FINDER

by Lazarau Lazaros

from Your Sinclair #30 (June 1988)

[files FINDER.*]



Cast your minds way, way back to the first ever Pitstop in the Aug'87

issue. Remember it? Remember the little program we had by Khalid Jamil

[or not by him ... JimG] called Peeker which allowed you to rove through

other people's programs, nabbing graphics and things? But there was one

problem with that one; it was in boring old Basic. So now we have the

ultra-refined version - and a few more features - from Lazarau Lazaros

in machine code! Great eh?



Method



This is such a hugely comprehensive program and has a tang of complexity

to it. First use the hex loader to type in the code at address 30000.

Then save it with SAVE "finder" CODE 30000,2048. Now type in the little

loader program (SAVE "floader" LINE 10 [LINE 1, actually. JimG]) and RUN

it, and then play in the Finder code. The code will now load into the

last third of the screen and auto-execute.



KEY  EFFECT

---  ------------------------------------------------------------

1    Inverts current window

2    Show info (yes/no); if "no" then program runs faster

3    Change current address; enter decimal 00000-65535; no delete

4    Change ink on current window

5    Change mode: horizontal/vertical

6    Clear table of graphics

7    Store piccy; stores the address and size of graphic in table at

     23296; uses four bytes; 64 graphics stored max

8    Display graphics from table (good for animation):

     F-forward one piccy; G-back one piccy; H-return

9    Decrease width

0    Increase width

Q    Decrease height fast

W    Decrease height slow

A    Increase height fast (max=127)

S    Increase height slow



When searching through memory:

O    Fast forward

P    Fast backward

K    Slow forward

L    Slow backward

R    Save whole screen

T    Save the graphic from memory onto tape; the first two bytes are the

     size of the graphic

Y    Load graphics into current address

SymbolShift	Return to Basic



Phew! As you can see this is a pretty damn good program and very useful

to boot. It has an interest to the programmer who wishes to tabulate his

graphics, and a use for the amateur dabbler who wants to make screens or

graphics displays. Totally brillo (pad).