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Text File | 1991-12-29 | 48.5 KB | 962 lines

The PBClone Library =---------------------= Version 1.7 PBCLONE Copyright (c) 1990-1992 Thomas G. Hanlin III This library is too large for the QB/QBX compilers to cope with as a unit. The Library Wizard utility (available separately as LIBWIZxx.ZIP) allows you to create custom libraries containing just the routines you need. This is PBClone, a library of assembly language and BASIC routines for use with QuickBASIC version 4.5. Full support for other recent compilers is provided with registration (QB 4.0-4.5, BC 6.0-7.1). The PBClone collection is copyrighted and may be distributed only under the following conditions: 1) No fee of over $10.00 may be charged for distribution. This restriction applies only to physical copies and is not meant to prevent distribution by telecommunication services. 2) All PBClone files must be distributed together in original, unaltered form. See FILES.LST for a list of the 22 files currently included. 3) No files may be added to the PBClone collection. This applies most specifically to the practice of adding BBS ads to archives, which I find seriously offensive. You use this library at your own risk. It has been tested by me on my own computer, but I will not assume any responsibility for any problems which PBClone may cause you. If you do encounter a problem, please let me know about it, and I will do my best to verify and repair the error. It is expected that if you find PBClone useful, you will register your copy. You may not use PBClone routines in programs intended for sale unless you have registered. Registration entitles you to receive the latest version of PBClone, complete with full source code in assembly language and BASIC. The assembly code is designed for the MASM 6.0 assembler and may require minor modifications if you wish to use it with OPTASM, TASM, or earlier versions of MASM. You will be able to compile the BASIC code with whatever version of the compiler you have, allowing you to use PBClone with QuickBASIC versions 4.0 - 4.5 and BASCOM versions 6.0 - 7.1. Note that Microsoft's "far strings" are only supported if you recompile, so if you need 'em... register! The History of PBClone In March 1985, I created The Advanced Function Library for BASIC (ADVBAS). It was originally designed for my own use, to enhance the limited abilities of IBM BASCOM 1.0. Since I found the routines very useful and there weren't any other BASIC libraries available, I decided to put ADVBAS out as a shareware project. The first ADVBAS, v1.0, had under 20 routines, many of which allowed BASCOM 1.0 to support the new DOS 2.x commands (wild capabilities like subdirectories)! It was about 10K in .LBR format (well before .ZIP; and keeping in mind that most people had 300 baud modems, the transfer time was similar to today's PBClone at 9600 baud). For that matter, subdirectories were a bit of a frippery for DOS, since few people could afford those expensive 10M hard drives. Soon after ADVBAS 1.0, I was obliged to release a second version, since it turned out that the LIB utility supplied with the brand-new MASM 3.0 assembler created libraries that were incompatible with most existing versions of LINK (not the last of my troubles with Microsoft). Anyway, ADVBAS, tiny as it was, was a fair success. I continued to update ADVBAS once every month or two for several years, so it grew quickly. In 1987, the utility of ADVBAS caught the eye of the president of a small company for which I was doing a bit of programming. We came to an agreement, and shortly thereafter Hammerly Computer Services, Inc, was doing a very good business indeed on the commercial version of ADVBAS and related products: ProBas, the ProBas ToolKit, the ProBas TeleComm ToolKit, etc, etc. As part of this agreement, the original ADVBAS library was "frozen" and couldn't be updated without permission from HCSI. They let me update it on occasion, however, considering it good advertising for ProBas; and ProBas-related sales were booming, so on the whole I was delighted. Aside from the vagaries attendant on working with small businesses, though, I found the commercial approach left me cold. It's bureaucratic, regimented, and overpriced. Of course, that's just my pinheaded opinion, but... rather than lose my mind dealing with the commercial marketplace, I intend to devote all of my future efforts to shareware. You'll be seeing interesting things from me in the coming months! PBClone will continue to evolve, but not necessarily in the same direction as ProBas. I'm not going to spend my time on a "me too" product any more. If you want ProBas, buy ProBas! In the meantime, let me note what a bargain PBClone continues to be. It is comparable with commercial libraries which cost around $200 retail, but costs you a mere $25, which gets you full source code. I ask no more for PBClone than I did for the first version of ADVBAS, nearly 7 years ago. You won't find a better bargain anywhere! Support affordable software-- see the REGISTER.TXT file for details. The TSR File Viewer Since there are hundreds of routines in PBClone, it isn't always exactly easy to remember which routine you want or how to use it. This is a particular problem when you're in the middle of writing a program. So, I've written a TSR file viewer... it's crude, but it gets the job