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doc: improve primer
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@ -149,13 +149,31 @@ with the upper bound. Example:
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Will print numbers 0 to 41, separated by a space.
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# Variables
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# Memory access and HERE
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We can read and write to arbitrary memory address with @ and !
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(C@ and C! for bytes). For example, "1234 0x8000 !" writes the
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word 1234 to address 0x8000.
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word 1234 to address 0x8000. We call the @ and ! actions
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"fetch" and "store".
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The word "VARIABLE" link a name to an address. For example,
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There's a 3rd kind of memory-related action: "," (write). This
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action stores value on PS at where a special variable called
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"HERE" points to, and then advances HERE by 2 (there's also
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"C," for bytes).
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Note that the HERE word returns the address containing the
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pointer (it doesn't change). There's a shortcut word for
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"HERE @" named "H@", which is used much more often.
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HERE is initialized at the first writable address in RAM, often
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directly following the latest entry in the dictionary. Explain-
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ing the "culture of HERE" is beyond the scope of this primer,
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but know that it's a very important concept in Forth. For examp-
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le, new word definitions are written to HERE.
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# Variables
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The word "VARIABLE" links a name to an address. For example,
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"VARIABLE FOO" defines the word "FOO" and "reserves" 2 bytes of
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memory. Then, when FOO is executed, it pushes the address of the
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"reserved" area to PS.
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@ -163,6 +181,36 @@ memory. Then, when FOO is executed, it pushes the address of the
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For example, "1234 FOO !" writes 1234 to memory address reserved
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for FOO.
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Another way to create a variable is with the word CREATE, which
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creates a variable entry without reserving anything for it: it's
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your responsibility to reserve memory for it after you call it.
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It can be useful for arrays. For example, look at VARIABLE's
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definition:
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: VARIABLE CREATE 2 ALLOT ;
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# DOES>
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Calling DOES> makes the newly created entry into a special
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"does word" which behaves like a variable, that is, it pushes
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the address of the "reserved" space to PS, but with additional
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behavior attached to it.
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DOES> must be called in the context of a word definition and
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calling it stops the definition right there. Every word follow-
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ing the DOES> is our new entry's behavior. For example, let's
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look at CONSTANT's definition:
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: CONSTANT CREATE , DOES> @ ;
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A constant is created with "42 CONSTANT FOO" and FOO, instead
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of putting FOO's address on PS, puts 42 on it.
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You can see above that after we've created our FOO entry, we
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write it to HERE and then assign the behavior "@" to it, which
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means that it will transform the address currently on PS to its
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value.
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# IMMEDIATE
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We approach the end of our primer. So far, we've covered the
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