Apple // Tips 'N Bits
By Grant Kwai
Copyright (c) 1992 Apple Users' Group, Sydney
Republished from Applecations, a publication of the Apple Users' Group, Sydney, Australia.
This is the final Tips 'n Bits article. Hopefully all this has been of interest to you and you have at least learnt one or two new things. Now, on with the tips!
* If all else fails, read the manual.
* You can create a subdirectory on a ProDOS disk manually with the CREATE directory command. eg CREATE /VOLUME1/SUBDIR
* Buying a surge protector for your Apple may just save your computer one day from an electrical surge or sag.
* When installing cards, gently rock the card back and forth, not side to side. Also, push down firmly, but never use excess force.
* In some programs, it might tell you to press a certain key but when you do press that key, nothing happens. Try pressing the CAPS LOCK key down. Some programs only accept upper case characters.
* To protect your disks from being reformatted, modified etc, keep the write protection tab on your disk. It will also save your disk from being infected with a nasty virus.
* On an Apple // with 128k, the Apple can only access the first 64k. So, to get around this, your Apple uses a technique called bank switching. In 80 column mode, every second character starting with column 0 is stored in bank 1 (every other character is stored in bank 0). Thus, when you press <control><reset> in 80 column mode, you will find that every second character starting with column 0 has disappeared.
* Quite often you won't pick out all the errors in a program, text file etc while reading off the screen. I find that if you print it out on paper through a printer, errors become more obvious. Make corrections on the paper then edit the program or file.
* There are many languages available on your Apple //. To name but a few - BASIC, Assembler, Pascal, C, Fortran, Forth, LISP, LOGO, COBOL, ACOS.
* BASIC stands for Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.
* Keep your modem as far away from your computer as possible. I found that the closer I had it to the machine, the more line noise I received.
* Did you know that your standard Apple //e consumes less power than a 100 watt light bulb?
* An anti-glare screen for your Apple monitor will keep much of the reflections off your screen plus it may even make your screen appear sharper by making darker colours darker and lighter colours, lighter.
* Ever wanted to keep your 80 column screen intact after printing something to the printer with PR#1? Typing
POKE 54,7 : POKE 55,195 : CALL 1002
under DOS 3.3 will keep the screen intact. Under ProDOS, type
PRINT CHR$(4)"PR#A$C307"
* Turn on your IIgs with no disk in the drive. When the error "Check startup device" appears, hold down Command-Option-Control-N. You will see all the names of the computer's developers, and on a ROM-03 will hear their voices.
* When ProDOS is booted, it checks to see whether your machine has 64k or 128k. If it has 128k, then the auxiliary 64k bank of memory is configured as a ram disk called /RAM in slot 3, drive 2.
* Double-hires on a 128k machine uses both main and auxiliary memory to give twice as many horizontal dot positions.
* ProDOS is slower than Dos 3.3 but you have slightly more disk space.
* A fragmented file (save in non-sequential areas of the disk) takes longer to load. To achieve maximum speed, save all of your files to another disk/s, reformat the device, and then save all of your files back onto the device one by one. Alternatively, there should be a program which will do this for you somewhere.
* To get the Memory Peeker and Visit Monitor Classic Desk Accessories on a GS, type this:
CALL -151 <return>
# <return>
<CTRL>-C <return>
* On a IIgs to cancel the keys you have typed ahead on your keyboard, press CTRL + OPEN-APPLE + DELETE keys. You may need this trick when you list an applesoft program and when you want to use CTRL-S. If you have typed other characters before CTRL-S, the listing won't stop, so flush the keyboard buffer.
* You can make your own disk envelopes with some thin cardboard. Just pull one apart and copy the outline of it onto the cardboard.
* A good way to send a small quantity of disks through the mail is to purchase a special postal disk box available from your local Australia Post. (eg use it so send articles to the editor on disk....[hint, hint])
* In a few games, sometimes the joystick doesn't work but the keyboard may be operative. In this case, try pressing <Control>-J. This should activate the joystick mode if it is available. <Control>-K would, in this case, turn on the keyboard mode.
* Your standard 65C02 Apple // works at 1.023 mhz.
* ProDOS accepts lower case commands whereas Dos 3.3 does not.
* Mis-typing a command such as LSIT, CATLOG, MEW, LAOD won't do anything but give you a syntax error.
* If you are going to use a number of AppleSoft commands frequently in your program, (e.g. displaying a menu screen), using the GOSUB command will save you having to type the same thing over and over again.
* To discharge any electricity you may be carrying, touch the //e power supply before removing/inserting ram chips, cards etc. If not, you may cause damage to these components.
* The II, II+ and unenhanced //e use the 6502 CPU. The enhanced //e and //c use the 65C02 CPU, and the IIgs uses the 65C816 CPU.
* A POKE is to put something at a location in your computer. eg POKE 50,1 would put the data '1' at location 50.
* A PEEK is to look at a location in memory. eg PEEK(-16335).
* A CALL is like a GOTO in machine language. eg CALL 976 would run the machine language program (instructions) at location 976.
* Using the Trackstar 128 card, you can run Apple // programs on an IBM, MS/DOS machine.
* Use the REMinder statement when writing a program so that it is easier to see what everything in your program does.
* The VERIFY command under ProDOS just checks to see if the file exists. Under DOS 3.3, not only does it see if the file exists, but it also confirms the integrity of the data in that filename. VERIFY under ProDOS without a filename will print a message from Apple Computer Inc.
* <Control>-M is the same as pressing <Return>.
* Your Apple // (including the IIgs) has a resolution of 280 x 192 pixels in 40 column mode and 560 x 192 in 80 column mode.
* The IIgs has a maximum graphics resolution of 640 x 200 pixels.
* Flipping the chip with the arrow on it on the Apple super serial card alters what it does. With the arrow pointing up, it is a printer card. With the arrow pointing down, it acts as a modem card.
* Another great way to learn more about your machines relies on a bit of giving and taking. How about you giving a few tips? If everyone gives, then there will be plenty to take! I'm sure the editor will be glad to receive anything to do with the Apple, no matter how small or insignificant you may think it is.
That's all the little tips and bits I could think of or find for the time being. I'm sure there are hundred more which you know of. How about sharing them with us?

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