MBASIC Curses UI Help¶
Welcome to the MBASIC terminal-based IDE. This help system integrates documentation for the Curses UI, the MBASIC interpreter, and the BASIC-80 language.
🎮 Games Library¶
Browse and run classic BASIC games:
- Games Library - 113 classic CP/M era games ready to run!
📘 Curses UI Guide¶
Learn how to use the terminal interface:
- Getting Started - First steps with the curses UI
- Quick Reference - All keyboard shortcuts in one place
- Keyboard Shortcuts - Complete keyboard reference (auto-generated)
- Editing Programs - How to write and edit programs
- Running Programs - Execute and debug your code
- File Operations - Save and load your programs
- Help Navigation - How to use this help system
📗 MBASIC Interpreter¶
About this BASIC interpreter:
- MBASIC Index - Overview and navigation
- Getting Started - Your first BASIC program
- Features - What's implemented
- Compatibility - MBASIC 5.21 differences
- Architecture - Interpreter vs compiler design
📙 MBASIC Compilers¶
Compile BASIC programs to native executables or JavaScript:
- Compiler Guide - TWO complete compilers:
- Z80/8080 Compiler - Generate .COM files for CP/M systems (100% complete!)
- JavaScript Compiler - Generate JavaScript for browsers and Node.js (100% complete!)
📕 BASIC-80 Language Reference¶
Complete BASIC-80 language documentation:
- Language Overview - Introduction to BASIC-80
- Operators - Arithmetic, logical, and relational operators
- Statements - All 63 BASIC-80 statements
- Statements Index - Browse all statements
- Organized by category: input-output, control-flow, file-io, arrays, etc.
- Functions - All 40 BASIC-80 functions
- Functions Index - Browse all functions
- Organized by category: mathematical, string, type-conversion, etc.
- Appendices - Reference materials
- Error Codes - All 68 error codes
- ASCII Table - Character codes
- Math Functions - Derived functions
Help Navigation¶
Use these keys while viewing help:
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ↑/↓ | Scroll through current page |
| Tab | Move to next link |
| Enter | Follow the highlighted link |
| U | Go back to previous page |
| ESC or Q | Close help and return to editor |
You can navigate seamlessly between all three sections using the links above.
Search¶
Press / to search across all help content. Results are grouped by section (UI, MBASIC, Language).
Tips¶
- Context-sensitive help: Press {{kbd:home:curses}} with cursor on a BASIC keyword for direct help
- Quick access: Bookmark frequently used topics with your browser's history (U key)
- Cross-references: Follow "See Also" links to explore related topics
- Categories: Browse statements and functions by category in the language reference
Beyond the Interpreter¶
The Curses UI runs programs in interpreter mode. MBASIC-2025 also includes TWO complete compilers:
MBASIC Compilers → - Generate native CP/M executables OR JavaScript: - Z80/8080 Compiler - Native .COM files for CP/M systems (100% complete!) - JavaScript Compiler - JavaScript for browsers and Node.js (100% complete!)
Welcome to MBASIC! Choose a section above to get started, or press / to search for a specific topic.