done. Just type "FV" to install the TSR. Alt-V activates it. "FV /D" removes it from memory. !!! ----== NOTE ==---- !!! Please check FV with a nonessential application first! It appears to work fine in the QuickBASIC environment, but it locks up my favorite editor, so I can't guarantee that it will behave properly in all circumstances. First, FV will ask you for the file to view. This may contain drive and subdirectory information as well as the file name. Second, you will be asked for a search string. If you enter a search string, viewing will start at the part of the file that contains that search string. If you just press enter, viewing will start at the beginning of the file. The file will be presented to you one page at a time. I suggest viewing PBCLONE.INF or PBCLONE.MAN. FV was written in BASIC using Crescent's PDQ library, with the "simplified" TSR handler (which doesn't seem to have been entirely debugged). Then again, TSRs are a tricky matter, especially with BASIC... General Notes The initial version of PBClone had only one manual. However, since there are so many routines, I've split the manual into a general documentation file and two reference manuals. You won't want to print PBCLONE1.MAN and PBCLONE2.MAN unless you have a lot of time and printer paper! In contrast, this file (PBCLONE.DOC) has been kept small to allow ready printing. It contains general notes, cross-reference listings of the routines, and assorted charts. Many of the routines in PBClone are similar to routines of the same name in ADVBAS and/or ProBas. The key here is "similar"-- they don't necessarily work the same way and may not produce the same results. If you intend to convert from ADVBAS or ProBas to PBClone, read the documentation carefully. When a PBClone returns a Boolean (on or off) value, it will always be 0 if off, -1 if on; this is unlike ProBas, which would often return any non-zero value for an "on" state. Booleans passed to PBClone may still use any non-zero value to indicate a "true" or "on" condition, however. Critical error handling has been incorporated into all disk and device routines. You will never have to worry about "R>etry, A>bort, I>gnore" again, so long as you use PBClone for your disk and device management. PBClone file handling is very flexible but may be confusing to people used to BASIC's strongly-moded files. PBClone file handling is most similar to BASIC files opened in BINARY mode. You may read or write any amount of information at a time. After each read or write takes place, the file pointer is updated appropriately, so you can use sequential access techniques without further effort. Random access is also possible, using FSetLoc/FSetOfs/FSetRec to set the file pointer position. Those of you who are familiar with C or Pascal file handling will notice strong similarities in this approach, which is based on techniques that have long been standard in the industry. Many routines are available both as SUBprograms and as FUNCTIONs. The former is for compatibility with older programs which were designed before BASIC was capable of using FUNCTIONs. You may use either, of course, although the FUNCTION version of a routine is often more convenient. General Notes The PBClone library can be used in conjunction with other libraries. If there is a conflict in routine names between the two libraries, the OBJTOOL utility can be used to rename one or the other routine. Due to the large size of PBClone, you will probably need to select just the routines you need, rather than combining the entire libraries, in order to avoid overflowing LINK limitations. OBJTOOL can help you find out which routines are in what modules. The LIB utility can be used to alter existing libraries, or you can build your own custom libraries from the ground up, using LIBWIZ. See the LIBRARY.TXT file if you are not familiar with libraries. OBJTOOL is included on the sampler disk that comes with the registered version of PBClone. It may also be available at your local BBS. If you have not used ADVBAS, ProBas, or PBClone before, you may be unfamiliar with the array handling conventions used here. In almost all array routines, you will see a pair of parameters (e.g. DSeg% and DOfs%) used to represent an array. These values are obtained by the BASIC functions VARSEG and VARPTR: DSeg% = VARSEG(Array(1)) ' or whatever the first desired element may be DOfs% = VARPTR(Array(1)) This is the way that current versions of QuickBASIC and BASCOM pass arrays, TYPEd values, and fixed-length STRING values to assembly-language routines. It tells the routine where in memory to find the value(s). Since these values may move around in memory, it is important to get the VARSEG and VARPTR just before you call the routine. Any routine that accepts a segment and an offset can be used with arrays, TYPEd values, and fixed-length strings interchangeably. This allows for considerable flexibility. Virtually all of the variables used in PBClone are integers. In this manual, integers are indicated specifically by use of the "%" integer postfix. The use of DEFINT A-Z in your program will cause your variables to be integers by default, which I would recommend unless you use floating point heavily. General Notes Most of the routines in ProBas (and all of the routines in ADVBAS) did not require a DECLARE if the CALL syntax was used. This is not true of PBClone, which requires