This utility is used to compress screens so as to make the codes much shorter and allowing you to store more screens into memory.
An example of a compacted screen: the cover screen of this magazine. It started at 6144 (screen without colors) and was compressed to 3691 bytes! It was reduced by 40%!
The reduction can vary from over 80% to less than 10%, it all depends on the screen complexity.
When the program has loaded, it will ask for the screen filename. When the screen is loaded, the computer will ask you the length of the screen. Pressing enter will default 6912 (whole screen + colors).
Entering 2048 will compress only the first third of the screen (first 8 lines and no colors).
Entering 4096 will compress the first two thirds of the screen (first 16 lines and no colors).
Entering 6144 will compress the whole screen without the colors.
Certain screens may not be compactable because of their complexity, however it does not happen very often (it never happened to us anyway).
After the screen is compressed, the computer will show you the new length. Then the computer will save the compressed screen to tape.
What is actually saved is a short routine to decode the compressed screen and the compressed screen itself.
To use, load the codes at any reasonable base address then RANDOMIZE USR base address to decompress and print on screen.
Loading name COMPACTOR
Program type Programming Utility
Written by Eric Boisvert