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Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ************************************************** * * * QBNews * * * * International QuickBASIC Electronic * * Newsleter * * * * Dedicated to promoting QuickBASIC around * * the world * * * ************************************************** The QBNews is an electronic newsletter published by Clearware Computing. It can be freely distributed providing NO CHARGE is charged for distribution. The QBNews is copyrighted in full by Clearware Computing. The authors hold the copyright to their individual articles. All program code appearing in QBNews is released into the public domain. You may do what you wish with the code except copyright it. QBNews must be distributed whole and unmodified. You can write The QBNews at: The QBNews P.O. Box 507 Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Copyright (c) 1991 by Clearware Computing. The QBNews Page i Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. From the Editor's Desk Happy Birthday To Us ......................................... 1 2. Beginners Corner How I Came To Know And Love ANSI.SYS by Charles Graham ....... 2 Intellectual Property Protection by David Postler ............ 9 3. Swap Shop Getting and Setting Bits by Richard Randles .................. 17 Reversing Color Attributes by Rick Cooper .................... 18 Detecting DesqView from QB by Monte Ferguson ................. 19 Getting and Setting File Attributes by Rick Cooper ........... 20 Everything You Want To Know About A Program by Keith Rolland . 22 Playing Around With Random Numbers by James Young ............ 24 4. Grapically Speaking Reading Print Shop Graphics in QuickBASIC by Michael Welch ... 25 5. Power Programming Creating Smaller QB Executables by T. G. Muench ............. 28 6. New and Noteworthy PDQComm 2.5 from Crescent Software ........................... 33 7. Some Assembly Required Setting Error Levels with QuickBASIC by Dave Cleary .......... 34 8. Psst ... Looking For A Library? An Introduction to QuickSHARE by Michael Welch ............... 37 9. EOF Receiving The QBNews ......................................... 40 Submitting Articles to The QBNews ............................ 41 Volume One Cumulative Index .................................. 42 The QBNews Page ii Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- F r o m t h e E d i t o r ' s D e s k ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The QBNews Turns Two ! ! ! Welcome to the first installment of Volume 2 of The QBNews. As the QBNews goes into its second year, I would like to thank everybody who has contributed to make Volume 1 as good as it was. Now comes the bad news. As good as the QBNews has been, I've been working to make it better. I have wanted to be able to offer authors some cash for their work. This would result in much better articles. I wanted to do this by selling advertising to companies who sell QuickBASIC related products. Unfortunately, because the QBNews is a different kind of magazine in as far as distribution goes, I have no way to gauge readership. I know and you know that the QBNews has many readers all over the world. The companies I approached about advertising don't know and don't consider The QBNews seriously when it comes to spending advertising dollars. I urge all of you out there to help out. If you see a product or company mentioned in the QBNews and you purchase it, let them know where you heard about it. The only alternative if I can't raise money from advertisers is to raise money from readers. Come the November issue, I will have to decide on the fate of Volume 3. One final note. There is a bug in QBFormat from the last QBNews. In the SUB InitFormatParms under the SELECT CASE media, it should read: CASE DX9 Info.Ts = 1440 It previously read 720. Also, QBFormat contains an unimplemented feature that will allow booting from hard drive C: with a QBFormated floppy in drive A:. Line 103, column 19 is &H50. Changing &H50 to &H80 will turn that feature on. Enjoy your QBNews! Dave Cleary - Editor The QBNews Page 1 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- B e g i n n e r s C o r n e r ---------------------------------------------------------------------- How I Came To Know And Love ANSI.SYS by Charles Graham One morning close to a year ago, I woke up and was troubled about the future of QuickBASIC. It's a language I know and love and teach, but I kept coming back to a central question. If QB is so great, where are the application programs written in QB? At the time, I didn't know of any. (I have since learned that there *are* a few such critters. But I didn't know that then.) So I decided I would try to write such a program. I considered many possibilities. What I really wanted was something that could be distributed nationally, would be of general interest, and would be noticed by devotees of C, Pascal and Assembly. The idea wasn't intended to show the superiority of QB, it was just to stand on an equal footing. Being the fan of Bulletin Boards that I am, I finally decided that writing a full-featured communications (or terminal) program would be just the ticket. There was only one small remaining problem: I didn't know anything about communications. I was at the bottom of a very steep learning curve. But that morning I set out to write -- and eventually *did* write -- Quick Dial. Talk about Trial And Error! One of the first things I discovered is that there are few -- if any -- useful written resources for writing *modern* communications software. What do you do about the animation and color that's the staple of modern BBSs? Nobody says much about that. Oh sure. There's the example in the back of the GWBASIC manual you get with DOS. There's TERMINAL.BAS that comes with QB. There's the fine print in the Appendices at the back of your modem manual. And I *did* locate a text file on file transfer protocols. But put it all together and it's still not worth six bits. It's pretty skimpy and pretty lame. For the purpose of writing Quick Dial, I decided that I would have to write my own ANSI emulation subprograms. And after a lot of pain and heartache, I eventually did. But that's not where I started a year ago. I started by utilizing plain, old, vanilla-flavored, everybody's-friend, comes-for-free- with-DOS, ANSI.SYS. Using ANSI.SYS is what Z.BAS is all about. WHY USE ANSI.SYS? There are three very good reasons. * ANSI.SYS is a relatively efficient way to handle screen writes. * Using ANSI.SYS is a *lot* easier than writing ANSI emulation routines. * Even if you're tempted to write your own ANSI emulation routines,using ANSI.SYS is a good way to get familiar with what The QBNews Page 2 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ANSI does and how it does it, before you start writing your own routines. ARE THERE ANY DISADVANTAGES TO USING ANSI.SYS? There are only two that I know of. * The statements required to use ANSI.SYS are slightly longer and more complex than the equivalent statements would be without using ANSI.SYS. * You will, effectively, not be able to keep a "command line" visible on the screen at all times. This is a popular, but unnecessary, convention in many commercial communications packages. WHAT IS ANSI.SYS? ANSI.SYS is many things. But for purposes of communications software, you can think of ANSI.SYS as a standardized set of instructions that does four things * clears all or part of the screen * locates the cursor * changes the foreground and background colors * performs all screen writes ANSI.SYS performs its wonders by interpreting special sequences of characters that it receives through the modem from a Bulletin Board. These sequences are referred to as ANSI sequences or ESCape sequences. Each ANSI sequence begins with an ESCape character which I will refer to as <ESC>. <ESC> is ASCII character 27 which QD knows as CHR$(27). <ESC> is always followed by a left bracket. Then none, one or multiple sequences of digits may be received. If multiple sequences of digits are received, they are separated by semi-colons. Finally, each ANSI sequence terminates with an UPPER or lower case letter that indicates which ANSI command you need to perform. WHAT ARE THE ANSI.SYS COMMANDS? For communications purposes, there are 13 ANSI commands indicated by the terminal letters H A B C D R n f s u J K m [Note. CaSe Is ImPoRtAnT. "A" does not equal "a".] Here's the syntax and what each of these commands means. The QBNews Page 3 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 <ESC>[row;colH -- The Cursor Position command moves the cursor to the position specified by the parameters row and col. The default for each parameter is 1. No parameters homes the cursor. <ESC>[#A -- The Cursor Up command moves the cursor up the number of lines specified by the parameter #. The default value is 1. Cursor Up is ignored if the cursor is already on the top row. <ESC>[#B -- The Cursor Down command moves the cursor down the number of lines specified by the parameter #. The default value is 1. Cursor Down is ignored if the cursor is already on the bottom row. <ESC>[#C -- The Cursor Right command moves the cursor right the number of columns specified by the parameter #. The default value is 1. Cursor Right is ignored if the cursor is already in the far right column. <ESC>[#D -- The Cursor Left command moves the cursor left the number of columns specified by the parameter #. The default value is 1. Cursor Left is ignored if the cursor is already if the far left column. <ESC>[row;colR -- A Cursor Position Report is generated by the Device Status Report command, below. The parameter row contains the cursor's current line number; col contains the cursor's current column. <ESC>[6n -- The Device Status Report command triggers a Cursor Position Report, above, being generated. <ESC>[row;colf -- The Horizontal and Vertical Position command works exactly like the Cursor Position command, above. <ESC>[s -- The Save Cursor Position command stores the cursor's current row and column. This is used in conjunction with the Restore Cursor Position command, below. <ESC>[u -- The Restore Cursor Position command restores the cursor's position to the location stored by the Save Cursor Position command, above. <ESC>[2J -- The Erase Display command clears the screen and homes the cursor. <ESC>[K -- The Erase Line command clears from the current cursor position to the end of the line. <ESC>[#;...;#m -- The Set Graphics Rendition command changes screen colors according to any valid # parameters. The following schedule lists allowable values for the # parameters and the meaning of each. 0 all attributes off 1 bold (or bright) on 4 underscore on (monochrome screens only) The QBNews Page 4 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 5 blink on 7 reverse video on 8 concealed on 30 black foreground 31 red foreground 32 green foreground 33 yellow foreground 34 blue foreground 35 magenta foreground 36 cyan foreground 37 white foreground 40 black background 41 red background 42 green background 43 yellow background 44 blue background 45 magenta background 46 cyan background 47 white background INSTALLING ANSI.SYS You need to make sure that the ANSI.SYS driver appears in your CONFIG.SYS file and that your system knows where to find the file, ANSI.SYS. There should be a statement in your CONFIG.SYS file that says something like DEVICE=[d:][path]ANSI.SYS where "d:" is an optional drive name and "path" is an optional directory name (and subdirectory name, if applicable) where the file, ANSI.SYS is located. For example, if ANSI.SYS was on the C: drive in a directory called DOS, the line in your CONFIG.SYS file should read DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS [Note. Some systems only require a space instead of an equals ("=") sign. Consult your DOS manual.] That's all there is to it. By the way, if you are just entering this line in CONFIG.SYS for the first time, you will have to reboot your system before ANSI.SYS is actually installed. Thereafter, ANSI.SYS will be installed automatically each time you boot up. ACCESSING ANSI.SYS IN A COMMUNICATIONS (TERMINAL) PROGRAM You need to open the "console" as a file. Opening the "console" gives you access to the ANSI.SYS device driver that you've installed in your CONFIG.SYS file. Opening the "console" is easy to do in The QBNews Page 5 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 