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Geoffg

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Joined: 06/06/2011
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Posted: 08:25pm 05 May 2026

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This is a typical example of floating point error. Calculation errors in floating-point math are not "bugs" in the language but a fundamental limitation of storing infinite decimals in finite space.

The issue here is that 0.1 cannot be represented exactly in binary. Every time you press a key, a tiny rounding error is added to a. Eventually, you’ll see values like 0.3000000000000001 or 0.6999999999999999.In BASIC dialects (like MMBasic), the most reliable fix is to calculate with integers and scale the output for the display.

Geoff Graham - http://geoffg.net

JohnS
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Joined: 18/11/2011
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Posted: 09:18pm 05 May 2026

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Some examples of programming around it often use a small value - search on epsilon (or floating point epsilon) as that's what it tends to be called.

John

DaveJacko
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Joined: 25/07/2019
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 98

Posted: 09:42pm 05 May 2026

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Thanks for beautify, Peter,
great help for hobbyists with older brains and eyes
along with fred777 and toml,

I do think that leaving blank lines intact for readability would be better

(more blank lines, for emphasis)

thanks, Dave

Try swapping 2 and 3 over

terekgabor
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Joined: 02/01/2026
Location: Hungary
Posts: 73

Posted: 05:37am 06 May 2026

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@matherp

Peter!

Just a small idea. Can be good if we can use string variable (not only unquoted constant string) for object names in STAR and ASTRO commands.

Better way to build up a kind of epheneris program for example.

G@bor

ville56
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Joined: 08/06/2022
Location: Austria
Posts: 471

Posted: 06:50am 06 May 2026

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@Peter,

Beautify spoils labels ... in the attached code, after edit/^A/F2 there are spaces in front of the label b_loop: inserted and the code does fail with

[11] If in_str <> "" Then GoTo b_loop
Error : Cannot find label

Interestingly, there are seemingly 2 character positions inserted but if there is only one char to remove. The code runs again if the inserted chars (or char?) are removed.

Version is:
PicoMite MMBasic RP2350B V6.03.00RC1

failing code is:

'
OPTION EXPLICIT
OPTION DEFAULT NONE

Option tracecache on 128

b_test("test")

end
' ------------ END main ----------------------------------

sub b_test(in_str as string)

b_loop:
print "in b_loop"
pause 300
if in_str <> "" then goto b_loop

end sub

73 de OE1HGA, Gerald

matherp
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Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 11312

Posted: 07:22am 06 May 2026

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Will fix in next RC. I also want to fix the behaviour of program with line numbers. Please can someone post a fully line numbered example for me to test with. Intended behaviour will be:

The F12 Beautify command aligns code using 2-space block indentation. It detects whether a program is line-numbered by examining the first non-comment line:

If that line begins with a line number, the whole program is treated as numbered. All statements are aligned past the widest line number found, and block indentation is added on top of that base column.
Otherwise, the program is treated as unnumbered. Any stray numbered lines used purely as GoTo/GoSub targets will be pushed flush to the left margin and will not align with the surrounding block, since they are handled like labels.

Recommendation: in modern, mostly-unnumbered programs prefer named labels (e.g. retry:) over numeric line numbers as branch targets. Labels are also forced flush left by Beautify, but they read more clearly, are not confused with numbered-program formatting, and keep the rest of the block visually consistent.

The F12 Beautify command forces any line that begins with a label to column 0 — including anything written after the label on the same line — so a construct such as:
retry: Print "x"
will lose the indent of its surrounding block. Writing the label on a line by itself keeps both the label visible at the margin and the following code correctly indented within its Sub, For or If block.

When F12 Beautify is pressed and the program already contains blank lines other than those separating subroutines/functions, the editor asks KEEP BLANK LINES? (Y/N). Choose Y to preserve your blank lines (consecutive blanks are collapsed to one); choose N to strip them all. Either way, a single blank line is always ensured after every End Sub / End Function. Press Esc at the prompt to cancel.
Edited 2026-05-06 18:58 by matherp

matherp
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Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 11312

Posted: 08:58am 06 May 2026

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V6.03.00RC2

PicoMiteRP2040V6.03.00RC1.zip
PicoMiteRP2350V6.03.00RC1.zip

Fixes to Beautify as described above

terekgabor
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Joined: 02/01/2026
Location: Hungary
Posts: 73

Posted: 09:22am 06 May 2026

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Peter!

File names hasn’t changed to RC2.

