Applesoft BASIC Quick Reference

This is intended as a quick reference for the Applesoft BASIC in JavaScript by Joshua Bell.

Extensions beyond Applesoft BASIC are called out with footnotes.

See also:

Statements

Variable Control

CLEAR
Clear all variables
[LET] var = expr
Assign variable
DIM var( size [, size ...] ) [, var( size [, size ...] ) ...]
Allocate array(s) with given dimension(s)
DEF FN name(var) = aexpr
Define function of a single variable [1]

Flow Control

GOTO linenum
Jump to line number
GOSUB linenum
Enter subroutine at line number
RETURN
Return from subroutine
ON aexpr GOTO linenum [, linenum ...]
Branch based on index (value = 1, 2, ...)
ON aexpr GOSUB linenum [, linenum ...]
Subroutine branch based on index (value = 1, 2, ...)
POP
Convert last GOSUB into a GOTO
FOR var = aexpr TO aexpr [ STEP aexpr ]
Loop with counter variable
NEXT [var [, var ...] ]
End of loop(s)
IF expr THEN statement
IF expr GOTO linenum
Conditional; if expr is false, rest of line is skipped
END
Terminate program cleanly
STOP
Break, as if an error occurred

Error Handling

ONERR GOTO linenum
Set error hook
RESUME
Retry line that caused ONERR GOTO

Text Input/Output

PRINT expr [ [;,] expr ... ] [;]
Output text. ; concatenates, , advances to next tab stop. A trailing ; suppresses line break.
INPUT [string ;] var [, var ...]
Read line of comma-delimited input, with optional prompt
GET var
Read single key
HOME
Clear text display
HTAB aexpr
Position text cursor horizontally (1...40 or 1...80)
VTAB aexpr
Position text cursor vertically (1...24)
INVERSE
Set output mode to black-on-white
FLASH
Set output mode to flashing
NORMAL
Set output mode to white-on-black
TEXT
Set display to text mode

Lo-Res Graphics

GR
Set display to mixed test/low resolution ("lores") graphics mode, clear screen to black
COLOR= aexpr
Set lores color (0...15)
PLOT aexpr, aexpr
Plot lores point (x = 0...39, y = 0...39/47)
HLIN aexpr, aexpr AT aexpr
Plot horizontal line (x1, x2 at y)
VLIN aexpr, aexpr AT aexpr
Plot vertical line (y1, y2 at x)

Hi-Res Graphics

HGR
Set display to mixed/high resolution ("hires") graphics mode, clear screen to black
HGR2
Set display to full hires mode (page 2), clear screen to black
HPLOT [TO] aexpr, aexpr [ TO aexpr, aexpr ] ...
Plot hires point/line (x=0...279, y=0...191)
HCOLOR= aexpr
Set hires color (0...7)

Inline Data

DATA value [, value ...]
Define inline data. Values can be literals (unquoted strings), strings, or numbers
READ var [, var ...]
Read the next DATA value
RESTORE
Restore the DATA pointer to the first value

Miscellaneous

REM [comment]
Begin a comment; rest of line is skipped
TRACE
Turn on trace mode (line numbers printed)
NOTRACE
Turn off trace mode

Hi-Res Shape Tables - NOT IMPLEMENTED

ROT= aexpr
Set hires shape table rotation (0...63)
SCALE= aexpr
Set hires shape table scale (1...255)
DRAW aexpr [ AT aexpr, aexpr ]
Draw hires shape table shape in color
XDRAW aexpr [ AT aexpr, aexpr ]
Draw hires shape table shape with XOR

Interpreter and Program State - NOT IMPLEMENTED

CONT
Continue from a STOP
DEL
Delete lines of program
LIST [ linenum [, linenum ] ]
List lines of program
NEW
Clear program and variables
RUN [ linenum ]
Start program execution at line

Native Platform Interaction - NOT IMPLEMENTED

HIMEM: aexpr
Set upper address of variable memory
IN# aexpr
Direct input from slot
LOMEM: aexpr
Set lower address of variable memory
WAIT aexpr, aexpr [, aexpr]
Wait until memory location masked by second argument equals third argument (or zero)

