Nascom News­let­ter

from element number 125 to element number 327 inclusive by ID No., then we can use something like…

100 F=125:L=327-125+1:D=1
110 A=USR(0)DA$(F),L,1,8,D

Double dimensioned arrays are not supported but…

A=USR(0),DD$(1,1),50,1,10,5

Wil sort the array from DD$(1,1) to DD$(50,1) without reference to any other dimensions. ie. the elements DD$(1,2) to DD$(50,2) will remain in their previous sequence. Perhaps BruteSort II will properly support multi-dimensioned arrays but I can visualise the 1000 element sort dragging on for quite a bit longer with that enhancement.

The penalty paid for having such brief code is that there is no validation of the parameters and it’s also fussy about syntax (extra blanks, etc.). Its up to the BASIC calling program to check that all parameters are within valid range. Another limitation is that all the elements in the array should have characters filling the entire sort field. Sorting field 1 to 10 on a 6 character string may have unpredictable results and an array with a null string in the sort range will most likely get corrupted.

With some more understanding of how BASIC works the routine could be polished up a bit to remove these restrictions. Who is going to be first with SuaveSort?

I would be glad to hear from any other Nascomaniacs in Saudi Arabia (or anywhere else for that matter). I can be contacted via

J.R. McAfee
c/o Saif Establishment
P.O. Box ___
Al-Khobar
Saudi Arabia