QuickBASIC. Just enter a statement like OPEN "CON" FOR OUTPUT AS filenum where filenum is the file number you want to write to. For example, if you want to open the "console" as file number 2, you'd enter OPEN "CON" FOR OUTPUT AS 2 Thereafter, everything you write to file number 2 will be handled by ANSI.SYS and *not* QuickBASIC. USING ANSI.SYS IN A COMMUNICATIONS (TERMINAL) PROGRAM An important hint about using ANSI.SYS is to use it exclusively, or don't use it at all. I.E., ANSI.SYS and QuickBASIC don't talk to each other very much -- one doesn't know what the other's doing. If you want to use ANSI.SYS to take care of your screen functions then you should *not* use statements like: LOCATE PRINT CLS COLOR Instead, use the equivalent ANSI commands and send them through ANSI.SYS by entering PRINT #filenum, ANSIcommand; where "filenum" is the file number that you opened the "console" under and "ANSIcommand" is the specific ANSI command you want to perform including any necessary parameters. Another hint is to store some of the common ANSI characters and commands in SHARED string variables. This makes programming a little easier and execution speed a little faster. In Z.BAS, I did this in four cases. DIM SHARED ao$, cs$, es$, hc$ es$ = CHR$(27) 'this is the <ESC> character ao$ = es$ + "[0m" 'this turns all screen attributes off cs$ = es$ + "[2J" 'this clears the screen and homes the cursor hc$ = es$ + "[f" 'this homes the cursor "SHARED" means you can use these shortcuts in all subprograms without having to define them in each one. SOME PROGRAMMING EXAMPLES For these examples, let's assume you have opened the "console" as The QBNews Page 6 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 file number 2. Suppose you want to change the screen colors to bright cyan on a black background before printing some text. You *could* use the QuickBASIC statement COLOR 11, 0 But don't! Do it the ANSI.SYS way. The statement you need is PRINT #2, es$ + "[0;1;36;40m"; where 0 turns all attributes off 1 turns the "bold" or "bright" attribute on 36 specifies a cyan foreground 40 specifies a black background m specifies the Set Graphics Rendition command Suppose you want to clear the screen and home the cursor. You *could* use the QuickBASIC statement CLS But don't! The statement you need is PRINT #2, cs$; Or suppose you're editing a field and want to emulate the action of a destructive backspace. You *could* use the QuickBASIC code LOCATE , POS(0) - 1 PRINT " "; LOCATE , POS(0) - 1 But don't! The code you need is PRINT #2, es$ + "[1D"; PRINT #2, " "; PRINT #2, es$ + "[1D"; WHAT IF I NEED MORE INFORMATION? I hope you'll be able to see how to use ANSI.SYS when you review the source code for Z.BAS. Many of the ANSI commands are used. By running, or compiling and running, Z.BAS you'll be able to compare the code to the action. But if questions do arise, I'll be happy to *try* to answer them. The best place to leave questions for me is in the National QuickBASIC Conference. If you do not belong to a BBS that carries same, I would strongly suggest that you ask around to find a local Board that *does*. It's loaded with folks who know *lots* of stuff The QBNews Page 7 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 about QuickBASIC and who are willing to talk to you! ********************************************************************** Charles Graham is a division head for a local government agency in St. Louis County, Missouri. He also teaches QuickBASIC part time at a local community college. He is the author of several shareware products including MOVIES . ON . LINE and Quick Dial. He can be contacted at Post Office Box 58634, St. Louis, MO 63158, and on the National QuickBASIC Conference. ********************************************************************** The QBNews Page 8 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 Staking a Claim. Intellectual Property Protection for Software. By David Postler Well, you have finally done it. Your program works flawlessly, the code is a wonder to behold and is the kind of program that no computer owner can be without. But... How do you protect yourself from being ripped off?? This article will give a very basic introduction to intellectual property protection. *****DISCLAIMERS***** First let's get a few things out of the way. I AM NOT A LAWYER! Any specific questions should be referred to an attorney skilled in copyright/Patent and other intellectual property laws.Second, intellectual property law varies from area to area. This article will cover general U.S. law on the subject. This will vary from country to country and even from state to state. Third, my experience comes from many years in engineering jobs and also from my free lance writing experience. I've found that knowing the law makes it harder to rip you off. Intellectual property law has a history that dates from a law called the Statue of Anne in 1710 by the English Parliament. It was the first copyright law granting authors the right to control publication of their work. In addition, kings used to grant Letters of Patent to allow inventors or others to profit from their work. Intellectual property law was also important to the founding fathers. Remember, Jefferson and Franklin among others both had scientific and literary reputations in addition to their political skills. In the constitution of the United States Article 1 section 8 states: "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited time to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discovery." Trademark protection came along in the late 1800's. Trade secret protection relies on contract law and also came along in the late 1800's or early 1900's. For those in the international arena, many treaties have been negotiated regarding intellectual property laws. The laws have been updated as the times change. The last major revision of the copyright act was in 1978 with minor changes in 1980. Patent law has also been updated to reflect the changing times. It should be clear from all this that intellectual property is regarded as property and can be protected. It should also be clear that such protection is for a limited time only. Any person thinking otherwise should read some of the books and magazine articles listed at the end of this article. Another major consideration for all intellectual property law is, who owns the work. There are several things to watch out for. First is public domain work. This is work that either the Copyright/Patent has expired or has not been protected. Older work such as Shakespeare is Public domain. Other works that are not protected include most government works and other works that the authors simply do not care to protect them. One thing to remember is that Shareware or Freeware The QBNews Page 9 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 is NOT THE SAME AS PUBLIC DOMAIN!!! If you remember anything from this article remember that. The next thing is the problem of work for hire. This varies greatly from state to state, but in general, if you do work for your employer within the scope of your employment, then the work belongs to your employer. An example is if you are a database programmer and program a database at work, it belongs to your employer. If you do it at home, it may belong to your employer and it may not. This varies from state to state. On the other hand if your job title is "Assistant Night Custodial Engineer III", (Janitor), any programming that you do outside of work does not belong to your employer. What if you are an outside contractor? There was a very involved case recently (Reid vs Community for Creative Non Violence) that settled some of the law as it regards to that area. To save trouble, you should make sure that those matters are settled in the contract. If you are a regular employee, it helps to have a policy on this stated up front rather than fighting it out in the courts. For the sake of argument, we will assume that your work does not fit in any of these categories meaning it is yours and you can legally protect it. The first protection you will run across is Copyright. This is quite literally the right to make copies. It can protect your computer program and possibly the screens or other visual or audio aspects of your program. In most cases, this is the only protection you will have available for a computer program should be all you need. Copyright protection is automatic. As soon as your work is fixed in a tangible form of expression, a copyright exists. In other words, when your program is saved to disk you have a copyright. So why do you have to register? First, it proves your authorship from the date the software is received by the copyright office. Second, you can obtain statutory damages from any person who steals your code. More about that later. A very common myth is that you should seal your work in an envelope and send it to yourself. According to the copyright office, this has never held up in court. One reason it might not is, how can you prove that the envelope has not been altered over the years? If any other person could prove that it is possible that you could have altered the contents of the envelope then it could be considered "tainted" and not be allowed as evidence in a court. Registered mail might be better but, best of all, register your work. A copyright certificate is Prima Face evidence of your work. To register, call the Copyright office to get the appropriate forms and information. The numbers are listed at the end of this article. Basically, you must send in a copy of your program source code. If you wish to copyright the screens then you must send descriptions, pictures or videotapes to the copyright office in addition to your source code. There are special exemptions to disclosure requirements if you wish to keep your program secret. You may block out or not send in certain portions of the program. Contact the copyright office and ask for circular R61 for details. The QBNews Page 10 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 What protection does a copyright give you? The right to make copies, with some exceptions. First, any owner of a computer program may make an archival copies, but may not distribute them. Second, the owner may alter the program if necessary for use on a particular computer. Bear in mind that these two items may be constrained by the license agreement. Third is the fair use doctrine. This is a bit nebulous but if the use of a program is for instructional purposes and DOES NOT HARM the rights of a copyright holder, it is allowable. For example, say that an English teacher may see your instructions for installing your game and consider them a model of clarity (or disaster of the first rate) and desire to show portions of the manuals to their class as an example. That probably would be allowable. On the other hand, if a Computer Science department decided to make multiple copies of your program instead of buying them, this probably would be considered infringement. There are some other instances where copying is permitted, but in mast cases, they are for non commercial use only. If they are commercial (for example jukeboxes) they usually include mandatory royalties. The second right given is the right to prepare derivative works. This means that the copyright owner must be consulted to prepare new versions of a program. This may even include translation to other computer languages. This means that you may not rewrite someone's program, EVEN IF YOU IMPROVE IT, and then claim it as your own. The protection lasts for the life of the author PLUS 50 years. If there are joint authors, the term is until 50 years after the death of the last surviving author. For works for hire, the term is 100 years after creation or 75 years after publication, whichever comes first. At first glance, copyright protection would be all you need. So why do we have other types of protection in addition to copyright? Well, Copyright protection does have some limitations. First, it protects only the expression of the idea not the idea itself. If someone else comes up with another way to do the same idea, then you have no right to compensation from them. With some precautions, you can legally reverse engineer a copyright. However, talk to an attorney first. Also, copyright must be an original and non obvious way of doing something. For example, you can't