G@bor

fred777
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Joined: 01/07/2021
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 77

Posted: 09:23am 06 May 2026

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Getting there

matherp said the editor asks KEEP BLANK LINES? (Y/N). Choose Y to preserve your blank lines (consecutive blanks are collapsed to one); choose N to strip them all. Either way, a single blank line is always ensured after every End Sub / End Function. Press Esc at the prompt to cancel.

but as DaveJacko says

DaveJacko said
(more blank lines, for emphasis)
thanks, Dave

Lets try to overcome that irrational fear of empty lines.

Empty lines are the quiet breaths of a program—
the pauses where thought gathers before becoming logic.

They are the whitespace between heartbeats,
where structure reveals itself not by what is written,
but by what is allowed to rest.

In their silence, complexity untangles.
In their absence, even brilliance feels crowded.

An empty line is a small act of kindness
from one mind to the next—
a reminder that clarity is not only about words,
but about the space that lets them be understood.

matherp
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Posts: 11312

Posted: 09:40am 06 May 2026

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RC2 with correct filenames, also fixes bug in comment lines not being removed in the library. Programs in the library should be re-loaded.

PicoMiteRP2040V6.03.00RC2.zip
PicoMiteRP2350V6.03.00RC2.zip

toml_12953
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Joined: 13/02/2015
Location: United States
Posts: 618

Posted: 10:53am 06 May 2026

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matherp said Will fix in next RC. I also want to fix the behaviour of program with line numbers. Please can someone post a fully line numbered example for me to test with. Intended behaviour will be:

The F12 Beautify command aligns code using 2-space block indentation. It detects whether a program is line-numbered by examining the first non-comment line:

If that line begins with a line number, the whole program is treated as numbered. All statements are aligned past the widest line number found, and block indentation is added on top of that base column.
Otherwise, the program is treated as unnumbered. Any stray numbered lines used purely as GoTo/GoSub targets will be pushed flush to the left margin and will not align with the surrounding block, since they are handled like labels.

Recommendation: in modern, mostly-unnumbered programs prefer named labels (e.g. retry:) over numeric line numbers as branch targets. Labels are also forced flush left by Beautify, but they read more clearly, are not confused with numbered-program formatting, and keep the rest of the block visually consistent.

The F12 Beautify command forces any line that begins with a label to column 0 — including anything written after the label on the same line — so a construct such as:
retry: Print "x"
will lose the indent of its surrounding block. Writing the label on a line by itself keeps both the label visible at the margin and the following code correctly indented within its Sub, For or If block.

When F12 Beautify is pressed and the program already contains blank lines other than those separating subroutines/functions, the editor asks KEEP BLANK LINES? (Y/N). Choose Y to preserve your blank lines (consecutive blanks are collapsed to one); choose N to strip them all. Either way, a single blank line is always ensured after every End Sub / End Function. Press Esc at the prompt to cancel.

10 DIM X(126),K(2)
20 FUNCTION FNA(X,Y,Z): FNA=X*SIN(Y*0.01745329)*Z-16*Z^2: END FUNCTION
30 PRINT "INPUT MUZZLE VELOCITY (FT/SEC) AND ANGLE (DEGREES)"
40 LET F2=0
50 INPUT M,A
60 LET X(0)=0
70 FOR T=0.2 TO 25 STEP 0.2
80 LET L=INT(5*T+0.001)
90 LET X(L)=FNA(M,A,T)
100 IF X(L)<0 THEN GOTO 150
110 IF X(L)-X(L-1)<=0 AND F2=0 THEN GOTO 250 ELSE GOTO 350
120 LET K(1)=X(L-2)
130 LET W4=T-0.4+J
140 GOTO 280
150 LET W=L-1
160 FOR J=0.01 TO 0.2 STEP 0.01
170 LET K(1)=FNA(M,A,T-0.2+J)
180 IF K(1)<0 THEN GOTO 200
190 NEXT J
200 PRINT "MAXIMUM HEIGHT IS ";K1;" FEET"
210 LET Y=M*COS(A*0.01745329)*(T-0.2+J-0.01)
220 PRINT "RANGE IS ";Y;" FEET"
230 PRINT "TOTAL TIME AIRBORNE IS ";T+J-0.01;" SECONDS"
240 GOTO 360
250 IF X(L-1)-X(L-2)<X(L)-X(L-1) THEN GOTO 120
260 LET K(1)=X(L-1)
270 LET W4=T-0.2+J
280 LET F2=1
290 FOR J=0.01 TO 0.2 STEP 0.01
300 LET K(2)=FNA(M,A,W4)
310 IF K(1)-K(2)<=0 THEN GOTO 340
320 LET K(1)=K(2)
330 NEXT J
340 LET K1=MAX(K(1),K(2))
350 NEXT T
360 IF K1+10>60 THEN GOTO 470 ELSE LET M1=1
370 FOR D=1 TO 62
380 PRINT TAB(10);"+";
390 NEXT D
400 PRINT : PRINT "0";TAB(10);"+"
410 FOR N=1 TO W
420 PRINT 0.2*N*M*COS(A*0.01745329);TAB(10);"+";TAB(X(N)*M1+10);"*"
430 NEXT N
440 PRINT "ANYMORE (YES OR NO)";
450 INPUT A$
460 IF A$="YES" THEN GOTO 30 ELSE GOTO 500
470 LET M1=1/(INT(K1/60+1))
480 PRINT "SCALE OF HEIGHT IS 1 SPACE = ";1/M1;" FEET"
490 GOTO 370
500 END

