Jeff's VIC 20 Book

[Jeff-20]

The VIC 20 QUICK REFERENCE HANDBOOK is available in digital or print format worldwide:

DIGITAL: interactive PDF (free) link

AMAZON: traditional paperback (very affordable) link

LULU: spiral bound, lay-flat handbook (better) link

LIMITED RUN: best-quality made upon request (just message me)


It looks like this:

I've been making a lot of little programs lately (ask me why).

Jeff, why have you been making a lot of little programs lately?

Thank you for asking! I'm making my own book. A simple reference guide like dozens of others that already exist.

EDIT:
I will keep the most current draft posted here.

Please leave any comments, corrections, or suggestions in this thread. Thanks!

[chysn]

I can really identify with points 1 through 4. I tend to have several books on my desk at once. The Programmer's Reference Guide's 6502 tables are in my favorite format, but that book has like 100 pages too many for the comb binding they inelegantly tried to cram it into, and it always feels like it's going to split open and go flying everywhere. But the thing I love about it is that you open it to the middle, and there's the instruction table in a readable (see point #3) format.

Meanwhile, I keep the original user guide around to have quick access to the color table (see point #1) and character tables, as well as a copy of Mapping the VIC.

I also have a nice collection of old 6502 books (all the Zaks and all the Leventhals, etc.), which have their own strengths. But I have to handle the Zakses and the Leventhals gingerly as their bindings have become brittle (see point #2).

So, I'm looking forward to seeing what you've come up with! I'll come back and say more after spending some time with your PDF.

I would recommend lulu.com for printing and selling your book, if you're still looking for a print-on-demand service. They produce nice quality prints, and have a good selection of bindings. Don't try to save money on the lighter paper, the heavier paper is way easier to thumb through for reference books. You might want to order proofs with different bindings, but the spiral seems ideal for this kind of thing.

[DarwinNE]

I had a quick look at the pdf and it seems a very useful document! I love it!

If I may give a small advice to marginally improve an already great document, it would be maybe useful in my opinion to have addresses and relevant data reported both in decimal and hex.

[Schlowski]

This is looking really great!
I'm with chysn on this one

it would be maybe useful in my opinion to have addresses and relevant data reported both in decimal and hex.

[chysn]

This is looking really great!
I'm with chysn on this one

it would be maybe useful in my opinion to have addresses and relevant data reported both in decimal and hex.

That wasn't me, but I was about to say something similar. However, the way things are arranged, it might be difficult to do that.

What I was thinking was that you could have a decimal version of the book, and a hex version of the book.

Also, don't forget the color code chart!

[Jeff-20]

What I was thinking was that you could have a decimal version of the book, and a hex version of the book.

Also, don't forget the color code chart!

What color codes did I leave out? I thought I had them all.

I thought about hex, but as a BASIC programmer, all I needed was a hex to dec conversion chart. I figured machine language coders might need much more than what’s here. It would clutter things to add hex to character codes, for example. Did the hex/MSB chart help?

[chysn]

What color codes did I leave out? I thought I had them all.

Yeah, I missed the chart on page 11 initially.

I thought about hex, but as a BASIC programmer, all I needed was a hex to dec conversion chart. I figured machine language coders might need much more than what’s here. It would clutter things to add hex to character codes, for example. Did the hex/MSB chart help?

I think it's okay to lean into a resource for BASIC developers and not worry so much about hex.

[Vic20-Ian]

Jeff this is great, a really useful quick reference source. Thank you.

I really like your 3 line User Defined Character program.

Please could you add some more about User Defined Graphics?

e.g. Where to store the data in different ram configurations and how to protect them.

Thanks again.

[Jeff-20]

I really like your 3 line User Defined Character program.

Please could you add some more about User Defined Graphics?

e.g. Where to store the data in different ram configurations and how to protect them.

Thanks! Great idea. A lot of this was sourced or inspired by info from our wiki and forum. I hadn't even thought of all the different places in memory user defined characters could go... I'll add it.

[Vic20-Ian]

Great, I think that would make another nice short program example.

[Noizer]

Yes! Jeff! Very good collection you did. But I think you have to update some things to the current state of knowledge, especially for the things that we have clarified here on Denial, not always in agreement with one another.

• opcode list should cover the undocumented ones too

• Hexadecimal indication is mandatory! I say for myself that my thinking when programming is principally hexadecimal and I can't tell you which decimal address I'm reading or writing at the moment

• The save@ function is dangerous!

As I said, you can find all the information about my advice in the forum topics. Unfortunately I didn't have time to look for these things for you, but you surely will find

[Jeff-20]

Yes! Jeff! Very good collection you did. But I think you have to update some things to the current state of knowledge, especially for the things that we have clarified here on Denial, not always in agreement with one another.

• opcode list should cover the undocumented ones too

• Hexadecimal indication is mandatory! I say for myself that my thinking when programming is principally hexadecimal and I can't tell you which decimal address I'm reading or writing at the moment

• The save@ function is dangerous!

As I said, you can find all the information about my advice in the forum topics. Unfortunately I didn't have time to look for these things for you, but you surely will find

Thank you for the praise and feedback!

1. What opcodes did you notice were missing?
2. Are you requesting HEX as a machine language programmer? I'm making the book for myself. It will not be a VIC 20 bible in 64 pages. As a BASIC programmer, I thought the hexidecimal/MSB conversion chart and hex on the "memory index" would be enough. Would you want hex for things like PETSCII codes, for example? I'm worried I will clutter the page and compromise the large print I was going for,
3. Good catch! I'll remove it.

[DarwinNE]

I thought about hex, but as a BASIC programmer, all I needed was a hex to dec conversion chart. I figured machine language coders might need much more than what’s here.

I'd personally use quite often hex codes for memory locations, screen address and things like those (list of VIC registers...). It would be much less useful for data such as character codes for which the conversion table would be probably enough.

[joshuadenmark]

Great idea with a book Jeff, perhaps you can add a floppy disk with the sample codes?

[Kweepa]

This is awesome. Reminds me of Duckworth's "A Pocket Handbook for the VIC" (but much more nicely formatted).