50g

Thanks again!  Part of my confusion did indeed come from missing the 
fact that the manual's description of XMIT uses ALG rather than RPN...

I still find, however, that if I write the program and then press 
[ENTER], I get this error message:
           Invalid Syntax

For example (in RPN mode):
3
7
5
[ENTER]                  (stores value 375 in x-reg.)
[right-shift][+]         (<< >> to enter program mode)
[right-shift][0]         (the -> character)
[ALPHA][APLHA]           (prepares to input the next characters)
S
T
R
[SPC]                    (signals the end of the "STR" argument)
[right-shift][SYMB]      (the CAT menu)
(scroll to) XMIT
[ENTER]                  (selects the XMIT command)
                         (or skip the CAT menu and just type XMIT)

Now my program is complete(?).  If I next press [ENTER], the program 
should be stored in the x-register, and then I should be able to 
store the program as a variable.

But what happens instead when I press [ENTER] is:
           Invalid Syntax

Similarly, if I attempt to invoke the same command sequence without 
programming it:

3
7
5
[ENTER]
[right-shift][0]
[ALPHA][ALPHA]
S
T
R
[SPC]
X
M
I
T
[ENTER]

The result is:
          Invalid Syntax

So either ->, ->STR, or XMIT needs something that I'm not providing.

Here, in advance, is the the big DUH that I will emit when somebody 
points out whatever bonehead mistake I'm making!


 --- In 50g@yahoogroups.com, Dave Boyd <boydda@...> wrote:
>
> m2mbob wrote:
> > Thanks for your suggestion!
> > I'm a bit slow at parsing your syntax - I recognize the << >> 
> > encapsulation of a program string, and I recognize the command 
XMIT 
> > from the catalogue, but I don't understand ->STR .
> > 
> > Do you mean ->STR literally, as an argument for XMIT ?
> > Does -> represent the HP-50g keyboard sequence: [right-shift]
[0] , 
> > meaning that I should insert the right-pointing arrow ahead of 
the 
> > three characters STR (thus creating a local variable named STR, 
and 
> > transmitting its value, all in one elegant line of code)?
> 
> He means the command represented by the right-arrow symbol 
> [right-shift][0], followed by the letters STR, no space between.  
It 
> converts its argument to a string.
> 
> Since in plain text we don't have the symbol for right arrow, by 
> convention we use a digraph composed of the minus sign and the 
> greater-than symbol.  (We also don't have a symbol for "two 
> greater-thans in one space", which you get from [right-shift][+], 
but 
> you got that one yourself.)
> 
> Try using the CAT key to see all the commands.
> 
> > In my first feeble attempts (before submitting my initial 
question to 
> > the group), I had assumed that I would need to build program 
steps 
> > like:
> > 
> >      << 'STR' STO                               (grabs the value 
of 
> >                                                  Level 1 of the 
stack
> >                                                  into variable 
STR)
> > 
> >      XMIT (with baffling argument & syntax)     (sends the value 
of
> >                                                  STR through the 
wire)
> > 
> >      STR PURGE >>                               (deletes variable 
STR)
> > 
> > - but I got the error message:
> >             XMIT Error: Bad Argument Type
> > 
> > - which implies, to my neophyte mind, that XMIT won't work when a 
> > variable name is used as the argument.
> 
> The program Tim gave you used the XMIT command in RPN mode, with 
its 
> parameter on the stack, preceding the command.  It transmits a 
string 
> serially.
> 
> > The old "49g+ Advanced" manual's description of XMIT describes 
the 
> > required argument as being the string, surrounded by "" .
> 
> You were looking at the description of how to use XMIT in ALG 
mode.  In 
> RPN mode, the argument comes first.
> 
> > I just haven't figured out how to write program steps to grab the 
> > value in Stack Level 1, package it in "", and present it to XMIT 
as 
> > the argument.
> 
> That was the program Tim gave you.  To repeat it:
> 
> << ->STR XMIT >>
> 
> One program, two commands long, first ->STR, convert one stack item 
to 
> string, place result on stack.  Then XMIT, transmit one stack item, 
put 
> nothing on stack.
> 
> > Any thoughts? I have a pretty high embarrassment threshold, so 
fire 
> > away!
> 
> When you look at the manual be aware that it switches between ALG 
and 
> RPN when describing the commands.  It's pretty easy to tell what 
you're 
> reading if you remember that.
> 
> > My headstone will say: "I Never Shoulda Loaned My 15C To Nobody".
> 
> That's what eBay is for!  But, yes, I certainly agree with the 
sentiment...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Dave Boyd
> "If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall
>   like a house of cards. Checkmate."  -Capt. Zapp Brannigan, 
D.O.O.P.
>