Forth/2 Code

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                   Forth/2 Preliminary Documentation
                            May 11, 1993


Forth/2 is a fully 32-bit, native Forth for OS/2 2.0.  It requires an
80386SX or compatible microprocessor, and OS/2 2.0 or subsequent
versions.

Forth/2 was created specifically for OS/2 using MASM 6.0 Currently it is
a text-mode application which can be run either in a full screen or in a
window.  It presently does not conform to any single Forth standard.
Most of the major Forth functions are included.




                           Table of Contents

0.   Introduction

1.   Using Forth/2
1.1  Installing Forth/2
1.2  Starting Forth/2
1.3  Basic information about Forth/2
1.4  Quitting Forth/2
1.5  Executing OS/2 Commands from Forth/2
1.6  Creating and Loading Forth Source Code
1.7  Error Detection

2.   For Beginners

3.   Special Functions IN Forth/2
3.1  Case Statements
3.2  TO Variables (or VALUE's)
3.3  String Handling Words
3.4  Threads
3.5  Arrays and Structures
3.6  Vocabularies
3.7  Local Variables

4.   List of Words
4.1  Parameters
4.2  Parameter Naming Conventions
4.3  List of Word Definitions (INCOMPLETE)

5.   Technical Description
5.1  Internals
5.2  OS/2 Interface
5.3  USER Variables and Multi-Tasking
5.4  TO Variables (VALUE's)
5.5  Vocabularies
5.6  Specifications and Limits


6.   Compatibility Issues
7.   Where to send comments/suggestions



0.  INTRODUCTION

Forth is an interactive, hierarchical programming language.  Forth is a
collection of functions which can be combined to create new functions,
which in turn can be used in other functions.  A "program" in Forth is
simply a word which performs a series of these functions.

For example, most books on programming show you how to create a minimal
program in a particular language, one which simply types the words
"Hello, world!" on the screen.  In Forth, this would be:

   : HELLO   ." Hello, world!" ;

Then, typing the word HELLO and tapping the Enter key will print the
message.  The word  :  defines the new word HELLO, and defines its
function to be all the words following up to the  ; . In this case, the
only function it performs is  ."  (pronounced "dot-quote"), which 
simply types the text to the screen up to the ending  " .

All the words  :  ."  and  "  are functions which reside in Forth's 
vocabulary, the list of defined functions.  Then,  HELLO  was simply 
added to this list of functions.  To see other available functions,
type  WORDS  and tap the Enter key.

This documentation cannot hope to explain Forth to newcomers as well as 
others have.  Two very readable and highly recommended books which
explain Forth are:

   Starting Forth (2nd ed.) by Leo Brodie
   Thinking Forth  also by Leo Brodie.

Look for them in your local library or bookstore, or obtain these and
other books by writing or calling FORTH, Inc. at:

   FORTH Inc.
   <I have to find their address>


   John D. Hall, President
   Forth Interest Group
   P.O. Box 2154
   Oakland, CA  94621
   (510) 893-6784, Fax (510) 535-1295




1.  Using Forth/2

1.1  Installing Forth/2

The Forth/2 beta is currently distributed as a single .ZIP (compressed) 
file called FORTHxxx.ZIP where xxx is the version number (currently at 
xxx=028).  Copy this file into any folder, and use PKWare's pkunzip
utility or equivalent to uncompress the files.  

Forth/2 reads and compiles the file FORTH.INI upon startup.  This file
helps minimize the size of the FORTH.EXE file while maximizing the 
ability to customize Forth/2.  Make sure this file is in the same 
directory that FORTH.EXE is called from.



1.2  Starting Forth/2

To run Forth/2 from the OS/2 command line, simply change to the
directory containing FORTH.EXE and FORTH.INI and type:

   FORTH

Or, create an OS/2 .CMD file to automate this process.  If you have 
installed Forth/2 in a directory called FORTH2 on drive  C: then create
a file called FORTH.CMD as follows:  

   REM FORTH.CMD  -  Starts Forth/2
   C:
   CD \FORTH2
   FORTH

From the WorkPlace Shell, simply open the folder containing FORTH.EXE
and FORTH.INI and double-click on FORTH.EXE.  To set it up to run in a
window or in a full screen, bring up the menu for this object with Mouse
Button 2, and select Open-->Settings, click on Session, and check either 
the Windowed or Full Screen buttons to select.  



1.3  Basic information about Forth/2

All Forth/2 commands are case insensitive.  When new definitions are 
added to the dictionary, the letters are converted to uppercase first.  
To see a listing of functions available in Forth/2, type Words then tap 
the Enter key.

In the Words listing, you will see a fairly long list of words in the 
Forth vocabulary, followed by the words available in the System 
vocabulary.  The System vocabulary contains the names of many OS/2 
system calls which would otherwise clutter up the main Forth dictionary.  

To remove these system calls from the Words listing, type Forth ONLY and
tap the Enter key.  To see or use the system calls again, type System 
and they will reappear.  

See Section 3.6  VOCABULARIES for more information.

You may also look up individual words from the Forth prompt.  If the
file FORTH2.DOC (this file) is in the same directory that FORTH.EXE
is in, type

   VIEW wordname

to get a brief description of a word and what parameters it requires
and leaves on the stack.  Try  VIEW VIEW for example.

Use the function key F3 to recall the previous command, or F1 to recall
the previous command one letter at a time.



1.4  Quitting Forth/2

To exit from Forth/2, type

    BYE

and tap the Enter key.

If Forth/2 has locked up, or is caught in an endless (or very long) 
loop, use Ctrl-C to exit the program.  



1.5  Executing OS/2 Commands from Forth/2

To temporarily exit to the OS/2 command line prompt, type

    CommandPrompt

and tap the <Enter> key.  Feel free to redefine this to a shorter word.  
When you have finished using OS/2 commmands, type 

    EXIT

and tap the <Enter> key to return to Forth/2.  The state of Forth/2 will
be preserved.


For frequently used system calls, you may wish to have OS/2 run the program
directly.  To invoke an editor from Forth/2, and pass it the name of a
file to edit, create the following word:

    : ED  ( -- )  ARGS" filename.4th"  SHELL" editor.exe" ;

You must give the exact path of the editor.exe program.  Omit the ARGS"
if you do not want to pass the program any arguments.  To create a word 
called ED" <filename>" which will edit the file after it, create this 
word:  

    : ED" ( name-- )  [COMPILE] ARGS"    SHELL" editor.exe" ;


To have OS/2's command shell execute a command, such as copy, del, start,
etc., use a /C in front of the arguments passed to CMD.EXE.  For example,
to create a Forth-based Copy command, do the following:

    : COPY  " /C COPY "   Arguments "MOVE
            BL Word       Arguments "CAT
            "  "          Arguments "CAT
            BL Word       Arguments "CAT  CommandShell ;

To copy a file  test.4th  to  a:test.4th, type:

    COPY test.4th a:test.4th

See Section 3.3 on string handling for more information.



