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!WriteDemo/!Help

This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.

Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.

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Filename: !WriteDemo/!Help
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File contents
Writing your own Graphics Demo
By Mark Hobson

Graphics demos are extremely popular and can really show off your machine's capabilities. Now you can write your own with our new series on a modular demo-writing system.

Run this option to open up a directory containing the files from the first part of the series. All the files except one make up the source code for this month's demo.

The file Demo is the ready-compiled demo, and you can run this by simply double-clicking on it. This month's demo contains scrolling text which can move in all sorts of wave formations. Press Esc to return to the desktop.

The other files in the directory make up the source code for the demo. If you wish to re-compile the demo - so you can alter the contents of the scrolltext, for example - then you must copy all the files (except Demo) to a new disc, as the compression used on the cover disc is read-only.

Before compiling, you must double-click on !SetSysVar to set up the relevant system variables. To actually compile the demo, double-click on Compile, answer the prompts, and you will create a new demo. If you opt to save the demo to disc, a new Demo file will appear.

This month the only alterable module is the ScrollText module. You can alter the text used in the scrolltext, and the waveforms used, by changing the files Text and Waveforms inside the Modules.ScrollText directory. Then to re-compile the ScrollText module, delete the Module file inside Modules.ScrollText, and double-click on Source to create a new one. Now re-compile the whole demo as described above, and you will have your own personalised demo.

For more information, see the article on page 90 in the magazine.

