Editing BBC BASIC (section)

====Further details/determining BASIC version====
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2023}}
As the BBC&nbsp;MOS and RISC&nbsp;OS were usually supplied on ROM, it may be assumed that a specific release of the operating system contained a specific version of BASIC. As such, there is no simple way to determine ''which'' version of BASIC is actually running other than by enquiring the operating system identity and thus making an assumption.

{{quote frame|2=BASIC ROM USER GUIDE
|1=Note that all Electrons, and later BBC microcomputers, have BASIC2: the earlier BBC microcomputers have BASIC1. If you are not sure which version of BASIC is in your machine, typing REPORT after BASIC has started up (after a BREAK or *BASIC), will print the copyright message. If the date is 1981, BASIC1 is fitted; if it is 1982, you have BASIC2. American machines, or those with a second processor, may have US BASIC or HIBASIC: the ROM routines will not be in the same place for these ROMS.}}

See also [http://beebwiki.mdfs.net/INKEY#Check_machine_type BeebWiki] entry for INKEY.

On the BBC family, it is possible to run both the standard BASIC ''and'' an enhanced HIBASIC on the 6502 second processor. One may determine if the program is running on the second processor by examining the initial value of PAGE, it will be &800 if using the second processor. To distinguish between BASIC and HIBASIC, one should examine the initial value of HIMEM. This will be &8000 for BASIC running on the second processor, and &B800 for HIBASIC on the second processor.

A similar situation exists on [[RISC OS]] where there may be the normal BASIC or BASIC64 (which offers higher precision maths). Normal BASIC identifies itself as "BASIC V" and BASIC64 identifies itself as "BASIC VI", therefore the following (used before any error has occurred) will distinguish one from the other:

<syntaxhighlight lang="bbcbasic">IF INSTR(REPORT$,"VI") THEN PRINT "BASIC64" ELSE PRINT "BASIC"</syntaxhighlight>

There are better ways of doing this.{{according to whom|date=November 2023}} See the [http://beebwiki.mdfs.net/What_BASIC_is_running BeebWiki]. In almost all cases you shouldn't need to be testing for what BASIC or platform your program is running on, just make the call and read whatever returned data are returned and deal with it.{{Original research inline|date=November 2023}}