TI-BASIC:SK:Using Your Calc
Copying & Renaming Programs
Copying and renaming programs is useful when you want to create a backup copy of a program you are working on (so all your hard work won't be lost in case you mess up the current copy or it gets erased somehow), or if you decide that you don't like the current name of your program and you want to give it a new name that you will be able to live with.
You first need to create a new program, following the steps listed above in "Create a Program". While in the Program editor to edit the program, you then press 2nd STO to get the Recall function to be displayed on the bottom line of the screen. Now go into the EXEC section of the Program menu.
After you select which program you want to use, the program's name is pasted to the right of the Recall function on the bottom line of the screen. When you press ENTER, all of the commands from the program you selected are pasted into the new program. You can then delete the old copy of the program, if you don't need or want it anymore.
In addition to pasting all of the commands into the new program, you can also just paste one or more commands. You simply create another copy of the program, and delete all of the commands and lines that you don't want. Don't try to rush deleting the commands and lines because you will just have to do it over. You then paste this program into the new program, and delete it afterward.
Memory Management
[[TI-BASIC:F>image_Memorymanage.gif|F>image_Memorymanage.gif]]
When you first get your calculator, it comes with everything set to the default settings: no programs, no applications, nothing. But after a while of using your calculator, you start to put programs on it, put applications on it, store functions in the Y= Editor, and even use the Stat Editor. Really, it just becomes a big, cluttered mess.
This may seem like a rather unimportant concern, but if you try creating or running a program, and you have other things on the calculator, the calculator may sometimes not have sufficient memory available. With all of the files floating around, taking up unnecessary memory, you were inhibited from using your calculator. The solution is to clean it up, which takes the form of two options: either delete or archive one or more of the files.
For both options, you should be in the Memory menu, which is accessible by pressing 2nd and MEM. You then select 2:Mem Mgmt/Del and press one to display a scrollable list of all the files on the calculator. You use the ^ and v keys to move the cursor on the left. On the top lines of the screen you will see how much free RAM and ARC (archive) memory there is.
Once you have found a file you want to delete, press DEL. If the file is not a variable, the calculator will prompt you to confirm the deletion, and you have to select 2:Yes. Once you have found a file you want to archive, press ENTER. An asterisk will appear to the left of the file name, indicating that it is archived. Archived files can't be edited (or executed, depending on what it is).
Archiving may sometimes not be possible, however, if the calculator is completely packed with files. This occurs primarily when a person can't bring themselves to delete a file because they feel like every file is important. At this point, the only option is to delete some files off of their calculator to make room. As part of memory management, a good policy is to keep the calculator's memory organized and to delete any files that you don't need.
Program Commands
[[TI-BASIC:F>image_Commandmenu.gif|F>image_Commandmenu.gif]]
If you want to add a command to your program, you will need to learn where the program commands are because you can't type the commands in. While in the Program editor (for editing your program), press the PRGM key. The menu that you saw initially is gone, replaced with three other menus:
- The CTL menu is all of the control structures.
- The I/O menu is all of the input and output commands.
- The EXEC menu is used for calling other programs.
Select an item to paste it directly into your program from the menu. There are lots of other menus on the calculator, as well. Here are some that are especially important:
| Menu name | Keys to access | Commands available |
|---|---|---|
| Test menu | 2nd, then MATH | Comparisons and boolean logic, such as = or not( |
| Math menu | MATH key | Many math operations, such as abs( or 3 |
| Vars menu | VARS key | All variables, except for finance variables |
| Catalog | 2nd, then 0 | Every command, except those found in Vars menu. It does contain some commands only found in the Catalog (like Garbage Collect) |
You should familiarize yourself with where the commands are because it makes programming that much easier. After programming for a while, you will probably just internalize them. Also, for most of the commands, you can press the corresponding number on the menu to select that command or the first letter of the command to scroll to the first command with that starting letter.
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