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Text File | 1993-06-26 | 107KB | 3,367 lines

ANGELIB for BC7/PDS i ___________________ _|||||_ ||_ || _|||||_ ||||||| || || ||||||| || || |||_ || || || || || || || || || || ||||_|| || || || || || || ||||||| || |||| || |||| ||||| || || ||||||| || || || |||| || || || || || || || || || || ||| || || || || || || || || || || || ||||| ||||||| ||||||| || ||||||| CONTENTS I. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. COPYRIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 III. LICENSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 IV. TECHNICAL SUPPORT (HOW TO REACH ME) . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Official Distribution Bulletin Boards . . . . . . . . . . . 2 V. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 VI. SUMMARY OF RECENT UPDATES (WHAT'S NEW) . . . . . . . . . . 3 VII. REGISTRATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A. Methods of Payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 B. Pricing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 INVOICE & REGISTRATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 VIII. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 IX. FILES WHICH MAKE UP ANGELIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 X. USING ANGELIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Creating a QLB (Quick Library) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 XI. REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 XII. USING PRINTER FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 1 ___________________ I. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY I use the routines in ANGELIB almost every day as I write _______ software and I am regularly adding, enhancing, or fixing. My software will never be "done," and I hope that it gets better and better. In any case, I can't guarantee that it's perfect; in fact, I'll guarantee that it's not. By using this software and documentation ("ANGELIB") you must accept this disclaimer of warranty: ANGELIB is provided "as is" without any warranties or _______ conditions, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, those concerning merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. By using ANGELIB, you are expressly releasing the author, Angel Babudro, _______ from any liability resulting from the use of this software and documentation. You must assume the entire risk of using ANGELIB. _______ II. COPYRIGHT The author retains the copyright for all ANGELIB source code, _______ documentation, assorted files, and all libraries. However, once provided with registration from the author you may distribute any program you write with the benefit of ANGELIB, in compiled form only, _______ without royalties to the author. You must have written consent from the author prior to distributing ANGELIB source code in part or in _______ whole, whether modified or in original form. III. LICENSE 1. ANGELIB is being distributed as Shareware. This library is _______ not free, although license is hereby granted for evaluation of the Unregistered Edition for an unlimited time. 2. You may keep as many backup copies of ANGELIB as you wish. _______ The Registered Edition is limited to simultaneous use on the number of computers indicated by your registration level. The Unregistered Edition may be used on any number of computers. You may share ANGELIB _______ with others in complete and unmodified form. REGISTERED USERS may NOT distribute the files ending in OBJ. 3. You MUST NOT charge any fee or receive any consideration for distributing the ANGELIB files and you MUST NOT include ANGELIB with another business transaction (e.g., a hardware sale) unless you have express written consent from the copyright holder, Angel Babudro. You MAY charge a fee of not more than US$6 (six dollars) for the disk and/or service of distribution. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 2 ___________________ IV. TECHNICAL SUPPORT (HOW TO REACH ME) If my wording is unclear or can't find some topic in here, give me a holler and help me fix it or add it to the manual. A letter or BBS message is preferred (and less expensive for you). Phone calls are fine between 9am and 5pm Eastern Time as long as you are a registered user or intend to become one. I thank you for your help in making this library better. Sysops please read SYSOP.DOC for special deals. Shareware vendors please see VENDOR.DOC for distribution information. I can be reached via the mail or BBS. The bulletin boards below should always have current versions of all my software and I will get any messages left there for me. Mail Angel Babudro, "Organic Computer Wizardry", 28 Mulberry Street, Clinton, NY 13323-1506, (315) 853-1070 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern Time Official Distribution Bulletin Boards On bulletin boards I use the first name "Angelo" since it avoids gender confusion. I go by either name, anyhow. East Coast Excalibur, Central NY (315) 736-3792 USR 14.4 This is my local distribution board where you can always find the latest updates to all of my software. I will get messages left here within a few days. My software can be FREQed from this board via RBBS Net address A:954/401, FIDO Net address 1:26501, or ICN Net 91:315/101. West Coast Researcher's BBS, So Cal (805) 949-8151 USR DS This is my west coast distribution board which is updated every 2-3 weeks with the latest versions of all my software. Leave messages for me in conference #136 (Organic Software). My software can also be found on many of the nations larger bulletin boards, such as Exec-PC and Channel 1. V. INTRODUCTION ANGEL.QLB is a "high level" BC7 library for developing business applications, especially data base uses. These are the routines I use in developing my apps (with some help from three other shareware libraries, most notably John Strong's EZ-Windows which is terrific). ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 3 ___________________ I put in the things that are simple but a pain to code every time, like a "percent completed" bar graph in a window, and things that are more complicated, such as a scrollable information window with mouse support. ANGELIB is written in BASIC. Even though it's _______ not the "tightest" code of its kind I think you will find it very easy to use. Some of my routines trade flexibility for ease of use, like the percentage graph which is always the same colour and at the same spot on the screen. This keeps things simple and provides built-in consistency. Just in case my ideas for standards aren't the same as yours :) I have decided to offer the licensing of my source code. Well, what more can I say? I hope my library helps you to write a bit better and faster. If so maybe I'll see your registration in my mail someday. VI. SUMMARY OF RECENT UPDATES (WHAT'S NEW) Every release fixes bugs found in previous releases and/or adds a few new features. Here is a summary of recent updates: 1.9b Routines updated: ChooseFile$, ChooseFiles$, GetFileName$, GetFileNames$, GetValidPath, IsPath%, ParseFSpec, StripSymbols$ Routines dropped: DBFPickFld, DBFShowFlds Parameters modified: PctDone, ZipFmt$ FileRestore2%() has been renamed FileRestores%() to be consistent with other routines. 1.9a Parameters modified: GetValidPath$, IsPath% 1.9 Full LIB file is now included. I was severly chastised by the dBASIC Toolkit BBS' sysop for distributing "crippled" software. I never saw it that way before and am in agreement. Now you can compile to EXE form, but if you want to distribute and/or sell your software please register the library. 1.8m All printer & font routines have been updated to allow use on networks using DOS SHARE. 1.8j StrFmt's parameters were in reverse order compared with other similar functions. Mask & source strings have been swapped. Parameters modified: HelpIndex ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 4 ___________________ Routines dropped: BackupMethod%, ChooseCountry% Documentation corrected: I forgot to update the documentation for some routines. Now you can actually use InputDate, FileBackup%, FileRestore%, FileRestores%, FmtFDD% 1.8h New routines: ChooseFiles$ allows multiple file names to be chosen (whereas ChooseFile$ allows only one). FileRestores% allows single or multiple files to be selected from a back-up copy. GetFileNames$ allows more than one input file to be selected. OutDevs$ is identical to OutDev$ but is for use with these other new routines (which all use a common routine from John Strong's EZ-Windows library). GetFileDesc$ retrieves a file's long name from the DESCRIPT.* file Renamed ToFDD% to FileBackup% and FromFDD% to FileRestore% - I think these names are easier to remember. VII. REGISTRATION Although I hope that you are so happy with ANGELIB that _______ registering will be reward enough in itself, but I think it's more fun & exciting to get something new. ANGELIB is the library I use for _______ developing all of my applications, so it is constantly updated. Your registered version will be an up-to-the-minute copy. Other benefits of registration that come to my mind include: 1. You'll get OBJ files so you can create your own custom libraries. I use the EZ-Windows and PBClone libraries for some routines (why re-invent the wheel?), so you will need to get them if you want to create custom libraries. Buying all three libraries will cost around $70 which is far less than most commercial packages. 2. Within days you will get a library that would probably take so long to develop yourself that by the time you've done it you won't need it anymore 3. You can order a printed & bound manual for $8 4. Technical support is possible! You can contact a real programmer who is 98% knowledgeable about the library (nobody's prefect) via mail, phone, or BBS 5. You'll have helped one of the little guys - someone who isn't a huge corporation. (Thank you...) ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 5 ___________________ A. Methods of Payment U.S. customers please send cash, check, or money order. Canadian customers please send cash or Canadian International Money Order (CIMO). Customers in other countries please send U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. If you send cash use a "security" no-see- through envelope and you may want to send it via Registered mail, too. If you prefer to use a credit card, you can order ANGELIB from _______ Public (software) Library with your MC, Visa, AmEx, or Discover card by calling 800-242-4PsL (from overseas: 713-524-6394) or by FAX to 713-524-6398 or by CompuServe to 71355,470. THESE NUMBERS ARE FOR ORDERING ONLY. I CANNOT be reached at those numbers. To contact me for information about dealer pricing, volume discounts, site licensing, the status of shipment of the product, the latest version number, or for technical information, call 315-852-6942 or write me at 28 Mulberry Street, Clinton, NY USA 13323-1506. Shareware is "try before you buy" so please understand that product returns are not allowed. When ordering from PsL ask for product #10799 and please note that PsL will add $3 for shipping & handling to U.S. as well as Canadian orders. B. Pricing Registration with Disk -- A single copy costs $29. You will receive the latest version of ANGELIB in LIB (so it can be merged with _______ other libraries) and OBJ (to make custom libraries) formats. You will also receive notification of major updates. At this time, updates for registered