SAM BASIC

SAM Coupé OS can manage the whole basic 512KB RAM (every 16KB memory page) and fill it with programs, procedures, functions, variables, arrays, screens, system extensions, DOS and ramdisks (other extra 4MB could be opened as ramdisks only, as on Speccy 128K). Every part of data (per 1KB) could be protected from being overwritten. Programs can read allocation table and respect marked memory layout.

SAM BASIC is a modern, fully structured language with the ZX BASIC and BETA BASIC compatibility. It´s 600 bytes of system variables serve for a wide range of commands and peripherals (soundchip, graphics modes and colour palette, disk and tape I/O, mouse, joystick, printer, light-pen, net). SAM BASIC has a full range of mathematical functions and provides the hex and binary conversion. Unique is the possibility of keyboard-programming (by any key can be generated defined string). The MasterBASIC (MB) expansion brings speed improvements, more comfortable program editing and tracing, interrupt-driven video and sound capabilities and much more.

SAM BASIC Commands

procedures: DEF PROC, END PROC, LOCAL and DEFAULT variables, REF (parameter passing); MB: EXIT PROC
conditions: WHILE, UNTIL, ON (case equivalent), 'long' IF, ELSE IF, ELSE, END IF, 'short' IF - THEN - ELSE
conditions with loops: DO, LOOP, DO WHILE, DO UNTIL, LOOP WHILE, LOOP UNTIL, LOOP IF, EXIT IF, FOR - TO - STEP - NEXT; MB: EXIT DO, EXIT FOR
data and strings manipulations: READ, DATA, ITEM, RESTORE, RANDOMIZE, RND, DIM, READ LINE (omit quotes), TRUNC$ (truncate spaces), LENGTH, INSTR$, STR$, VAL, VAL$, CODE, CHR$, INKEY$, GET; MB: EDIT, SORT (ABS, INVERSE - case sensitive and reverse order switches), DELETE, INARRAY, USING$, SVAL$, NVAL, SHIFT$, EQU
labels: LABEL name, GOTO, GOSUB
memory handling: PEEK, DPEEK, POKE, DPOKE (num,var,string), MEM$ (a TO b), OPEN, FREE, RAMTOP, CLEAR, CLOSE

graphics: MODE, SCREEN, OPEN SCREEN, CLOSE SCREEN, DISPLAY, PALETTE, PALETTE pos,a,b LINE n, PEN, PAPER, BORDER, CSIZE, PLOT, DRAW, DRAW x,y,angle, DRAW TO, CIRCLE, BRIGHT, FLASH, INVERSE, OVER, POINT, BLOCK, FATPIX, SCREEN$, FILL, GRAB, PUT, XOS, YOS, XRG, YRG (axis offset and range), ROLL, SCROLL, WINDOW, RECORD TO string, RECORD STOP, BLITZ; MB: COPY SCREEN a TO b, ALTER DISPLAY a TO b LINE n, SCRAD
sound: BEEP, SOUND, ZAP, POW, ZOOM, BOOM; MB: buffer, RECORD SOUND, CLEAR SOUND, BLITZ SOUND
program and system administration: PAUSE, STOP, ON ERROR, CONTINUE, POP (discard return address), KEYIN (allows program to self-modify, converts a string into a form of program line), SVAR, USR, CALL, IN, OUT, AUTO (start,step), RENUM (a TO b LINE f STEP s), LIST FORMAT (0-2) - structured listing; MB: editor and printer buffer, JOIN, split (/), REF - search, ALTER TO - replace, LINE (delay,STEP,OFF) - program tracing, LPRINT CLEAR, TIME, TICS, HIDE TO - system integrated hidden procedures, SAVE MODE, FSTAT, ALTER DEVICE drive TO drive, DIR$, INP$, LOCN

SAM BASIC in Numbers

covers all memory area of 528 KBytes, programs up to 470 Kbytes long
up to 65279 lines in any one program, up to 16127 bytes and 127 individual statements per line
strings up to 65520 characters long, arrays can fill all available memory
up to 65535 items in one dimension of data array
names of numerical variables up to 32 characters long
names of strings and arrays up to 10 character long
names of user-defined functions up to 32 characters long

Many complex programs were written in the SAM BASIC, e.g. the SAM Adventure System (SAS) or the 3D Graphics Engine.