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Text File | 1987-06-03 | 14.8 KB | 337 lines

December 09, 1986 Q SCREEN UTILITIES TURBO-C Version 1.0 PURPOSE: Q screen utilities permit fast screen writes on IBM compatibles with MDA, CGA, and/or EGA adapters without "snow" or flicker effects and is compatible with ANY column format (e.g. 40/80 or variable). Written in Microsoft macro-assembler, these C functions are lightning fast. The code has also been condensed as much as possible without sacrificing speed - only 1.6k bytes of compiled code for all 20 functions! TEST DRIVE: Compile and run QDEMO10.C to get a feel for features and speed. IMPROVEMENTS: The original inline Turbo Pascal code was converted to C calling assembler functions using the rules.asi macro file supplied with TURBO-C. The assembler code has been revised to allow column formats of ANY size (e.g. 40,80, or variable) and allow global access to addresses and wait-for-retrace. This gives you the power to have multiple pages (4 on CGA and 8 on EGA) in memory that you already have. The filling and transfer procedures now work in block mode rather than line mode which is faster and much simpler with the use of Rows-by-Columns parameters. UTILITIES: In this version, WIND10S.LIB contains: qinit(): Initializing procedure required to be called before all Q utilities. Also has a function to check for EGA cards. Five Quick direct screen writing functions: qwritelv() - referenced (var) strings, specified length and index. qwritev() - referenced (var) strings qwrite() - value strings qwritec() - value strings, self-centering qwritecv() - referenced (VAR) strings, self- centering Four Quick direct screen filling procedures in Rows-by-Cols block functions: qfillc() - repetitive filling with the same character and self-centering qfill() - repetitive filling with the same character qattr() - repetitive filling with the same attribute only qattrc() - repetitive filling with the same attribute and self-centering Two Quick storing functions: qstore() - Saves a Rows-by-Cols block to memory. qrestore() - Restores a Rows-by-Cols block to any screen page. Two Quick direct screen changing functions: qpage() - Changes the page to be displayed - up to 8! qwritepage() - Sets the page on which the Q utilities are writing. You don't have to write just on the displayed page! Four Quick cursor functions: gotorc() - go to row/col any page changecursor() - changes shape and visibility of the cursor; saves old, too! wherex() -- returns current cursor column position wherey() -- returns cuurent cursor row position Miscellaneous functions: egacheck() -- returns 1 if ega monitor wiattr() -- returns attribute of fore/back color qbox() -- draws a box on screen PROGRAMMING: To use the functions, just simply include <WINDPROT.H> in any of your application rograms. <W1.h> must be included first. Only one initializing statement is necessary qinit() before the Q utilities are used (not required for cursor.inc): Qinit(); This procedure automatically configures the procedures to your machine and also makes it portable to others. MODULES: The coding has been reduced by making the display loops into an assembler subroutine and programming the functions to access it. via a CALL address. One such subroutine is present for QFILL, and QWRITE . PARAMETERS: row/col - The functions do not check for bounds on the screen, so be sure to stay in range. The functions were designed for the upper left column on the screen to be 1,1. They also wrap to the next line; they do not truncate at EOL. You of course can have something like Row:=1 and Col:=255 which is equivalent to row=3 and col=15 on a screen with 80 columns. coll/colr - In qwritec, qwritecv, qfillc, and qattrc, the left and right columns are simply averaged. To center on the full width of an 80 column display, set coll:=1 and colr:=80. To center on a certain column number, set both values equal to that column number. rows/cols - They can be any positive integer to define the block - Rows-by-Columns starting at row, col. Values <=0 will simply abort the function. Please keep cols limited to one row. attr - The attributes range from 0 to 255. Values greater than 255 will be operated by modulo 256 to stay useful. Negative values suppress any changes to the screen attributes and use what's currently on the screen. For help with attribute values, use Brian Foley's FWATTR.INC on Borland's Programming Forum on CompuServe in Turbo Pascal Data Library for MSDOS. length - In qwritelv, you can write partial strings by specifying the Length and starting index (St[i]). All other qwrite procedures assume the string to be null terminated. Length can be any positive integer. st - The original type was set for string length of 80 characters which my be changed to any value between 1 and 255. Be sure to change all type statements to reflect it though! source/dest - For qstore/restore this can be a pointer for the heap or an array variable. Be sure there is sufficient room. Storage requirements are: (rows * cols << 1) which is two bytes for every column (one for character one for attribute): EXAMPLES: char store_array[4000]; --OR-- char *store_array; store_array = (char *)malloc(((rows * cols) << 1)*(sizeof(char))); qstore (row,col,rows,cols,store_array); qrestore (row,col,rows,cols,store_array); page - The page range depends upon your adapter as follows: MDA - On Monochrome cards, there is only page 0. CGA - Page 0 to 3 in modes 2 and 3 (80 column), page 0 to 7 in modes 0 and 1 (40 column). EGA - Page 0 to 7 in any mode (as I understand it). foreground/background -- can be any of the colors listed in COLOR.H btype -- can be any border type defined in (w1.h) BORDERS. PAGING: If you have a CGA or better, you already have memory on your card for more than the 80x25 display you normally see. The two page procedures allow you to use Q screen utilities on these other pages and display which ever you choose. However, Turbo-C's functions such as printf,fprintf,puts,putch are dedicated to page 0 only. I have included gotorc as one utility that works on all pages. Be sure to end your programs with "qpage (0);". SPEED: How fast is fast? Well, I thought it would be good idea to have some criteria to get a feeling for speed. The units I decided to use for comparison are "screens/second". To make one screen, a utility is repeated with a FOR loop to fill several 80x25 pages and timed. qwriteXX use 80 character strings, and qattr and qfill use rows=25 and Cols=80. At the moment, all I have are ratings on my own computer (IBM XT -- NEC-V20, HERCULES CARD). Other processors will be proportional. Monochrome (MDA) speeds are identical to EGA speeds. ------------------ S C R E E N S / S E C O N D ------------------ Chng -- 80286 -- -- 8086 --- -- 8088 --- Procedure Attr EGA CGA EGA CGA EGA CGA --------- ---- ----------- ----------- ------------ qwritelv Yes 35.5 0.0 No 44.8 0.0 qwritev Yes 7.1 0.0 No 7.4 0.0 qwrite Yes 7.1 0.0 No 21.3 0.0 qwritec Yes 18.8 0.0 No 7.4 0.0 qwritecv Yes 7.1 0.0 No 21.1 0.0 qfillc Yes 100.4 0.0 No 80.9 0.0 qfill Yes 100.4 0.0 No 83.2 0.0 qattr Yes 83.2 0.0 qattrc Yes 83.2 0.0 qstore N/A 9.8 0.0 qrestore N/A 69.4 0.0 waitscreens= 0 (*COLOR SPECIFIC) nowaitscreens= 160 HOW IT WAS ASSEMBLED: Microsoft Macro-Assembler 4.0 and user.asi macro files set up to simulate C calling protocol in TURBO-C. User.asi is supplied on the TURBO-C disks. I plan to comment the assembler source code and release it at a later date, so other users can see how to use macros and call assembler functions. TEAMWARE: With the release of this utility, I hope to introduce the concept of Teamware. These utilities are FREE, so don't worry. Many pro- grammers have done some superior individual efforts and have benefited many. But the problem is just that - they are individual efforts that as packages are not compatible with other individual efforts. And many of the programs are released as copyrighted so that others cannot use them in certain contexts. It seems that if users have other expertise and discover ways to combine each others utilities, the benefits can improve greatly. This is what these utilities have done. As Teamware, users CAN and are encouraged to: 1. Use the utilities to enhance their programs and applications in both private and commercial contexts. 2. Combine, create, and edit other utilities and re-release them as Teamware by permission of the previous author(s)/editor(s). 3. Enhance shareware programs provided they are applications that in no way represent or advertise the power of the utilities themselves, but shall credit the use of Teamware. 4. Ask about questionable use of the utility. As Teamware, users CANNOT: 1. Distribute the utilities for profit. 2. Combine, create, and edit other utilities and re-release them as Shareware or for any profit as enhanced utilities. LIABILITY: No liabilities are assumed if the user misuses these utilities. CREDITS: Without the assistance and original ideas from Brian Foley [76317,3247], these routines would not have been written. In addition. Copyright (c) 1987 by Michael G. Mlachak (TURBO C) Copyright (c) 1986 by Jim LeMay (TURBO PASCAL) These procedures may be used and distributed without profit in private contexts. I must be contacted for any other use. If there are any problems such as snow, please let me know. ----------------------------------------------------------------- T U R B O --- C Mike Mlachak[76327,1410] (1-219-397-8952 after 6:00 PM CST) 4318 Stewart Court, East Chicago, IN. 46312 ----------------------------------------------------------------- T U R B O -- P A S C A L Jim LeMay [76011,217] (1-817-735-4833 after 1800 CST ) 6341 Klamath Rd., Ft. Worth, TX, 76116. ---------------------------------------------------------------- APPENDIX: Quick Reference List of all functions and parameters: Prototypes in (windprot.h). Type definitions in (w1.h). ** void qinit(void); returns in global variables: maxpage: maximum number of video pages qwait : if 1 wait for retrace qseg : base address of screen memory page0seg: base address for screen 0 cardwait: same as qwait void qwritelv (int row, col, attr,length; st str80); void qwritev (int row, Col, attr; st str80); void qwrite (int row, col, attr; st str80); void qwriteC (int row, coll, colr, attr; st str80); void qwritecv (int row, coll, colr, attr; st str80); void qfillc (int row, coll, colr, rows, cols, attr; char ch); void qfill (int row, col, rows, cols, attr; char ch); void qattr (int row, col, rows, cols, attr); void qattrC (int row, coll, colr, rows, cols, attr); void qstore (row, col, rows, cols; char *dest); void qrestore (row, col, rows, cols; char *source); void qpage (int page); void qwritepage (int byte); void gotorc (int row, col); int cursorchange (int new); ** RETURNS: old cursor value int wherex(void); int wherey(void); int egacheck(void) -- returns 1 if ega monitor,0 otherwise int wiattr(int foreground,background) -- returns attribute of fore/back color void qbox(int row, col, row, cols, attr, type) REVISIONS: Version 1.0 (6-1-87): . Initial Routines . Released under teamware concept