TweetFollow Us on Twitter

Knowing Date
Volume Number:1
Issue Number:2
Column Tag:BASIC SCHOOL

“Does Anybody Really Know What Date It Is?”

By Dave Kelly, Program by Michael Steiner

“Does Anybody Really Know What Date It Is?”

REAL stand alone (almost) applications can now be written in Basic. Microsoft Basic version 2.0 includes the required routines to make your Macintosh look just like those fancy assembly language application programs. This months feature includes a useful example of what Microsoft Basic 2.0 can do. After waiting months for the Mac development tools we need, we can now use them to keep track of all those months with a perpetual calendar.

The program written by Michael Steiner, will give you a quick overview of some of the features of Microsoft Basic 2.0. I found that I preferred editing the Basic listing with MacWrite and saving the file as text. Microsoft Basic will read MacWrite text files and MacWrite will read Microsoft Basic programs stored as text.

Anyone who has used the previous versions of Microsoft Basic will be glad to know that programs they have written for version 1.0 will work on version 2.0, however they won’t take advantage of the extended features without modification. The most noticeable feature is the ability to control all the pull down menus.

Type in the program and run it. The program opens a window to full screen size and then erases all the menus used by Basic. Then a second window opens up and displays instructions. The “OK” button was programmed with the one line BUTTON command. DIALOG(0) and DIALOG(1) return information about the status of the button or buttons. With a few simple lines you can design your own dialog windows and set up buttons to select various options.

After clicking the “OK” button, the program displays a set of options available using the various button styles available. If you don’t want to print a whole year you can deselect the “Entire year” option. The programmed menus let you select the beginning and ending months to print. You can program your own menus by using the MENU command. By issuing the appropriate parameters with the menu command you can enable or disable various menu option. MENU(0) and MENU(1) provide the means to poll the status of the menu selection. We will explore the MENU command in depth in future columns.

Notice that you can change the date by simply clicking and editing the date in the year box. All the Macintosh editing functions are easily invoked. In fact, the year box works just like the type and creator boxes in the Set File utility. Obviously Basic 2.0 can create applications that appear just like stand-alone programs. This language may be even more powerful than Apple’s Mac Pascal.

After selecting the options you want, click the “OK” button and the program prints each month to the screen one at a time. If you selected the “Show Julian” option, the Julian date will be printed along with the calendar. There is no option to print the calendar on the printer, however you can use the command-shift 4 option to print the window or modify the program yourself to print to the printer. Another feature you can try adding is to create another button for scrolling the calender back and forth. Be sure to share any ideas you come up with for Basic with our readers by writing me care of MacTech. Happy New Year!


‘**********************************
‘               Perpetual Calendar
‘Copyright 1984, Michael Steiner, All Commercial Rights Reserved 26 Oct 
84
‘Permission is granted to use, copy, and modify this program for your 
own personal use
‘Modified and comments by David Kelly 
‘**********************************

WINDOW 1,””,(0,12)-(512,342),3  ‘Open full screen window
sm=1:em=12  ‘Initial start and end months
oldsm=sm:oldem=em
DIM status (2,12)
FOR i = 5 TO 1 STEP -1   ‘Erase all the basic menus
  MENU i,0,0,””
NEXT i

instructions:
  WINDOW 2,””,(3,70)-(509,270),3    ‘Open 2nd window
  WIDTH 62
  PRINT
  PRINT”This program will generate a calendar for any year from 1753 
onward.”
  PRINT”You may choose whether you want to display Julian Dates as well 
as the days ofthe month.  You may select to print the whole year or you 
may choose starting   and ending months.”
  PRINT:PRINT”Click OK when you have finished reading these instructions.”
  BUTTON 1,1,”OK”,(210,150)- (250,170),1  ‘ Set up button #1
  WHILE  DIALOG(0) <>1 :WEND  ‘ Wait for button #1