DECLAREs. There are numerous advantages to this: 1) BASIC can more easily detect any errors in your calling syntax 2) You may use CALL or the simplified syntax used in this manual 3) Many of the routines are smaller and faster due to options only available when DECLARE is used. The DECLAREs are generated in a .BI file by LIBWIZ. Assuming you named the library PBC, you can include the DECLAREs in your program with this statement: REM $INCLUDE: 'PBC.BI' The PBC.BI file must be in the same directory as your program, or you can put it into a specific directory by setting an environment variable. I keep my include files in a directory called C:\INCLUDE, so I have the following line in my AUTOEXEC.BAT: SET INCLUDE=C:\INCLUDE As mentioned, there are now two ways of calling any subprogram. You can use the CALL keyword or an implicit call. In the case of the CopyFile routine, for instance, you could use either of these calls interchangeably: CALL CopyFile (FromFile$, ToFile$, ErrCode%) ' old-style explicit call CopyFile FromFile$, ToFile$, ErrCode% ' new-style implicit call How you capitalize the names of the variables and routines is up to you. I like mixed uppercase and lowercase, but it really doesn't matter. You can also change the names of the variables or even replace them with constants, as long as you maintain the correct type: COPYfile "C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT", "A:AUTOEXEC.BAT", errornumber% One oddity in QuickBASIC is that it can get confused if you have a variable that has the same name as a subprogram or function. The routine in PBClone which is most likely to be affected by this is called Month. Instead of calling a month variable Month$ or Month%, use names like MonthName$ and MonthNr% instead. General Notes If you have registered PBClone and wish to recompile all of the routines written in BASIC, first place these routines in their own directory. Then: FOR %x IN (*.BAS) DO BC %x /o; Of course, you can use whatever switches you like. I find "/o" sufficient for my own purposes. Note that you will need to use "%%x" instead of "%x" if you place this statement in a batch file. The same approach works for reassembling with MASM. Note that if you wish to create a far string version of PBClone (for QBX or BASCOM 7.x "PDS"), you should use the switch "/Fs" with BC, or "/DFarString" with MASM. The DEMO program, as of PBClone v1.5 at least, was linked with both PBClone and Crescent's PDQ library. Of course, DEMO does not require PDQ, but using PDQ makes the resulting .EXE file much smaller. If you do not have PDQ, you can create a new DEMO.EXE by running CREATE.BAT. If you are a PDQ owner, you may prefer this: LINK DEMO/NOD/NOE/EX,,NUL,PBC+PDQ; If you find any bugs or problems with PBClone, or have any suggestions to make, please let me know. You can reach me through any of the BBSes listed in WHERE.BBS, or write to me by conventional mail. Please DO NOT call me directly! I loathe a ringing phone. Phones were meant for modem use only! Routine Reference Array Management: AddMatI add a value to each element of an integer array AddMatL add a value to each element of a long integer array BinSeekD search through a sorted array of double-precision numbers BinSeekI search through a sorted array of integers BinSeekL search through a sorted array of long integers BinSeekS search through a sorted array of single-precision numbers BinSeekSt search through a sorted array of strings DRecDel delete a record or element from an array DRecIns insert a record or element into an array InitPtr initialize an array of pointers (for use with PSort routines) MeanAverageD calculate the average value of a double precision array MeanAverageI calculate the average value of an integer array MeanAverageL calculate the average value of a long integer array MeanAverageS calculate the average value of a single precision array MulMatI multiply each element of an integer array by a value PSortD pointer-sort an array of double-precision numbers PSortI pointer-sort an array of integers PSortL pointer-sort an array of long integers PSortS pointer-sort an array of single-precision numbers PSortSt pointer-sort an array of strings ReverseD reverse the order of elements in an array of double-prec nrs ReverseI reverse the order of elements in an array of integers ReverseL reverse the order of elements in an array of long integers ReverseS reverse the order of elements in an array of single-prec nrs ReverseSt reverse the order of elements in an array of strings SortD sort an array of double-precision numbers SortI sort an array of integers SortL sort an array of long integers SortS sort an array of single-precision numbers SortSt sort an array of strings Routine Reference Disk: BootDrive determine the drive used to boot the computer BootDrive2$ determine the drive used to boot the computer CDROM see if a CD-ROM is installed and get info about it CDROM2% see if a CD-ROM is installed and get info about it CheckDisk see if a disk is ready to be accessed CheckDsk% see if a disk is ready to be accessed CheckShare determine whether SHARE is installed CheckShare2% determine whether SHARE is installed CloseA close an archive opened by FindFirstA CopyFile copy a single file DelFile delete a file DelSub delete a subdirectory DFRead read from a file into an array or other memory area DFWrite write to a file from an array or other