copyright the Print Screen key on an IBM keyboard as part of your program. Another question concerns "look and feel" and the Lotus decision. My research (I read the entire opinion) indicates that there really is not much to fear. What the judge said, in essence, is that you cannot deliberately copy another programmer's work down to the last keystroke and hide behind copyright law. He specifically rejected look and feel on its own as a legitimate test for infringement. The judge went to great pains to point out that there was more than one way that a spreadsheet could be programmed and cited Excel as an example. Furthermore, it was admitted by VP software that they changed VP Planner to duplicate 1-2-3 down to the last keystroke. According to the judge that was one step too far. How do you enforce your copyright? Send Sgt. Joe "We take copyright law seriously in this town mister!" Friday over to bust The QBNews Page 11 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 them. Sorry folks it doesn't work that way. In almost all cases copyright infringement is considered a civil matter. This means that you must prove that the person actually copied your work. There are two general parts to this. First, there must be at least one valid copyright notice in the work in plain view. Another idea from the book "The Legal Guide to Computer Software Protection" is to include some nonsense code in your work. For example: AHCTOG$ = "RELTSOP DIVAD YB 1991 THGIRYPOC" Does not seem like much but by reversing the strings you get: GOTCHA$ = "COPYRIGHT 1991 BY DAVID POSTLER" If something like this were found in an offender's code, your next step would be to prove how much money the "creep" should pay you. Bear in mind that if you registered your code within the first three months of publication, you would be entitled to $100/copy Statutory damages plus Attorneys fees and court costs. Whether or not you registered your work, you can always get an injunction stopping the infringer from using your work and if you can prove that losses resulted from infringement, you can recover damages. Be creative in the nonsense code department. Do nothing loops or GOTO statements for the next line can also be used. Another idea used by several people on the Fidonet Quick Basic conference is to check your copyright notice for alteration using a checksum or CRC. This is also a good idea. Patent protection is another form of protection for your program. Patent protection offers protection for your IDEA for 17 years. However, a patent is much more expensive and harder to obtain than a copyright. A patent is for a useful original and non obvious process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter. Relating to programs, patents will apply to algorithms or other parts of your program. You cannot patent a program itself. If you can get it, the patent provides some of the most airtight protection available. You have exclusive rights to your idea for 17 years. You cannot reverse engineer a patent as you can a copyright. However, you can invent something similar that does not infringe on the patent. This protection comes at a price. You must provide FULL disclosure so that anyone skilled in the art may recreate your invention. To apply for a patent on software, you should seek the advice of a Patent Attorney or Agent. A Patent Attorney is a lawyer who has additional technical skills and passed a special examination to be admitted to practice before the Patent Office. A Patent agent is a skilled professional such as an engineer who has also passed an examination and is also permitted to practice before the Patent Office. Software patents are a very new field and the Patent office will be inclined to deny your patent. You will need a skilled person to explain what to patent and how to draw up your patent for maximum protection. Also be prepared to spend some serious money, usually several thousand dollars. It is impossible to give an exact dollar amount but it is worthwhile to mention that the inventor who recently obtained the patent on microprocessor chip design took 20 YEARS AND 2 LAWSUITS to get his The QBNews Page 12 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 patent application approved. Another concern is that after 17 years, you have no protection. Anyone can use an expired patent without paying you compensation. Like a copyright, patent law is generally enforced as a civil matter. You must show that the person used your idea and infringed on a claim in your patent. Another popular defense is to claim that your patent is not valid. It can and has worked so be careful. This is where a patent attorney or agent is invaluable. If you have a business, you may develop a trademark. This is a distinctive word or mark used to identify your business. The most common example in the computer business is the word IBM(tm). The Apple symbol is also a trademark. The trademark is used to identify your business and cannot be used by others in a deceptive manner. For example, I would not suggest naming your company MicroSoftware, unless you would like to meet Bill Gates in court. The main point to remember is that Trademarks are created by use. A trademark is registered by the Patent office, properly called the Patent and Trademark office. Some states also permit trademark registration. Registration is valid for 20 years and is renewable as long as you continue to use it. To get a federal trademark, you must create a mark and use it in interstate commerce for one year. Then you can register it with the Federal government. To register, you should contact the Patent and Trademark office for information and fees. Surprisingly, this can protect your software. If someone makes pirate copies, you can sue them for misuse of your trademark. In addition, it can protect you from having another company try to mislead customers by making a similar product with a similar name. The last type of protection is much more difficult to quantify. Trade Secrets are specialized knowledge or information used in a business. The secret can be either the knowledge or the use of common knowledge in a specialized manner. An example would be almost any of the BIOS tricks used by people to make their programs better. This would be protected by common law rather than Federal Statute. This means that you may have to sue in state rather than Federal courts. This can be one of the best methods of protection possible as there is NO time limit on the protection. To qualify for protection, the information first must be a secret. (Bet that surprised you, didn't it.) This means that if you are asked to write a magazine article on your methods you must refuse or else risk your trade secret protection. Likewise, you must clearly state to any employees or outside contractors used what is and is not secret, preferably by written agreement. You should also keep the information locked up or otherwise secured. In simple terms, the information must not be common knowledge and you must treat it as a secret for trade secret protection to apply. However, this will not protect you if someone discovers your secret independently and then decides to publish it. Let's talk a little about license agreements. Remember that there are two very different cases for license agreements. In the first case, you open the software and find a license agreement inside that says by opening the software you have agreed to the license agreement. This agreement gives you have almost no rights and the company reserves all rights. In this case lawyers have said and the courts The QBNews Page 13 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 tend to agree that these agreements MAY not be enforceable. This is still open to question however, meaning you will have to go to court in order to get such an opinion. This would likely cost you much more than the software itself. The second case is a more specialized job, say a CAD/CAM or database system involving customization of software and continuing support. As part of your contract you have a license agreement spelling out trade secrets and other provisions and the client reviews it and requests some changes, which you negotiate and agree to. In that case, the license agreement is very likely to be totally enforceable. The difference between the two agreements is fairness and informed consent. In simple language, you simply cannot hand someone a one sided document and say take it or leave it. When creating a license agreement you should definitely have an attorney, as failure to draft it properly can invalidate the entire agreement. As a user you should check your state laws as several states have passed laws regarding license agreements for mass marketed software. Up till now I have tried to be factual and objective. This last paragraph will still be factual but it will rest on some of my personal experience and contain some of my opinions. You may agree or disagree, but at least think about some the points I raise. First, should you protect your work? If you are working as a business then definitely yes! Your skills and programming are your major assets and failure to protect them is foolish. You should also have an attorney skilled in intellectual property work with you. This will cost some money. Good attorneys get around $100.00/hr and UP in my area. But it should be considered part of the cost of doing business. If you are doing things as a hobby, then it gets more doubtful. Most of the work involved in an idea is the implementation. Ideas are not worth very much by themselves. If another company wishes to create an idea similar to yours, they very likely will succeed. You can "break" patents and any other form of intellectual property protection. The second reason is that a lawsuit is a very difficult undertaking. I have been slightly involved with a some lawsuits in my professional life, and consequently, I get nervous even walking past a courthouse. The fact is that a lawsuit is expensive, although may be able to get a lawyer to take your case on contingency fee. It is also expensive in terms of time. You will also have to wait several years for your case to come to trial. When it comes to trial, you may have to spend days or weeks in court. You also may be completely surprised by the outcome of your case. I'm pretty sure that had Ashton Tate and SEA realized the outcome of their court cases, they would have been more careful before going to court. In conclusion, intellectual property protection can protect your knowledge and expressions of knowledge. Unless you have some good business sense and skill to go with your knowledge, a copyright or patent by itself will not make your rich. Contact Information Here is information for you to contact the appropriate government The QBNews Page 14 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 offices for copyright and patent information. Copyright Office There are two phone numbers for the copyright office. One to order copyright information and another to speak with a copyright information specialist who will help you with information. Bear in mind that they are not an enforcement agency and they are not attorneys so they will not give any legal opinions. Also remember that the fee is $20.00 up from $10.00. Order Line: 202 707-9100 Information Line: 202 479-0700 Start with circulars 1, 31, 61, and form TX. Address: Register of Copyrights Copyright Office Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 20559 Patent and Trademark Office I tried to contact the Patent office for this article but could not make contact with them. If you want to talk to them, good luck. They have their major offices in Arlington Va. Phone Number: 703 557-3341 Address: Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks Washington, D.C. 20231 Bibliography Here is a list of books and other sources I have used to prepare this article. This is not a complete list but is a good stating point. Books The Incredible Secret Money Machine By: Don Lancaster, Published by: Howard Sams & Company. What everybody should know about patents trademarks and copyrights By: Donald M Dible,editor Published by: Entrepreneur The legal guide to computer software protection; a practical handbook on copyrights, trademarks, publishing, and trade secrets By: Thorne D. Harris Spectacular Computer Crimes By: Buck Bloombecker Published by: Dow Jones-Irwin Magazine Articles The QBNews Page 