1.6  Creating and Loading Forth Source Code

Create Forth definitions directly from the command line, or create an 
ASCII sequential file using your favorite text editor.  To load in the 
file, use the following word:  

    INCLUDE" FileName.TXT"

You may freely nest INCLUDE" inside other INCLUDE"ed files.  However,
when compiled, the files must not alter the stack, either by requiring
numbers or by leaving extra numbers on the stack.

 *** BUG ALERT! ***  INCLUDE" in FORTH.INI does not return control

You may also use OS/2's cut and paste ability to copy just a few words 
from your editor, paste them into a windowed Forth/2 session, and try 
them out until they work correctly.  

The file FORTH.INI contains basic definitions required by most Forth
programmers, as well as a few utility programs like  MORE"  and  DIR.
You may add your own programs to this file, or make any changes you 
desire.  However, it is recommended that you instead use the
STARTUP.4TH file for any customizations.  This way, you will avoid 
having to reconcile the latest version of Forth/2 with your own 
changes.  

Use ECHO ON and ECHO OFF within .4TH files to echo portions of a 
document to the screen while they are being loaded.

When debugging programs it is common to load and re-load a program many
times.  Avoid cluttering up the dictionary by using the word  FORGET.
Use the command  FORGET <word>  to remove all definitions from <word> 
onward.  



1.7.  Error Detection

Unlike DOS, OS/2 catches any reads or writes to memory outside of the
application's allocated space.  This helps keep applications protected
from one another, and notifies you that you have a bug.  Almost nothing 
you can do will crash anything but the one Forth/2 session.

All this protection is nice, but when things go wrong there is no way
to trace back what happened, nor examine the values of specific memory
locations.  (OS/2 has system calls to do this, but they have not been
utilized in Forth/2 yet.)  Fortunately, Forth makes it so easy to test 
out small chunks of code that wild memory references can be narrowed 
down to the culprit quickly.

Note: These exceptions will handled gracefully in a future release.



2.  FOR BEGINNERS

Under construction!  If you would like to know how Forth works, find a
book on programming in Forth at your local library.  Or, obtain a file
from an Internet ftp site which describes how to use Forth.

The ftp site asterix.inescn.pt (192.35.246.17) contains a great deal of
information about Forth and Forth programs.  Look in the directory
/pub/forth.



2.1  Forth Structure and Syntax

The following are some basic statements about Forth's stucture and
syntax:

  Forth is made up of a DICTIONARY of words.

  The DICTIONARY can be organized into separate VOCABULARIES.

  Each word in the dictionary performs some kind of function.

  All words and numbers must be separated by at least one SPACE.

  To use a word or series of words, type them in and tap Enter.

  Some words, like CONSTANTs, simply return a value.

  Other words perform various functions.


  Forth is STACK-ORIENTED, and uses Reverse Polish Notation.

  The stack is used to pass PARAMETERS to words.

  Many words OPERATE on a certain number of parameters on the stack,
   THEN RETURN zero or more parameters on the stack.

  For example, the word '+' adds two numbers from the stack, leaving one.

  To see the CONTENTS OF THE STACK, use the word  .S


  The defining word  :  CREATES a new word in the dictionary.

  Create this:   : TEN+  10 + ;   Try:  100 TEN+ .S   -10 TEN+ .S

  The word  :  is just another word in the dictionary, which creates
    a dictionary entry for the word which follows it, and defines
    the word's funtion to be to perform all the words which follow
    it up to the  ;

  Forth allows ANY ASCII characters to be used in word names.

  Other words, like VARIABLE <variable_name>  or
           <number> CONSTANT <constant_name>  also create new words.

  VARIABLE's push the address where the variable is stored onto the stack.
  To FETCH the contents of the variable, use          <variable_name> @
  To STORE a number into the variable, use   <number> <variable_name> !
  The word  @  is pronounced "FETCH", and  !  is pronounced "STORE".

  To print and remove the number from the top of the stack, use  . (DOT)

  One convention in Forth is to use  .  in any word which prints things.


Planned sections:

2.2  Simple math, .S, ."
2.3  : routines, IF...THEN
2.4  DO...LOOP   BEGIN...AGAIN
2.5  Number formatting
2.9  Making something work inside  :  definitions (e.g. COPY)




3.  SPECIAL FUNCTIONS IN FORTH/2

This section describes special words available in Forth/2.


3.1  CASE STATEMENTS

CASE statements are for when you evaluate a number of different options, 
as in typing the day of the week.  Try the following word:

: DAY ( n ) CASE  1 OF  ." Monday"       ENDOF
                  2 OF  ." Tuesday"      ENDOF
                  3 OF  ." Wednesday"    ENDOF
                  4 OF  ." Thursday"     ENDOF
                  5 OF  ." Friday"       ENDOF
                  6 OF  ." Saturday"     ENDOF
                  7 OF  ." Sunday"       ENDOF
                        ." Day " . ." ?" ENDCASE ;

Simply type  5 DAY  and it will print "Friday".

Note that you need a  DROP  or a similar effect between the last ENDOF 
and the ENDCASE, which differs from other implementations of CASE..ENDOF.



3.2  TO VARIABLES (or VALUE's)

TO variables help make Forth simpler to use and to read.  They are most
useful when you fetch a value much more often then you store into that
variable.

To create a TO variable, simply type:

    INTEGER X_LOC

and it is initialized to 0.  To examine the value of X_LOC, simply type:

    X_LOC .

No @ is necessary.  To store a new value into X_LOC simply type

   100 TO X_LOC

Then,  X_LOC .  will show 100.  To add to a TO variable, use +TO as in:

   50 +TO X_LOC

Then,  X_LOC .  will show 150.  To create a TO variable initialized
with a certain value, use:

    1020 TO INTEGER Taxes


Create arrays of integers with another word:

   100 INTARRAY XP[]    ( Creates an array called XP[] of 100 elements )

   100 0 DO  100 RND  I TO XP[]  LOOP   ( Store random numbers into XP )

   0  100 0 DO  I XP[] +  LOOP          ( Calculates the sum of all XP )

And, using  n index +TO XP[]  will add n to the indexed integer.

You can also create STRING TO variables.  See section 3.3.



3.3  STRING HANDLING WORDS

All of the string words such as  ."  can be used outside colon definitions.
A number of words have been included with Forth/2 to facilitate string
handling.  


3.3.1  Creating and Typing Strings

To create a string constant, use the word " as follows:  

    " April 4, 1999"  "CONSTANT Deadline

Then, use  ".  (quote-dot) to type it out:

    Deadline ".