memory area DiskStat get information on disk memory DrvSpaceL see how much space is free on a disk DriveSpace& see how much space is free on a disk DrvType see if a drive is removeable and/or networked Exist see if a file exists Exist2% see if a file exists ExtendFSpec check a file path spec for errors, complete it and format it FClose close a file FCreate create a file and open it for access FGetLoc get the position of a file pointer FGetLoc2% get the position of a file pointer FileCopy copy one or more files FileCRC calculate a 32-bit CRC for a file FindFirstA find the first file in an archive to match your specifications FindFirstF find the first file to match your specifications FindFirstFx find the first file to match your specs (allows recursion) FindNextA find any other files in an archive which match your specs FindNextF find any other files which match your specifications FindNextFx find any other files which match your specs (allows recursion) FindPatch finds where to patch an .EXE for self-modifying files Floppies see how many floppy drives are attached Floppies2% see how many floppy drives are attached FloppyType see what types of floppy drives are installed FlushToDisk flush a file to disk (force it to be updated) FOpen open a file ForceMatch$ force a file to match a specified wildcard pattern FSetEnd move to the end of a file FSetLoc move to a specific location in a file FSetOfs move backwards or forwards within a file FSetRec move to a specific record location in a file FSetSize set the size of a file FSize get the size of a file FSize2& get the size of a file Routine Reference Disk: GetAttrF get the attribute of a file matched by FindFirstF/FindNextF GetAttrFx% get the attribute of a file matched by FindFirstFx/FindNextFx GetCRCA get the CRC (16-bit) of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetCRCAL get the CRC (32-bit) of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetDateA get the date of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetDateF get the date of a file matched by FindFirstF/FindNextF GetDateF$ get the date of a file matched by FindFirstFx/FindNextFx GetDrive$ get the default drive GetDrv get the default drive GetExecPath get the drive, subdirectory, and name of the current program GetFAttr get the attribute of a file GetFDate get the date of a file GetFTime get the time of a file GetLabel get a disk volume label GetLabel2$ get a disk volume label GetNameA get the name of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetNameF get the name of a file matched by FindFirstF/FindNextF GetNameFx$ get the name of a file matched by FindFirstFx/FindNextFx GetSerial get a disk serial number GetSizeAL get the size of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetSizeFL get the size of a file matched by FindFirstF/FindNextF GetSizeFx& get the size of a file matched by FindFirstFx/FindNextFx GetStoreA get the storage type of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetSub get the default subdirectory (obsolete) GetSub1 get the default subdirectory on a specified drive GetSub2$ get the default subdirectory on a specified drive GetTimeA get the time of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetTimeF get the time of a file matched by FindFirstF/FindNextF GetTimeFx$ get the time of a file matched by FindFirstFx/FindNextFx GetVerify determine the status of the DOS "verify" setting GLoad load a binary image from a file (like BLOAD) IdentifyFile try to identify a file MakeSub create a subdirectory MatchFile see if a filename matches a filespec with wildcards ObjScan scan an .OBJ file, returning public and external names ParseFSpec split a filespec into drive, subdirectory, and filename PatchDone terminates patching of an .EXE file Rename rename a file RenSub rename a subdirectory Retries set the retries used for file networking SetDrv set the default drive SetFAttr set the attribute of a file SetFTD set the time and date of a file SetLabel set a disk volume label SetPatch installs a patch into an .EXE file SetSub set the default subdirectory SetVerify set the state of the DOS "verify" switch SFRead read from a file into a string SFWrite write from a string into a file SubExist determine whether a subdirectory exists SubExist2% determine whether a subdirectory exists Routine Reference Display: BigPrint display text in huge letters BkSpace backspace destructively with wrap BkScroll scroll an area of the screen down Blink switch between blinking and intense background colors CalcAttr calculate a color/attribute from foreground and background CalcAttr2% calculate a color/attribute from foreground and background CalcSize calculate the size needed in an array to save a screen area CalcVGAColor calculate a VGA palette color setting ClearArea clear an area of the screen with special effects Clock display a clock on the screen constantly ClockSet set various parameters for the clock ClrCols clear between specified columns on a row ClrEOL clear to the end of the row ClrEOP clear to the end of the screen ClrSOL clear to the start of the row ClrSOP clear to the start of the screen CPrintScreen1 send a SCREEN 1 display to the printer CPrintScreen2 send a SCREEN 2 display to the printer CursorInfo return cursor visibility, current size, and maximum size CWindowManager display a pop-up window on a CGA graphics screen DClear clear a display being kept in an