Edited 2026-05-06 21:00 by toml_12953

matherp
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Joined: 11/12/2012
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 11312

Posted: 11:54am 06 May 2026

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Thanks, output of B2, On the screen lines 20 to 90 are properly aligned but pasting to TBS removes this.

10 Dim X(126),K(2)
20 Function FNA(X,Y,Z): FNA=X*Sin(Y*0.01745329)*Z-16*Z^2: End Function
30 Print "INPUT MUZZLE VELOCITY (FT/SEC) AND ANGLE (DEGREES)"
40 F2=0
50 Input M,A
60 X(0)=0
70 For T=0.2 To 25 Step 0.2
80 L=Int(5*T+0.001)
90 X(L)=FNA(M,A,T)
100 If X(L)<0 Then GoTo 150
110 If X(L)-X(L-1)<=0 And F2=0 Then GoTo 250 Else GoTo 350
120 K(1)=X(L-2)
130 W4=T-0.4+J
140 GoTo 280
150 W=L-1
160 For J=0.01 To 0.2 Step 0.01
170 K(1)=FNA(M,A,T-0.2+J)
180 If K(1)<0 Then GoTo 200
190 Next J
200 Print "MAXIMUM HEIGHT IS ";K1;" FEET"
210 Y=M*Cos(A*0.01745329)*(T-0.2+J-0.01)
220 Print "RANGE IS ";Y;" FEET"
230 Print "TOTAL TIME AIRBORNE IS ";T+J-0.01;" SECONDS"
240 GoTo 360
250 If X(L-1)-X(L-2)<X(L)-X(L-1) Then GoTo 120
260 K(1)=X(L-1)
270 W4=T-0.2+J
280 F2=1
290 For J=0.01 To 0.2 Step 0.01
300 K(2)=FNA(M,A,W4)
310 If K(1)-K(2)<=0 Then GoTo 340
320 K(1)=K(2)
330 Next J
340 K1=Max(K(1),K(2))
350 Next T
360 If K1+10>60 Then GoTo 470 Else M1=1
370 For D=1 To 62
380 Print Tab(10);"+";
390 Next D
400 Print : Print "0";Tab(10);"+"
410 For N=1 To W
420 Print 0.2*N*M*Cos(A*0.01745329);Tab(10);"+";Tab(X(N)*M1+10);"*"
430 Next N
440 Print "ANYMORE (YES OR NO)";
450 Input A$
460 If A$="YES" Then GoTo 30 Else GoTo 500
470 M1=1/(Int(K1/60+1))
480 Print "SCALE OF HEIGHT IS 1 SPACE = ";1/M1;" FEET"
490 GoTo 370
500 End

Edited 2026-05-06 21:56 by matherp

twofingers

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Joined: 02/06/2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 1741

Posted: 12:07pm 06 May 2026

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Just for fun:

' Projectile trajectory calculator
Dim Float x(126), k(2), m, a, t, l, f2, w, j, k1, m1, d, n, y, w4
Dim String answer

' Define height calculation function
Function CalcHeight(vel As Float, ang As Float, time As Float) As Float
CalcHeight = vel * Sin(ang * 0.01745329) * time - 16 * time^2
End Function

Do
Print "INPUT MUZZLE VELOCITY (FT/SEC) AND ANGLE (DEGREES)"
Input m, a
f2 = 0
x(0) = 0

' Calculate trajectory
For t = 0.2 To 25 Step 0.2
l = Int(5 * t + 0.001)
x(l) = CalcHeight(m, a, t)

If x(l) < 0 Then
w = l - 1
' Peak search if ground hit
For j = 0.01 To 0.2 Step 0.01
k(1) = CalcHeight(m, a, t - 0.2 + j)
If k(1) < 0 Then Exit For
Next j
Print "MAXIMUM HEIGHT IS "; k1; " FEET"
y = m * Cos(a * 0.01745329) * (t - 0.2 + j - 0.01)
Print "RANGE IS "; y; " FEET"
Print "TOTAL TIME AIRBORNE IS "; t + j - 0.01; " SECONDS"
Exit For
EndIf