Develop your own synonyms for ". like  @Type  or  $.  etc.  Or, a
simpler way to create a string constant is like this:

    Call" Bill Clinton" President

To create a zero-terminated string, such as for use with OS/2 system
calls, use 0" as follows:

    : Invoice_File   0" Invoices.DAT" ;

Then, use  0".  to type the string out:

    Invoice_File 0".

or either type or load a file:

    0" Calendar.4TH" MORE
    0" Calendar.4TH" INCLUDE

Use  0"COUNT  to obtain the size of a 0-terminated string.  In the
example below, the 0" string is counted, then moved into TempStr as
a counted string with MOVE>"

    CREATE TempStr   80 ALLOT
    0" FileName.TXT"  0"COUNT  TempStr  MOVE>"


You may want to terminate a regular counted string with a zero
(if you have alloted room beyond the string).  To do this, use

    CREATE StrA  80 ALLOT
    " To be zero-terminated"  StrA  "MOVE
    StrA 0-Terminate
    StrA W+ 0".               \ Skip length and use 0". to print

These words all work in colon definitions as well.


3.3.2  Copying and Concatenating Strings

The word  "MOVE  will move a counted string to another area of memory.
To copy a string to another memory area, do the following:

   ( Make room for strings up to 80 characters long )
   VARIABLE StringBuf  80 ALLOT

   Call" Warning: " WarnMsgBeg

   : InitWarning   WarnMsgBeg StringBuf "MOVE ;

   : TempWarning   InitWarning
                   " Temperature over limit!"  StringBuf "CAT ;

   : PresWarning   InitWarning
                   " Pressure overload!"       StringBuf "CAT ;


   TempWarning  StringBuf ".   ( Will print the warning message )


The word  "CAT  will add one string to the end of a second string.
It accepts two strings on the stack, ( string1 string2 -- ) which are 
both counted-strings, and adds  string1  to the end of  string2.

Because both  WORD  and  "  return the address of a counted string, most
string handling words act upon a single address.  That address points to
a 32-bit length, followed by the characters which make up the string.
However, it is often required to manipulate a string which does not have
a length at the address, but instead the length is on the stack.  To use 
words like "CAT or =" with a string and length, first move it to a
temporary string buffer with the word MOVE>" as follows:

    0" First Second Third Word"  6  StringBuf  MOVE>"

    StringBuf ".                 \ Will type "First "

The above code copies the first six charcters from the 0" string to
StringBuf, because 0" returns the address of the first charcter of the
string.

The word  MOVE>"  will copy a character string of a given length to an
address and save it as a counted string.

    MOVE>"  ( address length dest_address -- )


3.3.3  Comparing Strings

You can check if two strings are equal with  ="  which accepts the
addresses of two counted strings, and returns true or false if they are
equal or not.  This word is case insensitive, so


   Call" AbC" String1
   String1  " aBc"  ="

( Note that you cannot type in from the command line two quoted strings
in a row, because the second is parsed into the same location as the
first one, overwriting it.)

Often, however, you will have to compare one string, which is given as
an address and length, with another counted string.  Instead of using
MOVE>"  every time you wish to compare the string with another 
(counted) string, use the word  =STRING  as follows:

   address length  " Compare String"  =STRING  IF  ...  ELSE  ...  THEN

 


3.3.4  String TO Variables

String  TO  variables are also available.  They are used in the same way
as regular  TO  variables:

    STRING S1                         \ Create string S1

    " This is String 1" TO S1         \ Store string into S1

    " Initial String 2" TO STRING S2  \ Create string with initial value

    " Plus some extra" +TO S2         \ Adds "Plus some..." to end of S2

    S1 ".    S2 ".                    \ Type contents of strings S1 and S2





3.4  THREADS

Threads are separate processes which run concurrently with other 
programs.  They share memory space with the program that created them.  

OS/2 supports thread creation and management through the functions 
DosCreateThread, DosKillThread, DosResumeThread, DosSuspendThread, and
DosWaitThread.  

To load thread support into Forth/2, issue the command

    INCLUDE" THREADS.4TH"

in your  STARTUP.4TH  file, which should itself be INCLUDE"ed in 
FORTH.INI.


3.4.1  Creating Threads and USER Variables

In Forth/2 a thread can be created to perform some action in the 
background, and free up the main program for other uses.  For example, 
you may want to start a separate thread to load a large table of numbers 
into memory and perform computations.  Or, a thread can simply put 
itself to sleep and wake up at hourly intervals to perform some 
function.  

Most self-contained words in Forth/2 can be performed as a separate
thread.  When the thread starts, it is given its own stack, and its own 
copies of USER variables.  

USER variables are variables which multiple threads may use without
interfering with each other.  For example, if you define a variable X1,
but two different threads use this variable, then problems may arise.
One thread may store into the value, only to have the intended value
overwritten by another thread.

If X1 was created as a USER variable, however, then although the code for
each thread uses a USER variable called X1, they will be in entirely 
different locations and will not interfere with each other.  This allows
you to create what is commonly referred to as reentrant code.

A good example is variables which hold file handles, file pointers, etc.  
Without USER variables, if two threads tried to read or write files at
the same time, the handles and pointers would overwrite each other.  You 
would need two separate words which use different sets of variables in 
order to get just two threads to do the same function at the same time.  

With USER variables, when the thread is created it is given a copy of
the current USER variables.  After that, can freely modify them,
while using the exact same Forth words that other threads use.


In many cases, you may want to share a variable between threads.  For
example, you may want to create a "watchdog" thread which continually
examines a variable for a certain number.  This is a great help in
debugging programs.

    variable XV1
    : WatchDog  begin  XV1 @ 0< IF  CR ." XV1 < 0 !"  1 sleep  then
                       100 usleep
                0 until ;

To run this as a separate thread, simply type

    Thread WatchDog

and test it by storing different values into XV1.  The  1 sleep  is
there to prevent a huge number of warning messages, and the 100 usleep
is there to prevent the thread from slowing down the system too much.



3.4.2  Exiting and Terminating Threads

When Forth/2 is exited via BYE, all threads created by it will also be 
terminated.  (This may be controlled by an option in an upcoming version
of Forth/2).  If you wish to kill separate threads, use the ThreadID
variable to obtain the identification number of the most recently 
created thread, and type

    ThreadID @ KillThread

Look at the examples in the  THREADS.4TH  file for two other examples of
using threads.  If the word, such as Timer, finishes executing and
gets to the  ;  then the thread will terminate itself.  The thread may
also use  BYE  and  EXIT  to terminate before the  ;



3.4.3  Using ABORT in Threads

The word  ABORT  is vectored through  'ABORT.  In effect, ABORT is

    : ABORT  ( -- )  'ABORT @ EXECUTE ;

If your thread calls  ABORT  or  ABORT"  you may want to redirect ABORT to
terminate the thread.  If you do not, it will halt the main program from
doing whatever it is doing.  To redirect  ABORT  do the following:

    : ThreadAbort   ' BYE  CFA @  'ABORT ! ;

Then, simply call  ThreadAbort  in the beginning of the code for the
thread.  When  ABORT  is called from the thread, the thread will 
gracefully terminate.



3.4.4  The USER Variable Area

Currently, a number of system variables such as BASE, the dictionary 
pointer, STATE, et al., are not USER variables yet.  (It requires some 
slight changes in how things are coded:  see Part 5 for details).  