users are $5 or send me a disk and return postage (I'll re-use your envelope). See below for printed manuals. Multiple Copies -- Each copy may be used on a single computer at a time. To ease the financial burden and thank you for being honest, you may apply the following discounts when ordering more than one copy: 2 to 5 copies 40% discount Over 5 copies 50% discount Site License -- Register a single copy of ANGELIB and purchase a site _______ license which allows you to make copies of the registered version for use on more than one computer owned by the same business. I would prefer that you order a registered copy and Site License for each physical location of the same business, but this is not required unless you would like to receive update notices at each location. Up to 4 computers $30.00 per site ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 6 ___________________ Up to 10 computers $70.00 per site Up to 20 computers $125.00 per site Any number of computers $400.00 per site Manuals -- I will print the latest version of the manual you are reading right now (using Ventura Publisher and a laser printer) and bind it. I am offering this as a service to those who want a printed, bound manual with their software. Most of the cost involved here is for materials and extra shipping costs. Remember that ASCII and WP documentation files are always on disk and if you provide your printer model on the registration form I will send you a file ready to print on your printer. - One copy $8.00 - Two or more copies $6.00 per copy Source Code License - You may license the use of the source code for ANGELIB for just $30. Thereafter, updates will be available for _______ $5 plus shipping. Please note that I call routines from EZ- Windows (by John Strong) and PBClone (by Tom Hanlin) in my library (why re-invent their wheels?), so you will need to register one or both of these to use some OBJs in creating custom libraries. I recommend both of them highly and will gladly share unregistered versions of these with you - just ask. Complimentary Registered Editions - I would like to give you a complimentary registration if you will give me a bit of marketing assistance: 1. Write a review of my software and post it on a bulletin board, send me a copy of it showing the BBS's header and the name and phone number of the BBS. Just give me your honest praise and criticism in a decent review. Your review will be most helpful to me if it mentions your best & worst-liked features and any ideas you have for improvement. This will help me decide the future of ANGELIB and for that help I will _______ send you a complimentary registered disk. 2. It helps me to know which BBSs carry my software and the more the better, of course! If you will upload a package to at least five public ("open") BBSs, send me their names and phone numbers and I'll send you a complimentary registered disk. I would appreciate you uploading to time-share systems, private ("closed") BBSs, or part-time BBS, but please do not use these to apply for a complimentary registered edition. BTW: I use an HST 14.4 modem so it would be best if you provided me with BBSs which also use HSTs so I can hook-up at high speed. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 7 ___________________ 3. If you are a consultant or other type of computer professional and your recommendation leads to one or more of your clients purchasing one of my packages, just send me a note with your client's registration or have them mention your name when they register. I will send a complimentary registered edition or an update for every registration you get for me. This is in lieu of a multiple copy discount; I intend it for consultants who choose not to deal with sales tax. One complimentary registration per person or company. A complimentary registration is just like a paid one - you can upgrade it with a site license, purchase manuals, etc. It helps when you send back disks to be re-used - even the envelopes can be re-used. When you order a complimentary registration please fill in the appropriate blanks below PLUS the Invoice so I know what size disk you need, and please send me a couple of dollar bills for shipping expenses. Thanks. I will promise these complimentary offers until at least 12/31/93 - after that date please check with me first. COMPLIMENTARY REGISTRATION APPLICATION Use until Dec. 31, 1993 Date_______________ Please also fill in the Invoice on the following page (put $0 for the disk). Include $2.00 for shipping within the U.S. or the amount indicated for addresses outside the U.S. Remember to order printed manual(s) if you so desire. (__) Review posted on (BBS name & number)________________________ Include a copy of the review, please. Thank you very much! ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 8 ___________________ (__) I uploaded (archive name, like ANGEL18E.ARJ)__________________ to these five 24-hour public ("open") BBSs: BBS Name Phone Number/Modem Type Sysop Name ________ _______________________ __________ 1_______________________ ________________________ _______________ 2_______________________ ________________________ _______________ 3_______________________ ________________________ _______________ 4_______________________ ________________________ _______________ 5_______________________ ________________________ _______________ These offers subject to withdrawal or change at any time without notice. All prices are subject to change without notice. Bulletin Board Sysops please see the file SYSOP.DOC for special pricing and information; vendors & sysops please see VENDOR.DOC. Angel Babudro - "Organic Computer Wizardry" 28 Mulberry Street Clinton, NY 13323-1506 (315) 853-6942 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern Time (home phone; remember we're 3 hours later than Pacific coast) Please register the Shareware you keep. