RESPR

Syntax	RESPR (bytes)
Location	QL ROM

This function sets aside a chunk of resident procedure space for use by a program and returns the address of the start of that memory. Resident procedure space is merely an area of RAM which can be used safely by the user without fear of the system crashing if values are written to it.

When used, the RESPR function will search for an area in RAM which is currently unused and which is at least ‘bytes’ long. If there is insufficient space in RAM, then an ‘Out of Memory’ error is reported.

Memory set aside using RESPR cannot later be released and used for other purposes (unless you have a Minerva ROM), and thus this command is used mainly for linking in Toolkits and other system extensions in a boot program.

Example

A simple boot program might look like this:

100 x=RESPR(10*1024): LBYTES flp1_Toolkit,x: CALL x
120 EXEC flp1_Program_obj

NOTE 1

If a task is running in memory (eg. with EXEC), when RESPR is used, the resident procedure space cannot be accessed and the error ‘Not Complete’ is reported. However, some Toolkits, SMS and Minerva rewrite the RESPR command so that it will access the common heap if the resident procedure space cannot be accessed.

NOTE 2

Normally, the function RESPR(0) will return the address of ramtop, this can actually be used to find out the size of memory attached to the QL:

PRINT RESPR(0)/1024-128.

However, this will not work on versions of the command which work when tasks are running in memory.

NOTE 3

On Minerva pre v1.96, adding machine code functions and procedures from within a SuperBASIC PROCedure or FuNction definition could cause problems after a CLEAR command.

WARNING

Several programs may try to use the same area of resident procedure space if absolute addresses are used.

CROSS-REFERENCE

Please also see ALCHP which allocates memory from the common heap, which can be accessed when tasks are running in memory. Also see RESERVE and GRAB which are similar to ALCHP. It is also worth looking at RESFAST.