Consequently, threads cannot request input from the terminal (although 
they may send harmless output to the screen), nor can they compile new
definitions.  These limitations may change in a future release.  

If you wish to initialize a thread with a different default USER 
variable area other than the current thread's area, then store the 
address of the new default area into the variable  'USER.  The size of
the USER area is  UDP @  USER0 -  where  UDP  is the USER area free
memory pointer, and  USER0  is the current thread's USER variable base.




3.5  ARRAYS AND STRUCTURES

Arrays and structures are supported in the file  STRUCT.4TH which you
can load via  INCLUDE" STRUCT.4TH"

Structures hold groups of various information, such as a transaction 
which has an identification number, a time/date stamp, a text 
description, codes, and various other parameters.  A structure brings 
all of this information into one convenient element which can be easily 
manipulated.

<<See the file  STRUCT.4TH  for more information and examples.>>



3.6  VOCABULARIES

Vocabularies under Forth/2 work like most other Forths.  To create a 
vocabulary to hold a group of words, use

    VOCABULARY <vocabulary_name>

In order to tell Forth which vocabulary you wish to add new colon 
definitions, variables, constants, etc. to, use

    <vocabulary_name> DEFINITIONS

Two vocabularies are already defined,  FORTH  and  SYSTEM.  When you 
use the command WORDS to list the current Forth words, you will see the
Forth vocabulary and possibly other vocabularies as well.  To only show 
the FORTH vocabulary, simply type 

    Forth ONLY

Then,  WORDS  will show only the definitions in the Forth vocabulary.
To see the SYSTEM vocabulary, simply type 

    SYSTEM WORDS

and you will see the system vocabulary, followed by the Forth 
vocabulary.  Then, type FORTH words and you will instead see the Forth 
vocabulary first, followed by the system vocabulary.  

Forth/2 keeps track of a  CURRENT  vocabulary, where all new definitions
are added, as well as a list of  CONTEXT  vocabularies.  CONTEXT vocab-
ularies are where Forth searches to find a word, either to execute it or
to compile it.  What you see in the WORDS listing is the same order that 
Forth/2 will use to search for words when compiling.  

Whenever you invoke the name of a vocabulary, if it is already in 
CONTEXT  then it will simply be moved into the top of the search order.
If it is not already in  CONTEXT, then it will be added to the top of 
the search order.

To create two vocabularies, then define the search order for the words 
as Voc2 first, then Voc1, then Voc3, then System, then Forth, do the 
following:  

    VOCABULARY Voc1     : XV1  ... ;   : XV2   ... ;
    VOCABULARY Voc2     : XV3  ... ;   : XV4   ... ;
    VOCABULARY Voc3     : XV1  ... ;   : XV2   ... ;

    Forth ONLY
    Forth System Voc3 Voc1 Voc2 DEFINITIONS

New words will be added to Voc2.  In the example above, the same word
XV1 is defined in both vocabularies Voc1 and Voc3.  In this case, 
because of the search order defined, if  XV1  is invoked, then the XV1
from Voc1 will be executed, even though the  XV1  from Voc3 was defined
later.  

The  Forth ONLY  above clears out any other unwanted vocabularies.



3.7  LOCAL VARIABLES

Local variables enhance Forth by reducing the complexity of stack 
operations, and allow you to assign descriptive labels to the numbers 
passed to the word on the stack.

Local variables are supported in the file called  LOCALS.4TH.  Use 
INCLUDE" LOCALS.4TH" in STARTUP.4TH to load local variable support every
time Forth/2 is started.

If you pass three parameters to a word, perhaps ( addr len dest -- )
and want to copy addr,len to the dest address, you could label these 
parameters as:

    LOCALS| addr len dest |

After that, you are free to use the words  addr, len, and dest just as 
if they were regular Forth words.  When the word containing the LOCALS|
is executed, at the point  LOCALS|  appears the top three numbers on the
stack are saved into a special data area, and the numbers are dropped 
off the stack.  When  addr  gets executed, it fetches the value of the
thrid element in the locals data area, and pushes it onto the stack.

The general format of this is as follows:

: WordName  LOCALS|  local1  local2  local3  ...  local8 |
                     ...  local1  ...
                     ...  local2  ...  local3  ... etc.  ;

The entire  LOCALS| ... |  must be on the same line.

One simple example is below:

   : DIGITS    LOCALS|  digit1 digit2 digit3 |
                        digit1  100 *
                        digit2   10 *
                        digit3  + + ;

DIGITS  turns  1 2 3 DIGITS  into  123
 
 
In regular Forth you would need code like this to do the same thing:

: DIGITS       ROT  100 *   ROT  10 *  + + ;

It is much less clear what the second version of DIGITS does.

LOCAL's are somewhat slower than regular Forth words, although this may 
be changed if some words are turned into assembly words.  




4.  DESCRIPTION OF WORDS

This is an incomplete list of the words included in Forth/2.  Some are
included in the FORTH.EXE file, others are in the FORTH.INI file.


4.1  Parameters

The parameters each Forth word requires, and the parameters it returns
are specified by the following convention:  

    ( n1 n2 n3 ... -- r1 r2 r2 ... )

where n1, n2, n3, etc.  are the required parameters, and r1, r2, r3, 
etc.  are the results.  For example, the word DUP duplicates the top 
number on the stack, so it has the stack definition:  

DUP       ( n -- n n )  Duplicates the number on top of the stack

The word ?DUP duplicates the number on the stack if it is non-zero.  It
returns different numbers of parameters depending on the top of stack:

?DUP ( n -- n 1 -- 0 )  DUPlicates n if non-zero.

The word ' (tick) fetches the address of the following word, e.g.  ' DUP 
will return the starting address of the DUP definition header, the Link 
Field Address (LFA).  

'       ( word-- LFA )  gets the LFA address of the following word

So, when something is right up against the --'s, it expects a word or 
set of words from the input stream.  



4.2  Parameter Naming Conventions

Some naming conventions for the parameters are:

addr     a 32-bit address (or just 'a')
b        an 8-bit byte
char     an ASCII character
n        a 32-bit number
"        the address of a string
?        the number of parameters is unknown



