MCTEXT

A Primitive Word Processor for the Radio Shack MC-10

     The following notes are transcribed from written notes for a 
word processing program I developed for the MC-10 computer in back 1984.
I typed a number of assignments for English and history classes using
this program, which I printed on a tiny thermal printer.

	Characters surrounded by angle brackets "<>" represent single
unshifted keys. For example, the sequence <Ctrl><J> represents hitting
the CONTROL key in combination with the letter "J" key.
     There are two modes of operation in the program.  When no cursor is
visible you are in the command mode.  In this mode pressing one of the
number keys selects an operation to be performed on the line currently
displayed at the top of the screen.
     You can hit <Enter> or the minus key <-> to scroll forwards or
backwards through the text. The line numbers for each line appear in
reverse at the top left and half way down the screen.  Each line can
contain a maximum of 250 characters. The command mode operations are as
follows:

<1> Edit top line
<2> Insert a line
<3> Delete a line
<4> List lines
<5> Print lines
<6> Search
<7> Re-order text
<8> Load lines form tape
<9> Save lines to tape
<0> Exit program
<*> Jump to last line
<:> Jump to first line
<-> Move one line back
<Enter> Move one line forward

All these commands are accessible from the main command mode, when no
editing cursor is present.
      If you select the edit mode (option 1) a cursor appears at the
beginning of the line currently at the top of the screen and a new set of
commands becomes available.  They are:

<Ctrl><W> Insert new line code
<Ctrl><J> Insert new paragraph code
<Ctrl><N> Split line at cursor
<Ctrl><@> Insert a blank character
<Ctrl><G> Delete a character
<Ctrl><Z> Move forward 32 characters (one line)
<Ctrl><D> Move forward 8 characters
<Ctrl><F> Move to end of line
<Ctrl><A> Move back one character
<Ctrl><S> Move forward one character
<Ctrl><Q> Move back to the beginning of the line
<Ctrl><,> Insert begin underline code
<Ctrl><.> Insert end underline code

I should mention that hitting <Enter> saves the line to memory, but only
to the point where the cursor is located.  That is, if you intend to edit
and preserve the entire line after making changes, you must move the
cursor to the end of the line before hitting <Enter>.  Alternatively, you
can return to the beginning of the line and hit <Enter>. The line will be
preserved as it was before editing, if you hit <Enter> when the cursor is
on the first character of the line.
      I should also mention that it is probably a good habit not to use
more than one space after periods.  I have not made the program handle
double spaces after periods. If you use them, an extra space might
sometimes appear at the beginning of lines in the printed output.  It is
probably also good practice to eliminate any unnecessary spaces around new
line and new paragraph codes.  The new paragraph code causes a line return
and indents the next line five spaces in the printed output.  The new line
code simply causes a line return.  Extra spaces might cause these codes to
behave improperly during printing.
      This program requires the 16k expansion pack to be installed.  If you
should desire to change the codes sent for the begin and end underline
functions, then you must edit the CHR$ sequences in lines 5135 and 5136 of
the program.


Jim Gerrie
June 13, 2004

jgerrie@hwcn.org