From Manual
On page 152 of the Atari Pascal Language System manual, the following "Helpful Hints" are listed:
1. Compilation of Pascal programs using Floating Point numbers (REALs) requires that the Include file FLTPROCS or STDPROCS be identified within the declaration body of the source. In addition, the FPLIB must be linked with your compiled source and PASLIB. Failure to do so will cause your compilation and/or linking to error. Refer to the demo program CALC for an example.
2. Identifiers are significant to only eight characters.
3. CLOSEDEL can be used with any file so be careful. You may accidentally delete something that you didn't expect to.
4. While standard procedures are built into the compiler, others require the appropriate Include files for declaration purposes. Check these files to determine if you need them. These Include files may be listed on the printer by use of the copy option under DOS.
5. The reserved word "PREDEFINED" allows certain procedures and functions to become part of the scope surrouning the program. In addition any file parameter is pased as two parameters as required by the run-time routines.
Personal Experience
1. The Atari Pascal Language System allows mixed case programs.
2. Atari Pascal Language System source programs must have a linefeed/carriage return after the final "END." statement or the compiler will never finish.
3. AtariWriter80 seems to have some glitches. Using the down cursor arrow past the first page of code will cause AtariWriter 80 to jump to the bottom of the document.
4. Atari Pascal Language System doesn't seem to have anyway to compile into native machine code.
5. There doesn't seem to be anyway to run an Atari Pascal Language System program other than with using the RUN menu option.
6. In AtariWriter80, use CONTROL-S to save your source program rather than using the menu options S. This will save the file as ASCII without any extra AtariWriter meta information.
7. To clear the text screen in an Atari Pascal program, use WRITE(CHR(125)).
8. Use the Altirra --> System --> Warp Speed feature to speed up compiling and linking your programs.
9. The first filename listed in the linker line becomes the filename of the "executable" .COM file.
10. You can use READLN without any parameters, to wait for the use to type RETURN/Enter.
11. You can use WRITELN without any parameters to print a blank line.
12. If you use REAL number variables, you must LINK the FPLIB, or the program will crash.
13. Use (*$ID:GSPROCS*), not (* $ID:GSPROCS *). Do not add spaces.
14. The GRSND library seems to have a "ClearScreen" defined. If you use GRSND library, don't name your own function/procedure/variable "ClearScreen" or "Clear_Screen". Use "ClrScrn" instead.
15. Confirm that Atari Pascal does not have a ^ operator.
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