PROGRAM PITSTOP
Your Sinclair, August 1989

And it's a rip-roaring round of applause, ladies and gentlemen, as
Jonathan 'Jonathan' Davies returns to the podium to deliver a second
selection of readers' listings and loaders. Hooray, we say. Hooray!

After the deluge of letters, telegrams and bouquets that flooded in
congratulating me on my first Pitstop, they've decided to let me do
another one. So here it is. If you found fulfilment in the Mega Text
program that first appeared, phrroo, millennia ago, Rick O'Neill's
Giga Text is one step up again. Then, hot on its tail, that Master of
the Multiface, Anthony Purvis, returns with the first half of his
Setsearcher listing. This devastatingly handy program could
revolutionise computing as we know it. Unlikely, but it might. And
Daniel Leslie shows that Speccies respond particularly well to a dose
of James Last down the ear socket.

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GIGATEXT
by Rick O'Neill
from Your Sinclair, August 1989

Text utilities aren't exactly new to Pitstop, but here's one that'll
blow your lips off. For not only will Rick O'Neill's masterpiece print
in characters four (yes, four) times the usual size, it will do it in
any of eight (that's right, eight) different styles. And all with the
grace and speed that only 100% Machine Code can provide.

What's more, it's unbelievably easy to use. Just type in the Basic
loader/demo and save it with SAVE "GIGA TEXT" LINE 10. Then type in
the Hex Listing with the Hex Loader, and save it after the first part.
It really is that simple, folks.

Finer Details
On reloading the program you see a quick demonstration, and then it's
over to you. First, choose a style of text, from one to eight. These
are as follows:

1. Bold
2. Outlined
3. Light shadow
4. Heavy shadow
5. Bold offset
6. Outlined offset
7. Outlined bold
8. Inline

Then, define a string M$. Say, for instance, you wanted to print
"Rooibostea", outlined, at a position 75 pixels across and 63 pixels
down. You'd type in:
	LET M$=CHR$ 75+CHR$ 63+"2Rooibostea"
and then:
	RANDOMIZE USR 65000
to print it. Et, well, voila!

Now, who's going to write Tera Text?

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[SETSCH is the original code, using IN,A(9F)/IN,A(1F) to page the    ]
[Multiface RAM in/out. The emulators I tried wouldn't work with this,]
[so SETSCH2 uses IN,A(BF)/IN,A(3F), which works.                 JimG]

SETSEARCHER
by Antony Purvis

Here, as threatened, is the sequel to Antony Purvis's Super Text
Search. It's even slicker, even more packed and, erm, even longer.
Setsearcher is so eye-wateringly long, in fact, that it's being split
over two issues. You'll have to wait 'til next month to actually get
it working! Sorreeeeee!

But what is it? Well, if you've ever been frustrated by the boring old
Sinclair character set, and have marvelled at the wondrous fonts
featured in commercial software, this could be for you. It will let
you hunt down, drag to the ground and make a copy of any font from any
piece of software that tickles your fancy, no matter how heavily
protected the game that it's hidden in is.

Too good to be true? You will, of course, need a Multiface One or a
128. Or indeed a Multiprint. So now's the time to stop stalling and go
out and get one. Back yet? Right.

The Low-Down
Once it's been safely installed onboard your 'face, Setsearcher can be
called up from the middle of the game you're playing by merely
pressing the button. The program will then hazard a guess as to the
whereabouts in the memory of the set, and will hopefully display a
copy of it on screen. If it gets it wrong, or can't find one, you'll
have to go over to manual and root it out yourself. Once you've found
the set of your dreams, you can save a copy of it onto tape and, hey
presto, it's all yours.

More details next month. In the meantime, here's a Basic Loader and
the first half of the Hex dump. The procedure for getting it all going
is very similar to the one for TextSearch, so if you mastered that
you're halfway there already.

Type in the Basic bit, and save it with SAVE "Setsearch" LINE 10. Now
you can make a start on the Hex. It'll be worth it in the end. Really.

To be continued...

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SETSEARCHER part 2
by Antony Purvis

[from Your Sinclair, September 1989]

Here is the second half of Antony Purvis's staggeringly wonderful
Setsearcher. This makes him the first contributor ever to have
appeared in three Pitstops in a row. Probably. If you missed last
month's issue with the first batch of Hex in, order a back issue right
away.

Typing It In
Assuming you've made a copy of the Basic Loader, and maybe some of the
Hex, now is the time to enter the rest of the Hex dump and save it
after the Basic. Then type in the second Basic listing and save the
code it generates (a character set) after the Hex.

Then, to install it into your multiface, reload from the beginning of
the tape. When prompted, make sure the multiface is activated and then
press a key. The computer will reset, and you'll be able to load in
the program containing the character set you're after.

Instructions
Having done that, press the multiface button. As long as you haven't
made a complete oreille de cochon of the thing, a radically different
menu will pop up. If the program has successfully located the game's
font it will appear at the top of the screen and you'll be able to
save it out by pressing S.

If, however, you get a load of garbage on the screen, fear not. It's
time to go over to manual. Using keys 1 and Z, whizz through the
memory until you find the set. Then, fine-tune with Q and A until it's
just right. The set should start with a space, then an exclamation
mark and so on. You should also see "12345 CAPITALS small" lower down
the screen (although some games omit the lower case). Then press S to
save it, typing in a filename first, and either go hunting for another
set or press R to return to the action.

To use the set in your own programs, choose an address to store the
set at (64500 would do, but I'll put x to save on typing) and do the
following:
CLEAR x-1
LOAD "" CODE x
POKE 23606,x-256*INT (x/256)
POKE 23607,INT (x/256)-1

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SPECTOGRAF
by Daniel Leslie

Sound-to-light routines are always a hit, especially if they're as
aesthetically pleasing and, moreover, as short as this one. Spectograf
is one of a huge number of routines sent in by Daniel Leslie, a man
who seems to be abnormally preoccupied with Jean-Michel Jarre and male
reproductive equipment.

It needs little introduction. Type the Basic in and save it with SAVE
"Spectro" LINE 1. Then type in the Hex using, would you believe, the
Hex Loader and save that following the Basic.

Load everything back in, and play your fave music cassette through the
ear socket. You'll need to tweak the volume and tone for optimum
performance. Daniel also suggests putting a piece of greaseproof paper
over the screen and switching off all the lights. (Oo-er! Ed) Rather
you than me.

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That's All, Folks!
This seems a sensible point at which to sign off, so cheerio for now,
and remember that there will always be a home for your routines at
Pitstop. The address, as always, is Jonathan (that's 'Jonathan', not
Jon, Jonny, Joz, Jon-Boy or any of these other vile variations)
Davies, Program Pitstop, YS, 14 Rathbone Place, London W1P 1DE.
