PILOT is an interactive educational programming language inspired by the classic Atari/PLATO system. PBXB64 supports standalone .pil files and inline #PCODE blocks in BASIC programs.
Core Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
T: | Type (print) text to output |
A: | Accept (read) input from user into $answer |
M: | Match input against pattern, sets match variables |
Y: | Yes - execute next line if match succeeded |
N: | No - execute next line if match failed |
C: | Compute (assign variable or expression) |
J: | Jump to labeled line |
U: | Use (call subroutine at label) |
E: | End (return from subroutine or terminate program) |
R: | Remark (comment line, ignored by interpreter) |
S: | Sound (generate system beep) |
D: | Dimension (declare array/table) |
Standalone .pil Example
T: Welcome to PILOT! A: What is your name? T: Hello, $answer! Nice to meet you. C: age = 10 + 5 T: In five years you will be $age. E:
Embedded #PCODE Block
#COMPILE EXE "program.exe"
#DIM ALL
FUNCTION PBMAIN() AS LONG
#PCODE
T: Interactive Quiz Mode
A: What is 2 + 3?
M: 5
Y: Correct! Well done.
N: Try again next time.
E:
#ENDP
FUNCTION = 0
END FUNCTION
Match Variables (Auto-Set by M:)
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
$answer | Last accepted input string |
$match | The portion of $answer that matched the pattern |
$left | Text before the match in $answer |
$right | Text after the match in $answer |
#pos | Starting position of match (0-based) |
Educational Use: PILOT is ideal for teaching conditional logic, string matching, and interactive program flow. Combine with BASIC for hybrid educational tools.