Not for Novices: Another BASIC Input Technique Available to Purchase

One of the most important aspects of programming in BASIC or any other language involves the interaction between the program and its user. For a typical microcomputer, the principal channels for this interaction are via the CRT screen and the keyboard. (Mouse‐based systems such as the Macintosh constitute a separate universe, requiring a fundamentally different approach to programming.) This article focuses on user‐to‐program interaction via the keyboard in BASIC programs. This keyboard interaction may involve user‐issued commands, menu selections, data entry—anything the user “tells” the program. The programming techniques are similar in all cases. Here, we'll look at a specific technique for getting a menu selection from the user.