array DClearSS clear a display of an unusual size being kept in an array DelChr delete a character from the screen DelLine delete a row from the screen DGClear clear a CGA virtual screen DGetScreen get an area of the screen into an array DGQPrint write to a CGA virtual screen (SCREEN 1 type) DGXQPrint write to a CGA virtual screen (SCREEN 2 type) DGXQPrint1 write to a CGA virtual screen (SCREEN 2 type) Dissolve clear the screen with special effects DMPrint display text directly through DOS services DOSClrEol clears from the cursor to the end of the line using DOS output DOSCls clears the screen using DOS output DOSColor sets the screen color using DOS output DOSLocate sets the cursor position using DOS output DPutScreen put an array onto an area of the screen DRecolor recolor text of a specified color in an array DRecolorArea recolor a block of text in an array DScrRest restore a saved screen from an array or other memory DScrSave save a screen to an array or other memory DWindowManager make a pop-up window in an array DWindowMan2 make a pop-up window in an array (with user-defined frames) DWindowMan3 make a pop-up window in an array (array-based parameters) DWindowMan4 make a pop-up window in an array (spartan version) DXQPrint write text into an array EGARest7 restore a saved screen to an EGA SCREEN 7 display EGARest8 restore a saved screen to an EGA SCREEN 8 display EGARest9 restore a saved screen to an EGA SCREEN 9 display EGASave7 save an EGA SCREEN 7 display to an array EGASave8 save an EGA SCREEN 8 display to an array EGASave9 save an EGA SCREEN 9 display to an array Routine Reference Display: EWindowManagerC display a pop-up window on an EGA or VGA graphics screen EXQPrintC display text at high speed on an EGA or VGA graphics screen FadeOut clear the screen with special effects GetColor get the current colors being used by BASIC GetCRT determine whether the display is color or mono GetCRT2% determine whether the display is color or mono GetEGA see if an EGA is in use and get info about it GetEGA2% see if an EGA is in use GetHGA% see if a Hercules mono adapter is in use GetLine get a row of text from a virtual or saved screen GetRows see how many rows are on the screen GetRows2% see how many rows are on the screen GetScreen get an area of the screen into an array GetTVScreen get video buffer address for TopView or compatible GetVGA see if a VGA is in use GetVGA2% see if a VGA is in use GetVGAPalette get the specified VGA palette settings GetVidMode find out what mode the display is in and other information GQPrint display text quickly in SCREEN 2 (CGA hi-res graphics) GrafPrint display text at graphics coordinates in a specified size GrafRest restore a saved CGA graphics screen GrafSave save a CGA graphics screen to an array GXQPrint display text quickly in SCREEN 1 (CGA lo-res graphics) GXQPrint1 display text quickly in SCREEN 1 (CGA lo-res graphics) HCls clear screen in Hercules graphics mode HLine draw a line in Hercules graphics mode HMode switch between text mode and Hercules graphics mode HPrint display text in Hercules graphics mode HSetPixel plot a point in Hercules graphics mode HTestPixel get the color of a point in Hercules graphics mode InsChr insert a space onto the screen InsLine insert a blank row onto the screen LScroll scroll an area of the screen left PrintScreen print the screen on a printer PutScreen put an array onto an area of the screen QPrint display text very quickly ReColor change text of a selected color to a new color ReColorArea change all text in a selected area to a new color RScroll scroll an area of the screen right Scroll scroll an area of the screen up ScrRest restore a saved screen from an array ScrSave save a screen to an array Scrunch compress a screen in an array SetCGAColor set various aspects of CGA colors SetVGAPalette set the specified VGA palette info Split clear the screen by scrolling parts of it different ways Routine Reference Display: TypePrint display text as if it is being typed UnCalcAttr convert a color/attribute back into foreground and background UnScrunch uncompress a "scrunched" screen UnSplit restore a saved screen by scrolling it from different places UpdTVScreen update screen from buffer under TopView or compatible VGARest13 restore a saved screen to a VGA SCREEN 13 display VGASave13 save a VGA SCREEN 13 display to an array WindowManager display a pop-up window WindowMan2 display a pop-up window (with user-defined frames) WindowMan3 display a pop-up window (array-based parameters) WindowMan4 display a pop-up window (spartan version) XMPrint display text through DOS after converting it through a table XQPrint display text very quickly XQPrintOver display text very quickly, skipping spaces (like an overlay) Equipment: AllExtMem& see how much extended memory was found at boot time CDROM see if a CD-ROM is installed and get info about it CDROM2% see if a CD-ROM is installed and get info about it Equipment find out about basic equipment (ports and memory) ExtMem see how much extended memory is available Floppies see how many floppy drives are available Floppies2% see how many floppy drives are available FloppyType see what types of floppy drives are installed Get4DOSv see whether 4DOS is installed, and if so, get the version GetCRT determine whether the display is color or mono GetCRT2% determine whether the display is color or mono GetDOSv get the