View source for ASIC programming language

{{confused|ASIC}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = ASIC
| logo                   = <!-- Image name is enough -->
| logo alt               = 
| screenshot             = ASIC programming language.png
| caption                = Version 5.0
| screenshot alt         = ASIC version 5.0
| collapsible            = 
| author                 = Dave Visti
| developer              = 80/20 Software<ref>[http://files.mpoli.fi/unpacked/software/programm/pascal/paswiz21.zip/catalog.txt IBRARY: Library for the ASIC compiler.  Current Version: 3.1...David A. Visti], Catalog - Updated :February 1, 1996, Charon Software</ref>
| released               = before 1993<!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes/no}} --><ref>[http://cd.textfiles.com/psl/psl9312/PRGMMING/DOS/BASIC/ASIC.ZIP ASIC 4.0 - Download]</ref>
| discontinued           = yes
| latest release version = 5.00
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|1994}}
| latest preview version = 
| latest preview date    = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|df=yes/no}} -->
| programming language   = [[x86 assembly language|x86 assembly]], [[Borland Turbo C|Turbo C]]
| operating system       = [[MS-DOS]]
| platform               = 
| size                   = 
| language               = 
| language count         = <!-- Number only -->
| language footnote      = 
| genre                  = [[BASIC]]
| license                = [[Shareware]]
| alexa                  = 
| website                = <!--{{URL|example.org}}-->
| standard               = 
| AsOf                   = 
}}
'''ASIC''' is a [[compiler]] and [[integrated development environment]] for a subset of the [[BASIC]] programming language. It was released for [[MS-DOS]] and compatible systems as [[shareware]].  Written by Dave Visti of 80/20 Software, it was one of the few BASIC compilers legally available for [[download]] from [[Bulletin board system|BBS]]es. ASIC allows compiling to an [[EXE]] or [[COM file]]. A COM file for [[Hello world program]] is 360 bytes.<ref name=computereview126 />

ASIC has little or no support for [[logical operator]]s, [[control structure]]s,<ref>In ASIC 3.01 (1991), the manual lists [[For loop|FOR...NEXT]], [[Do while loop|WHILE...WEND]] and [[Conditional (computer programming)|IF...ENDIF]], but no [[switch statement]]s, and no functions or procedures with [[Parameter (computer programming)|parameters]] or [[local variable]]s, only [[GOSUB]] for [[subroutines]]. The example programs use [[Goto]] instead of WHILE.</ref> and [[floating-point arithmetic]].  These shortcomings resulted in the tongue-in-cheek motto, "ASIC: It's almost BASIC!"<ref>[http://www.palmtoppaper.com/ptphtml/19/pt190029.htm ASIC is the work of David Visti and his compiler takes code that is "almost BASIC" and compiles it down to a very small executable.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104080812/http://www.palmtoppaper.com/ptphtml/19/pt190029.htm |date=November 4, 2015 }}, Programmer's Corner: TIPI: A Small Programming Language for Small Comp, By Kent Peterson</ref><ref name=computereview126>[http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue126/86_Area_code_magic_with.php ASIC], Area code magic with AC Hunter  (computer program) (On Disk) (evaluation), by George Campbell, COMPUTE! ISSUE 126 / FEBRUARY 1991 / PAGE 86</ref>

== Features ==
ASIC is strongly impoverished in comparison with its contemporary BASICs. The features of ASIC are selected to make a program be easily and directly compiled into [[machine language]]. Thus, many language constructs of ASIC are equivalent to constructs of [[assembly language]].

=== Program elements ===
Neither indetifiers, nor keywords are [[case-sensitive]].

Any <code>DIM</code> statements, if specified, must precede all other statements except <code>REM</code> statements or blank lines.

All <code>DATA</code> statements must be placed at the beginning of the program, before all other statement types, except <code>DIM</code>, <code>REM</code> statements, or blank lines). 

==== Expressions ====
ASIC does not have the [[exponentiation]] operator <code>^</code>.

ASIC does not have [[Boolean expression|boolean]] operators (<code>AND</code>, <code>OR</code>, <code>NOT</code> etc.).