� Copyright Mark Hobson 1994
00000000  57 72 69 74 69 6e 67 20  79 6f 75 72 20 6f 77 6e  |Writing your own|
00000010  20 47 72 61 70 68 69 63  73 20 44 65 6d 6f 0a 42  | Graphics Demo.B|
00000020  79 20 4d 61 72 6b 20 48  6f 62 73 6f 6e 0a 0a 47  |y Mark Hobson..G|
00000030  72 61 70 68 69 63 73 20  64 65 6d 6f 73 20 61 72  |raphics demos ar|
00000040  65 20 65 78 74 72 65 6d  65 6c 79 20 70 6f 70 75  |e extremely popu|
00000050  6c 61 72 20 61 6e 64 20  63 61 6e 20 72 65 61 6c  |lar and can real|
00000060  6c 79 20 73 68 6f 77 20  6f 66 66 20 79 6f 75 72  |ly show off your|
00000070  20 6d 61 63 68 69 6e 65  27 73 20 63 61 70 61 62  | machine's capab|
00000080  69 6c 69 74 69 65 73 2e  20 4e 6f 77 20 79 6f 75  |ilities. Now you|
00000090  20 63 61 6e 20 77 72 69  74 65 20 79 6f 75 72 20  | can write your |
000000a0  6f 77 6e 20 77 69 74 68  20 6f 75 72 20 6e 65 77  |own with our new|
000000b0  20 73 65 72 69 65 73 20  6f 6e 20 61 20 6d 6f 64  | series on a mod|
000000c0  75 6c 61 72 20 64 65 6d  6f 2d 77 72 69 74 69 6e  |ular demo-writin|
000000d0  67 20 73 79 73 74 65 6d  2e 0a 0a 52 75 6e 20 74  |g system...Run t|
000000e0  68 69 73 20 6f 70 74 69  6f 6e 20 74 6f 20 6f 70  |his option to op|
000000f0  65 6e 20 75 70 20 61 20  64 69 72 65 63 74 6f 72  |en up a director|
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00000170  68 69 73 20 6d 6f 6e 74  68 27 73 20 64 65 6d 6f  |his month's demo|
00000180  2e 0a 0a 54 68 65 20 66  69 6c 65 20 44 65 6d 6f  |...The file Demo|
00000190  20 69 73 20 74 68 65 20  72 65 61 64 79 2d 63 6f  | is the ready-co|
000001a0  6d 70 69 6c 65 64 20 64  65 6d 6f 2c 20 61 6e 64  |mpiled demo, and|
000001b0  20 79 6f 75 20 63 61 6e  20 72 75 6e 20 74 68 69  | you can run thi|
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000001e0  74 2e 20 54 68 69 73 20  6d 6f 6e 74 68 27 73 20  |t. This month's |
000001f0  64 65 6d 6f 20 63 6f 6e  74 61 69 6e 73 20 73 63  |demo contains sc|
00000200  72 6f 6c 6c 69 6e 67 20  74 65 78 74 20 77 68 69  |rolling text whi|
00000210  63 68 20 63 61 6e 20 6d  6f 76 65 20 69 6e 20 61  |ch can move in a|
00000220  6c 6c 20 73 6f 72 74 73  20 6f 66 20 77 61 76 65  |ll sorts of wave|
00000230  20 66 6f 72 6d 61 74 69  6f 6e 73 2e 20 50 72 65  | formations. Pre|
00000240  73 73 20 45 73 63 20 74  6f 20 72 65 74 75 72 6e  |ss Esc to return|
00000250  20 74 6f 20 74 68 65 20  64 65 73 6b 74 6f 70 2e  | to the desktop.|
00000260  0a 0a 54 68 65 20 6f 74  68 65 72 20 66 69 6c 65  |..The other file|
00000270  73 20 69 6e 20 74 68 65  20 64 69 72 65 63 74 6f  |s in the directo|
00000280  72 79 20 6d 61 6b 65 20  75 70 20 74 68 65 20 73  |ry make up the s|
00000290  6f 75 72 63 65 20 63 6f  64 65 20 66 6f 72 20 74  |ource code for t|
000002a0  68 65 20 64 65 6d 6f 2e  20 49 66 20 79 6f 75 20  |he demo. If you |
000002b0  77 69 73 68 20 74 6f 20  72 65 2d 63 6f 6d 70 69  |wish to re-compi|
000002c0  6c 65 20 74 68 65 20 64  65 6d 6f 20 2d 20 73 6f  |le the demo - so|
000002d0  20 79 6f 75 20 63 61 6e  20 61 6c 74 65 72 20 74  | you can alter t|
000002e0  68 65 20 63 6f 6e 74 65  6e 74 73 20 6f 66 20 74  |he contents of t|
000002f0  68 65 20 73 63 72 6f 6c  6c 74 65 78 74 2c 20 66  |he scrolltext, f|
00000300  6f 72 20 65 78 61 6d 70  6c 65 20 2d 20 74 68 65  |or example - the|
00000310  6e 20 79 6f 75 20 6d 75  73 74 20 63 6f 70 79 20  |n you must copy |
00000320  61 6c 6c 20 74 68 65 20  66 69 6c 65 73 20 28 65  |all the files (e|
00000330  78 63 65 70 74 20 44 65  6d 6f 29 20 74 6f 20 61  |xcept Demo) to a|
00000340  20 6e 65 77 20 64 69 73  63 2c 20 61 73 20 74 68  | new disc, as th|
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00000360  65 64 20 6f 6e 20 74 68  65 20 63 6f 76 65 72 20  |ed on the cover |
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00000390  6c 69 6e 67 2c 20 79 6f  75 20 6d 75 73 74 20 64  |ling, you must d|