DOS version GetEGA see if an EGA is in use and get info about it GetEGA2% see if an EGA is in use GetExtM see how much extended memory is available GetHGA% see if a Hercules mono adapter is in use GetLIMm see how much expanded memory is available GetLIMv get the EMS driver version GetVGA see if a VGA is in use GetVGA2% see if a VGA is in use GetXMSm see how much XMS memory is available GetXMSv get the XMS driver version KbdType see if the keyboard is an enhanced model (101-key) KbdType2% see if the keyboard is an enhanced model (101-key) MMCheck see if a mouse is available and how many buttons it has NumProc see what kind of numeric coprocessor is in use NumProc2% see what kind of numeric coprocessor is in use PCDate get the date of the ROM BIOS PCDat$ get the date of the ROM BIOS PCType get the machine I.D. from the ROM BIOS PCType2% get the machine I.D. from the ROM BIOS Processor see what kind of CPU is in use Processor2% see what kind of CPU is in use WinCheck see what version of Windows is running, if any Routine Reference Input: AltKey returns letter, given ASCII code and scan code of Alt key BarMenu bar menu (single row) for keyboard only BarMenuM bar menu (single row) for keyboard or mouse BIOSInkey get a key from BIOS if any is waiting BreakCheck see if Break has been pressed BreakOff make sure Break doesn't interrupt the program BreakOffDone remove Break handler CheckKey get a key if any is waiting, or a mouse button press CheckKey3 get a key if any is waiting, or a mouse button press ClrKbd clear the keyboard buffer CtrlKey returns letter, given ASCII code of Ctrl key DInput formatted dollar input routine DOSInkey get a key from DOS if any is waiting DOSInky$ get a key from DOS if any is waiting EnhKbd enable/disable enhanced keyboard handling GetKbd get the status of the keyboard toggles (CapsLock, etc) GetKbd1 get the status of the shift keys (Control, Alt, etc) GetKbd2 get the exact status of the shift keys (Left/Right Alt, etc) GetKey get a key or mouse click (wait for it; 2-button mouse) GetKey3 get a key or mouse click (wait for it; 3-button mouse) GetValidKey get one of a list of valid keys KbdType see if the keyboard is an enhanced model (101-key) KbdType2 see if the keyboard is an enhanced model (101-key) KeyPress see if a key is waiting to be retrieved PrtSc disable the PrtSc/PrintScreen key ScanKey get a key, if any is waiting, w/o taking it from the buffer SetKbd set the state of the keyboard toggles (CapsLock, etc) SetMouseLoc set the mouse cursor position (text mode) SInput flexible replacement for LINE INPUT SInputSet set parms for SInput (fill char, exit mode, beeps, fast) SInputSet1 set parms for SInput (cursor position, full exit) SInputSet2 set parms for SInput (capitalize, tab exit) SpeedKey change the keyboard repeat rate TypeIn stuff keys into the keyboard buffer as if they were typed Routine Reference Memory: BlockMove copy data from one area of memory to another DataSeg determine the default data segment (dgroup) EMSBuffer get the bytes needed to save the EMS array state for CHAINing EMSClose close an EMS array EMSGet get an element from an EMS array EMSOpen create an EMS array EMSPut put an element into an EMS array EMSRest restore the EMS array state EMSSave save the EMS array state ExtGet get data from extended memory ExtMem see how much extended memory is available ExtPut put data into extended memory FarPeek get a byte from memory (like PEEK, but no need for DEF SEG) FarPoke put a byte into memory (like POKE, but no need for DEF SEG) GetExtM see how much extended memory is available GetLIMHandles get the number of EMS handles being used GetLIMm see how much expanded memory is available GetLIMv get the EMS driver version GetXMSm see how much XMS memory is available GetXMSv get the EMS driver version LClose close a block of expanded memory LGet get a block of data from expanded memory LOpen open a block of expanded memory LPut put a block of data into expanded memory MemSwap swap the contents of one area of memory with another Miscellaneous: DOSErrM$ convert a DOS error code into a text message DOSInt% execute a DOS function (like BASIC's CALL INTERRUPT) CatchError set up to grab the exit code from a SHELLed program GetDView see if DESQview is loaded GetError get the exit code from a SHELLed program GetSwitch get the DOS switch character GetSwitch2$ get the DOS switch character GetTView see if TopView or a compatible multitasker is loaded GetTVScreen get video buffer address for TopView or compatible HandleInfo determine whether a handle refers to a file or a device IntVector get the address of an interrupt handler Reboot boot the computer (like Control-Alt-Del) RedirectIn see whether input has been redirected RedirectOut see whether output has been redirected SetError set the exit code to return when your program ends Routine Reference Mouse: BarMenuM bar menu (single row) for keyboard or mouse CheckKey get a key if any is waiting, or a mouse button press CheckKey3 get a key if any is waiting, or a mouse button press GetKey get a key or mouse click (wait for it; 2-button mouse) GetKey3 get a key or mouse click (wait for it; 3-button mouse) GetMouseLoc get the mouse cursor position (text mode) MMButton see which mouse buttons are pressed (2-button mouse) MMButton3 see which mouse buttons are pressed (3-button mouse) MMCheck see if a mouse is installed and how many buttons