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APX_Extended_WSFN.atr 92.2 kB 1 14-Aug-2017 03:53 Roland B. Wassenberg APX_Extended_WSFN.atr
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Atari_WSFN-An_Introduction.pdf 2,325.0 kB 1 14-Aug-2017 04:14 Roland B. Wassenberg Atari_WSFN-An_Introduction.pdf
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Atari_WSFN-Manual_draft.pdf 2,451.4 kB 1 14-Aug-2017 04:14 Roland B. Wassenberg Atari_WSFN-Manual_draft.pdf
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Extended_WSFN_ad.jpg 156.8 kB 1 14-Aug-2017 04:29 Roland B. Wassenberg Extended_WSFN_ad.jpg
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WSFN.car 8.2 kB 1 15-Aug-2017 12:59 Roland B. Wassenberg WSFN.car
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WSFN.rom 8.2 kB 2 15-Aug-2017 13:00 Roland B. Wassenberg WSFN.rom
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wsfn.txt 111.5 kB 1 14-Aug-2017 04:00 Roland B. Wassenberg wsfn.txt

This page (revision-32) was last changed on 03-Feb-2023 16:21 by Maury Markowitz  

This page was created on 07-Aug-2017 03:38 by Roland B. Wassenberg

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At line 1 changed one line
!!!WSFN (Which Stands for Nothing)
!!!WSFN
At line 5 changed one line
WSFN (Which Stands for Nothing) is a "tiny" programming language created by Li-Chen Wang (author of [Tiny BASIC|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_BASIC]) as a way to send commands to a small robot. It was originally published in Dr. Dobb's Journal in September 1977, with the robot represented on-screen using what would today be known as turtle graphics.
WSFN (short for "Which Stands for Nothing") is a tiny programming language created by Li-Chen Wang (author of [Tiny BASIC|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_BASIC]) as a way to send commands to a small robot. It was originally published in Dr. Dobb's Journal in September 1977, with the robot represented on-screen using what would today be known as turtle graphics.
At line 7 changed one line
The language is similar to [PILOT] in concept, using single-letter commands who's primary purpose is to cause the turtle to move and create drawings. In contrast to PILOT, WSFN allows the construction of more complex macros using parenthesis, which can then be combined into larger programs. WSFN programs can quickly become unreadable in spite of their single-letters and relatively short list of features.
The language is similar to [PILOT|Pilot] in concept, using single-letter commands who's primary purpose is to cause the turtle to move and create drawings. In contrast to PILOT, WSFN allows the construction of more complex macros using parenthesis, which can then be combined into larger programs. These macros can call themselves recursively, which allows it to draw complex images like fractals in a few lines of code.
At line 15 added 12 lines
!Examples
The following Extended WSFN code draws a square in the center of the screen:
{{{
U2L12FND12F3(2R24F)2R12F
}}}
The code starts with the {{U}} which lifts the pen ({{U}}p) so the following commands will not draw to the screen. This is followed by a {{2}}, which means the next instruction should be run twice. In this case, the next instructions is {{L}}eft. Since each step of a turn is 45 degrees, this causes the turtle to rotate 90 degrees to the left so it points to the left side of the screen. Next, the turtle moves {{F}}orward 12 steps, is pointed {{N}}orth (up). Since the turtle was formerly pointed left, {{2R}} would have the same end effect as the {{N}}. Finally the pen is put back {{D}}own so the following commands will cause drawing on the screen.
Next, the {{12F}} draws 12 steps, and since the turtle was pointing north, this causes a short line segment to be drawn up the screen. Then comes a {{3}}, meaning the following instruction should be run three times. In this case it is not a single instruction, but all of the instructions in the parens. These rotate {{2R}}ight, or 90 degrees, and then draws a segment 24 long. So the first iteration draws the horizontal line across the top, the next the vertical line down the right side, and then across the bottom. Finally, the ending {{2R12F}} finishes off the square by drawing the missing segment on the bottom of the left vertical side.
As you can see, WSFN code can become almost unreadable even in simple examples!
At line 39 changed 3 lines
* [Atari WSFN Source Code from Harry B. Stewart on archive.org|https://archive.org/details/AtariWSFNSourceCode]; Thank you so much Harry B. Stewart for giving this source code into PD, Atari_Ace from AtariAge for typing in the source code and checking it and Kevin Savetz for uploading to archive.org. :-)))
* [Atari WSFN - An Introduction - draft from Harry B. Stewart on archive.org|https://archive.org/details/AtariWSFNAnIntroduction]; Thank you so much Harry B. Stewart for giving this introduction into PD and Kevin Savetz for digitzing and uploading to archive.org. :-)))
* [Atari WSFN Manual Draft from Harry B. Stewart on archive.org|https://archive.org/details/AtariWSFNManualDraft] ; Thank you so much Harry B. Stewart for giving this draft into PD and Kevin Savetz for digitzing and uploading to archive.org. :-)))
* [Atari WSFN Source Code from Harry B. Stewart on archive.org|https://archive.org/details/AtariWSFNSourceCode]; Thank you so much Harry B. Stewart for giving this source code into PD, Atari_Ace from AtariAge for typing in the source code and checking it and Kay Savetz for uploading to archive.org. :-)))
* [Atari WSFN - An Introduction - draft from Harry B. Stewart on archive.org|https://archive.org/details/AtariWSFNAnIntroduction]; Thank you so much Harry B. Stewart for giving this introduction into PD and Kay Savetz for digitzing and uploading to archive.org. :-)))
* [Atari WSFN Manual Draft from Harry B. Stewart on archive.org|https://archive.org/details/AtariWSFNManualDraft] ; Thank you so much Harry B. Stewart for giving this draft into PD and Kay Savetz for digitzing and uploading to archive.org. :-)))
Version Date Modified Size Author Changes ... Change note
32 03-Feb-2023 16:21 8.481 kB Maury Markowitz to previous
31 09-May-2018 21:45 8.502 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
30 09-May-2018 21:44 8.424 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
29 09-May-2018 21:26 8.391 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
28 04-May-2018 16:31 8.384 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
27 03-May-2018 22:13 8.343 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
26 01-May-2018 03:15 7.091 kB Roland B. Wassenberg to previous | to last
25 01-May-2018 02:56 7.085 kB Roland B. Wassenberg to previous | to last
24 28-Apr-2018 23:49 7.096 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
23 28-Apr-2018 15:52 6.974 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
22 28-Apr-2018 15:52 6.976 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
21 28-Apr-2018 01:52 6.971 kB Maury Markowitz to previous | to last
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