4.3  List of Word Definitions (INCOMPLETE)

--Begin--
!        ( n addr -- )  Stores the number n into address addr
"       ( word" -- a )  Returns the addr of the counted string ending in "
"CAT   ( addr1 addr2 )  ConCATenates counted string at addr1 to end of addr2
"CONSTANT     ( " -- )  Creates a string constant  Does> ( -- a )
"MOVE  ( addr1 addr2 )  Copies counted string from addr1 to addr1
#OUT       ( -- addr )  Variable holding # of characters written to line
#TIB          ( -- n )  Address of the current offset in the TIB
'       ( word-- LFA )  Gets the LFA address of the following word
'ABORT     ( -- addr )  Pointer to code to execute when ABORT is called
'USER      ( -- addr )  Pointer to the default USER area for new threads
(               ( -- )  Skips interpreting words up to the next )
*   ( n1 n2 -- n1*n2 )  Multiplies numbers on top of the stack
*/      ( a b c -- d )  Calculates  d = a * b/c  i.e. mutliply by ratio
*/MOD ( a b c -- r d )  Calculates  d = a * b/c  r=remainder
+   ( n1 n2 -- n1+n2 )  Adds the two numbers on top of the stack
+!       ( n addr -- )  Adds n to contents of addr
+LOOP         ( n -- )  Adds n to loop counter and loops back
+TO             ( -- )  Sets flag for adding value into integer:  1 +TO X1
,             ( n -- )  Stores n at dictionary pointer, increments DP by 4
-   ( n1 n2 -- n1-n2 )  Subtracts numbers on top of the stack
-ROT ( a b c - c a b )  Rotates top of stack to the third position
-TRAILING ( a n1 -- a n2 )  Truncates extra spaces at end of string at a[ddr]
.             ( n -- )  Prints the value of the top number on the stack
."      ( <string>== )  Prints a string up to the first "
.(      ( <string>-- )  Prints a string up to the first )
.S              ( -- )  Prints the contents of the stack non-destructively
/   ( n1 n2 -- n1/n2 )  Divides numbers on top of the stack
/MOD ( n1 n2 - n3 n4 )  Divides n1/n2, n3=remainder, n4=quotient
0"      ( word" -- n )  Returns the addr of the 0-terminated string ending in "
0"COUNT ( a -- a len )  Returns address and length of the 0-terminated string
2CONSTANT ( n1 n2 name ) Creates a two-number constant: 100 0 2CONSTANT CNTDWN
2DROP     ( n1 n2 -- )  Drops two numbers from the stack
2DUP ( n1 n2 -- n1 n2 n1 n2 )  Duplicates the double number on the stack
:               ( -- )  Creates a new word to perform the words up to the ;
;               ( -- )  Marks the end of a definition
<       ( n1 n2 -- f )  True if n1 < n2
<<     ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Shifts n1 by n2 bits left,  e.g. 100 5 << = 100 2^5 *
="      ( a1 a2 -- f )  True if counted strings at a1 and a2 equal. See STRING"
=STRING ( a1 len a2 -- f ) True if string at a1,len equal to counted string a2
>       ( n1 n2 -- f )  True if n1 > n2
>>     ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Shifts n1 by n2 bits right, e.g. 100 3 >> = 100 2^3 /
>IN        ( -- addr )  Variable holding number of bytes left in input line
>R            ( n -- )  Pushes number onto return stack.  Use in pairs with R>
?COMPILE        ( -- )  Gives error if not called in compile mode
?CR           ( -- f )  Does a CR if #OUT is greater than 64
?DUP ( n -- n 1 -- 0 )  DUPlicates n if non-zero. Eliminates an ELSE DROP THEN
?STACK          ( -- )  Gives error if the stack is out of bounds
@        ( addr -- n )  Replaces address addr with it's contents
@+    ( a -- a+4 [a] )  Returns address a+4 and contents of a.  See COUNT
ABORT           ( -- )  Halts execution and returns to the Forth command line
ABORT"        ( f -- )  If true shows an error msg ending in " and calls ABORT
ABS       ( n -- |n| )  Calculates absolute value
ALLOT         ( n -- )  Allocates storage space after VARIABLE or CREATE
ALONG ( a b -- a+b a )  Use before DO when you have an address and length
AND    ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Returns the bit-wise AND of  n3 = n1 AND n2
ARGS"   ( arguments" )  Passes arguments to the SHELL" :  ARGS" FILE.TXT"
ASCII       ( char-- )  Returns ASCII value of character:  ASCII A
BASE       ( -- addr )  Variable holding base for number conversion
BL            ( -- c )  ASCII character for a blank space, 32
BYE             ( -- )  Terminates current process (BYE == Leave forth)
C!          ( b n -- )  Stores  byte at address n
C,            ( b -- )  Compiles a byte into the dictionary
C@          ( n -- b )  Fetches byte at address n
CALL" ( <string><word> )  Creates a string constant, CALL" Clinton" President
CMOVE ( a1 a2 len -- )  Moves len bytes from address a1 to address a2
CMOVE> ( a1 a2 len - )  Moves len bytes from a a1 to a2, high memory first
COMMANDLINE( -- addr )  Returns the linear address of the command line
CommandShell    ( -- )  Temporarily exits to the OS/2 command line
COMPILE         ( -- )  Postpones compilation of the following word
COMPILECALL ( adr -- )  Compiles a call to the address given
CONSTANT ( n word -- )  Creates the constant <word> which represents n
CONTEXT    ( -- addr )  Address of CONTEXT, list of vocabularies to search
COUNT ( a -- a+1 [a] )  Returns the address+1 and the byte at addr
CR              ( -- )  Outputs a carriage return and line feed.
CREATE      ( word-- )  Creates a word which returns its address when called
CURRENT    ( -- addr )  Pointer to vocabulary where new words are added
D>F         ( n -- R )  Converts the top stack entry to a Real
DECIMAL         ( -- )  Start entering and printing all decimal numbers
DEFINITIONS     ( -- )  Sets the vocabulary where new words are created
DEPTH         ( -- n )  Number of elements on stack
DO        ( n2 n1 -- )  Repeats from n1 up to n2.  Use with LOOP
DOES>           ( -- )  Used after CREATE to define run-time action of word
DP!           ( n -- )  Sets the dictionary pointer to a new value: DP !
DPL        ( -- addr )  Variable holding decimal point location from NUMBER?
DROP          ( n -- )  Drops the top number from the stack
DROPS         ( n -- )  Drops n words from the stack
DUMP   ( addr len -- )  Shows contents of a range of memory
DumpRegisters   ( -- )  Shows the current contents of the CPU registers
DUP       ( n -- n n )  Duplicates the number on top of the stack
ECHO       ( -- addr )  Use ECHO ON or ECHO OFF to echo the file being loading
ELSE            ( -- )  Executes following words when IF condition false
EMIT       ( char -- )  Outputs an ASCII character
ENVIRONMENT( -- addr )  Returns the linear address of the Environment Space
EOF?          ( -- f )  True if at the end of file read with FRead
EXECUTE    ( addr -- )  Executes the code at address, ' .S CFA @ EXECUTE
EXITCODE   ( -- addr )  Variable holding exit code returned to OS/2 after BYE
F!       ( R addr -- )  Stores a Real at memory address
F*  ( R1 R2 -- R1*R2 )  Multiplies the two numbers on the floating point stack
F+  ( R1 R2 -- R1+R2 )  Adds the two numbers on the floating point stack
F-  ( R1 R2 -- R1-R2 )  Subtracts R2 from R1
F.            ( R -- )  Prints and consumes, the top floating point number
F/  ( R1 R2 -- R1/R2 )  Divides R1 by R2
F0<         ( R -- f )  True if R < 0.0
F0=         ( R -- f )  True if R = 0.0
F<      ( R1 R2 -- f )  True if R2 < R1
F>D         ( R -- n )  Converts the top Real to a Number
F@       ( addr -- R )  Reads a Real from an address
FABS        ( R -- R )  Returns the ABSOLUTE value of the stack top
FALIGN          ( -- )  Assures that the next allot will be float aligned
FALIGNED (addr -- f-addr) f-addr is the first f-alligned address >= addr
FALSE         ( -- 0 )  Returns the constant FALSE = 0
FBUFFER    ( -- addr )  Address of a 16K buffer for loading files
FCLEAR          ( -- )  Initializes the Floating Point Stack