it has MMClick see which mouse buttons have been pressed (2-button mouse) MMClick3 see which mouse buttons have been pressed (3-button mouse) MMCursorOff make the mouse cursor invisible MMCursorOn make the mouse cursor visible MMGetLoc get the mouse cursor position MMSetLoc set the mouse cursor position MMSetRange set the allowable range of the mouse cursor MouseBuffer see how many bytes it will take to save the mouse state MouseCursor set the mouse graphics cursor type MousePen turn light pen emulation by the mouse on/off MouseRest restore a saved mouse state MouseSave save the current state of the mouse Routine Reference Numeric: Any2Dec convert a number from any base into an integer Dec2Any convert an integer to any base IVal% convert a string to an integer KVal% convert a string to a long integer divided by 1024 LVal% convert a string to a long integer Max% return the greater of two integers MaxD# return the greater of two double precision numbers MaxL& return the greater of two long integers MaxS! return the greater of two single precision numbers Min% return the smaller of two integers MinD# return the smaller of two double precision numbers MinL& return the smaller of two long integers MinS! return the smaller of two single precision numbers NumFormat format a number as a string, just like PRINT USING Rand% return a pseudo-random number in a specified range ReadBitF read a value of a specified bit length from an array SetBit set a specified bit in an integer SetMatI set each element of an integer array to a given value SetMatL set each element of a long integer array to a given value ShiftL shift the bits in an integer left by a specified amount ShiftLL shift the bits in a long integer left by a specified amount ShiftR shift the bits in an integer right by a specified amount ShiftRL shift the bits in a long integer right by a specified amount WriteBitF write a value of a specified bit length into an array Printer: CPrintScreen1 send a SCREEN 1 display to the printer CPrintScreen2 send a SCREEN 2 display to the printer GetPrtAddr get the address of a printer port PrinterReady% see if a printer is ready PrintFile send a file to the printer PrintScreen print the screen on the printer PrtSc disable the PrtSc/PrintScreen key PrtSwap swap any two printer ports SetPrtAddr set the address of a printer port Spooler see if the DOS print spooler (PRINT.COM) is loaded Serial: Carrier determine if a carrier is present Checksum calculate a checksum on a string CRC calculate a CRC for a string (obsolete) CRC1 calculate a CRC for a string DTR set the state of the DTR line GetCommAddr get the address of a comm port SetComm set communications parameters SetCommAddr set the address of a comm port Routine Reference String: AndSt AND the bytes in one string with those in another AscI% get the ASCII value of a character (like ASC) Bickel compare two strings using Bickel's algorithm BSq compress the blanks out of a text string BUsq restore a string that was compressed by BSq BUsqLen determine the expanded length of a BSq-compressed string Checksum calculate a checksum Cipher perform simple string encryption/decryption CipherP like the above, only the results are printable CRC calculate a CRC (obsolete) CRC1 calculate a CRC Crunch remove repeated values from a string DGetRec get a string from memory organized in a record format DGetSt get a string from a numeric array or other memory DPutRec put a string into memory organized in a record format DPutSt put a string into a numeric array or other memory Extract extract a delimited substring from a string IStr$ convert an integer to a string Locase convert a string to lowercase Locase1 convert a string to lowercase (International) LRotate rotate the characters in a string left once MatchFile see if a filename matches a filespec with wildcards Month return the name of the month, given the month number MultiAND perform an arithmetic AND operation on a string MultiOR perform an arithmetic OR operation on a string MultiXOR perform an arithmetic XOR operation on a string NameCase convert a string to proper uppercase/lowercase for a name NameCase2$ convert a string to proper uppercase/lowercase for a name OrSt OR the bytes in one string with those in another Replace replace one character with another ReplaceString replace one substring with another Reverse reverse a string RInstr find the last occurrence of a substring within a string RolSt rotate the bits in a string left RorSt rotate the bits in a string right RRotate rotate the characters in a string right once SFRead read a string from a file SFWrite write a string to a file ShlSt shift the bits in a string left ShrSt shift the bits in a string right Soundex determine what a string "sounds" like SSrch see if one string is within another StrDel delete a character from a string StrIns insert a space into a string Strip strip the blanks from both sides of a string StripBlanks strip the blanks from either or both sides of a string StripChar strip a specified list of characters from a string StripRange strip a specified range of characters from a string StripSpaces strip the spaces from either or both sides of a string Strip2$ strip the blanks from both sides of a string StrSqu2 compress a text string using 2-gram compression StrSquLen2 determine the 2-gram compressed length of a text string Routine Reference String: StrUnsqu2 uncompress