' Logic for finding peak or continuing
If x(l) - x(l - 1) <= 0 And f2 = 0 Then
If (x(l - 1) - x(l - 2)) < (x(l) - x(l - 1)) Then
k(1) = x(l - 2)
w4 = t - 0.4 + j
f2 = 1
Else
k(1) = x(l - 1)
w4 = t - 0.2 + j
f2 = 1
EndIf

' Refine peak calculation
For j = 0.01 To 0.2 Step 0.01
k(2) = CalcHeight(m, a, w4)
If k(1) - k(2) <= 0 Then Exit For
k(1) = k(2)
Next j
k1 = Max(k(1), k(2))
EndIf
Next t

' Charting Logic
m1 = 1
If k1 + 10 > 60 Then
m1 = 1 / (Int(k1 / 60 + 1))
Print "SCALE OF HEIGHT IS 1 SPACE = "; 1 / m1; " FEET"
EndIf

For d = 1 To 62
Print Tab(10); "+";
Next d

Print
Print "0"; Tab(10); "+"
For n = 1 To w
Print 0.2 * n * m * Cos(a * 0.01745329); Tab(10); "+"; Tab(x(n) * m1 + 10); "*"
Next n

Print "ANYMORE (YES OR NO)";
Input answer
Loop Until UCase$(answer) <> "YES"
End

causality ≠ correlation ≠ coincidence

toml_12953
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Posts: 618

Posted: 12:10pm 06 May 2026

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matherp said RC2 with correct filenames, also fixes bug in comment lines not being removed in the library. Programs in the library should be re-loaded.

PicoMiteRP2040V6.03.00RC2.zip
PicoMiteRP2350V6.03.00RC2.zip

LOAD"mybasprog" used to work. Now we need LOAD"mybasprog.bas"

Is that a conscious decision?

EDIT: On one of my PicoCalcs it still works the old way. I nuked both before loading RC2 so I don't know what's going on.
Edited 2026-05-06 22:26 by toml_12953

matherp
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Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 11312

Posted: 12:27pm 06 May 2026

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Still works for me

ville56
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Posted: 04:00pm 06 May 2026

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Peter,

is there any reason why a label has to start at position 1 in a line? Actually it cannot have any whitespace before the label name.

In V6.02.01 it works fine when a label has some leading spaces.

73 de OE1HGA, Gerald

JanVolk
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Joined: 28/01/2023
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 349

Posted: 04:00pm 06 May 2026

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Is the display for MM.Info(version) still correct?

Print " "; MM.Info(device); MM.Info(version); MM.Info(option flash size)

PicoMite RP2350A 6.03 4194304

> option list
PicoMite MMBasic RP2350A V6.03.00RC2
OPTION SYSTEM I2C GP20,GP21
OPTION FLASH SIZE 4194304
OPTION COLOR CODE ON
OPTION HEARTBEAT OFF
OPTION PICO OFF
OPTION CPU SPEED (KHz) 200000
OPTION DISPLAY 50, 100
OPTION SDCARD GP22, GP6, GP7, GP4
OPTION RTC AUTO ENABLE
OPTION F1 help
OPTION F5 list commands
OPTION F6 list functions
OPTION F7 list pins
OPTION F8 list system i2c
OPTION F9 fm

Jan.

bfwolf
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Joined: 03/01/2025
Location: Germany
Posts: 242

Posted: 04:13pm 06 May 2026

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ville56 said Peter,

is there any reason why a label has to start at position 1 in a line? Actually it cannot have any whitespace before the label name.

In V6.02.01 it works fine when a label has some leading spaces.

From the manual:

Quote A label is an identifier that marks part of the program. It must be the first thing on the line and it must be terminated with the colon (:) character.
The name that you use can be up to 31 characters long and must follow the same rules as for a variable's name. For example, in the following program line LoopBack is a label:
LoopBack: a = a + 1

So if it worked before, it was more likely "unintentionally".

bfwolf
Edited 2026-05-07 02:14 by bfwolf

toml_12953
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Joined: 13/02/2015
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Posts: 618

Posted: 04:19pm 06 May 2026

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matherp said Still works for me

I swapped the SD card between the systems and the problem followed. I formatted the problem SD card and copied all the files from the good one to it. Problem gone.
I have no idea what could have been happening but at least it's fixed for now.

javavi

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Joined: 01/10/2023
Location: Ukraine
Posts: 553

Posted: 05:39pm 06 May 2026

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@matherp Peter,
Since things are moving forward, can I ask too?
Is it possible to make a built-in calculator for PicoMite, using the CALC command?

A calculator like the one in PicoTop
https://github.com/7west/PicoTop

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