that the pixel with these coordinates is set to. To illustrate this rewrite the previous example as:

CLS: POINT 0,0 TO t: PRINT t: PLOT
0,0:POINT 0,0 TO t: PRINT t

Although this may not be the best example for the benefits of using POINT TO instead of the simple POINT, you can save a lot of typing by foregoing a lot of LET statements whilst, at the same time, making your code a lot easier to read and working in every graphics mode. It's important to mention that POINT TO does not return the contents of a sprite that's currently on the given coordinates on screen and instead will return the contents of the layer it's run on.

Notes

POINT here is a function and not a PRINT modifier. Note the distinction as it's important.

Using OVER and INVERSE with graphics commands

Enter screen mode (EDIT for NextBASIC Menu and then the Screen option) in the editor and then type:

PAPER 7: INK 0

and let us investigate how INVERSE and OVER work inside a standard graphics statement. These two affect just the relevant pixel, and not the rest of the character positions. They are normally off (0) in a graphics statement, so you only need to mention them to turn them on (1).

Here is a list of the possibilities for reference:

• PLOT: This is the usual form. It plots an ink dot, i.e. sets the pixel to show the ink colour.
• PLOT INVERSE 1: This plots a dot of ink eradicator, i.e. it sets the pixel to show the paper colour.
• PLOT OVER 1: This changes the pixel over from whatever it was before: so if it was ink colour it becomes paper colour, and vice versa.
• PLOT INVERSE 1; OVER 1: This leaves the pixel exactly as it was before; but note that it also changes the PLOT position, so you might use it simply to do that.

As another example of using the OVER statement fill the screen up with writing using black on white, and then type:

PLOT 0,0: DRAW OVER 1;255,175

This will draw a fairly decent line, even though it has gaps in it wherever it hits some writing. Now do exactly the same command again. The line will vanish without leaving any traces whatsoever. This is the great advantage of OVER 1. If you had drawn the line using:

PLOT 0,0: DRAW 255,175

and erased it using:

PLOT 0,0: DRAW INVERSE 1;255,175

then you would also have erased some of the writing. Now try:

PLOT 0,0: DRAW OVER 1;250,175