Easy Script (Commodore 64) quick reference
Easy Script is a word processor for the Commodore 64 that was apparently fairly popular. As a modern computer user, I found it fairly difficult to use. The only comprehensive documentation I could find was the original manual (on The Internet Archive).
Annoyingly, I couldn't find any sort of useful "quick reference" for Easy Script. Humorously, there is an official Easy Script Quick Reference Card, but it omits salient details, such as how to save documents. So I made my own documentation.
The rest of this document includes quick reference for Easy Script on the Commodore 64 (also available as a gist). Note: this is not a tutorial; see the original manual for a tutorial.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+W | Move to next word |
| Ctrl+← | Move to previous word |
F1 commands
| Key | Descriptions |
|---|---|
| F | Save (F2 to scan within document for filename in quotes) |
| L | Load |
| O | Output (see Printing) |
| I | Insert mode (instead of the annoying default "overwrite" mode) |
| E | Erase (S for sentence, P for paragraph, R for rest, A for all) |
| Space bar | Go to next screen |
| Shift+space bar | Go to previous screen |
| G | "Go" |
| S | Search |
| R | Select a range of text (Enter to copy/commit) -- then one of the next two |
| X | Move (cut+paste) |
| A | Copy |
[ |
Start underline (close to stop) |
( |
Start bold (close to stop) |
- |
"Soft" hyphen |
| ` | Superscript (single character) |
, |
Subscript (single character) |
| Run/stop | Reset |
Format instructions (F3)
Press F3 to get a color-inverted asterisk, indicating a line that won't be part of the document content. Note that the first comment with a filename in quotes specifies the desired file name of the document (See F1, O, F2 above).
| Syntax | Description |
|---|---|
nb |
Comment |
lm#:rm#: |
Set left margin to # columns, and right margin similarly (set to 1 and 40 for proofreading in "video" mode on the screen) |
sp1 or sp2 |
For extra line spacing |
ju1 |
Turn on justification, ju0 to turn off |
cn1 |
Turn on centering, cn0 to turn off |
ps |
Pause (while printing) |
Printing
F1, O; then V for video/display and P for printer.
- Precede V/P with C for continuous printing
- Toggle continuous printing with Shift+P
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| C | Continue to next page |
| V | Preview next page/switch to video output |
| P | Switch to print output |
| Run/stop | Stop printing/previewing |
Files
Assuming drive #8, hit F4, and then:
+8Load directory, then F1, L, F2 to list first file, F2 again for next file, etc.
Notes
- Default to 80 columns wide for printing
- Default to 66 lines of text per page
- Preview with F1, O, V -- then run/stop to end preview, cursor keys to move left/right, and Commodore key to scroll
- F5 for caps lock