Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide

Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide
Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide Cover	Language	English (American)
	Author(s)	Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
	Publisher	Howard W. Sams & Co. Inc
	Year	1982
	ISBN	ISBN 0-672-22056-3
	Original price	USD, 19.95, GBP 9.95
	Media	{{{Media}}}
	Pages	504
	Last Edition	First Edition Fourth Printing (1983)
	Genre	Programming Guide
	Information

Back Cover

ABOUT THE COMMODORE 64 PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE GUIDE...   Game cartridge compatibility... spectacular sound... arcade style graphics... and high caliber computing capabilities make the Commodore 64 the most advanced personal computer in its class for home, business and educational use.   The COMMODORE 64 PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE GUIDE tells you everything you need to know about your Commodore 64. The perfect companion to your Commodore 64 User's Guide, this manual presents detailed information on everything from graphics and sound to advanced machine language techniques. This book is a must for everyone from the beginner to the advanced programmer.   For the beginner, the most complicated topics are explained with many sample programs and an easy-to-read writing style. For the advanced programmer, this book has been subjected to heavy pre-testing with your needs in mind. And it's designed so that you can easily get the most out of your Commodore 64's extensive capabilities.

Table of Contents (Abridged)

This table of contents has been reproduced to include only the chapter and appendix headings, along with the first-level section headings. The original has second-level section headings.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTION ...................................................   ix
    o What's Included? ..........................................    x
    o How to Use This Reference Guide ...........................   xi
    o Commodore 64 Applications Guide ...........................  xii
    o Commodore Information Network ............................. xvii

 1. BASIC PROGRAMMING RULES .....................................    1
    o Introduction ..............................................    2
    o Screen Display Codes (BASIC Character Set) ................    2
    o Programming Numbers and Variables .........................    4
    o Expressions and Operators .................................    9
    o Programming Techniques ....................................   18

 2. BASIC LANGUAGE VOCABULARY ...................................   29
    o Introduction ..............................................   30
    o BASIC Keywords, Abbreviations, and Function Types .........   31
    o Description of BASIC Keywords (Alphabetical) ..............   35
    o The Commodore 64 Keyboard and Features ....................   93
    o Screen Editor .............................................   94

 3. PROGRAMMING GRAPHICS ON THE
    COMMODORE 64 ................................................   99
    o Graphics Overview .........................................  100
    o Graphics locations ........................................  101
    o Standard Character Mode ...................................  107
    o Programmable Characters ...................................  108
    o Multi-Color Mode Graphics .................................  115
    o Extended Background Color Mode ............................  120
    o Bit Mapped Graphics .......................................  121
    o Multi-Color Bit Map Mode ..................................  127
    o Smooth Scrolling ..........................................  128
    o Sprites ...................................................  131
    o Other Graphics Features ...................................  150
    o Programming Sprites-Another Look ..........................  153

4. PROGRAMMING SOUND AND MUSIC
    ON YOUR COMMODORE 64 ........................................  183
    o Introduction ..............................................  184
    o Using Multiple Voices .....................................  187
    o Changing Waveforms ........................................  192
    o The Envelope Generator ....................................  196
    o Filtering .................................................  199
    o Advanced Techniques .......................................  202
    o Synchronization and Ring Modulation .......................  207

 5. BASIC TO MACHINE LANGUAGE ...................................  209
    o What is Machine Language? .................................  210
    o How Do You Write Machine Language Programs? ...............  214
    o Hexadecimal Notation ......................................  215
    o Addressing Modes ..........................................  221
    o Indexing ..................................................  223
    o Subroutines ...............................................  228
    o Useful Tips for the Beginner ..............................  229
    o Approaching a Large Task ..................................  230
    o MCS6510 Microprocessor Instruction Set ....................  232
    o Memory Management on the Commodore 64 .....................  260
    o The KERNAL ................................................  268
    o KERNAL Power-Up Activities ................................  269
    o Using Machine Language From BASIC .........................  307
    o Commodore 64 Memory Map ...................................  310

 6. INPUT/OUTPUT GUIDE ..........................................  335
    o Introduction ..............................................  336
    o Output to the TV ..........................................  336
    o Output to Other Devices ...................................  337
    o The Game Ports ............................................  343
    o RS-232 Interface Description ..............................  348
    o The User Port .............................................  359
    o The Serial Bus ............................................  362
    o The Expansion Port ........................................  366
    o Z-80 Microprocessor Cartridge .............................  368