FCONSTANT   ( R word )  Creates the constant <word> which represents R
FCOS    ( R -- Cos<r>)  Returns the Consine of angle R in radians
FDEPTH        ( -- n )  Returns the depth of the floating point stack
FDROP         ( R -- )  Drops the top floating point entry
FDUP       ( R - R R )  Duplicates the top floating point entry
FENCE      ( -- addr )  Sets lowest point to which you can FORGET words
FILL   ( addr n b -- )  Fills n bytes at addr with byte b
FLOOR       ( R -- R )  Truncates R towards -infinity
FOR       ( n2 n1 -- )  Repeats from n1 to n2 if n2>n1.  Use with NEXT
FORGET      ( word-- )  Forgets all words up to and including the word
FORTH           ( -- )  Sets FORTH as the current vocabulary
FROUND      ( R -- R )  Rounds to nearest integer
FSEEK   ( h ptr -- f )  Sets file handle h's position to ptr, f=0 successful
FSIN    ( R -- Sin<r>)  Returns the Sine of angle R in radians
FSINCOS ( R -- Sin<r> Cos<r>) Returns sine and consine of angle R in radians
FSQRT ( R -- Sqrt<r> )  Returns the square root of R
FSWAP (R1 R2 -- R2 R1)  Swaps the two reals on the stack
FVARIABLE ( <name>-- )  Creates a REAL variable called <name>
HELP            ( -- )  Displays some usefull help information
HERE          ( -- n )  Returns dictionary pointer
HEX             ( -- )  Start entering and printing all hexadecimal numbers
I             ( -- n )  Current LOOP value of innermost LOOP
IF            ( f -- )  Executes the following words if flag f is non-zero
IMMEDIATE       ( -- )  Marks last word defined as IMMEDIATE.
INCLUDE       ( " -- )  Loads and compiles the file name given at the address
INCLUDE"   ( file"-- )  Loads and compiles the file name ending with a "
INTEGER    ( word -- )  Creates an integer which returns it's value. See TO +TO
J             ( -- n )  Current LOOP value of second nested LOOP
K             ( -- n )  Current LOOP value of third  nested LOOP
KEY           ( -- b )  Waits for a key to be received, returns ASCII value
KEYNOWAIT     ( -- n )  Returns the raw keyboard scan code: 27=no key
LAST       ( -- addr )  Address containing pointer to last word defined
LEAVE           ( -- )  Causes DO...LOOP to terminate at next LOOP
LITERAL         ( -- )  Compiles a literal number into word: [ 100 ] LITERAL
LOCALS|       ( ? -- )  Defines local variables:  LOCALS| a b c |  ...
LOOP            ( -- )  Branches back to  DO
MAX    ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Returns the greater of n1 and n2
MIN    ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Returns the lesser  of n1 and n2
MOD    ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Returns n1 modulo n2 (i.e. the remainder)
MORE" ( <filename>-- )  Types the contents of a text file: MORE" THREADS.4TH"
MOVE>" ( a len a2 -- )  Moves string at address a,len to counted string at a2
MS            ( n -- )  Suspends the current thread for at least n milliseconds
NDROP         ( n -- )  Drops n elements off the stack
NEGATE     ( n -- -n )  Multiplies n by -1
NEXT            ( -- )  Loops back to FOR
NIP    ( n1 n2 -- n2 )  Removes the second number from the stack
NUMBER? ( " -- n 1 -- 0 ) Converts string to number: true if success else false
OFF        ( addr -- )  Stores a FALSE at the address
ON         ( addr -- )  Stores a TRUE  at the address
ONLY            ( -- )  Makes the most recently cited vocabulary the only one
OPEN       ( 0" -- h )  Opens the 0-terminated file name and returns handle,    aborts if file not found
OPENNEW    ( 0" -- h )  Opens the 0-terminated file name, returns handle,       creating file if non-existant
OR     ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Returns the bit-wise OR of  n3 = n1 OR n2
OUT        ( -- addr )  Address of variable holding output cursor position
OVER  ( a b -- a b a )  Copies the second number to the top of the stack
PAD        ( -- addr )  Address of scratch-pad memory
PI            ( -- R )  Returns the constant PI 3.1415926....
PICK      ( ? i -- ? )  Copies the i'th element on the stack to the top
POSTPONE        ( -- )  Compiles the next words run time action, even if immediate
QUIT            ( -- )  Quits execution and returns to Forth command line
R>            ( -- n )  Pops number from return stack.  Used with >R
R@            ( -- n )  Copy number from top of return stack
READLN  ( h -- a len )  Reads next line of input from file h, then try TYPE
RECURSE         ( -- )  Compiles a recursive call to the definition itself
ROLL      ( ? i -- ? )  Rolls the i'th element on the stack to the top
ROT ( a b c -- b c a )  Rotates third element to top of stack
SHELL"  ( string" -- )  Runs the given program:  SHELL" EDITOR.EXE" See ARGS"
SP!        ( addr -- )  Sets stack pointer to address.  SP0 SP! to clear stack
SP0        ( -- addr )  Base address of the stack
SP@        ( -- addr )  Stack pointer address
SPACE           ( -- )  Outputs a space
SPAN          ( -- n )  Address of the current offset in the TIB (same as #TIB)
STATE      ( -- addr )  Address of variable holding compilation state
STRING    ( <name>-- )  Creates a TO variable string: STRING S1  " YES" TO S1
SWAP    ( a b -- b a )  Swaps the two numbers on the stack
SYSCALL ( ? sys$ -- ? )  Calls a system routine starting with SYS$
THEN            ( -- )  Marks the end of an IF .. THEN  or IF .. ELSE .. THEN
THREAD   ( <word> -- )  Starts a thread to execute <word>: THREAD Bunny
TIB           ( -- n )  A variable holding a pointer to the Terminal Input Buf.
TO              ( -- )  Sets flag for storing value into integer, e.g. 1 TO X1
TOGGLE   ( n addr -- )  Toggles bits n at word address addr
TONE   ( freq dur -- )  Emits a tone for a given frequency(Hz) and duration(ms)
TRUE         ( -- -1 )  Returns the constant TRUE = -1
TUCK ( n1 n2 -- n2 n1 n2 )  Makes a copy of n2 under n1
TYPE     ( addr n -- )  Types out the n characters at address addr
U*     ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Unsigned multiply  n3 = n1 * n2
U*/MOD ( a b c - r d )  Unsigned  d = a * b/c  r=remainder
U.            ( n -- )  Prints the unsigned value of the number
U/     ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Unsigned divide,   n3 = n1 / n2
UALLOT        ( n -- )  Allot n words of USER variable space
UDP        ( -- addr )  Address of USER variable pointer
USER      ( <name>-- )  Creates a USER variable called <name>
USER0      ( -- addr )  Address of beginning of USER varaible area
VARIABLE  ( <name>-- )  Creates a variable called <name>
VIEW      ( <name>-- )  Views the description for a word.  VIEW VIEW
VOCABULARY ( <name>- )  Creates a new vocabulary: VOCABULARY VOC1
W             ( -- 4 )  Word size for addresses, variables, etc.  Also CELL
W!     ( addr 16b -- )  Stores  the 16-bit word at addr.  DO NOT CONFUSE WITH W
W*        ( n -- n*4 )  Multiplies by the word size 4.            Also CELLS
W+        ( n -- n+4 )  Adds the word size 4.                     Also CELL+
W-        ( n -- n-4 )  Subtracts the word size 4.                Also CELL-
W@     ( addr -- 16b )  Fetches the 16-bit word at addr.  DO NOT CONFUSE WITH W
WORD ( char string-- a )  Parse string delimited by char, return counted string
WORDS           ( -- )  Shows the forth words in CONTEXT
XOR    ( n1 n2 -- n3 )  Returns the bit-wise exclusive-OR of  n3 = n1 XOR n2
XY          ( x y -- )  Move cursor to screen location (x,y)=(col,row)
[               ( -- )  Stops   compilation in : definitions
[COMPILE]       ( -- )  Compiles the following immediate word into definition
\               ( -- )  Signals that the rest of the line is a comment
]               ( -- )  Resumes compilation in : definitions
--End--
STRINGS  String words:  WORD  "   ="  "CAT  "MOVE   MOVE>"  =STRING  STRING



