Matrix Screen saver released

I came across a YouTube video on writing a Matrix screensaver and so have converted it to RISC OS.

Download it here.

It’s written in BASIC and makes use of ZapRedraw 0.40.

I’ve not been able to find any previous Matrix screensaver on RISC OS, so we can now enjoy the Matrix rain whilst we wait for the next film to come out.

Enjoy!

Doesn’t work for me (RO 5.28 19-Oct-20). My screensavers are in $.!Boot.RO500Hook.Res.Configure.ScrSavers. If I click on Screen in the Configuration page Matrix shows up in the scrolling choice box against Type, but clicking Try brings up the message

Filing system SDFS: must be given a file name

Any suggestions?

It means that the ZapRedraw module hasn’t been loaded or seen by your system and so the variable Zap$Redraw has not been set. The error is from the RMEnsure in the !Run file.
ZapRedraw comes as part of the !ZapFonts, which for me is in !Boot.Resources.
It’s not a very good message, but that was how Zap said to test for it, but in the !Run file if you change:
RMensure ZapRedraw 0.40 RMload <Zap$Redraw>
to:
RMensure ZapRedraw 0.40 If "<Zap$Redraw>" <> "" Then RMload <Zap$Redraw>
then that should give the more meaningful error message on the next line, and I’ll upload a new zip.
Then you just need to find the ZapRedraw module and make sure it’s seen and/or loaded at Bootup.

Thanks. OK, done that. When I click Try the screen darkens and then I get the error message

Internal error abort on data transfer at &2D42A2F0 at line 109

It works just fine here on the Titanium and RPi400 in strict mode with ZapRedraw 0.50 as can be found in Zap Ultimate from the PlingStore. (Line 109 is a call to ZapRedraw.) IIRC earlier version of the module might have has this issue.

Thanks for that. I have removed all my ancient Zap bits and pieces and installed Zap Ultimate. All working now.

I was using 0.49 on my RPi3 with strict mode on, but I’ve updated the !Run to check for 0.50 and put some info in the Help to point folk to PlingStore for Zap Ultimate. Thanks.

Loading the ZapRedraw module alone wasn’t enough on my setup (RO 5.29 on Pi4), I also had to run !ZapFonts before the matrix rain started dropping. A bit of a pity, since these zap resources reside on another disk that isn’t always available. And I am a bit reluctant to copying all those bytes to my Pi, just for running the screensaver (which is beautiful, by the way).

Thanks, glad you enjoy it.
Whilst I’m not using any of the Zap fonts, ZapRedraw needs the Messages file in there so you could copy the text out of !ZapFonts.Resources.UK.Messages and paste them into !Matrix.Messages, and then in the Run file, before checking for the ZapRedraw module, add the line:
If "<ZapFontsMessages$Path>" = "" Then Set ZapFontsMessages$Path <Obey$Dir>.
to save you copying all the rest over.

[…] you could copy the text out of !ZapFonts.Resources.UK.Messages and paste them into !Matrix.Messages, […]

I can’t get it to work. Doing exactly what you prescribed, the screen saver still persists in complaining that the filesystem SDFS must be given a file name. Only when I run !ZapFonts on the remote disk, the screen saver starts working.

I can’t get it to work.

The variable needs to be set before loading the module. That works here.

Found it!
Set ZapFont*s*Messages$Path <Obey$Dir>.
The ‘s’ was missing.

Oops, sorry about that.
I’ve edited my previous message to correct that. Thanks.