The Microcontroller Idea Book - Jan Axelson's Lakeview Research

Programming
5
Programming
When you have your 8052-BASIC system up and running, you’re ready to start writing and
running your own programs. This chapter is an introduction to the BASIC-52 programming
language. It includes a summary of BASIC-52’s abilities, some examples that illustrate what
you can do with it, plus tips for writing and debugging programs.
For a complete reference to BASIC-52, see the BASIC-52 programming manual (either
version), which includes many more examples and details about the language and how it
works. You can learn a lot about BASIC-52 by browsing through the programming manual
and experimenting on your own.
Programming Basics
Like other BASIC programs, BASIC-52 programs are built around a set of keywords, or
reserved words. Each keyword has a specific meaning to the BASIC-52 interpreter. or
example, the program line PRINT XTAL tells BASIC-52 to find the stored value of the
XTAL operator and send it to the console input device (the serial port of the host computer),
which will then display the value it receives.
If you’re familiar with BASIC programming, most of BASIC-52’s keywords and conventions
will be familiar. If you have little programming experience, or if your experience is
with assembly language, C, Pascal, or another language, you’ll have more to learn. But on
the whole, BASIC-52 makes it easy to quickly write and test your programs.
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