Data Creator

DATA CREATOR


by Bill McIntosh


from ZX Computing Feb/Mar.1986





Good things come in small packages they say,


and Bill McIntosh's useful program proves it!








This program takes code from memory between two specified


addresses and creates DATA statements which contain the code


in string form using hex notation. Obviously this can save


much time and effort, especially in preparing programs for


submission to magazines.





The code has been deliberately kept inside string quotes in


order to keep the amount of memory that the statements take


up to an absolute minimum.





To use the program, first of all CLEAR RAMTOP to some value


below 65000. Type in the HEX loader followed by the DATA


lines. When you're happy that all is correct then type RUN


and wait until the message 'Out of data' appears. The


program code will then have been placed into memory at 65000


and is about 220 bytes long. [It's 216 bytes. JimG.] When


you have done this, SAVE the program code with:





SAVE "DATACREATE" CODE 65000,220





The start address of the code that you wish to convert


should be POKE-ed into 65000 and 65001 and the address of


the last byte should be POKE-ed into 65002 and 65003 using


the method in Figure 1 as an example.





Type and RUN and then NEW. Before running the machine code


there must be one program line in BASIC numbered 9999. This


can contain anything that you like. It may be of more use


though to use 9999 as a REM statement to make notes about


the listing. The data line numbers start from some number,


depending on the amount of code, increase in single steps,


and always end at 9998.





Type in RAND USR 65004. When the operation is complete you


will find that the data statements containing your code have


been inserted. The listing can now be SAVED or PRINTED in


the normal way.





To POKE the code back into memory simply change X in line 5


of the HEX LOADER to the start address of your code and run.








Figure 1.





10 LET x=30000: REM start address


20 POKE 65000,x-256*INT (x/256)


30 POKE 65001,INT (x/256)


40 LET x=30234: REM end address


50 POKE 65002,x-256*INT (x/256)


60 POKE 65003,INT (x/256)








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