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diff --git a/whichbas.rst b/whichbas.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5e7363c --- /dev/null +++ b/whichbas.rst @@ -0,0 +1,75 @@ +======== +whichbas +======== + +---------------------------------------------------------- +Determine BASIC variant of a tokenized Atari 8-bit program +---------------------------------------------------------- + +.. include:: manhdr.rst + +SYNOPSIS +======== +whichbas [-v] *input-file* + +DESCRIPTION +=========== +**whichbas** reads a tokenized Atari 8-bit BASIC, Turbo BASIC, +BASIC XL, BASIC XE, or Atari Microsoft BASIC program and attempts to +discover which BASIC is required to run it. + +NOTES +===== +Turbo BASIC, BASIC XL, and BASIC XE are all supersets of Atari BASIC. +If you wrote a program using one of them, but didn't use any of the +extra commands or functions, the result is still an Atari BASIC program. + +There are two types of BASIC XE programs: regular and *EXTEND*\ed. The +extended type is detected 100% reliably, because the first byte of the +file changes from **$00** to **$DD**. Non-extended programs are only +identified as BASIC XE if they use any of the extra commands BASIC XE +adds to those found in BASIC XL. + +Atari BASIC programs can be detected 100% reliably. + +Detection of Turbo vs. BXL/BXE isn't 100% reliable, and probably +never will be. There's too much overlap between the sets of extra +tokens added by each. Programs that don't use very many of the extra +functions provided by Turbo/BXL/BXE may show up as "Not Atari BASIC; +probably either Turbo or BXL/BXE". + +Atari Microsoft BASIC is detected by checking that the first two +bytes of the file are not zero, and that the last 3 are zero. This +may result in false positives (files that aren't BASIC programs at +all might show up as Microsoft). Also, no distinction is made between +Atari MS BASIC 1.0 and 2.0. + +Various non-BASIC files are detected (including Mac/65 source, +ELF binaries, etc) as a convenience, but I wouldn't rely on +**whichbas**\'s non-BASIC file type detection if I were you. + +LIMITATIONS +=========== +Currently, **whichbas** doesn't look at the variable name or type +tables. One problem caused by this: If a program uses only Atari BASIC +tokens, but uses variable(s) with _ in the name, it will be identified +as Atari BASIC... even though _ in variable names is illegal in Atari +BASIC and pretty much guarantees the program is Turbo/BXL/BXE. + +Looking at the variable types could also improve detection, since +Turbo and BXL/BXE support extended variable types. + +**whichbas** knows nothing about other BASICs such as Frost BASIC, +BASIC/A+, Altirra BASIC... + +OPTIONS +======= + +.. include:: genopts.rst + +EXIT STATUS +=========== + +0 for success, 1 for failure. + +.. include:: manftr.rst |