=== Arrays ===
The size of [[Array (data structure)|array]] specified in the <code>DIM</code> statement must be a literal constant. A single <code>DIM</code> allows to declare only one array.

=== Input and output ===
<code>PRINT</code>'s arguments must be a literal or variable. <code>PRINT</code> does not allow to use combined expressions as its arguments, nor does it allow to use [[String (computer science)|strings]] [[concatenation|concatenated]] with <code>;</code> or <code>+</code>.

If a <code>PRINT</code> command ends with <code>;</code> or <code>,</code>, then the next <code>PRINT</code> command will resume in the position where this one left off, just as though its argument were appended to the argument of the current <code>PRINT</code> command.

The <code>PRINT</code> statement prints [[Integer (computer science)|integer]] values six characters wide. They are aligned to the right (no trailing spaces).

; <code>LOCATE row, column </code> : Moves the text cursor to the position (<code>column</code>, <code>row</code>), where 0 ≤ <code>column</code> and 0 ≤ <code>row</code>. The position (0, 0) is the upper left corner.

=== Graphics ===
; <code>PSET (row,column),color</code> : Turns on the pixel of the color <code>color</code> at position (<code>column</code>, <code>row</code>), where 0 ≤<code>column</code> and 0 ≤ <code>row</code>. The position (0, 0) is the upper left corner.

=== Control Structures ===
A boolean condition may be only a comparison of numbers or strings, but not a comparison of combined expressions. A literal cannot be the left operand of comparison (e.g. can be <code>X = 2</code>, not <code>2 = X</code>).

==== Decisions ====
After <code>THEN</code>, there may be a sequence of statements delimited by <code>ELSE</code> or <code>ENDIF</code>. An example:
<syntaxhighlight lang="basic">
IF X < 0 THEN
  PRINT "Negative"
ELSE
  PRINT "Non-negative"
ENDIF
</syntaxhighlight>
Contrary to other BASICs, statements cannot be put between <code>THEN</code> and the end of the line.

An if-statement can realize the conditional jump. In this case, after <code>THEN</code> there may be a label.

==== Looping ====
In <code>FOR</code>, after <code>TO</code> there may be only a number - literal or variable - but not a combined expression. The <code>STEP</code> clause does not exist in ASIC.

==== Branching ====
In a <code>GOTO</code> statement, the label must be followed by a colon.

==== Subroutines ====
In a <code>GOSUB</code> statement, the label must be followed by a colon. 

== BAS2ASI ==
This utility, serving to convert [[GW-BASIC]] programs to ASIC syntax, in the version 5.0 does not support some GW-BASIC features. Examples:

<code>STEP</code> in the [[for loop]] is not converted. The program
<syntaxhighlight lang="basic">
10 FOR i=10 TO 1 STEP -1 
20 PRINT i
30 NEXT i
</syntaxhighlight>
is converted into
<syntaxhighlight lang="QBasic">
	REM 10 FOR i=10 TO 1 STEP -1 
	FOR I@ = 10 TO 1 
		ASIC0@ = -1 -1 
		I@ = I@ + ASIC0@ 
		
		REM 20 PRINT i
		PRINT I@ 
		
		REM 30 NEXT i		REM 30 NEXT i		3:  Syntax error 
</syntaxhighlight>

The [[exponentiation]] operator <code>^</code> is not converted. The program
<syntaxhighlight lang="basic">
10 a=2
20 b=a^10
30 PRINT b
</syntaxhighlight>
is converted into
<syntaxhighlight lang="QBasic">
	REM 10 a=2
L10: 
	A@ = 2 
	
	REM 20 b=a^10
	2:  Syntax error

	REM 30 PRINT b	REM 30 PRINT b	3:  Syntax error 
</syntaxhighlight>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

<!--*Simtelnet archive for ASIC 5.0 [ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/basic/asic500.zip]{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Dead link -->
*[http://publish.uwo.ca/~jkiernan/asicinfo.htm ASIC 5.00 + Libraries + Linker]
* [http://rosettacode.org/wiki/Category:ASIC Category:ASIC] Tasks implemented in ASIC on [http://rosettacode.org rosettacode.org]

{{BASIC}}

[[Category:BASIC programming language family]]