Atari Action - Table of Contents

by Sheila (Spencer) Robbins

Part I – The Basics

 

Chapter 1 – Introduction to Action!

Explanation of a "compiled" language, advantages of Action! over BASIC regarding speed, memory conservation, and structuring capabilities

 

Chapter 2 – The Action! Editor

Getting to and from the Editor, entering a program, making corrections, using windows and tags

 

Chapter 3 – The Action! Monitor

Getting to and from the Monitor, commands from within the Monitor, Options

 

Chapter 4 – Statements & Expressions

Operators, arithmetic expressions, relational expressions, controlling a program through conditional expressions and loops

 

Chapter 5 – Variables

Fundamental Data Types, declaring variables, Global vs. Local variables – differences explained and illustrated

 

Chapter 6 – Procedures

Definition of a procedure; declaring procedures; calling procedures

 

*Program – "The Great Butterfly Chase", a simple game translated from Atari BASIC into Action!

 

Chapter 7 – Functions

Definition of a function; difference between functions and procedures illustrated, declaring functions, calling functions, passing parameters

 

            *Program – "Search for the Lost Car Keys"

 

Chapter 8 – Sound in Action!

List of sound commands and explanation of their usage in Action!

           

            *Program – Simple Music Editor

 

Chapter 9 – Graphics in Action!

Commands listed and explained, table of graphics modes with memory required, resolution, and function of color registers

 

            *Program – Graphics Demo

 

 

 

Part II – Advanced Concepts

 

Chapter 10 – Arrays

Types of arrays, declaring arrays, use of arrays. String arrays, string handling techniques, chart showing results of the different string handling functions

 

            *Program – left-justify or right-justify a string

 

Chapter 11 – Pointers

Types of pointers, declaring pointers, use of pointers in disk access/file manipulation

 

*Program – short program to open and read a file, NOTE sectors and bytes, and build an index file

 

Chapter 12 – Records

            Building your own data types – declaration

 

            *Program – Simple database program to illustrate use of Records

 

 

 

Appendices

 

A.            Error codes and explanations

B.             Operator precedence

C.             Action! keywords

D.            Library procedures and functions listed and defined

E.             Translating BASIC into Action! – BASIC keywords and commands followed by their Action! equivalents