15 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 Little Quarterdeck Throws Its Weight Around Business Week June 19, 1989, By: Patrick Cole and Deidre Depke Protecting Intellectual Property Rights Abroad: Pointers for U.S. Exporters Business America Nov 21, 1988, By: Guy C. Smith Clamp a Lid on Company Secrets Nation's Business July 1988, By: Jane Easter Bahls Who Owns the Copyrights? Byte April 1990, By: William T. McGrath The Case Against Patents Radio Electronics January 1991, By: Don Lancaster BBS Information Several Files were downloaded from EXEC-PC (414) 789-4210, Bix (617) 861-9767 and Genie for research on this article. Search for Copyright, patent and Trademark and you will find the current files dealing with these subjects. ********************************************************************* David Postler is a Field Service Engineer working on NC and CNC machine tools. He can be reached in the Quik_Bas echo in Fidonet or in care of this newsletter. ********************************************************************* The QBNews Page 16 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- S w a p S h o p ---------------------------------------------------------------------- All of the following code came from the QUIK_BAS National Conference available from FidoNet. If you are interested in receiving this conference, ask the sysop of your local Fido BBS about picking it up. Inquiries about echo feeds should be sent to Fabian Gordon at 1:107/323. --------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Randles To: Mike Welch Subj: Re: Bit of this, bit of that MW> First, I want to again thank you for the bit check routine. I MW> finally got around to checking out all the responses I received. MW> Sometimes it's nice, and sometimes it's not so nice, but it is MW> always interesting to see how many DIFFERENT ways one thing can be MW> handled in a program! That's what I like about it. It doesn't matter how experienced you are, sooner or later you'll see someone do something that works better than what you thought was the best. MW> I received about 8 different ideas, of those that actually worked MW> (grin) I liked yours the best. Seemed the easiest way to get the MW> answer. It's a middle of the road routine. Simple but not as speedy as it could be. I threw it in there for variety. MW> My question for you, Richard, is sort of two fold: MW> MW> 1. What are you doing with GetBit% = Work& AND 1? MW> Why is the Work& AND 1 necessary? Duh? It removes any higher order bits that may remain. ie: if you pass 9 (1001) and check bit 2, Work& would contain 2 (10). Anding with 1 then turns off all other bits except the first one. MW> 2. Now, fine. I can read bits in a word. Goodie. Okay, MW> how about a similar routine that SETs bits in a word! MW> MW> Am I pushy, or what? (tapping foot)... <grin> Oh, and I suppose you're going to be difficult and want it in BASIC instead of assembler? ;) I'll give you both. The assembler version of SetBit took a lot less time to write than the BASIC one because of the problems of handling negative (sign bit set) values in BASIC. See the next message for the assember versions of both routines. The QBNews Page 17 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 '------------------- Tear Here --------------------- DECLARE FUNCTION GetBit% (Word%, BPos%) DECLARE SUB SetBit (Word%, BPos%, OnOff%) FUNCTION GetBit% (Word%, BPos%) Bit& = 1 FOR i% = 1 TO BPos% Bit& = Bit& + Bit& NEXT i% GetBit% = -((Word% AND Bit&) > 0) END FUNCTION SUB SetBit (Word%, BPos%, OnOff%) Bit& = 1 FOR i% = 1 TO BPos% 'Make mask Bit& = Bit& + Bit& NEXT i% IF Bit& > 32767 THEN Bit% = Bit& - 65536 ELSE Bit% = Bit& IF OnOff% THEN Word% = Word% OR Bit% 'Turn bit on ELSE Word% = Word% AND NOT Bit% 'Turn bit off END IF END SUB ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rick Cooper To: Mike Welch Subj: Reversing Color Attributes FUNCTION MakeReverse% (attrb) '===================================================================== ' Syntax : Attribute = MakeReverse%(Attrbute) ' Will Reverse Attribute and Maintain Blink and High Intensity Bits. ' When You Reverse An Attribute With High Intensity Bit Set,The Former ' Background Color Will Become A High Intensity Forground Color. '===================================================================== forground = (attrb AND &HF) 'Get Forground Color background = ((attrb AND &HF0) / &H10) 'Get Background Color oattrb = attrb 'Save Original Attribute attrb = ((16 * forground) + (background)) 'Make New Attribute '===================================================================== ' Check The New Attribute Against The Old To See If Intensity And ' Blink Bits Agree And Take Needed Action '===================================================================== IF (oattrb AND 128) <> 128 AND (attrb AND 128) = 128 THEN attrb = (attrb XOR 128) + 8 ELSEIF (oattrb AND 128) = 128 AND (attrb AND 128) <> 128 THEN The QBNews Page 18 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 attrb = (attrb XOR 128) - 8 END IF MakeReverse% = attrb END FUNCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Monte Ferguson To: Tony Mace Subj: Detecting a Multi-Tasker > Question: Does anyone know how using QuickBasic to detect if a > multitasker is running. I wrote something to detect Desqview (and return a version number): ------------------------------> clip here <--------------------------- DECLARE FUNCTION DVVers! () DEFINT A-Z TYPE RegType AX AS INTEGER Bx AS INTEGER CX AS INTEGER DX AS INTEGER BP AS INTEGER SI AS INTEGER DI AS INTEGER FLAGS AS INTEGER DS AS INTEGER ES AS INTEGER END TYPE DIM SHARED InRegs AS RegType, OutRegs AS RegType CLS DV! = DVVers! IF DV! = 0 THEN PRINT "DESQview is currently NOT running." ELSE PRINT USING "You are running under DESQview version #.##"; DV! END IF END FUNCTION DVVers! InRegs.CX = &H4445 ' An invalid date... (= "DESQ") InRegs.DX = &H5351 InRegs.AX = &H2B01 ' DOS Set Date function CALL interrupt(&H21, InRegs, OutRegs) IF (OutRegs.AX AND 255) = 255 THEN DV.Vers = 0 The QBNews Page 19 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ELSE DV.Vers! = ((OutRegs.Bx AND &HFF00) / 256) + _ (OutRegs.Bx AND 255) / 100 END IF DVVers! = DV.Vers! END FUNCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rick Cooper To: Tim Kilgor Subj: File Exist I Have Included The Routine For Setting The File's Attribute But To Check For A File's Existance You Only Need Use The "Get Attribute" routine. Its Only About 12 or 13 Lines Of Code. '********************************************************************* ' This Code Is QB 4.5 For PSD7 Change VARSEG To SSEG ' ' I have Included Functions For Getting And Setting File Attributes ' You Should Always Get The Attribute First So That You Only Toggle ' The Attribute You Want And Leave Any Other Attributes Alone. ' Both Functions Return the Same Error Codes, GetFileAttribute% ' Returns The Error In ReturnCode% And The Attribute In It's Name ' While Function SetFileAttribute% Returns The Error Code In It's ' Name. ' Error Codes Are As Follows: ' 1 = Invalid Function (Networks Only) ' 2 = File Not Found ' 3 = Path Not Found ' 5 = Access Denied (NetWorks Only) ' Have You Guessed That GetFileAttribute Would Be Ideal For Checking ' For A Path Or File's Existance??? Only 13 Lines Of Code. ' Usage: ' Attribute% = GetFileAttribute% (FileName$,ReturnCode%) ' FileName$ Can Include Full Path Names ' ReturnCode% Will Be One Of The Above Or 0 ' The File Attribute Is Returned In The Function Name ' ' ErrorCode% = SetFileAttribute%(FileName$,FileAttribute%,Attrb$) ' FileName$ Can Include Full Path Names ' FileAttribute% Is The Attribute You Wish To Change ' Attrb$ Is One Or All Of The Following Characters ' A = Archive ' S = System ' H = Hidden ' R = Read Only ' Will Accept Characters Of Any Case ' ' I Have Included A SIMPLE Demo With No Error Checking Routine.... ' And It Will' Continue To Toggle The Attribute As Desired Until You ' Press Enter Or Escape. '********************************************************************* DECLARE FUNCTION GetFileAttribute% (FileName$, ReturnCode%) The QBNews Page 20 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 DECLARE FUNCTION SetFileAttribute% (FileName$,FileAttribute%, Attrib$) '$INCLUDE: 'qb.bi' FileName$ = COMMAND$ 'Get The Name Easy IF FileName$ = "" THEN INPUT "Enter file name "; FileName$ 'Or get it direct END IF CLS 'Clear the screen start: 'OH GOD A LABEL!!!! Attrb$ = STRING$(4, 95) 'Set up the blanks FAttrb% = GetFileAttribute%(FileName$, RC%) 'Get the attribute 'And set string properly IF (FAttrb% AND 1) = 1 THEN MID$(Attrb$, 1, 1) = "R" IF (FAttrb% AND 2) = 2 THEN MID$(Attrb$, 2, 1) = "H" IF (FAttrb% AND 4) = 4 THEN MID$(Attrb$, 3, 1) = "S" IF (FAttrb% AND &H20) = &H20 THEN MID$(Attrb$, 4, 1) = "A" mess$ = FileName$ + " " + Attrb$ ' Show the name and current ' file attribute LOCATE 1, 1 PRINT mess$ 'And print it IF RC% = 0 THEN 'Check for error and if 'none go on and toggle Ans$ = INPUT$(1) 'Get attribute to toggle 'or request to exit IF Ans$ = CHR$(27) OR Ans$ = CHR$(13) THEN SYSTEM RC% = SetFileAttribute%(FileName$, FAttrb%, Ans$) 'TOGGLE Ans$ = "" 'Clear GOTO start 'OH GOD A GOTO!!!!! ELSE PRINT "Error #" + LTRIM$(STR$(RC%)) 'Yep, and error so print 'code and exit SYSTEM END IF FUNCTION GetFileAttribute% (FileName$, ReturnCode%) '********************************************************************* 'Now To The Meat Of Things... This Will Quickly Tell If A File Exists 'Or Not. '********************************************************************* DIM InRegs AS RegTypeX, OutRegs AS RegTypeX 'Dimension Register 'Types FileToSet$ = FileName$ + CHR$(0) 'Make ASCIIZ String 'From File Name ReturnCode% = 0 'Zero Return Code The QBNews Page 21 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 InRegs.ax = (256 * &H43) + &H0 'Set Function Number InRegs.ds = VARSEG(FileToSet$) 'Pass Segment Of Name InRegs.dx = SADD(FileToSet$) 'Pass Offset Of Name CALL INTERRUPTX(&H21, InRegs, OutRegs) 'Call Interrupt 21 IF (OutRegs.flags AND 1) = 0 THEN 'Is There Any Errors? GetFileAttribute% = OutRegs.cx 'Nope..Return Attribute ELSE ReturnCode% = OutRegs.ax 'Yep! Pass Error Code END IF END FUNCTION FUNCTION SetFileAttribute% (FileName$, FileAttribute%, Attrib$) DIM InRegs AS RegTypeX, OutRegs AS RegTypeX 'Dimension Register 'Types Attrib$ = UCASE$(Attrib$) 'Make Sure It's 'Upper Case FileToSet$ = FileName$ + CHR$(&H0) 'Convert Name to 'ASCIIZ FOR i = 1 TO LEN(Attrib$) 'Toggle All The 'Any Selected SELECT CASE MID$(Attrib$, i, 1) 'Attributes CASE IS = "R" FileAttribute% = FileAttribute% XOR &H1 'Toggle Read Only CASE IS = "H" FileAttribute% = FileAttribute% XOR &H2 'Toggle Hidden CASE IS = "S" FileAttribute% = FileAttribute% XOR &H4 'Toggle System CASE IS = "A" FileAttribute% = FileAttribute% XOR &H20'Toggle Archive END SELECT NEXT i InRegs.ax = (256 * &H43) + &H1 'Load Set Function InRegs.cx = FileAttribute% 'Attribute To Set InRegs.ds = VARSEG(FileToSet$) 'Pass Segment InRegs.dx = SADD(FileToSet$) 'Pass Offset CALL INTERRUPTX(&H21, InRegs, OutRegs) 'Call Interrupt 21 IF (OutRegs.flags AND 1) <> 0 THEN 'Is There An Error? SetFileAttribute% = OutRegs.ax 'Yep! Pass Error ELSE 'Nope..Pass Zero SetFileAttribute% = 0 END IF END FUNCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith Rolland To: All The QBNews Page 22 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 Subj: Ok Mike... :) 'PROGRAMINFO.BAS, QuickBasic SUBroutine, 82 lines 'For the use of all QB users everywhere. 