 APPENDICES .....................................................  373
    A.  Abbreviations for BASIC Keywords ........................  374
    B.  Screen Display Codes ....................................  376
    C.  ASCII and CHR$ Codes ....................................  379
    D.  Screen and Color Memory Maps ............................  382
    E.  Music Note Values .......................................  384
    F.  Bibliography ............................................  388
    G.  VIC Chip Register Map ...................................  391
    H.  Deriving Mathematical Functions .........................  394
    I.  Pinouts for Input/Output Devices ........................  395
    J.  Converting Standard BASIC Programs to
          Commodore 64 BASIC ....................................  398
    K.  Error Messages ..........................................  400
    L.  6510 Microprocessor Chip Specifications .................  402
    M.  6526 Complex Interface Adapter (CIA)
          Chip Specifications ...................................  419
    N.  6566/6567 (VIC-II) Chip Specifications ..................  436
    0.  6581 Sound Interface Device (SID) Chip Specifications ...  457
    P.  Glossary ................................................  482

 INDEX ..........................................................  483

 COMMODORE 64 QUICK REFERENCE CARD ..............................  487

 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF THE COMMODORE 64 ..........................  491

Extract

Page 210:

 WHAT IS MACHINE LANGUAGE?
 
   At the heart of every microcomputer,  is  a  central  microprocessor.  It's
 a  very  special  microchip  which  is  the  "brain"  of  the  computer.  The
 Commodore 64 is  no  exception.  Every  microprocessor  understands  its  own
 language of  instructions.  These  instructions are  called machine  language
 instructions.  To  put  it  more  precisely,  machine language  is  the  ONLY
 programming  language that your  Commodore 64  understands.  It is the NATIVE
 language of the machine.

Schematic Diagram

A 370mm x 500mm double-sided fold-out schematic diagram is included in the book. It identified all the ICs and circuit pathways between the power supply, components and external connections (such as the user port, expansion port and serial bus).

Commodore 64 Schematic Diagram (left)

Commodore 64 Schematic Diagram (right)

Versions

Country	Edition	Printing	Year	Front Cover	Inside Cover	Reverse Cover	Remarks
USA	First Edition	First Printing	1982				Plastic Spiral Bound
USA	First Edition	Second Printing					Plastic Spiral Bound
USA	First Edition	Third Printing	1983				Plastic Spiral Bound
England	First Edition	Fourth Printing	1983				Steel Spiral Bound
USA	First Edition	Fifth Printing	1983
USA	First Edition	Sixth Printing	1983
USA	First Edition	Seventh Printing	1983				Plastic Spiral Bound with Text
USA	First Edition	Eighth Printing	1983				Plastic Spiral Bound
USA	First Edition	Ninth Printing
USA	First Edition	Tenth Printing	1984				Plastic Spiral Bound with Text
USA	First Edition	Eleventh Printing	1984				Plastic Spiral Bound with Text
USA	First Edition	Twelfth Printing	1985				Plastic Spiral Bound
USA	First Edition	Thirteenth Printing
USA	First Edition	Fourteenth Printing
USA	First Edition	Fifteenth Printing
USA	First Edition	Sixteenth Printing
USA	First Edition	Seventeenth Printing
USA	First Edition	Eighteenth Printing
USA	First Edition	Nineteenth Printing
USA	First Edition	Twentieth Printing
USA	First Edition	Twenty-First Printing	1989				Glue Bound
Canada	First Edition	Fourth Printing	1984
Australia	First Edition	Second Australian Printing	1984				Plastic Spiral Bound with Text
USA	Second Edition	First Printing					Glue Bound
USA	Third Edition	First Printing					Glue Bound

Reviews

Amazon Customer: "Once you have exhausted the user guide for the C64, this is your next step. It will give you all the information you require to get started with machine code. It also explains how to make use of all the ports on the C64. It is possible to use ( or build) a serial interface to hook up to a regular PC. I found the information on the User Port particularly useful for home automation and robotics."

Jodigi: "A very good and helpful book for advanced programmers learn more basics and technical details about the C64 and also special programming knowledge, but not enough."

Charliefourzero: "It is hard to see how anyone could program the C64 without having read this book. Where the C64 User Guide helps you turn on the computer, this book helps you understand how it works. It should be the bedrock for understanding the C64 both from a software and hardware perspective. It is not perfect, but then CBM honestly did not know exactly how the C64 would be used by its hardcore fans. The book covers all the main areas in sufficient detail; which required at least 500 pages! Simply, a 'must read'.

Links

• Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide (Text Version) at zimmers.net, accessed 27 September 2014
• Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide (HTML Version), accessed 27 September 2014
• Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide (PDF Version), accessed 27 September 2014
• Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide in chapters (PDF) at commodore.ca, accessed 30 September 2014