Cassette Tape - NOT IMPLEMENTED

LOAD
Load program from cassette
RECALL
Load variables from cassette
SAVE
Save program to cassette
STORE
Save variables to cassette
SHLOAD
Load hires shape table from cassette

Compatibility Shims

SPEED= aexpr
Set character output delay - has no effect
POKE aexpr, aexpr
Set memory location to value
  • POKE 32,n - Text window left edge
  • POKE 33,n - Text window width
  • POKE 34,n - Text window top edge
  • POKE 35,n - Text window bottom
  • POKE 36,n - Text cursor x
  • POKE 37,n - Text cursor y
  • POKE 216,n - ONERR flag (n < 128 disables ONERR handler)
  • POKE 230,n - Hi-Res plotting page (32 = page 1, 64 = page 2)
  • POKE 49168,0 - clear keyboard strobe
  • POKE 49200,0 - toggle speaker (no-op)
  • POKE 49232,0 - graphics mode
  • POKE 49233,0 - text mode
  • POKE 49234,0 - full graphics mode
  • POKE 49235,0 - mixed text/graphics mode
  • POKE 49236,0 - display page 1
  • POKE 49237,0 - display page 2
  • POKE 49238,0 - lores graphics mode
  • POKE 49239,0 - hires graphics mode
CALL aexpr
Call native routine
  • CALL -3288 - pop ONERR/RESUME entry from stack
  • CALL -3100 - reveal hi-res page 1
  • CALL -3086 - clear current hi-res page to black
  • CALL -3082 - clear current hi-res page to current color
  • CALL 54951 - clear stack (pop all FOR/NEXT, GOSUB/RETURN, and ONERR/RESUME entries)
  • CALL -1036 - move cursor right
  • CALL -1008 - move cursor left
  • CALL -998 - move cursor up
  • CALL -958 - clear text from cursor to bottom of window
  • CALL -922 - move cursor down
  • CALL -868 - clear text from cursor to end of line
PR# aexpr
Direct output to slot
  • PR#0 - set 40 column mode
  • PR#3 - set 80 column mode

Functions

Numeric Functions

ABS( aexpr )
Absolute value of number
ATN( aexpr )
Arctangent of number
COS( aexpr )
Cosine of number
EXP( aexpr )
Raise e to number
INT( aexpr )
Integer part of number
LOG( aexpr )
Natural log of number
RND( aexpr )
Pseudo-random number generator. If aexpr is positive, returns a random number from 0 to 0.999.... If aexpr is zero, repeats the last result. If aexpr is negative, reseeds the generator.
SGN( aexpr )
Sign of number (-1, 0, 1)
SIN( aexpr )
Sine of number
SQR( aexpr )
Square root of number
TAN( aexpr )
Tangent of number

String Functions

LEN( sexpr )
Length of string
LEFT$( sexpr, aexpr )
Left portion of (string, length)
MID$( sexpr, aexpr [, aexpr] )
Substring of (string, start character, length)
RIGHT$( sexpr, aexpr )
Right portion of (string, length)

Type Conversion Functions

ASC( sexpr )
ASCII code for first character of string
CHR$( aexpr )
Character at specified ASCII code point [3]
STR$( aexpr )
String representation of number
VAL( sexpr )
Parse string into number

System Interaction Functions

FRE( aexpr )
Garbage collect strings (returns 0)
PDL( aexpr )
Paddle position (paddle number)
POS( aexpr )
Horizontal cursor position
SCRN( aexpr, aexpr )
Lores color at pixel (x,y) [4]
USR( aexpr )
Execute assembly code at address, return accumulator value - NOT IMPLEMENTED

User Defined Functions

FN name( expr )
Execute user defined function [1]

Function Compatibility Shims

PEEK( aexpr )
Value at memory location
  • PEEK(32) - Text window left edge
  • PEEK(33) - Text window width
  • PEEK(34) - Text window top edge
  • PEEK(35) - Text window bottom
  • PEEK(36) - Text cursor x
  • PEEK(37) - Text cursor y
  • PEEK(78) & PEEK(79) - Random-Number Field
  • PEEK(222) - Last error code
  • PEEK(230) - Hi-Res plotting page (32 = page 1, 64 = page 2)
  • PEEK(49152) - Read Keyboard
  • PEEK(49168) - Clear Keyboard strobe
  • PEEK(49200) - Click Speaker (no-op)
  • PEEK(49248) - Read Paddle Button #3 - Use the PageDown key
  • PEEK(49249) - Read Paddle Button #0 - Use the Home key
  • PEEK(49250) - Read Paddle Button #1 - Use the End key
  • PEEK(49251) - Read Paddle Button #2 - Use the PageUp or Shift key

