Commodore Plus 4 - Special keys

BASIC Version 3.5 Commands, Functions, and System Variables 19
CHAR is similar to the text-printing capabilities of PRINT, but CHAR also
lets you easily position the message on the screen. In addition, CHAR can display
messages in graphic modes, but PRINT cannot.
CHAR lets you print on top of, above, or below other messages. Because you
can position each CHAR message, you can place messages anywhere in relation
to each other.
CHAR has some slightly different features in the text and graphic modes.
When you use CHAR in a text mode only, you can print in flashing mode, and
you can include color changes and other special key commands that you can use
in PRINT commands.
Parameter Values Default
Color source
Column coordinate
Row coordinate
Message
Reverse mode
0-3
0-39
0-24
String expression
Oor 1
1
O(off)
1. The color source indirectly selects the color for the drawing. There are five
color sources, but color source 4 (the border color) cannot be used with drawing
commands. Color sources 2 and 3 can be used only in multicolor modes.
0 screen background color
1 foreground color (default value)
2 multicolor mode extra color 1
3 multicolor mode extra color 2
The color source number you include in the CHAR command tells the com
puter to use the current color for that source to print the message. For example, if
you select 1, the computer prints the message in the current foreground color. If
you want to use a color other than one of the current source values, you must first
use the COLOR command to change one of the source values. Only sources 1 and
2 can be used to draw with more than one color on the same screen. Sources 0 and
3 are global (whole screen) colors.
If you want to use the default value (1 > the current foreground color), you do
not have to type a number, but you must type a comma before the next parameter.
2. Even when you are displaying a message in a graphic mode, use the standard
text column (0-39) and row (0-24) numbers. You do not place CHAR messages
with the graphic mode 320-by-200 coordinates because you are placing whole
letters, not small dots. Be careful; this can be confusing.
3. The message must be in quotes, just as a PRINT command message. You