiment with loading screens and loading Color Forth, then compiling the screens into Color Forth and using SAVEM to save a new copy of Color Forth with the screens compiled in.  This will allow me to build up the Color Forth dictionary a bit at a time and (hopefully) end up with all the functionality that was originally in the Color Forth cartridge all in one binary file.

Please contact me via e-mail if you are interested in a copy of the .DSK file.

smp
--
Stephen M. Pereira
Bedford, NH  03110
KB1SXE