(replaces) the RETURN character that is normally PRINTed at the end of the line.

The comma (,) separates items into columns. The Commodore 64 has 4 columns of 10 characters each on the screen. When the computer PRINTs a comma, it moves the cursor right to the start of the next column. If it is past the last column of the line, it moves the cursor down to the next line. Like the semicolon, if it is the last item on a line the RETURN is suppressed.

The quote marks (" ") separate literal text from variables. The first quote mark on the line starts the literal area, and the next quote mark ends it. By the way, you don't have to have a final quote mark at the end of the line.

The RETURN code (CHR$ code of 13) makes the cursor go to the next logical line on the screen. This is not always the very next line. When you type past the end of a line, that line is linked to the next line. The computer knows that both lines are really one long line. The links are held in the line link table(see the memory map for how this is set up).

A logical line can be 1 or 2 screen lines long, depending on what was typed or PRINTed. The logical line the cursor is on determines where the RETURN key sends it. The logical line at the top of the screen determines if the screen scrolls 1 or 2 lines at a time.

There are other ways to use the TV as an output device. The chapter on graphics describes the commands to create objects that move across the screen. The VIC chip section tells how the screen and border color and sizes are changed. And the sound chapter tells how the TV speaker creates music and special effects.

OUTPUT TO OTHER DEVICES

It is often necessary to send output to devices other than the screen, like a cassette deck, printer, disk drive, or modem. The OPEN statement in BASIC creates a "channel" to talk one of these devices. Once the channel is OPEN, the PRINT# statement will send characters to that device.

EXAMPLE of OPEN and PRINT# Statements:

100 OPEN 4, 4: PRINT# 4,"WRITING ON PRINTER"
110 OPEN 3, 8, 3, "0:DISK-FILE,S,W": PRINT# 3, "SEND TO DISK"
120 OPEN 1, 1, 1, "TAPE-FILE": PRINT# 1, "WRITE ON TAPE"
130 OPEN 2, 2, 0, CHR$(10): PRINT# 2, "SEND TO MODEM"