setup:
  WINDOW 2,””,(50,100)-(450,200),2   ‘Change 2nd window and open it
  TEXTFACE (1)
  MOVETO 250,15:PRINT”Show Julian”:MOVETO 250,30:PRINT “Date?”
  BUTTON 1,1,”Yes”,(250,40)-(300,60),3        ‘Set up buttons
  BUTTON 2,2,”No”,(250,65)-(290,85),3
  BUTTON 3,2,”Print Entire year”, (50,60)-(200,80),2
  BUTTON 4,1,”OK”,(360,60)-(390,80),1
  MOVETO 50,40:PRINT”Year”
  TEXTFACE (0)
  EDIT FIELD 1,RIGHT$(DATE$,4), (90,30)-(130,45),2  ‘Set up Edit field 
with current year
  DATA January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, 
October, November, December
  DIM month$(12)
  FOR i = 1 TO 12:READ month$(i):NEXT i  ‘Read the months
  BStatus=1:GOSUB EntireYear
  DialogActive = 1
  WHILE DialogActive
    EventType = DIALOG(0)   ‘See if a button is pressed
    IF EventType = 1 THEN GOSUB ButtonEvent
    MenuId = MENU(0)    ‘See which menu is selected
    IF MenuId THEN GOSUB ChooseMonth
  WEND
  Year = VAL(EDIT$(1)):IF Year < 1753 THEN Year = 1753  ‘Get year data
WINDOW CLOSE 2
 
calendar:
  MENU 1,0,0,””  ‘Clear menu 1
  MENU 2,0,0,””  ‘Clear meun 2
  BUTTON 1,1,”Continue”, (50,305)-(125,325),1   ‘Set up button 1
  BUTTON 2,1,”Quit”,(350,305)- (400,325),1 ‘Set up button 2
 TEXTSIZE(12):TEXTFACE(0): TEXTMODE(1)   ‘Set font attributes
  DATA 31,28,31,30,31,30,31,31,30, 31,30,31
  DIM dm(12):FOR mo=1 TO 12: READ dm(mo):NEXT mo ‘Read # of days/month
  DIM M$(12) :FOR MO=1 TO 12: M$(MO)=month$(MO) :NEXT MO
  DATA SUN,MON,TUE,WED,THU,FRI,SAT
  DIM DAY$(7):FOR DAY = 1 TO 7: READ DAY$(DAY):NEXT DAY   ‘Read days 
of week
  DM(2) =DM(2) -(YEAR/4 =INT(YEAR/4)) +(YEAR/100= INT(YEAR/100)) -(YEAR/400= 
INT(YEAR/400))   ‘Add a day for leap year
  DIM jd(12)
  FOR i= 1 TO 12: jd(i)=jd(i-1)+ dm(i-1):NEXT I
  Y= INT(((365.25*YEAR+jd(sm))/7- INT((365.25*YEAR+jd(sm))/7))*7- 1.2499999#)
  IF Y<0 THEN Y=Y+7
  CALL PENSIZE (3,3)
  FOR M=sm TO em
    dy=jd(m)
    CLS’  Draw the calendar
    FOR I = 1 TO 7:LINE (5,I*40+10)- (481,I*40+10):NEXT I
    FOR I = 0 TO 7:LINE (I*68+5,50)- (I*68+5,290):NEXT I
    TEXTSIZE (24): TEXTFACE (17)’  Set calendar font attributes
    CALL MOVETO (130,34): PRINT M$(M);”   “;YEAR;
    TEXTSIZE (12):TEXTFACE(1)
    FOR I= 0 TO 6: CALL MOVETO (I*68+10,49): PRINT DAY$(I+1):NEXT I
    FOR DM = 1 TO DM(M)
      TEXTFACE(9):TEXTSIZE(18)
      CALL MOVETO (Y*68,X+71):PRINT DM: IF JU THEN GOSUB JulianPrint
      Y=Y+1:IF Y>6 THEN Y=0:X = X+40
    NEXT dm
    WHILE DIALOG(0) <> 1 :WEND   ‘Wait for button press
      IF DIALOG(1)=2 THEN M=em
      X=0
  NEXT M
 
EndRoutine:              ‘Set up End menu
 WINDOW CLOSE 1
  MENU 1,0,1,”Options”
  MENU 1,1,1,”Re-run Program”
  MENU 1,2,1,”Exit to Finder”
  WHILE MENU(0) = 0:WEND   ‘Wait till selection is made
IF MENU(1)=1 THEN RUN : ELSE SYSTEM  ‘Return to Finder
 
