How to Make a Macintosh QuickBASIC Program Run Faster (33050)




This article was previously published under Q33050

SUMMARY

This article lists methods to make a QuickBASIC or BASIC program run faster. This information applies to Microsoft QuickBASIC Version 1.00, BASIC Compiler Version 1.00, and BASIC Interpreter Version 3.00 for the Apple Macintosh.

MORE INFORMATION

The following tips will increase the execution speed of programs:

  1. Use the DrawText routine instead of the PRINT statement. DrawText is faster than PRINT because it sends out a string of characters at a time instead of one character at a time. You will still need to use PRINT to start new lines. DrawText is faster to both a printer in graphics output and the screen.
  2. Using TEXTMODE 0 (COPY) can increase screen text display speed by up to 20 percent compared to other text modes.
  3. The SELECT CASE statement is faster than executing a series of IF statements. (However, please note that Version 3.00 of the BASIC Interpreter does not have a SELECT CASE statement.)
  4. In a compiled application, disable the Check Arrays & Overflow option after your program is debugged and tested.
  5. In a compiled application, disable Process Runtime Events if your program does not use features that depend on run-time events. Most applications can be rewritten to not use run-time events.
  6. In a compiled application, you may also enable the Ignore Breaks option. When this option is selected, COMMAND+PERIOD is only detected at a major Input/Output operation such as a disk access or INPUT statement.
Modification Type: Minor Last Reviewed: 1/8/2003
Keywords: KB33050
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