000003a0  6f 75 62 6c 65 2d 63 6c  69 63 6b 20 6f 6e 20 21  |ouble-click on !|
000003b0  53 65 74 53 79 73 56 61  72 20 74 6f 20 73 65 74  |SetSysVar to set|
000003c0  20 75 70 20 74 68 65 20  72 65 6c 65 76 61 6e 74  | up the relevant|
000003d0  20 73 79 73 74 65 6d 20  76 61 72 69 61 62 6c 65  | system variable|
000003e0  73 2e 20 54 6f 20 61 63  74 75 61 6c 6c 79 20 63  |s. To actually c|
000003f0  6f 6d 70 69 6c 65 20 74  68 65 20 64 65 6d 6f 2c  |ompile the demo,|
00000400  20 64 6f 75 62 6c 65 2d  63 6c 69 63 6b 20 6f 6e  | double-click on|
00000410  20 43 6f 6d 70 69 6c 65  2c 20 61 6e 73 77 65 72  | Compile, answer|
00000420  20 74 68 65 20 70 72 6f  6d 70 74 73 2c 20 61 6e  | the prompts, an|
00000430  64 20 79 6f 75 20 77 69  6c 6c 20 63 72 65 61 74  |d you will creat|
00000440  65 20 61 20 6e 65 77 20  64 65 6d 6f 2e 20 49 66  |e a new demo. If|
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00000460  20 74 68 65 20 64 65 6d  6f 20 74 6f 20 64 69 73  | the demo to dis|
00000470  63 2c 20 61 20 6e 65 77  20 44 65 6d 6f 20 66 69  |c, a new Demo fi|
00000480  6c 65 20 77 69 6c 6c 20  61 70 70 65 61 72 2e 0a  |le will appear..|
00000490  0a 54 68 69 73 20 6d 6f  6e 74 68 20 74 68 65 20  |.This month the |
000004a0  6f 6e 6c 79 20 61 6c 74  65 72 61 62 6c 65 20 6d  |only alterable m|
000004b0  6f 64 75 6c 65 20 69 73  20 74 68 65 20 53 63 72  |odule is the Scr|
000004c0  6f 6c 6c 54 65 78 74 20  6d 6f 64 75 6c 65 2e 20  |ollText module. |
000004d0  59 6f 75 20 63 61 6e 20  61 6c 74 65 72 20 74 68  |You can alter th|
000004e0  65 20 74 65 78 74 20 75  73 65 64 20 69 6e 20 74  |e text used in t|
000004f0  68 65 20 73 63 72 6f 6c  6c 74 65 78 74 2c 20 61  |he scrolltext, a|
00000500  6e 64 20 74 68 65 20 77  61 76 65 66 6f 72 6d 73  |nd the waveforms|
00000510  20 75 73 65 64 2c 20 62  79 20 63 68 61 6e 67 69  | used, by changi|
00000520  6e 67 20 74 68 65 20 66  69 6c 65 73 20 54 65 78  |ng the files Tex|
00000530  74 20 61 6e 64 20 57 61  76 65 66 6f 72 6d 73 20  |t and Waveforms |
00000540  69 6e 73 69 64 65 20 74  68 65 20 4d 6f 64 75 6c  |inside the Modul|
00000550  65 73 2e 53 63 72 6f 6c  6c 54 65 78 74 20 64 69  |es.ScrollText di|
00000560  72 65 63 74 6f 72 79 2e  20 54 68 65 6e 20 74 6f  |rectory. Then to|
00000570  20 72 65 2d 63 6f 6d 70  69 6c 65 20 74 68 65 20  | re-compile the |
00000580  53 63 72 6f 6c 6c 54 65  78 74 20 6d 6f 64 75 6c  |ScrollText modul|
00000590  65 2c 20 64 65 6c 65 74  65 20 74 68 65 20 4d 6f  |e, delete the Mo|
000005a0  64 75 6c 65 20 66 69 6c  65 20 69 6e 73 69 64 65  |dule file inside|
000005b0  20 4d 6f 64 75 6c 65 73  2e 53 63 72 6f 6c 6c 54  | Modules.ScrollT|
000005c0  65 78 74 2c 20 61 6e 64  20 64 6f 75 62 6c 65 2d  |ext, and double-|
000005d0  63 6c 69 63 6b 20 6f 6e  20 53 6f 75 72 63 65 20  |click on Source |
000005e0  74 6f 20 63 72 65 61 74  65 20 61 20 6e 65 77 20  |to create a new |
000005f0  6f 6e 65 2e 20 4e 6f 77  20 72 65 2d 63 6f 6d 70  |one. Now re-comp|
00000600  69 6c 65 20 74 68 65 20  77 68 6f 6c 65 20 64 65  |ile the whole de|
00000610  6d 6f 20 61 73 20 64 65  73 63 72 69 62 65 64 20  |mo as described |
00000620  61 62 6f 76 65 2c 20 61  6e 64 20 79 6f 75 20 77  |above, and you w|
00000630  69 6c 6c 20 68 61 76 65  20 79 6f 75 72 20 6f 77  |ill have your ow|
00000640  6e 20 70 65 72 73 6f 6e  61 6c 69 73 65 64 20 64  |n personalised d|
00000650  65 6d 6f 2e 0a 0a 46 6f  72 20 6d 6f 72 65 20 69  |emo...For more i|
00000660  6e 66 6f 72 6d 61 74 69  6f 6e 2c 20 73 65 65 20  |nformation, see |
00000670  74 68 65 20 61 72 74 69  63 6c 65 20 6f 6e 20 70  |the article on p|
00000680  61 67 65 20 39 30 20 69  6e 20 74 68 65 20 6d 61  |age 90 in the ma|
00000690  67 61 7a 69 6e 65 2e 0a  0a a9 20 43 6f 70 79 72  |gazine.... Copyr|
000006a0  69 67 68 74 20 4d 61 72  6b 20 48 6f 62 73 6f 6e  |ight Mark Hobson|
000006b0  20 31 39 39 34 0a                                 | 1994.|
000006b6