Building Applications with CamelForth

1. Introduction

Unlike with other high-level programming languages available on the Z88 (ie BBC BASIC), it is quite possible to produce full ROM-based applications and popdowns with CamelForth.

In order to do this effectively, you will need the following:

With these tools, you can produce applications and popdowns that can be blown to EPROMs or saved as RAM-installable applications for use with Installer.

In order to demonstrate the relative ease with which this can be done, the following discussion will take you through all the steps necessary to turn a standard ANS Forth program into a proper Z88 application, using an example adventure game, Puzzle Of The Pyramid.


Puzzle Of The Pyramid

This game is an extremely simple adventure that I originally wrote when learning Forth on the Tandy TRS-80. I have since re-written it to run on ANS-compliant Forth systems with the required optional words. Naturally, Z88 CamelForth contains everything that is needed!

You can use the following link to download or view the source for the standard program:

Puzzle Of The Pyramid - ANS Source File

This will run unmodified on CamelForth 3.00. To try it out, load the source with S" pyramid.fth" INCLUDED and then start the game by typing GAME. After a couple of minutes, you should have solved the adventure (my sincere apologies for any distress caused!) and we can get on with the important business of turning it into an application...


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