'Keith Rolland 1:321/109.2@FidoNet '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ' declare sub ProgramInfo (ProgramName$, CommandTail$, DosVerHi%,_ ' DosVerLo%, CurrentDir$, Path$, Environment$) ' ' ProgramName$ = the full name of the currently running program ' CommandTail$ = anything else that was on the command line, case ' preserved ' Environment$ = the full text of the environment, each separated by ' chr$(255) ' CurrentDir$ = the current directory, which may be different than ' Path$ ' Path$ = the full path where the program is, as in "C:\BASIC\PROGS" ' DosVerHi% = the major number of DOS, as in "3" ' DosVerLo% = the minor number of DOS, as in "21" (for DOS 3.21) ' This routine should be used before any disk activity is performed, ' because the default 128-byte DTA (disk transfer area) is the ' CommandTail$ area. '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ '$include: '\qb\lib\qb.bi' sub ProgramInfo (ProgramName$, CommandTail$, DosVerHi%,_ DosVerLo%, CurrentDir$, Path$, Environment$) Environment$ = "" : ProgramName$ = "" : Path$ = "" : CommandTail$ = "" dim reg as RegTypeX reg.ax = &H3000 interruptx &H21, reg, reg DosVerLo% = (reg.ax \ 256) DosVerHi% = (reg.ax mod 256) reg.ax = &H1900 interruptx &H21, reg, reg Drive$ = chr$((reg.ax and &Hff) + 65) + ":\" reg.dx = 0 reg.ax = &H4700 tmp$ = space$(64) reg.ds = varseg(tmp$) reg.si = sadd(tmp$) interruptx &H21, reg, reg CurrentDir$ = Drive$ + left$(tmp$, instr(tmp$, chr$(0)) - 1) reg.ax = 25088 interruptx &H21, reg, reg def seg = reg.bx EnvLo% = peek(&H2c) The QBNews Page 23 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 EnvHi% = peek(&H2d) CmdTailLen% = peek(&H80) for tmp% = &H81 to ((&H81 + CmdTailLen%) - 1) CommandTail$ = CommandTail$ + chr$(peek(tmp%)) next tmp% def seg = EnvLo% + (EnvHi% * 256) Pointer% = 0 do until peek(Pointer%) = 0 do until peek(Pointer%) = 0 Environment$ = Environment$ + chr$(peek(Pointer%)) Pointer% = Pointer% + 1 loop Environment$ = Environment$ + chr$(255) Pointer% = Pointer% + 1 loop Pointer% = Pointer% + 3 do until peek(Pointer%) = 0 ProgramName$ = ProgramName$ + chr$(peek(Pointer%)) Pointer% = Pointer% + 1 loop PathLen% = len(ProgramName$) for Pointer% = PathLen% to 1 step -1 tmp$ = mid$(ProgramName$, Pointer%, 1) if tmp$ = "\" then Path$ = left$(ProgramName$, (PathLen% - Pointer% - 2)) ProgramName$ = mid$(ProgramName$, Pointer% + 1) exit for end if next Pointer% def seg end sub ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: James Young To: All Subj: Playing Around With Random Numbers If anyone is interested in experimenting with random number generators, you might try the following. The linear congruential method of generating pseudo-random sequences has been widely studied and analyzed for years. This method can be written like this: FOR j = 2 to N a(j) = (a(j-1) * B + 1) MOD M NEXT If a(1) contains some arbitrary number (the "seed"), this code fragment will fill up an array with N random numbers. To get a new random number, take the previous one, multiply by a constant B, add 1, and take the remainder when divided by a second constant M. The result will be an integer between 0 and M-1. The QBNews Page 24 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 The analyses of this formula have provided some guidelines for selecting B and M. First, M should be large. It is normally convenient to make M a power of 2 or 10. Second, B shouldn't be too large or too small; a safe choice is to use a number with one digit less than M. Third, B should be an arbitrary constant with no particular pattern in its digits EXCEPT that it should end with the three digits x21 with x being an even digit. (This last requirement is peculiar, but it prevents some bad sequences which have been found by analysis.) Any seed will work. Some combinations of B, M, and a(1) will cause very short cycle sequences to be generated. For example, B=19, M=381, and a(1)=0 will generate the sequence 0,1,20,0,1,20,.... Implementing this in BASIC requires a little fiddling because the multiplication a*b usually causes an overflow. This can be overcome by breaking the multiplication up into pieces and tossing out the pieces which cause the overflow since we are only interested in some of the right-hand digits. This example uses a seed of 1234, an M of 10000, and a B of 7821. The seed is broken into p1 and p0, and B is broken into q1 and q0. M1 is selected such that M1*M1=M. One other problem with this method is that the right-most digits are usually not particularly random. This example gets rid of the two right hand digits. DEFINT A-Z a = 1234 ' this is the "seed' FOR j = 1 to 100 ' generate 100 random numbers M = 10000 ' see text M1 = 100 ' M1 * M1 = M b = 7821 ' see text (note last 3 digits) p1 = a \ M1 ' this line and the next 5 lines p0 = a MOD M1 ' get around the problem of q1 = B \ M1 ' overflow q0 = B MOD M1 c = (((p0 * q1 + p1 * q0) MOD M1) * M1 + p0 * q0) MOD M a = (c + 1) MOD M ' replace the old random number with the new one g = a \ M1 ' throw away the last 2 digits PRINT g ' this is our "random" number NEXT Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- G r a p i c a l l y S p e a k i n g ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reading Print Shop Graphics in QuickBASIC by Michael Welch Graphics have always impressed me, even back in the days when SCREEN 2 was considered "high resolution." Recently, Earl Montgomery revitalized my interest in a QuickBASIC script that Ryan Snodgrass submitted to the Fido QUIK_BAS echo. I thought this program would display Print Master graphics in SCREEN mode 1. Try as I did, I could not get the program to work! In this, my second attempt at understanding the file format, I realized that Ryan's routine was designed to work only with Print SHOP icons, and I learned some other very interesting things in the process. The following discussion assumes the reader understands the concept of data types, has a full grasp of file I/O, and has some understanding of graphics programming. The aim of this article is to discuss a popular graphic file format. For theory and syntax to the QuickBASIC language, please refer to the beginner's column. Print Master and Print Shop icons are 88 rows by 52 columns in dimension. In this discussion I will use the term "row" and "column" to refer to the X and Y coordinates, respectively, of what is actually a pixel [pixel, as the reader may know, stands for "picture element"]. Considering the 88x52 structure, therefore, one might expect a single Print Shop icon record to require 88 * 52 bytes, or 4576 bytes each. After looking over his code, however, I noticed that Ryan processed 572 bytes for each icon read from the file. How could this be? PM and PS graphics are BIT CODED, and quite elegantly so. Remember that PS and PM icons are monochrome; the only colors used are black and white, or if you will, OFF and ON. This BINARY structure makes it quite possible to code 8 pixels into 1 byte. In summary, the files break down as: 88 pixels * 52 pixels = 4576 pixels, and 4576 divided by 8 [the number of bits in a byte] = 572 bytes. This reduces the potential size of a PS/PM file by a factor of 800%! Quite a compression, I would say! Too, it offers the QB programmer a beginning for developing his/her own screen compression algorithm! Thanks to a discovery by your QBNews Editor, PSHOP.BAS also shows how to read The New Print Shop graphic files. Actually, the format of both the old and the new PS is exactly the same. The difference lies in a 10 byte header in the beginning of each graphic file (not record). To read The New Print Shop graphics, simply use SEEK, or as I have done in PSHOP, INPUT$(10, #Buff), to skip the first 10 bytes of the file. I originally wrote PSHOP.BAS to be compiled with Crescent's PDQ and to run only on VGA systems. Because PDQ does not support any graphics itself, and since graphics are quite easy to accomplish in VGA systems by simply writing directly to video memory [see Larry Stone's article in the QBNews about reading video memory directly with The QBNews Page 25 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 PEEK: Vol 1, Num 5], I decided to use POKE to display the icons. As requested by your Editor, however, I have redesigned PSHOP to use PSET and SCREEN 2 ("high resolution" CGA mode). Also, you may test run PSHOP.BAS in the QuickBASIC/PDS environment. To use a different screen mode, simply change the SCREEN statement to match your hardware configuration. As you change screen modes, you will likely also be changing the screen dimensions. The coordinates used in PSHOP as it stands will work only for screens having the 640x200 dimension. Finally, I have included two different PSET statements and two different POKE statements in the source file, the latter being commented out for VGA/PDQ users. In both cases, the first statement will print the icon on the upper left corner of the screen, and the second will print the picture in the center of the screen. Consider the following code segment from PSHOP: PSET (x% + 7 - k%, y%), p% ' left of any screen PSET (x% + 7 - k% + 276, y% + 74), p% ' Center on SCREEN 2 The second statement centers the image on the screen. Obviously, this could be simplified to PSET(x% - k% + 283, y% + 74), p%. I coded this portion specifically to demonstrate what I have done to center the image. The reader's challenge is to determine how I formulated the values of 276 and 74 in the forgoing example. I commented PSHOP.BAS heavily, realizing that in-line comments are much more useful than mentioning significant information in an article, away from the actual code. Therefore, to understand how PSHOP.BAS works, the reader should examine the code. I am including the source code in PSHOP.BAS and two Print Shop example graphic files. BOB.DAT contains a few public domain Print Shop graphic icons in the "old format." NEWPS.DAT contains a few pieces of art from The New Print Shop. When loading NEWPS.DAT, be sure to include the /n parameter following the filename such that PSHOP will know to skip the 10 byte header explained earlier. Look for these files in PSHOP.ZIP. Another point worthy of discussion involves a difference between Print Shop's and Print Master's file structure. Print Shop files are structured exactly as suggested. They are bit coded to 572 bytes in a RANDOM type fashion (i.e., the icon data are contiguous). While I cannot explain the structural difference between PS and PM files, I did make a significant observation. Primarily, the difference lies in the fact that PM files have some sort of delimiter (delimiters are used, for example, in Turbo Pascal files to signify the end of a record). This delimiter can be defined as: Delimiter$ = CHR$(11) + CHR$(52) + CHR$(88). I discovered this Delimiter$ pattern to occur the same number of times as there were icons. For example, if the PM library has 100 icons, it also has 100 Delimiter$'s. However, more information is needed to properly convert Print Master graphics to a Print Shop format. Delimiter$ does not occur in a fixed order, and reading PM graphic libraries with the PSHOP program will have sporadic results. The QBNews Page 26 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 Now that we all understand the general format of a Print Shop graphic image file, this author would be very interested to see a utility which will convert Print Master files to the more simplified Print Shop format. Hopefully, in the next issue...? ********************************************************************** Mike Welch is a Rehabilitation Science major at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He is also the "librarian" for QuickSHARE, a free QuickBASIC file distribution service. For more information on QuickSHARE and to contact Mike, please see the article on QuickSHARE in this issue. ********************************************************************** [EDITORS NOTE] All files for this article can be found in PSHOP.ZIP. The QBNews Page 27 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- P o w e r P r o g r a m m i n g ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Creating Smaller QB Executables by T. G. Muench QuickBASIC (QB) is a great product for the price, but it is not exactly known for generating small programs. This article explains how to create smaller stand alone QuickBASIC executables using nothing other than what comes with QB. Hopefully it will help others avoid some of the frustration I encountered learning HOW to accomplish this! As the author of pEDIT, a shareware text editor written in QB 4.5, I needed some way to reduce the size of the executable as pEDIT grew larger and larger. The smallest EXE under QB4.5 is something like 12- 15k bytes. This is due mainly to the HUGE amounts of object code linked in after compiling. It turns out that Microsoft's libraries lack (here's a 25-cent word) granularity. This means that whenever you link in a procedure you are probably getting the code for several other procedures. Sometimes this added code is insignificant; some- times it is HUGE. An example is the HEX$() function. Whenever you use HEX$() you are linking in a library module named 'hexoct' which contains three entry points: B$FBIN (there is no BIN$() function), B$FHEX (what you want) and B$FOCT (for the OCT$() function). This 'hexoct' module is only 50H bytes but you get the idea. Why clutter up