Operators

Comparison Operators

=
Equality [2]
<
Less than
>
Greater than
<=
=<
Less than or equal
>=
=>
Greater than or equal
<>
><
Not equal

Boolean Operators

AND
Conjunction
OR
Disjunction
NOT
Negation

Arithmetic Operators

^
Exponentiation
*
Multiplication
/
Division
+
Addition
-
Subtraction

String Operators

+
String Concatenation

Error Codes

Error codes can be determined by calling PEEK(222) in an ONERR handler.

0
Next without for
16
Syntax error - Not generated
22
Return without gosub
42
Out of data
53
Illegal quantity
69
Overflow
77
Out of memory - Not generated by all browsers
90
Undefined statement
107
Bad subscript
120
Redimensioned array
133
Division by zero
163
Type mismatch
176
String too long - Not generated
191
Formula too complex - Not generated by all browsers
224
Undefined function
254
Re-enter
255
Break

DOS 3.3 / ProDOS Quick Reference

See also

DOS Commands

MON[,C][,I][,O]
Traces DOS 3.3 commands ('Commands', 'Input' and 'Output')
NOMON[,C][,I][,O]
Cancels tracing of DOS 3.3 commands ('Commands', 'Input' and 'Output')
OPEN filename[,Llen]
Opens a text file.
APPEND filename
Appends to a text file.
CLOSE [filename]
Closes specified (or all) open text files.
POSITION filename[,Rnum]
Advances position in text file.
READ filename[,Rnum][,Bbyte]
Reads from a text file.
WRITE filename[,Rnum][,Bbyte]
Writes to a text file
DELETE filename
Delete a file
RENAME oldname,newname
Rename a file
PR# slot
Same as the BASIC command

Other DOS commands are NOT IMPLEMENTED.

Some sample files are present in a server-side store loaded on-demand into a client-side virtual file system (VFS). Creating or writing to a file will write to the VFS. Subsequent reads will read from the VFS. Files may be deleted from the VFS. These changes will not persist if the browser is refreshed or closed.

DOS Error Codes

Error codes can be determined by calling PEEK(222) in an ONERR handler.

1
Language not available - Not generated
2
Range error - Not generated
4
Write protected - Not generated
5
End of data
6
File not found
7
Volume mismatch - Not generated
8
I/O error - Not generated
9
Disk full - Not generated
10
File locked - Not generated
11
Invalid option
12
No buffers available - Not generated
13
File type mismatch - Not generated
14
Program too large - Not generated
15
Not direct command - Not generated

Input and Output

Input

The page attempts to emulate an Apple II keyboard. Note that the keyboard API available in Web browsers is not standardized and is poorly defined; a best-effort has been made testing on available systems and browsers.

The Open Apple and Closed Apple keys on later Apple II models correspond to the Button #0 and Button #1 inputs and are emulated on modern keyboards with the Left Alt and Right Alt keys respectively if possible, otherwise the Home and End keys respectively.

Since the Tab key is necessary for keyboard access to browser functions and the rest of the web page, it is not available. Otherwise, special keys can be detected using GET (blocking) or PEEK(49152) (non-blocking):

CHR$(8)Left arrow
CHR$(10)Down arrow
CHR$(11)Up arrow
CHR$(13)Enter or Return
CHR$(21)Right arrow
CHR$(24)Clear
CHR$(27)Escape
CHR$(127)Delete or Backspace

Output

The page attempts to emulate the display of an Apple II system with 80-column card firmware, which can be activated with the PR#3 statement.