5.  TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

5.1  Internals

Forth/2 is a direct, subroutine threaded Forth.  Colon definitions are 
made up of a series of 32-bit relative calls to other words.  The opcode 
for these calls is E8h, followed by a four-byte offset to the code.  

The return stack pointer (RP) is the ESP register.
The   user stack pointer (SP) is the EBX register and grows downward.
The   user area  pointer (UP) is the EBP register.
There is no need for an instruction pointer (IP).

So, a DUP instruction would be coded this way in MASM:
             mov       eax,[ebx]
             sub       ebx,4
             mov       [ebx],eax
             ret

DO...LOOP's are created as in-line code, thereby maximizing performance.
Literal numbers are also coded in-line.  They would take up 9 bytes to
code using the more traditional call to LIT, followed by the literal.
However, in only ten bytes it can be done much more quickly using
in-line code.

Currently, Forth/2 is case insensitive.  All defined words are converted 
to upper-case before being entered into the dictionary.  Forth words can 
be entered in any mix of upper and lower case, they are all the same.  

All math words like * / + - etc.  are fully 32-bit.  In addtion, the 
words */ and */MOD use 32-bit arguments but do generate 64-bit 
intermediate results.  No 64-bit double-number words such as D+, M*, or 
UM/MOD have been defined.  



5.2  OS/2 Interface

OS/2 32-bit system calls are implemented by saving most registers, 
saving the ESP in EBP, setting ESP to EBX, calling the system routine,
then restoring ESP and the other registers.  Basically, this switches 
the stacks so that the parameters passed to OS/2 calls do not need to be
shuffled around.  The function which makes the system call must drop all 
the parameters it put on, as OS/2 does not do this (just as in C).  

To call OS/2 system functions, you must use the word SYSCALL which 
requires the address of the system call on the top of the stack.  Words
such as SYS$BEEP, SYS$READ, SYS$WRITE, SYS$OPEN et.  al.  return the 
addresses corresponding to the OS/2 functions DosBeep, DosRead, 
DosWrite, DosOpen, etc.  All use 32-bit arguments.  

The function calls are kept in a separate vocabulary called SYSTEM.  
Before you use any of these system calls, make sure SYSTEM gets executed 
to put the vocabulary into CONTEXT so that these calls will be visible.  

To translate OS/2 documentation, usually given with C calling 
conventions, into equivalent Forth/2 code, remember that in C the 
parameters are pushed onto the stack from right to left.  For the 
function DosBeep, the OS/2 Technical Library lists the function this 
way:

    APIRET DosBeep (ULONG ulFrequency, ULONG ulDuration)

To call this from Forth, do the following:

    Duration @  Frequency @  SYS$BEEP  SYSCALL  3 DROPS

You must drop all parameters after each SYSCALL.


To pass pointers to OS/2 functions, simply use the names of the 
variables, which place their address on the stack.  DosGetDateTime is 
listed as:  

    APIRET DosGetDateTime (PDATETIME ppPDateTime)

so call it as follows:

    VARIABLE DateTime   7 ALLOT  ( DateTime structure is 11 bytes long )

    DateTime SYS$GetDateTime SYSCALL  2DROP

The ASCII characters representing the date and time will be stored in 
the memory structure at DateTime.



5.3  USER Variables and Multi-Tasking



5.4  TO Variables (VALUE's)

TO variables use a system variable called  %TO  to determine if they should
return their value, or store or add into the variable.  If %TO is zero, the
variables return their value.  If %TO is >0, the number on top of the stack
is stored into the variable.   If %TO is <0, the number on top of the stack
is added to the variable.  The following words, defined in assembly for
speed but reproduced here, show how this works.

    VARIABLE %TO
    : TO    1 %TO ! ;
    : +TO  -1 %TO ! ;
    : <TODOES> ( addr -- ? )  %TO @ 0 = IF  @  ELSE
                              %TO @ 0 > IF  !  ELSE  +!  THEN THEN
                              0 %TO ! ;

    : INTEGER ( -- )  CREATE  0 ,   DOES>  <TODOES> ;

This can be augmented to accept initial values when the INTEGER is created.

    : INTEGER ( -- )  CREATE  HERE  0 ,
                              %TO @ IF  <TODOES>  ELSE  DROP  THEN
                      DOES>   <TODOES> ;

To store an initial value into the first version of INTEGER, you must do:

    INTEGER X  100 TO X

whereas with the second version you can combine these as:

    100 TO INTEGER X



5.5  VOCABULARIES

Vocabulary structures are made up of three words:

    1   0          Unused
    2   VocPtr     Pointer to the last Forth word created in this vocabulary
    3   Voc-Link   Link to most recently created vocabulary

The word  VOC-LINK  is the head of a linked-list of vocabularies in the
order in which they were created.  VOC-LINK is needed in order to
FORGET words across multiple vocabularies.

When created, each vocabulary VocPtr is set to zero.  That way, all
vocabularies chain back to 0, not any other vocabularies.  To search
multiple vocabularies, each vocabulary name must be executed to
have it insert itself into the list of vocabularies in CONTEXT.



