Note for the utility disk added to atariage for T*MES UK Issue 15:

VDPUTIL2   VDPUTIL3   BXB   -   D/V 163 files
(Add to a program with eg MERGE "DSK1.VDPUTIL2")


Some TI Basic programs will not run in TI Basic from a system with a disk drive due to lack of VDP space which is used by the disk system to load the programs, even when CALL FILES(1) has been used to load them.

Some TI Basic programs will not run in Extended Basic as two TI Basic character sets (16 characters) are not available in Extended Basic- the VDP area is used for sprites instead.

A simple utility can solve these problems.   First was VDPUTIL, followed by VDPUTIL2 and VDPUTIL3, then in TI*MES 15 Jim Peterson offered BXB - except the BXB listing was one that you could not TYPE in, it had to be created by the computer.

This offered disk contains VDPUTIL2, VDPUTIL3, and BXB which are in disk ExBas MERGE format. They are all used exactly the same way. BXB is the smallest.  32k ram is required. 

Check the line numbers used in the errant TI Basic program and ensure that your chosen VDP utility does not have the same line numbers.  Use RESEQUENCE if required.  If the TI Basic program is very long it may be easier to manually amend the first couple of lines and resequence the utility if required.

Load the TI Basic program and then key  MERGE DSK1.VDPUTIL2 (or 3 or BXB).  
The first line in your TI Basic program should be CALL LINK("VDPUTIL2") or 3 or BXB as the case may be. When your TIB program uses characters, it will use the new alternative routines in the MERGE code- notably CALL COLOR and CALL CHAR are redefined.

Then save the amended program to disk with a new filename.   Your TI Basic program should now run from Disk+XB+32k.  Programs that are not too long could even be saved to cassette for use with 32k ram.

The advantage of having all programs run from XB is that you can place a MENU program on your disk to choose programs from - this can be called LOAD to autoload when XB is selected.

LONGER programs saved in XB will be saved in I/V 254 format which avoids the shortage of vdp space to hold them temporarily- you may be able to force an iv254 format by using a larger CALL FILES setting or just adding several long dummy rem lines at the end. IV254 XB programs will load directly into 32k ram.

To avoid ambiguity- you now have a TIB program that can run in ExBas- but as you are using the VDP area for sprites, you should not insert sprites into the program!  (In theory there are possibilities for one or two, without motion,  but you are on your own...).

also on this dsk image file are two programs from Jim Peterson's Tips from the Tigercub that is in Issue 15:  His hyphenator program and his musical program.