[Coco] Copying a data/binary file from disk to cassette

[tim lindner]

Phil <phil.salathe at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi, all --
> 
> What's the best way of copying a non-BASIC file, like a .bin, from 
> disk to cassette?  I tried COPY but setting a value of -1 returns a 
> function error (COPY "FILE.BIN:0" TO "FILE.BIN:-1")...and I was never
> very good at GET, PUT, DSKI$, and all that.

> I've got some data files on floppy, associated with various programs,
> that I'd like to transfer to my laptop (via cassette adapter).  And 
> going in the other direction, I'd like to turn some .bins I have on 
> disk images into WAVs so that, again going via the cassette adapter, 
> I can try out some games and such on real hardware.
> 
> Obviously one way would be to use CSAVEM, though I don't know how to 
> determine the correct memory addresses from which to start and end, 
> and I don't think that would work for non-executable data files 
> (would it?).

CSAVEM would not work with data files.

> So, what's the best route?  I feel like I'm missing something 
> obvious, so forgive me if I'm being slow here...

Unless someone already has a program to do this for data files, I'll
take a crack it.

Here is something I wrote a while ago concerning executable programs:

<http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.tandy/browse_thread/thread/c613
5fd687bf24ab/75f24235ecb94f64>

> P.S.  I got some unexpected results when I CLOADed BASIC files 
> written for Coco 3 (and turned into WAV files to export/import via 
> cassette adapter) into an emulated Coco 1.  Specifically, all the 
> Coco 3 commands in the programs, like HSCREEN, became exclamation 
> marks!  Fortunately, I just reimported the WAV into an emulated Coco 
> 3 and made my disk images that way, but I'm surprised that the Coco 
> would edit the programs on the fly, though I guess I can imagine why 
> that would be.

BASIC statements and functions are encoded into a one or two byte token.
If the interrupter doesn't recgonize the token, then it'll default to an
exclmation point during the LIST, and error when run.

-- 
tim lindner
tlindner at macmess.org                                              Bright