5.6  Specifications and Limits

The following limits are present in the current Forth/2 system.  Since this
is a 32-bit Forth using a flat, non-segmented address space, most of these
limits are arbitrary and are simply controlled by constants in the compiler.

Word size:                                          4 Bytes  (32 bits)
Word name length maximum size:                     31 Bytes
Base code (.EXE) size:                           35 K Bytes  (So far)
FORTH.INI code size:                             14 K Bytes  (So far)

Dictionary size limit (incl. FORTH.INI):         64 K Bytes
User stack size limit:                            4 K Bytes  (1024 elements)
User stack underflow size limit:                  4 K Bytes  (1024 elements)
Return stack size limit:                          8 K Bytes* (2048 elements)
Return stack underflow size limit:                0 K Bytes
USER variable area size limit:                    4 K Bytes
File Buffer Size limit:                          16 K Bytes  (for FORTH.INI)
Terminal Input Buffer (TIB) Size limit:           256 Bytes

Terminal I/O:                                    ANSI compatibility
Alphabetic case sensitivity:                     Case insensitive (Dup==DUP)


* Note:  The return stack is handled by OS/2 using a guard-page technique.
         If the stack grows past 4K, a new 4K Byte page is allocated.
         Forth/2 will allow up to 1 one more page to be allocated.




6.  COMPATIBILITY

There are some differences in the way this Forth works compared to most
other Forths.  Some of these may be changed in a future version.


6.1  Compatibility with Forth-83

Since this Forth is still in development, not all words are supported
yet.  The following words from the Forth-83 Standard have not been
created yet in Forth/2:

  >BODY  CONVERT
  D+  D<  DNEGATE  UM*  UM/MOD

In the file BLOCKS.4TH which accompanies Forth/2 are some preliminary
words which can read and load block files.  However, multiple buffers
and the ability to save those blocks back to disk has not been imp-
lemented.  It is recommended that you use the conversion utility to
convert your block files into sequential files.

The following words are therefore only partially supported:

  BLK  BLOCK  BUFFER  FLUSH  LOAD  SAVE-BUFFERS  UPDATE




6.2  Compatibility issues with specific words and functions


File Loading

Currently, files are loaded into a 16K buffer and compiled in one
pass.  This will be changed in future releases to support line-by-line
compilation.  So, the file size limit for FORTH.INI is currently 16K.

Block files are not directly supported.  A preliminary block file handler
has been implemented using the OS/2 functions SYS$READ, SYS$SEEK, and
SYS$WRITE in the file BLOCKS.4TH.



WORD and Strings

All string lengths are fully 32-bits long (no 255-character limits on
strings.)  This will certainly cause problems if you are using
COUNT.  If so, replace it with @+ which does the same thing except for
using a 32-bit count.  Remember, though, that doing a C@ on the string
will return the correct length if it is less than 256 characters long
because the 80386 stores the least significant byte in lower memory.
And, using it the normal way will usually do no harm.  You will simply
be typing out extra zeros in the front and chopping off the last three
characters.

Feel free to redefine COUNT if necessary, but people often use COUNT
for purposes other than with strings, so it was left alone.

Or, redefine WORD like this:

    : WORD ( char string"-- addr ) WORD  DUP C@  OVER 3 + C!  3 + ;

which stores an extra copy of the count immediately before the first
character, and returns that address instead.  Be careful, however, to
redefine some of the system functions such as ". because these fetch
the full 32-bit length.

WORD will not work accross lines while loading a file.



" (Quotes)

" string" returns the address of 32-bit count of a counted string.



Dictionary Headers and ' (tick)

The dictionary structure reflects the fully 32-bit theme of this
Forth.  All fields, including the length of the word, are 32 bits long.
A separate 32-bit flag field replaces the use of bits 6 and 7
of the length byte of typical Forths.  The word IMMEDIATE works in
the usual way, however.  It sets bit 1 (of 0-31) of the flag field.

The name field is always set to 32 bytes.  With 4GB of virtual memory to
play with, code size was not a major concern.

The order of the dictionary fields is non-standard.  The dictionary
header is structured like this:

Field    Length
Name    in bytes   Contents
-----   --------   --------------------------------------------------------
LFA         4      Link Field Address, link to previous definition
FFA         4      Flag Field Address, flags immediate definitions
CFA         4      Code Field Address, pointer to executable code
NFA         4      Name Field Address, length of the word followed by
SFA        32      String Field Address, address of first character
PFA         ?      Parameter Field Address, start of code and/or parameters

The string field is initialized to zeros.

' (tick) returns the address of the link field address of the word, the
start of the definition.  To get to the other fields, use the following
words:

  ' <word>  ==>  LFA of word, then use:

DECIMAL
  : FFA  04 + ;  ( converts  LFA  to  FFA  or  Flag Field Address )
  : CFA  08 + ;  ( converts  LFA  to  CFA  or  Code Field Address )
  : NFA  12 + ;  ( converts  LFA  to  NFA  or  Name Field Address )
  : SFA  16 + ;  ( converts  LFA  to  SFA  or  String Field Address )
  : PFA  32 + ;  ( converts  LFA  to  PFA  or  Parameter Field Address )

  : LFA  32 - ;  ( converts  PFA  to  LFA )

If you ' a constant or a word created with DOES> you will have to add 5
to the address to get the real parameters.  The 5 skips the jump opcode
and the four byte offset.



TIB

The word TIB returns the address of a variable which holds the location
of the terminal input buffer.  To make it compatible, redefine
   :  TIB TIB @ ;
(It seems to be more flexible as a pointer anyway.)



Dictionary Pointer

Currently the dictionary pointer cannot be externally accessed with a
variable address.  Instead, use HERE to get the current dictionary
pointer and use DP!  to store into the dictionary pointer (instead of
DP !).



CASE

An implementation of Chuck Eaker's CASE words is included in the
FORTH.INI file.  There is one major difference.  You must do a DROP or
equivalent before the ENDOF statement at the end.  This was done because
you should not have to DUP the value which fell through in order to
handle it (as in 0 DAY in section 3.1).  It does not make sense that
ENDCASE requires a parameter.  It DOES make sense that you should always
deal with an exception, either by ignoring it with DROP or by using some
type of error handling.




7.  WHERE TO SEND COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

Mike Warot (ka9dgx) created Forth/2 and welcomes any comments,
or suggestions about improving this product.  You may contact him
via email over the Internet at:

     ka9dgx@chinet.com             OR  ka9dgx@aol.com

or via USMail at:

     Mike Warot
     PO BOX 4043
     Hammond, Indiana 46324

Also contact Mike about licensing this product and obtaining the source
code for Forth/2.


Brian Mathewson has helped Mike develop this Forth and the documentation.
Please send any special requests, ideas, or suggestions to:

     bbm@r2d2.eeap.cwru.edu

or via USMail at:

     Brian Mathewson
     21576 Kenwood Avenue
     Rocky River, OH  44116-1232

<<< End of Forth/2 Documentation  23 March 1993 >>>