ButtonEvent:
  ButtonId = DIALOG(1)
  IF ButtonId=4 THEN DialogActive=0
  ON ButtonId GOSUB Julian, NoJulian, EntireYear
RETURN

Julian:   ‘Set button for Julian year print
    BUTTON 1,2
    BUTTON 2,1
    JU=-1
RETURN
 
NoJulian:  ‘Set button for Julian no print 
    BUTTON 1,1
    BUTTON 2,2
    JU=0
RETURN
 
EntireYear:  ‘Set beginning month to Jan. & Ending month to Dec.
  IF BStatus = 1 THEN BStatus =2:sm=1:em=12:ELSE BStatus = 1
  FOR ms = 1 TO 2:FOR st= 0 TO 12: status(ms,st)=ABS((BStatus=1)): NEXT 
st,ms
  BUTTON 3,BStatus
  MENU 1,0,status(1,0),”Starting Month”
  FOR i= 1 TO 12
    MENU 1,i,status (1,i),month$(i)
  NEXT i
  MENU 1,sm,2,month$(sm)
 
Endmonth:
  MENU 2,0,status(2,0),”Ending Month”
   FOR i = 1 TO 12
      MENU 2,i,ABS(sm<(i+1)),month$(i)
   NEXT i
   IF em >= sm THEN MENU 2,em,2,month$(em)
RETURN
 
ChooseMonth:
  ItemId = MENU(1)
  IF MenuId=1 THEN oldsm=sm: sm=ItemId:MENU 1,0,1: MENU 1,sm,2,month$(sm): 
IF oldsm<>sm THEN MENU 1,oldsm,1,month$(oldsm)
  IF MenuId=1 THEN GOSUB EndMonth
  IF MenuId=2 THEN oldem=em: em=ItemId: MENU 2,0,1: MENU 2,em,2,month$(em):IF 
oldem<>em OR oldem> sm THEN MENU 2,oldem, ABS(oldem>=sm),month$(oldem)
  IF em<sm THEN em=sm: MENU 2,em, 2,month$(em)
RETURN
 
JulianPrint:    ‘Print Julian year
    dy=dy+1
    dy$=RIGHT$(STR$(year),1)+ RIGHT$(“00”+MID$(STR$(dy),2),3)
    dy=VAL(dy$)
    TEXTSIZE (12):TEXTFACE (0)
    CALL MOVETO (Y*68+10,X+85)
    PRINT dy$;
RETURN


 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Tokkun Studio unveils alpha trailer for...
We are back on the MMORPG news train, and this time it comes from the sort of international developers Tokkun Studio. They are based in France and Japan, so it counts. Anyway, semantics aside, they have released an alpha trailer for the upcoming... | Read more »
Win a host of exclusive in-game Honor of...
To celebrate its latest Jujutsu Kaisen crossover event, Honor of Kings is offering a bounty of login and achievement rewards kicking off the holiday season early. [Read more] | Read more »
Miraibo GO comes out swinging hard as it...
Having just launched what feels like yesterday, Dreamcube Studio is wasting no time adding events to their open-world survival Miraibo GO. Abyssal Souls arrives relatively in time for the spooky season and brings with it horrifying new partners to... | Read more »
Ditch the heavy binders and high price t...
As fun as the real-world equivalent and the very old Game Boy version are, the Pokemon Trading Card games have historically been received poorly on mobile. It is a very strange and confusing trend, but one that The Pokemon Company is determined to... | Read more »
Peace amongst mobile gamers is now shatt...
Some of the crazy folk tales from gaming have undoubtedly come from the EVE universe. Stories of spying, betrayal, and epic battles have entered history, and now the franchise expands as CCP Games launches EVE Galaxy Conquest, a free-to-play 4x... | Read more »
Lord of Nazarick, the turn-based RPG bas...
Crunchyroll and A PLUS JAPAN have just confirmed that Lord of Nazarick, their turn-based RPG based on the popular OVERLORD anime, is now available for iOS and Android. Starting today at 2PM CET, fans can download the game from Google Play and the... | Read more »
Digital Extremes' recent Devstream...
If you are anything like me you are impatiently waiting for Warframe: 1999 whilst simultaneously cursing the fact Excalibur Prime is permanently Vault locked. To keep us fed during our wait, Digital Extremes hosted a Double Devstream to dish out a... | Read more »
The Frozen Canvas adds a splash of colou...
It is time to grab your gloves and layer up, as Torchlight: Infinite is diving into the frozen tundra in its sixth season. The Frozen Canvas is a colourful new update that brings a stylish flair to the Netherrealm and puts creativity in the... | Read more »
Back When AOL WAS the Internet – The Tou...
In Episode 606 of The TouchArcade Show we kick things off talking about my plans for this weekend, which has resulted in this week’s show being a bit shorter than normal. We also go over some more updates on our Patreon situation, which has been... | Read more »
Creative Assembly's latest mobile p...
The Total War series has been slowly trickling onto mobile, which is a fantastic thing because most, if not all, of them are incredibly great fun. Creative Assembly's latest to get the Feral Interactive treatment into portable form is Total War:... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Early Black Friday Deal: Apple’s newly upgrad...
Amazon has Apple 13″ MacBook Airs with M2 CPUs and 16GB of RAM on early Black Friday sale for $200 off MSRP, only $799. Their prices are the lowest currently available for these newly upgraded 13″ M2... Read more
13-inch 8GB M2 MacBook Airs for $749, $250 of...
Best Buy has Apple 13″ MacBook Airs with M2 CPUs and 8GB of RAM in stock and on sale on their online store for $250 off MSRP. Prices start at $749. Their prices are the lowest currently available for... Read more
Amazon is offering an early Black Friday $100...
Amazon is offering early Black Friday discounts on Apple’s new 2024 WiFi iPad minis ranging up to $100 off MSRP, each with free shipping. These are the lowest prices available for new minis anywhere... Read more
Price Drop! Clearance 14-inch M3 MacBook Pros...
Best Buy is offering a $500 discount on clearance 14″ M3 MacBook Pros on their online store this week with prices available starting at only $1099. Prices valid for online orders only, in-store... Read more
Apple AirPods Pro with USB-C on early Black F...
A couple of Apple retailers are offering $70 (28%) discounts on Apple’s AirPods Pro with USB-C (and hearing aid capabilities) this weekend. These are early AirPods Black Friday discounts if you’re... Read more
Price drop! 13-inch M3 MacBook Airs now avail...
With yesterday’s across-the-board MacBook Air upgrade to 16GB of RAM standard, Apple has dropped prices on clearance 13″ 8GB M3 MacBook Airs, Certified Refurbished, to a new low starting at only $829... Read more
Price drop! Apple 15-inch M3 MacBook Airs now...
With yesterday’s release of 15-inch M3 MacBook Airs with 16GB of RAM standard, Apple has dropped prices on clearance Certified Refurbished 15″ 8GB M3 MacBook Airs to a new low starting at only $999.... Read more
Apple has clearance 15-inch M2 MacBook Airs a...
Apple has clearance, Certified Refurbished, 15″ M2 MacBook Airs now available starting at $929 and ranging up to $410 off original MSRP. These are the cheapest 15″ MacBook Airs for sale today at... Read more
Apple drops prices on 13-inch M2 MacBook Airs...
Apple has dropped prices on 13″ M2 MacBook Airs to a new low of only $749 in their Certified Refurbished store. These are the cheapest M2-powered MacBooks for sale at Apple. Apple’s one-year warranty... Read more
Clearance 13-inch M1 MacBook Airs available a...
Apple has clearance 13″ M1 MacBook Airs, Certified Refurbished, now available for $679 for 8-Core CPU/7-Core GPU/256GB models. Apple’s one-year warranty is included, shipping is free, and each... Read more

Jobs Board

Seasonal Cashier - *Apple* Blossom Mall - J...
Seasonal Cashier - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Seasonal Fine Jewelry Commission Associate -...
…Fine Jewelry Commission Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) Read more
Seasonal Operations Associate - *Apple* Blo...
Seasonal Operations Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Read more
Hair Stylist - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPen...
Hair Stylist - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Read more
Cashier - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPenney (...
Cashier - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Mall Read more
All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.