When printing characters, CHR$() functions as expected for values from 32-126 (printable ASCII). Control characters have the typical Apple II meanings:

CHR$(4)DOS command escape prefix
CHR$(7)Make a "beep" (if your browser supports it)
CHR$(8)Backspace (move cursor left, wrap up)
CHR$(10)Line feed (move cursor down)
CHR$(13)Carriage return (move cursor down and to left edge)
CHR$(127)Displays a cursor glyph

If 80-column firmware is active, the following additional codes are available:

CHR$(11)Clears from the cursor position to the end of the window
CHR$(12)Move cursor to upper left and clear window
CHR$(14)Set normal text output
CHR$(15)Set inverse text output
CHR$(17)Set display to 40 columns
CHR$(18)Set display to 80 columns
CHR$(21)Deactivate the 80-column firmware
CHR$(22)Scroll display down, preserving cursor position
CHR$(23)Scroll display up, preserving cursor position
CHR$(24)Disable mousetext
CHR$(25)Move cursor to upper left (but do not clear window)
CHR$(26)Clear the current line
CHR$(27)Enable mousetext
CHR$(28)Forward space (move cursor right, wrap down)
CHR$(29)Clear from cursor position to end of line

The text window can be changed and cursor finely controlled with POKE 32,n ... POKE 37,n

Process and Grammars

For the even geekier in the audience...

Compilation is done by splitting the input into tokens which are then consumed by a recursive descent parser which outputs a JavaScript object representing the program.

The token types (treated as terminals) are reserved, identifier, string-literal, number-literal [5], operator, line-number, separator, remark, data-declaration - take a peek at the code if you want the gruesome details. Source lines may only start with line numbers or (as an extension) separators. Special statement parsing is done while lexing: REM consumes anything to the next line break, and DATA statements yield an array of strings from the comma-delimited, optionally-quoted values in the source.

[x]
zero or one occurences of x
{x}
zero or more occurences of x
x|y
one of either x or y
(x)
grouping construct

Overall program parsing is done with a recursive descent parser.

Program                  = Line { Line }
Line                     = line-number Statement { separator Statement }
Statement                = data-declaration | remark | Command | EmptyStatement
Command                  = identifier /*...*/ | reserved /*...*/

Due to the irregular structure of the BASIC language, statements ("commands" in the above grammar) are parsed with distinct cases for each statement type. Most statements compile into a function call to a library of Applesoft routines. Expressions are parsed with a standard recursive descent parser. The parser generates JavaScript expressions for each expression, which are used as arguments for the library calls.

Expression               = OrExpression
OrExpression             = AndExpression { 'OR' AndExpression  }
AndExpression            = RelationalExpression { 'AND' RelationalExpression }
RelationalExpression     = AdditiveExpression { ('=' | '<' | '>' | '<=' | '=<' | '>=' | '=>' | '<>' | '><') AdditiveExpression }
AdditiveExpression       = MultiplicativeExpression { ( '+' | '-' ) MultiplicativeExpression }
MultiplicativeExpression = PowerExpression { ( '*' | '/' ) PowerExpression }
PowerExpression          = UnaryExpression { '^' UnaryExpression }
UnaryExpression          = ( '+' | '-' | 'NOT' ) UnaryExpression
                         | FinalExpression
FinalExpression          = number-literal
                         | string-literal
                         | 'FN' user_function_name '(' Expression ')'
                         | reserved '(' Expression { ',' Expression } ')'
                         | identifier [ '(' Expression { ',' Expression } ')' ]
                         | '(' Expression ')'

Since Applesoft supports re-entrant error handling and synchronous input, the output of the compiler is an array of statement-functions plus an executor function which implements the logic for walking over the array.

Extensions beyond Standard Applesoft

  1. DEF FN supports string and integer functions e.g. DEF FN IN$(X$) = " " + X$ - the return type must match the argument type, so string-to-number or number-to-string functions can not be implemented.
  2. "Double equals" == is supported for equality comparisons, with the same meaning as "single equals" =
  3. When printing characters, CHR$() values greater than 255 generate glyphs that might be useful for implementing certain maze games. (An earlier version of this page allowed arbitrary Unicode characters to be displayed, but the text is now displayed using bitmaps so that is not possible.)
  4. HSCRN(x,y) is added to allow reading the hires screen. On a real Apple II this required a machine-language routine (or a shape table and XDRAW) and extensive knowledge of the Apple II's color generation scheme.
  5. Hexadecimal number literals are permitted, with $ as a prefix, e.g. POKE $C010, 0