INTRODUCTION There are numerous different computer languages, many of which have their own dialects. BASIC is one of the older languages, and was originally designed for beginners, and although recent dialects of BASIC have become much more involved, BASIC is still one of the easier languages to learn. It can be an ends in itself, for the enthusiast who is interested in doing some of his own programming, or can be a stepping stone towards more complicated languages, such as C. Computer languages can be divided into three levels: low level languages includes assembly languages where the ratio of program code to machine code is 1:1. Middle level languages, which include C, which has the ratio of about 1:1 to 1:10 of program code to machine code. High level languages, which include BASIC, which has a ratio of 1:1 to 1:many. The need for less code, may make BASIC an appealing language for the begginning programmer. Two disks that are recieved when an AMIGA is purchased, are the Workbench and the EXTRAs disk. The workbench disk is needed for `booting up' unbootable disks. The extras disk contains the AMIGAbasic Interpreter, which needs to be on a disk to allow BASIC programming. AMIGAbasic is one of the more powerful versions of BASIC. Although some other versions of BASIC can be used on the Amiga, AMIGAbasic is the version designed for the AMIGA. AMIGAbasic has commands specifically designed to tap the powerful graphic capabilities of the AMIGA, and has some other useful features which other versions do not have. This couse is intended to be an introduction to using the "Amigabasic" language and does not intend to replace reading books on the subject nor the practical experience of writing your own programs. Hopefully, it will encourage you to do both of the above things. It is suitable for absolute beginners with little or no experience with computers and either adults and children. It may also be useful for more experienced basic users to consolidate their knowledge or learn a few new tricks and techniques. Depending on your previous experience what may be obvious to you may not be obvious to someone else. For an advanced basic user there is the possibilty of going through it quickly and just concentrating on the less well known aspects. Explanations of statements will not describe detail of the syntax to the depth that a manual or textbook would. Emphasis is on explaining the concepts to help the user to understand the ideas and develop a feel for the language. Learning a programming language is a bit like eating an elephant. You will need both patience and persistence to help you get through. FORMAT OF PROGRAM Material will be presented in a reasonably logical order. Later material will tend to be built on earlier material. The program consists of descriptive text which will explain different concepts. The text will also include examples of short pieces of programming. Interspersed with the text will be a number of short quizzes. These will generally require answers from the user usually in the form of a single character, which is to be typed in from the keyboard. Questions may be: True or false Multiple choice Sometimes a series of questions and answers will be given. The objective will be to match the answers with the questions A running track of your score will be kept to add some interest. It will pay to re-read and re-read the text and redo the quizzes. With each reading parts of the text that were obscure will become more clear to you. It is possible to `save' the program when you reach any of the quizzes. You can then give the saved game(for want of a better word) and then load it at a later stage. This means that you can leave a program and start where you left off.(This only applies to the full version). WRITING PROGRAMS To write a program in AmigaBASIC, the AmigaBASIC Interpreter must be on the same disk you wish to write the program. AmigaBASIC can be found on the Commodore Extras disk which comes with your Amiga. You can copy this program to an initialized disk to allow basic programs to be run. The disk does not need to be a bootable disk. To begin a new AmigaBASIC program doubleclick on the AmigaBASIC icon. After a few seconds two windows will appear, the BASIC window and the LIST window. Type your program in the LIST window. When you have completed your program, you will need to save it to disk, otherwise it will be lost when the Amiga has been turned off. To save your program, select SAVE AS from the pull-down menu. After you have selected this menu, a requester will appear. If your program already has a name, then select SAVE. Move the mouse so that the mouse pointer is anywhere over the rectangle and click the left mouse button. This will allow you to type in the name you have chosen for your program. You can edit this name by using the backspace key. When you have finished, press the return key. You will hear a whirring noise as the program is written to disk. The AMIGA will automatically create an icon for your program. This will not be visible until the next time the program window is open. Try closing this window by clicking on the close gadget in the top left corner and then reopening it by doubleclicking on the disk item. This time there will be an additional item visible, one with your program name on it. To run your program, doubleclick on its icon, and it will immediately start running. BASICTUTOR The complete BASICTUTOR disk contains text and hundreds of questions on all the different AmigaBASIC commands, plus tips on how to use them. This disk will be upgraded as better ways of explaining concepts are found and more material is added, depending on how much interest there is. For details on how to register for this program, see the instructions at the beggining of the program. If you find something that has not been explained very clearly. Write to me and I will try and improve it. I am considering developing a correspondence in basic, in which I would send out assignments which would involve the student writing a short program. If you are interested I will give you some more details. For all correspondence William Jordan 25 King William St Fitzroy, Vic 3065 Australia