a 2-gram compressed string StrUnsquLen2 determine the full length of a 2-gram compressed string TInstr search for a specific kind of character in a string Upcase convert a string to uppercase Upcase1 convert a string to uppercase (International) Xlate run each character of a string through a translation table XorSt XOR the bytes in one string with those in another Time: CalcDate returns the date a given number of days from a starting date CheckDate checks a date to determine whether it is valid Clock display a clock on the screen, constantly ClockSet set the parameters for the clock Date2Int squash a date into a single integer DateA2R converts a date to a number that can be used in calculations DateN2S convert a date from numbers into a string DateR2A converts a number to a date DateS2N convert a date from string form into numbers DCal draws a calendar into an array which ScrRest can display DCalendar draws a calendar and allows the user to select a new date Delay delay for a given number of seconds Delay18th delay for a given number of 18ths of seconds DelayV delay for a very small amount of time Elapsed determine the elapsed time between two times ElapsedTime$ determine the elapsed time between two times EuropeDate convert a date to European format FormatDate convert a date to any desired format GetDateA get the date of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetDateAT get the date from the AT hardware clock GetDateF get the date of a file matched with FindFirstF/FindNextF GetDateFx$ get the date of a file matched with FindFirstFx/FindNextFx GetFDate get the date of a file GetFTime get the time of a file GetTime get the time from DOS, including 100ths of seconds GetTimeA get the time of a file matched by FindFirstA/FindNextA GetTimeAT get the time from the AT hardware clock GetTimeF get the time of a file matched with FindFirstF/FindNextF GetTimeFx$ get the time of a file matched with FindFirstFx/FindNextFx Int2Date unsquash a date from a single integer into numbers Int2Time unsquash a time from a single integer into numbers Month return the name of the month, given the month number Sec2Time$ convert from "seconds past midnight" to a time string SetDateAT set the date of the AT hardware clock SetTimeAT set the time of the AT hardware clock Time2Int squash a time into a single integer Time2Sec& convert a time string to a "seconds past midnight" value TimeN2S convert a time from numbers into a string TimeS2N convert a time from a string into numbers WeekDay get the day of the week WeekDay1 returns the day of the week for a given date Enhanced Key Codes This is a list of the new key codes available when you use EnhKbd to enable enhanced keyboard support. Note that the codes are direct from the BIOS, and may not always match what INKEY$ returns. QuickBASIC 4.5 provides only minimal support for the enhanced keys; QBX does much better. As long as you use PBClone for input, of course, you don't have to worry about it. The format used is ScanCode, ASCIIcode. Middle keypad key (num lock off): 0,76 Middle key, with Control: 0,143 plain shift control alt ----- ----- ------- ----- F11 0,133 0,135 0,137 0,139 F12 0,134 0,136 0,138 0,140 The middle cursor pad returns the same scan codes as the cursor/numeric pad when NumLock is off, but with an ASCII code of 224 instead of 0. If you want the middle cursor pad and cursor/numeric pad to return the same values, you should have your code do this: ' ...get key code... IF ASCIIcode = 224 AND ScanCode <> 0 THEN ASCIIcode = 0 Why test both ASCII and scan codes? Because it is possible for the user to enter a plain 224 by holding ALT and using the numeric keypad, which could cause confusion. The arrows in the middle cursor pad will return special codes if pressed in combination with an ALT key: up arrow 0,152 down arrow 0,160 left arrow 0,155 right arrow 0,157 Finally, the arrow keys on either cursor pad will return special codes if pressed in combination with a CONTROL key: middle pad cursor/num pad ---------- -------------- up arrow 224,141 0,141 down arrow 224,145 0,145 left arrow 224,115 0,115 right arrow 224,116 0,116 DOS Error Codes Note that the number of error codes available depends on the version of DOS in use. Older versions return fewer error codes, meaning that the nature of the error may not be specified as precisely as you might like. This is not a complete list of all possible codes, but it covers the most common ones. The DOSErrM$ function can be used to generate a complete error list if needed, current at least through DOS 3.31. If later versions of DOS have new error codes, I'm not aware of 'em. -1 Unable to read or write all of the data requested 0 No error 1 Invalid function number (possible PBClone error) 2 File not found 3 Path not found 4 No handle available (too many files open) 5 Access denied (file already in use or marked "read only") 6 Invalid handle 15 Invalid disk drive 16 Attempt to remove current directory 18 No more matching files 19 Disk is write-protected 20 Unknown unit 21 Drive not ready 22 Invalid command 23 Data CRC error 25 Seek error 26 Disk is not in DOS format 27 Sector not found 28 Printer is out of paper 29 Write fault 30 Read fault 31 General failure 32 Sharing violation 33 Lock violation 34 Invalid disk change 35 No FCB available 36 No room in file sharing buffer 80 File already exists 82 Unable to create subdirectory