your program with code for octal when you're doing hex? Reducing the EXE size turned out to be non-trivial. It took 3 tries before I was able to make any appreciable cut. I should also mention that I considered 4 options in addition to vanilla QB: 1. Go to BASIC7 which is said to generate smaller/faster code 2. Go to something like Crescent's PDQ which uses an alternate link library to generate smaller EXEs 3. Wait for QB 5.0 or QBX or ??? from Microsoft 4. Rewrite pEDIT in 'C' Briefly, Options 1 and 2 required major changes to the source code and/or a significant cash outlay. I had a major pEDIT upgrade planned for January 1991 and couldn't wait for Option 3. Lastly, I hate 'C' - so much for Option 4. After much experimentation I found one thing that can result in a sizeable reduction in program size plus a collection of other tricks that, when taken together, can reduce the size even more. The methods outlined here should apply to QuickBASIC 4.0(b) and 4.5. Floating Point Emulation It turns out that floating point emulation code can increase the size of a program dramatically. QuickBASIC has to emulate floating The QBNews Page 28 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 point operations in software for systems that can't do it in hardware, i.e. don't have a math coprocessor. There isn't much we can do about the granularity problem as we have no control over what Microsoft puts in their link libraries or how many different procedures there are in each module. We can, however, do something about eliminating unnecessary floating point code. This turned out to be easier said than done. To see if your program contains this floating point code, generate a link map and look for EMULATOR_TEXT and EMULATOR_CODE. Under QB 4.5, these modules have lengths of 2430H and 0170H bytes, respectively. If this floating point support is present and you don't need it, you're adding an incredible 9632 bytes of code to your program. Following is a list of BASIC functions/keywords with information on each's use of floating point. There are some general rules to follow also: (1) you can't have any real variables declared - VAR! or VAR#; (2) don't use the real division operator / (forward slash); replace it by \ (back slash) which signifies integer division; (3) lastly, you can't use any function which is explicitly for real numbers - for example INT(), FIX(). TIMER Returns seconds elapsed since midnight (~18.2 ticks per second); replace by a FUNCTION that reads the system clock and returns ticks; see the sample function ReadTimer&() INPUT Can input reals so must replace by a BASIC SUB or FUNCTION that uses INKEY$ or INPUT$(); see the sample subprogram GetInput() INPUT # Same as above; also see LINE INPUT # VAL() One of the biggest offenders, ALWAYS uses fp emulation, is also quite large and slow; use a replacement such as the sample FUNCTION StrToInt&() ABS() Uses emulation only if the argument is a real STR$() Uses fp emulation only if the argument is a real; CAREFUL: there may be cases when the compiler can't tell what the argument may be? PRINT USING Uses emulation only if the print mask is for a real number, e.g. "###.##" READ Expected because you can READ into a real variable; however you might think QB would be smart enough to scan the DATA and see if any is float? Replace by a DATA$ string and a FUNCTION to parse it; see the sample function ReadData$() The QBNews Page 29 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 LINE INPUT # Makes no sense at all as can *ONLY* input a string! Must replace by some other method of INPUTing a single line at a time; note also that INPUT # and LINE INPUT # are VERY slow in reading sequential ASCII text; see the sample SUB InputLine() The archive contains two sample programs: SMALLEXE and LARGEEXE. SMALLEXE.BAS uses the mentioned InputLine(), ReadData$(), ReadTimer& and StrToInt&() replacements for LINE INPUT #, DATA/READ, TIMER and VAL(), respectively. SMALLEXE also uses the function FileExist() to check for the existence of a file, while LARGEEXE has to use BASIC error trapping. When compiled under QB 4.5 (LARGEEXE requires the /X option) and linked, the EXE sizes are 24102 and 36784 bytes. SMALLEXE provides another distinct advantage over LARGEEXE: file I/O speed. When the two programs are timed to read the same file without displaying the lines, SMALLEXE is 3-5 times faster! This is with a 4k buffer; a larger buffer should speed it up even more. The archive file SMALLFUN.TXT contains an overview of each of the referenced Functions and Subprograms and includes a description, an example of its usage, what BASIC code it replaces and a discussion of the input/output parameters. These routines are, with the exception of InputLine(), quite straightforward. InputLine() works by inputting a bufferfull of text from the disk and splitting it into lines based on the location of a carriage return/line feed pair. It is left to the reader to dissect InputLine() further; pay particular attention to what happens when a line crosses a buffer boundary. Other Tips and Tricks One easy way to reduce the EXE size - which I just rediscovered - is to link with NOCOM.OBJ. This object file is provided by Microsoft but was apparently not shipped with QB 4.5. You can use the one included with previous versions of QB plus I am including it in the SMALLEXE archive. Microsoft claims a reduction in EXE size of 4k bytes; I saw about 3k. Note: NOCOM can be used only if your program does no serial communications. Link with SMALLERR.OBJ, also from Microsoft. This saves a few bytes by eliminating the text of error messages; only the error number is displayed. You might want to do this after your program is debugged. Minimize string usage. All assigned strings (as in VAR$ = "Hello") have to be stored somewhere. QB limits conventional string space to a total of 64k so it is easy to run out... the infamous "Out of string space" error encountered mainly in the QB environment. If possible, 'deassign' string variables to "" when you're done with them. Also, compile /S to reduce the string storage space in the object file. Eliminate the INTOLD86(X) routines declared in Microsoft's QB.BI The QBNews Page 30 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 include file. These are for the old interrupt calls INT86() and INT86X(). The object code is in both QB.QLB and QB.LIB. It turns out EVERYTHING in QB.LIB is included at link time; you can again see this in the link map. If you don't need these old routines, build new QB.QLB and QB.LIB files with support only for CALL ABSOLUTE and CALL INTERRUPT(X). Following is a sample BAT file to do this with QB 4.5: rem rem Extract existing modules from QB LIBrary rem lib qb.lib *absolute *intrpt ; rem rem Build the new QuickLibrary w/o int86old rem link /quick absolute+intrpt,qb.qlb,,bqlb45 ; rem rem Build new LIBrary rem lib qb.lib absolute+intrpt ; rem del absolute.obj del intrpt.obj Finally, here are 3 link options that can be used to further reduce the EXE size: /EXEPACK This is, as far as I know, safe to use. Microsoft uses it when you compile to disk from within the environment. Some kind of compression is performed to save some bytes. /PACKCODE This is another kind of packing that is not very well explained in the documentation. /FAR I have been able to use this successfully even in large programs. A discussion of what it does is beyond the scope of this article; truthfully, I'm not sure I could explain what it does! The archive contains QBCOMP.BAT, a batch file which uses all of the compile and link options discussed above. Try compiling/linking a program as you normally would and note the size of the EXE in bytes. Then, use QBCOMP and see how much smaller the executable gets. I did this for one of the programs I wrote in the course of writing this article. The executable went from 28342 to 22646 bytes - a reduction of almost 5700 bytes without much effort! Conclusions It is possible to reduce the size of a QuickBASIC Version 4 stand- alone executable by some 10-12k bytes by eliminating unnecessary floating point emulation code and using a few compiler and linker options. This is not to imply that you can create executables as The QBNews Page 31 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 small as possible with other languages. In the author's opinion, the ease of programming in a modern BASIC such as QuickBASIC far out- weighs the program size when compared to a user-hostile language like 'C'. Please, no hate mail from C lovers! By eliminating floating point emulation code and applying the other tricks detailed above I was able to reduce the size of my editor (PEDIT.EXE) by 11,200 bytes. While this is not a huge reduction every bit helps. It would be difficult to trim this much by tweaking! Program size is not always a consideration. Sometimes you won't care if a program takes up 38k or 22k (or 4k). Sometimes, however, it is important. One example I can think of is an installation program on a software distribution disk. There may not be room for a 'standard' QuickBASIC program of 45k or so! The reader is encouraged to start with the sample functions and subprograms included here and build a library of routines that can, when size and speed are important, be used in place of their QB counter-parts. Feel free to modify the code to fit your needs. ********************************************************************* T. G. (Terry) Muench has been in computers for 14 years and has been a programmer (COBOL and BASIC), systems analyst and VAX Systems Manager. He has been involved with micros since CP/M days and is now trying his hand at shareware. He is the author of pEDIT, the personal EDITor, and can be reached on CompuServe at [71171,2424]. ********************************************************************* [EDITORS NOTE] All files for this article are contained in the file SMALLEXE.ZIP. The QBNews Page 32 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- N e w a n d N o t e w o r t h y ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PDQComm 2.5 from Crescent Software Crescent Software announces a major update to PDQComm, the communications library for QuickBASIC 4.x, BASIC 7.x PDS, and P.D.Q. This upgrade adds many new features while maintaining compatibility with previous versions. They are: * Support for two com ports open at the same time * Support for the NS16550 high speed UART in FIFO mode * XModem and ASCII file transfer protocols * Various windowed terminal emulations including: TTY ANSI VT52 VT100 D215 * Support for ports with non-standard addresses or interrupts The price for PDQComm has been increased to $99 and includes a new manual with much more information on programming communications. Call Crescent at 1-800-35-BASIC or 203-438-5300 to order or inquire about upgrading from a previous version. You can also download a demo from The Crescent Software Support BBS at 203-426-5958. The QBNews Page 33 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- S o m e A s s e m b l y R e q u i r e d ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Setting Error Levels with QuickBASIC by Dave Cleary One of the big misconceptions people have is that it is all right to terminate a QuickBASIC program by using CALL INTERRUPT. This is done by calling interrupt 21h function 4Ch. By doing this, you yank the machine away from QuickBASIC. This causes the numerous interrupt vectors QB hooks to point into nothingness. This means that somewhere, sometime, somehow when you least expect it, your machine will crash. Now it is very possible that you can throw together a little test program using INT 21h Function 4Ch and not lock up your machine. Does this mean I don't know what I'm talking about? No. You just hadn't happen to come across the right combination to cause problems. You may find a program you have been using for years uses this procedure without any problems at all. Consider yourself lucky. But as Murphy's Law states, as soon as you give the program to someone, their machine will lock up. Does this mean you cannot set error levels with QuickBASIC? No it doesn't. It does require you to do a little work though. When you run a QuickBASIC program, the QB runtime takes control over most of your machine. This is how BASIC offers many more built in features than other languages and why it is a pretty stable platform for the beginner. In the next few paragraphs, we will discuss how to exit QB with an error level by looking at a small assembler routine I put together. The following is the routine: ;ELEAVE.ASM - Routine to return an error level from a QuickBASIC ;program ; ;By David Cleary .Model Medium, Basic .Code Extrn B$CEND:Proc ;QB termination proceedure Level DW 0 OldIntOfs DW 0 OldIntSeg DW 0 ELeave Proc , ELevel:Ptr Word Mov BX, ELevel ;Get the level passed in Mov AX, [BX] Mov CS:Level, AX ;Save it in Level Mov AX, 3521h ;Call DOS to get its int vector Int 21h The QBNews Page 34 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 Mov CS:OldIntOfs, BX ;ES:BX points to old vector Mov CS:OldIntSeg, ES Mov AX, 2521h ;Now set our new int vector Mov DX, Offset IntTrap Push DS Push CS Pop DS ;Save DS and move CS into it Int 21h Pop DS ;Restore DS Call B$CEND ;Call BASIC to end IntTrap: Cmp AH, 4Ch ;Wait for function 4C Jne ChainOld ;If not, chain to original vector Sti ;It is 4C, so turn interrupts on Mov AX, 2521h ;Restore original vector Mov DX, CS:OldIntOfs Mov DS, CS:OldIntSeg Call CS:DWord Ptr OldIntOfs ;We need to call it instead of chain Mov AX, CS:Level Mov AH, 4Ch ;Call INT 21h function 4Ch with ;our level Int 21h ChainOld: Jmp CS:DWord Ptr OldIntOfs ;This is our chain to the original Leave Endp End What you need to do to set an error level from QB is to create an Interrupt Service Routine (ISR). This routine will trap all calls to interrupt 21h. When a function 4Ch comes along, you know it is time to set the level. You will notice in the beginning of the program, I allocate some data space in the code segment. Normally, this would be allocated in the data segment. I can't do this here, because when our ISR is executed, DS will not always point to our data segment. Therefore, I allocate our data in the code segment and use CS overrides. I also declare an external routine called B$CEND. This is the internal routine QuickBASIC calls when your program terminates. After setting up our ISR, I call this routine to end the program. The first thing I do when ELeave is called is save the error level requested. By default, QuickBASIC passes everything by reference. This means that QuickBASIC passes an address of our variable instead of the value. I take the address and find the value of the variable and save The QBNews Page 35 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 it for later. The next step is setting up our ISR. I do this by first getting the address of the old ISR. This is very important because I need it to chain to later on and I also need to restore it when the program terminates. Interrupt 21h Function 35h is the DOS routine to get interrupt vectors. I load AH with 35h and AL with 21h since I want the address of the DOS interrupt vector. The vector gets returned in ES:BX and is stored for later use. I now need to insert my ISR into the interrupt chain. This is done by using DOS Interrupt 21h Function 25h. I put my ISR address into DS:DX and do the interrupt. Now, all INT 21h will come to me first. I now am ready to terminate the program so I call B$CEND. B$CEND will start "cleaning up" your machine by restoring it to the state it was in before you ran your QB program. It will issue numerous INT 21h and when it does, IntTrap gets control first. I look into AH first to see what DOS function is requested. I am only interested in function 4Ch so if it is anything else, I chain to the old ISR. This is done by a simple jump. When the old ISR gets executed, it will never know I had control of the machine before it. Eventually B$CEND will call function 4Ch to terminate the program. When it does, I am ready. The first thing I have to do is uninstall myself from the interrupt chain. I do this by setting up an INT 21h Function 25h call. Instead of executing it by an INT instruction, I need to call it instead. This is because I am still in the interrupt chain and I would actually call myself. Upon return, the INT 21h vector is restored back to normal. All that leaves is a normal INT 21h Function 4Ch to set our level and terminate the program. One caveat you should be aware of. You shouldn't use this program in the environment. When you are in the environment, your program is not actually running so it never terminates. If you tried using CALL INTERRUPT 21h Function 4Ch in the environment, you'd find yourself at a DOS prompt with a pretty messed up machine. ********************************************************************** Dave Cleary is an electronics engineer for Vectron Laboratories in Norwalk, CT. Besides putting together the QBNews, he is also the author of Crescent Software's PDQComm. He can be reached in care of this newsletter. ********************************************************************** [EDITORS NOTE] All code for this article is found in ELEAVE.ZIP The QBNews Page 36 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- P s s t . . . L o o k i n g F o r A L i b r a r y ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- An Introduction to QuickSHARE by Michael Welch Here's the scenario: For weeks you have been diligently coding a major database application. Your client wants the software yesterday, but all of that coding takes time! In desperation, you turn to your local BBS in search of a few text files and a library which would speed the development process. After browsing through the dreaded "GENERAL BASIC STUFF" section, you download only a handful of files that might offer assistance. Then, as they unpack, you discover that two of the files are exactly the same. Not all systems get THIS cluttered, but if you have ever experienced such a situation, perhaps I can help. I am the librarian for QuickSHARE: A QuickBASIC source code, informational text, and library distribution service. The QuickSHARE library is divided into eleven different sections relating to communications, databases, general libraries, graphics, source code, utilities, demonstrations, magazine articles, Professional Development System (BASIC v.7) specific libraries, and Crescent's P.D.Q. specific libraries. The service is available through The Shipyard BBS in Garland, Texas (a suburb of Dallas), through support BBSs referred to as "QuickSHARE Points," and through United States and Canadian Mail. What's more, the service is completely non-profit! Each file in the QuickSHARE library relates specifically to QuickBASIC, with very little emphasis on GWBASIC/BASICA. Most of the general programming libraries are written in assembler, which can offer you the speed and power of any other professional language. Finally, each file in the library is described in the QuickSHARE Catalog, which lists the author of the file, the size and date the item was created, and a thorough description of the features. To complete our scenario, below is a segment from the database area of the QS Catalog: DATABASE: A small QuickBASIC-only database Date: 5/89 Author: Jose Garcia Cost: FW Size: 13K Description: This is a small name/address database source code file that shows how QuickBASIC can be used to create structured databases. A nice job. DB: Read dBASE files with this QuickBASIC source file Date: 1/88 Author: David Perry Cost: FW Size: 4K Description: By the definition of the author, this native QB file will allow you to "open and read dBASE III .DBF and .DBT files, display their structure, read data to include up to the first 4000 bytes of a memo field." Uses the structured TYPE block for file i/o. Completely modular and structured. The QBNews Page 37 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 QBTREE42: B-Tree access method for QuickBASIC Programmers Date: 9/90 Author: Cornel Huth Cost: $45 Size: 61K Description: Written in a mix of QuickBASIC and Microsoft ASM, the author describes this package as a "keyed-file system based on the b-tree sorting method." It maintains up to 10 key fields and also 10 data files (at once). This package contains 32 routines to make your database programming easier in QuickBASIC. Running a demo on my PC/XT with a rather slow hard card resulted in 3.849 seconds to produce and delete 100 records with the PutKey() routine. The $45 registration includes source code (sent to you when you register). Cornel may also be reached via the Fido QUIK_BAS echo for assistance. This looks like a fine indexing library. While this is only a very small sample, the reader should see that QuickSHARE actually resembles that of a "Shareware Distributor," with a few exceptions: the service is free, the catalog is electronic, and in addition to the mail service, users can obtain QS files from several Bulletin Board Systems. Also unlike shareware distributors, we copy files on an individual basis. You do not have to order an entire disk to obtain the one library that you actually want. The only cost involved is that of media and postage (for example, $1.35 gets you one 360k disk, $1.85 gets two 360k disks, and $1.65 gets you a 1.2mb disk full of whatever you wish). If you prefer, too, you can even mail your own disks to me or to QuickSHARE Canada with enough postage to cover return mail, and we will fill your order. Therefore, if you are not comfortable with using a BBS, you have the option of direct mail. For a current copy of the QuickSHARE catalog, which lists well over 300 *quality* QuickBASIC-related files, send $1.35-$2.00 ($2.00 would cover ANY media type) to the address listed at the end of this article. Note that QuickSHARE Canada at this time only supports 360k diskettes. If you are familiar with Bulletin Boards, you can obtain your QS file(s) from any of eight QuickSHARE Points (including The Shipyard). To logon immediately without having to register, use Quick Basic (two words) for YOUR NAME, and use QuickSHARE (one word) for YOUR PASSWORD. Some systems will allow a maximum of 15 minutes access under this special method while others will allow an hour. QuickSHARE Points are listed below: The Wizards of Orchid BBS Gulf Coast BBS Sysop is Jeff and Lynda Howard Sysop is Jim Brewer Ferndale, MI New Port Richey, FL (313)-547-2985 (813)-856-7926 Oregon Trail Crossroads BBS The Nest Egg BBS Sysop is Thomas Lange Sysop is Tom Frye Casper, WY Lenexa, KS The QBNews Page 38 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 (307)-472-3615 (913)-492-2739 The COM Port BBS dix MOJO BBS Sysop is Craig McCracken Sysop is Dick Dennison Montgomery, AL New Hampton, NY (205)-260-9904 (914)-374-3903 For Mail Orders and Additional BBS Services: QuickSHARE Canada QuickSHARE Headquarters Duram Systems (ONLINE) BBS The Shipyard BBS Sysop is Paul Chantler Jim Woolly/Mike Welch (416)-430-3812 (214)-686-1962 28 Lumsden Cres P.O. Box 801011 Whitby Ontario, L1R 167 CANADA Dallas, TX 75240 Using libraries written by other programmers can be a real life saver. If you have a project that needs extra flair, or if you are writing an application that needs to minimize the time in which it takes to complete a task, a library written in assembly language is the only answer. However, libraries are not always the best route to take. When portability is a factor, or when one starts to learn to program, I suggest "reinventing the wheel." Whatever your particular situation, QuickSHARE offers an inexpensive alternative to obtaining quality shareware and freeware programming tools. The QBNews Page 39 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- E O F ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Receiving The QBNews The QBNews is distributed mainly through BBS systems around the world. Some of the networks it gets distributed through are SDS (Software Distribution System), PDN (Programmers Distribution Network), and SDN (Shareware Distribution Network). Ask the sysop of your local board about these networks to see if there is a node in your area. The QBNews can also be found on CompuServe in the MSLang (Microsoft Language) forum. It can be found in file area 1 or 2 of that forum. Just search for the keyword QBNEWS. The QBNews will also be available on PC-Link. I send them to Steve Craver, who is the BASIC Programming Forum Host on PC-LINK and he will make them available. I would appreciate anybody who could upload The QBNews to other services such as GENIE since I don't have access to these. I have also set up a high speed distribution network for people who would like to download The QBNews at 9600 baud. The following boards allow first time callers download privileges also. They are: Name Sysop Location Number Node # --------------------------------------------------------------------- Treasure Island Don Dawson Danbury, CT 203-791-8532 1:141/730 Gulf Coast BBS Jim Brewer New PortRichey,FL 813-856-7926 1:3619/20 221B Baker St. James Young Panama City,FL 904-871-6536 1:3608/1 EMC/80 Jim Harre St. Louis, MO 314-843-0001 1:100/555 Finally, you can download The QBNews from these vendors BBS's: The Crescent Software Support BBS 203-426-5958 The Microhelp BUG BBS 404-552-0567 404-594-9625 You do not have to be a customer of these vendors in order to download The QBNews, but the Microhelp BBS only allows non-members 15 minutes of time per call. If you would like to receive The QBNews on disk, I am now offering a subscription for volume 2 next year. If you subscribe, you will receive a disk with all the issue from volume 1, plus you will receive 4 disks next year as each of the 4 issues of volume 2 come out. I have decided against offering individual disks as I don't have The QBNews Page 40 Volume 2, Number 1 February 28, 1991 the time to administer that. The cost of a subscription is as follows: Base Price for Volume 2: $15.00 Additional charge for 3.5" disks: $5.00 Additional charge for international: $5.00 The base price includes 5.25" 360k disks. Send a check or money order in U.S. funds to: The QBNews P.O. Box 507 Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Please be sure to specify what archive format you want. The QBNews normally uses PKZip as it's archiver. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitting Articles to The QBNews The QBNews relies on it's readers to submit articles. If you are interested in submitting an article, please send a disk of Ascii text of no more than 70 characters per line to: The QBNews P.O. Box 507 Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Articles can also be submitted via E-Mail. Send them via Compuserve to 76510,1725 or via FidoNet to 1:141/777. I can be reached at the above addresses as well as on Prodigy as HSRW18A. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The QBNews Page 41 The QBNews Master Index for Volume 1 February 28, 1990 Article Name Vol Issue ====================================================================== Algorithms Fast String Searching in QuickBASIC.................... 1 2 Improving Your IQUEUE.................................. 1 4 Reversing INSTR........................................ 1 2 Ask Mr. Wizard Mr. Wizard Tells What "Bytes Free" Means............... 1 2 BASIC 7.X PDS Microsoft Professional BASIC 7.0 Product Announcement.. 1 2 Beginners Corner Basic Menuing and Graphics............................. 1 3 Common Questions about QuickBASIC...................... 1 5 How to Use Libraries in QuickBASIC..................... 1 5 The BASICS of QB's Serial Communications............... 1 4 CALL INTERRUPT Directory Swapping..................................... 1 3 Format Floppy Disks with QB............................ 1 5 Getting the Day of the Week with CALL INTERRUPT........ 1 3 QuickBASIC Directories................................. 1 1 Screen Scrolling with CALL INTERRUPT................... 1 3 Self-Cloning Exe's Revisited........................... 1 5 Using a FOSSIL - Take 1................................ 1 4 Using a FOSSIL - Take 2................................ 1 4 Using the PSP.......................................... 1 2 Chris Wagner Using a FOSSIL - Take 2................................ 1 4 Communications A Pop-Up Communications Program with P.D.Q............. 1 4 The BASICS of QB's Serial Communications............... 1 4 Using a FOSSIL - Take 1................................ 1 4 Using a FOSSIL - Take 2................................ 1 4 Cornel Huth Format Floppy Disks with QB............................ 1 5 Crescent Software A Pop-Up Communications Program with P.D.Q............. 1 4 Don Malin's Cross Reference Program Announcement....... 1 4 P.D.Q. Product Announcement............................ 1 1 Peeking at DOS with P.D.Q.............................. 1 4 DOS Directory Swapping..................................... 1 3 Fast File I/O.......................................... 1 3 The QBNews Master Index for Volume 1 February 28, 1990 Article Name Vol Issue ====================================================================== DOS Format Floppy Disks with QB............................ 1 5 Getting the Day of the Week with CALL INTERRUPT........ 1 3 Peeking at DOS with P.D.Q.............................. 1 4 QuickBASIC Directories................................. 1 1 Returning ErrorLevels to QB............................ 1 2 Using the PSP.......................................... 1 2 Database DBase III File Viewer.................................. 1 5 Index Manager Product Announcement..................... 1 2 Index Manager Review................................... 1 3 Index Manager for PDS-7 and Networks Announcement...... 1 4 Dave Cleary A Pop-Up Communications Program with P.D.Q............. 1 4 GPIB Instrument Control from IOTech.................... 1 5 Memory Moves with QB................................... 1 1 Directory Directory Swapping..................................... 1 3 QuickBASIC Directories................................. 1 1 Engineers Corner GPIB Instrument Control from IOTech.................... 1 5 Ethan Winer Fast File I/O.......................................... 1 3 Fast String Searching in QuickBASIC.................... 1 2 Peeking at DOS with P.D.Q.............................. 1 4 File IO Fast File I/O.......................................... 1 3 QuickBASIC Directories................................. 1 1 Frederick Volking Getting and Putting Graphics........................... 1 2 Graphics Basic Menuing and Graphics............................. 1 3 GEOGRAF Level One Announcement......................... 1 4 Getting and Putting Graphics........................... 1 2 Getting the .PCX Palette Info.......................... 1 5 Graphics and Text Screen Dumps......................... 1 5 Saving and Loading .PCX Files.......................... 1 5 Harold Thomsom Returning ErrorLevels to QB............................ 1 2 Hector Plasmic Directory Swapping..................................... 1 3 The QBNews Master Index for Volume 1 February 28, 1990 Article Name Vol Issue ====================================================================== Hector Plasmic QuickBASIC Directories................................. 1 1 Using a FOSSIL - Take 1................................ 1 4 Using the PSP.......................................... 1 2 Jim Mack Improving Your IQUEUE.................................. 1 4 Programming UEVENT..................................... 1 3 Keyboard A Replacement for INPUT................................ 1 3 Basic Menuing and Graphics............................. 1 3 Extended Key Codes..................................... 1 2 Menus.................................................. 1 2 Yes/No Response DEF FN................................. 1 3 Larry Stone A Pop-Up Calculator with Stay Res...................... 1 4 How to Make a Self-Cloning Exe in QuickBASIC........... 1 3 MicroHelp's QB Optimizer - How to Save Some Bytes...... 1 1 Reversing INSTR........................................ 1 2 Scenic Views by Way of the Video Map................... 1 5 Update on MicroHelp's QB Optimizer..................... 1 2 Libraries A Pop-Up Calculator with Stay Res...................... 1 4 A Pop-Up Communications Program with P.D.Q............. 1 4 GEOGRAF Level One Announcement......................... 1 4 How to Use Libraries in QuickBASIC..................... 1 5 Index Manager Product Announcement..................... 1 2 Index Manager Review................................... 1 3 Index Manager for PDS-7 and Networks Announcement...... 1 4 MicroHelp's QB Optimizer - How to Save Some Bytes...... 1 1 P-Screen Announcement.................................. 1 3 P-Screen+ and P-Screen Professional Review............. 1 3 P.D.Q. Product Announcement............................ 1 1 Peeking at DOS with P.D.Q.............................. 1 4 Update on MicroHelp's QB Optimizer..................... 1 2 MicroHelp A Pop-Up Calculator with Stay Res...................... 1 4 MicroHelp Library Manager Product Announcement......... 1 2 MicroHelp's QB Optimizer - How to Save Some Bytes...... 1 1 Update on MicroHelp's QB Optimizer..................... 1 2 Microsoft Microsoft Professional BASIC 7.0 Product Announcement.. 1 2 Power Programming How to Make a Self-Cloning Exe in QuickBASIC........... 1 3 The QBNews Master Index for Volume 1 February 28, 1990 Article Name Vol Issue ====================================================================== Power Programming Programming UEVENT..................................... 1 3 Scenic Views by Way of the Video Map................... 1 5 Self-Cloning Exe's Revisited........................... 1 5 Product Announcements Don Malin's Cross Reference Program Announcement....... 1 4 GEOGRAF Level One Announcement......................... 1 4 Index Manager Product Announcement..................... 1 2 Index Manager for PDS-7 and Networks Announcement...... 1 4 MicroHelp Library Manager Product Announcement......... 1 2 Microsoft Professional BASIC 7.0 Product Announcement.. 1 2 P-Screen Announcement.................................. 1 3 P.D.Q. Product Announcement............................ 1 1 Ranjit Aiyagari The BASICS of QB's Serial Communications............... 1 4 Ronny Ong Self-Cloning Exe's Revisited........................... 1 5 Ryan Snodgrass Basic Menuing and Graphics............................. 1 3 Screen Memory Moves with QB................................... 1 1 P-Screen Announcement.................................. 1 3 P-Screen+ and P-Screen Professional Review............. 1 3 Scenic Views by Way of the Video Map................... 1 5 Screen Scrolling with CALL INTERRUPT................... 1 3 Windowing Routines with Shading........................ 1 3 Some Assembly Required Assembler Programming for QuickBASIC................... 1 3 Returning ErrorLevels to QB............................ 1 2 Strings Fast String Searching in QuickBASIC.................... 1 2 How to Make a Self-Cloning Exe in QuickBASIC........... 1 3 Reversing INSTR........................................ 1 2 Swap Shop A QuickBASIC Archive File Viewer....................... 1 5 A Replacement for INPUT................................ 1 3 DBase III File Viewer.................................. 1 5 Extended Key Codes..................................... 1 2 Getting the .PCX Palette Info.......................... 1 5 Getting the Day of the Week with CALL INTERRUPT........ 1 3 Graphics and Text Screen Dumps......................... 1 5 The QBNews Master Index for Volume 1 February 28, 1990 Article Name Vol Issue ====================================================================== Swap Shop Menus.................................................. 1 2 Saving and Loading .PCX Files.......................... 1 5 Screen Scrolling with CALL INTERRUPT................... 1 3 Windowing Routines with Shading........................ 1 3 Yes/No Response DEF FN................................. 1 3 TSR A Pop-Up Calculator with Stay Res...................... 1 4 A Pop-Up Communications Program with P.D.Q............. 1 4 Peeking at DOS with P.D.Q.............................. 1 4 The Tool Shed Index Manager Review................................... 1 3 MicroHelp's QB Optimizer - How to Save Some Bytes...... 1 1 P-Screen+ and P-Screen Professional Review............. 1 3 Update on MicroHelp's QB Optimizer..................... 1 2 Tips Mr. Wizard Tells What "Bytes Free" Means............... 1 2 QB Quirks.............................................. 1 1 Tom Hanlin Assembler Programming for QuickBASIC................... 1 3 Common Questions about QuickBASIC...................... 1 5 How to Use Libraries in QuickBASIC..................... 1 5 Tools Don Malin's Cross Reference Program Announcement....... 1 4 MicroHelp Library Manager Product Announcement......... 1 2 MicroHelp's QB Optimizer - How to Save Some Bytes...... 1 1 Microsoft Professional BASIC 7.0 Product Announcement.. 1 2 Update on MicroHelp's QB Optimizer..................... 1 2 Under The Hood Fast File I/O.......................................... 1 3 Memory Moves with QB................................... 1 1 XRef Don Malin's Cross Reference Program Announcement....... 1 4