Radio Shack TRS-80 Trsdos & Disk Basic Reference Manual page 118

DISK BASIC
Using compressed-format takes
up
less
disk space
and
is
faster
during
both
SAVEs
and
LOADs.
This
is
the
way BASIC
programs
are
stored
in
RAM.
Using
the
ASCII
option
makes
it
possible to
do
certain things that
cannot be
done
with compressed-format
BASIC
files.
Examples:
• The
MERGE
command
requires that the disk
file
be
in
ASCII
form.
You
can use the
TRSDOS
commands LIST
and
PRINT
with
ASCII-format
files.
• Programs which
read
in
other
programs
as
data
will typically
require that the data
programs be
stored
in
ASCII.
Useful conventions
for placing
extensions
on
BASIC
programs:
For compressed-format programs, use the extension /BAS.
For ASCII
format programs, use the extension
/TXT.
Examples
of
SAVE
command:
SflVE"FILEl/BflS. J0HN0.D0E:3"
saves
the
resident
BASIC
program
in
compressed-format with
the
file
name
FILE1,
extension
/BAS, password
JOHNQDOE;
the
file is
placed
on
drive
:3.
SRVE"MflTHPflKyTXT
M
,
Fi
saves the resident
program
in
ASCII
form, using the
name
MATHPAK/TXT,
on
the
first
non
write-protected
drive.
Upon
completion of
a
SAVE, BASIC
returns
in
the
command
mode.
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