ddd00000ff00fe0080000a7f ^1VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV ^2 A M O S F O R B E G I N N E R S . ^2F R O M T H E A G E O F F I V E T O N I N E T Y - F I V E . ^1VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV ^6 We have decided to rename the Amos for Kids section from this issue ^6onwards. This is because:- ^7a) It seems that not many people actually read Amos For Kids as it ^7was for kids not adults. ^7b) There were suggestions in the questionnaire that there was a need ^7for a section to be dedicated to those with little or no programming ^7knowledge. ^6 Therefore we have decided to combine the two. You want tutorials ^6which explain the basics of Basic, well, you've had that in Amos for ^6Kids since Issue 1 without knowing it! So dig out your back issues ^6of TA and forget the title and read Amos for Kids. Perhaps you'll ^6find something useful! ^5 It would be pretty wasteful to have 2 sections that contain the same ^5articles but have different titles, wouldn't it? ^1VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV ^2 Instead of the usual tutorial this issue, we shall attempt to ^2explain some Basic/Amos commands in more user friendly English! This ^2is a suggestion which came in with the survey forms. ^1 We shall assume that the readers of this article know little or ^1nothing about Basic, so we'll try to explain things from that point ^1of view. So as not to offend anyone, if you have already learnt the ^1things explained here, skip through the article, if not read on. ^2 Let's take a look at VARIABLES and ARRAYS. ^1 The information you give to a computer is called DATA, if you want ^1your computer to store this data in its memory, you will have to give ^1it a label. The label is called a VARIABLE and when you want the ^1computer to do something with the stored Data, you refer to it by its ^1variable name. It is called a Variable because the data to which it ^1refers can change during the program. ^6 Numeric variables can only remember numbers, if you want to store ^6letters or words as well, then you will need to use a string ^6variable. ^1 You can use a word or a letter as a variable name, but be careful ^1not to use a word that starts with a Basic command name as this will ^1confuse the computer! A string variable name must be followed by a ^1`$' eg A$ or PEACH$. ^6 Variable names such as DATA$, RUN$, EDITOR$ or PROCEDURE$ would be ^6illegal as they are Amos commands. If you used `_'as the first ^6character, it would be allowable eg _DATA$. ^2 ARRAYS ^1 An array is a set of data items held together under one variable ^1name. You can imagine the variable as space in the computer's memory ^1with lots of compartments. Arrays can be one-dimensional, that is, a ^1single line of boxes, or two-dimensional and have several rows of ^1boxes. You refer to an item in a one-dimensioned array by the number ^1of the box it is in eg in the diagram below, A$(4) is PLUM. ^4 A$ ^6 ______ ________ _____ ____ _____ ^6 | ^21 ^6| ^6| ^22 ^6| ^6| ^23 ^6| ^6| ^24 ^6| ^6| ^25 ^6| ^6 |^4APPLE ^6| ^6| ^4BANANA ^6| ^6|^4PEACH^6| ^6|^4PLUM^6| ^6|^4PEAR ^6| ^6 | | | | | | | | | | ^6 ------ -------- ----- ---- ----- ^1For two-dimensioned arrays you have to give the number of the row and ^1the column eg D(3,2) is 15. ^4 D ^1 1 2 3 ^6 __________________________ ^6 | | | | ^4 1 ^6| ^25 ^6| ^212 ^6| ^216 ^6| ^6 |________|________|________| ^6 | | | | ^4 2 ^6| ^23 ^6| ^22 ^6| ^27 ^6| ^6 |________|________|________| ^6 | | | | ^4 3 ^6| ^28 ^6| ^215 ^6| ^211 ^6| ^6 |________|________|________| ^6 | | | | ^4 4 ^6| ^24 ^6| ^21 ^6| ^27 ^6| ^6 |________|________|________| ^1 Before you use an array you will have to tell the computer how big ^1it will be using the word DIM (short for dimension). In the above ^1example, you would use DIM D(4,3) (4 rows, 3 columns). For the first ^1example, you would use DIMA$(5). (It has 5 elements). ^4 The DIM statement should be at the beginning of the program as it ^4must only be used once. ^1 Arrays are a useful way of storing data. An array is a set of data ^1items held together under one variable name. Each item in an array ^1is called an element and the number of its position in the array is ^1called its subscript. ^7 Numeric Arrays ^4 Variable name- N ^7 These numbers are the subscripts ^7 | ^2 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^4These are the elements- ^61066 1216 1485 1603 1665 1959 ^1 Here is a numeric array called N. It contains 6 elements. You need ^1to tell the computer how big an array will be so that it can put ^1aside enough space in its memory. To do this you use the word DIM ^1followed by the array name and the number of elements it contains. ^1This is called dimensioning an array. ^4 DIM N(6) ^1 Numeric variables can only remember and store numbers. ^4 String Arrays ^2 1 2 3 4 5 ^4 LEN ANNE MELANIE BEN PIPPA ^1 This is a string array, we'll call it TUCKER$ as it contains the ^1names of our family and it would then be easy to remember if it was ^1needed in a program! ^1 It contains 5 elements, so you would use DIM TUCKER$(5). ^4 They are handled in the same way as numeric arrays, but can ^4remember and store words or letters as well as numbers. ^2 This has been written by a non programmer with the aid of `The ^2Beginner's programming Handbook' by Usbourne Books. It's an old book, ^2and deals with Basic in general. The theory is if I can understand ^2what I'm writing, then anyone reading this might stand a chance! ^3 Anne. ^1VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV \