Using output of programs

[zeynel1]

I just started to learn BBC BASIC. It's fun but how do I make data that I calculate usable? I mean, when I run my program a new window opens and the result is displayed. But the text there cannot be copied. So. how can I copy the results? Thanks

Do I need to write the results to a file? If so is this how it is done:

Code: Select all

      Drive$ = "c:"
      Path$  = "\test\"
      File$  = "try"
      Ext$   = ".ing"

      projekt$ = Drive$ + Path$ + File$ + Ext$

      print "Debug: ";projekt$

      A = openout projekt$

      print#A, stk_{(1,0)}
      close#A

From https://www.bbcbasic.co.uk/forum/viewto ... nout#p3208

(I'm on a Mac, the Manual seems to be for Windows)

[Hated Moron]

I mean, when I run my program a new window opens and the result is displayed. But the text there cannot be copied. So, how can I copy the results?

There are several ways to save the results, here are a few:

• You can copy the (textual) contents of the output window to the clipboard using the hotkey combination Ctrl+Tab. See Capturing the screen contents here.
  
  
• You can spool the output to a file as well as to the screen:

  Code: Select all

        *spool output.txt
        PRINT "This is written to both the screen and a file"
        *spool
  

  (Use OSCLI if the destination path/file includes a variable)
  
  
• You can redirect the output to a file instead of to the screen:

  Code: Select all

        file% = OPENOUT(file$)
        OSCLI "output " + STR$file%
        PRINT "This is written to a file but not to the screen"
        *output 0
        CLOSE #file%
  

• You can explicitly write to a data file:

  Code: Select all

        file% = OPENOUT(file$)
        PRINT #file%, "This is written to a file"
        BPUT #file%, 10
        CLOSE #file%
  

• You can create a textbox and write to that (the contents are initially selected and can be copied to the clipboard):

  Code: Select all

        INSTALL @lib$ + "dlglib"
        PROC_setdialogpalette
        dlg% = FN_newdialog("", 0, 0)
        text$ = "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
        PROC_textbox(dlg%, text$, 101, 0, 0, 1000, 48, 0)
        dummy% = FN_showdialog(dlg%, 100, 800)
  

[zeynel1]

Thanks for the detailed reply. That was very helpful.

[zeynel1]

(Use OSCLI if the destination path/file includes a variable)

I did not understand this. I read the OSCLI definition in the manual, how does it relate here? I put the output.txt here: ~/Library/Application Support/BBCBasic/, and it worked fine with *spool.

[Hated Moron]

I read the OSCLI definition in the manual, how does it relate here?

'Star' commands are literal strings, they cannot include variables. Since it is bad practice to 'hard code' a file path into a program, this typically means that commands like *spool need to be issued using OSCLI so that they can contain variables:

Code: Select all

      OSCLI "spool """ + @usr$ + "temp.txt"""

This feature of BBC BASIC commonly confuses beginners, albeit that it has been like that from the very beginning, 40 years ago.

[zeynel1]

[*]You can spool the output to a file as well as to the screen:

Code: Select all

      *spool output.txt
      PRINT "This is written to both the screen and a file"
      *spool

I just noticed that I did not have the second *spool in my code but it still works. I only have *spoolon output.txt

What is the purpose of the second *spool?

Thanks

[Hated Moron]

What is the purpose of the second *spool?

It closes the file, so it's quite important otherwise it will keep on spooling indefinitely.

The Help manual is your friend: all BBC BASIC statements, functions and commands are (or should be) documented there. This is what it says in the relevant section about *SPOOL:

"If the filename is omitted, any current spool file is closed and spooling is terminated."

If you do ever find something that you think should be in the Help manual but isn't, please let me know.