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 9 ___________________ INVOICE & REGISTRATION Credit card orders see "Methods of Payment" above Your Name_____________________________________________________________ Company Name__________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ City___________________________ State/Prov________ Zip________________ Registration Registration & disk: $29 x qty _____ $_______ Source Code Source disk & license: $30 x qty _____ _______ Multiple/ 2-4 disks -- deduct 40% Wholesale 5 or more -- deduct 50% (_______) Site License Up to 4 CPUs add $30; Up to 10 add $70 (add to above) Up to 20 add $125; Unlimited add $400 _______ Printed One copy is $8, 2 or more are $6 each Manuals Qty _____ x $_____ each _______ Shipping & Canada, AK, HI, VI, PR add $3 extra _______ Expenses Other countries add $9 per copy _______ ** T O T A L ** _______ Disk size & quantity [__] 3½" [__] 5¼" Drive density [__] Low (DD) required [__] High (HD) okay Extended densities [__] FDFORMAT extended densities okay Which version are you using now?_____________________________________ Where did you get it?________________________________________________ ANGELIB has been delivered to and accepted by customer. Upon receipt _______ of this paid invoice the latest Registered Edition disk and any options chosen above will be sent. Send U.S. funds or CIMO. NYS orders add local sales tax. Mail this page with your cash (use Registered mail), cheque or money order to Angel Babudro, 28 Mulberry Street, Clinton, NY USA 13323-1506. Please allow 1-3 weeks. Thank you! ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 10 ___________________ VIII. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS All you need is PC/MS-DOS 3.3 or later, PDS/BC 7.1, and a computer. You will need 200k to 500k of disk space for the files, depending on which ones you decide to keep around. IX. FILES WHICH MAKE UP ANGELIB The unregistered edition is made up of the following files: ANGEL.LIB The linker library to make EXE files (check MAKEQLB.BAT for help making a Quick Library) ANGEL.BI The include file, function & subroutine definitions COLOURS.BI Colour codes definitions, use is optional FKEYS.BI Function key definitions, use is optional ANGEL.TXT The ASCII text file of this document ANGEL.WP The WordPerfect file of this document (so you can format it for your printer) QSORT.BAS Source code to this public domain routine FKEY.LST Sample file for use with FKEYS routine READ.ME A file containing late-breaking news... May or may not be part of the package you get ORDER.FRM Order form for all of my software SYSOP.DOC Sysop information VENDOR.DOC Disk vendors & Sysops: pricing, detailed description, and distribution information COMPARE.EXE A byte-by-byte file compare utility. Displays in hex, decimal, and ASCII. Type COMPARE for help. DUMP.EXE Hex/octal/decimal file viewer. Type DUMP for help. The registered edition also includes: FAROBJ.EXE Object modules for creating custom libraries (self-extracting archive) MLIB.BAT Sample batch file for creating custom libraries from OBJ modules. I use it all the time to re- compile libraries during software development. Allows OBJs to be anywhere you like rather than all in one directory MLIB.LSP Sample specification file for MLIB.BAT ANGEL.INF Object module information file for use with Tom Hanlin's LIBWIZ utility - this makes it MUCH easier to create your own custom libraries if you've never done it before. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 11 ___________________ X. USING ANGELIB Basically, just put the files wherever you want them and use the INCLUDE meta-command to place the .BI definition files in your programme (e.g., '$INCLUDE: 'Angel.bi' and '$INCLUDE: 'PtrRec.def'). Using the $INCLUDE file lets you call subroutines without the CALL key word. Creating a QLB (Quick Library) If you want to use ANGEL.LIB routines in the QBX interactive environment you need to make a file called ANGEL.QLB first. To do this just use the command: link /qu angel.lib,angel.qlb,nul,qbxqlb; If you get "Bad command or file name" you will need to supply the drive and path containing the file LINK.EXE. When you start QBX just use "QBX /L d:\path\ANGEL" (replacing d:\path with your drive and pathname) - this will load the quick library into memory so you can run the routines. Please note that it's a large library; if you have extended memory QBX will load some of the library "high." If you run out of memory with a large programme I can only console you with the fact that most of my software is too large to run in the QBX environment and the Microsoft help-line wasn't even able to help me. Rather than write a probably-lame demonstration programme to show off ANGELIB's functions, I would like to suggest that you check _______ out my shareware from whence this library sprang: What Mailing List? (WML), What Vehicle History? (WVH), What Job Summary? (WJS), What Floppy Format? (WFF), and What Tape Back-up (WTB). Registered Edition users have individual OBJ files which can be combined into custom libraries, even adding OBJs from other libraries (such as EZ-Windows) or your own routines. I find it easiest to make a file, using an ASCII editor, which contains all of the names of the OBJs I want in the library (see MLIB.LSP for a sample). This file contains one routine per line, preceded by a "+" and ending with a "&" (which is what LIB requires since this file is passed directly to LIB.EXE). This makes it easy to recompile the library if you changed some code or want to add or delete routines. Another alternative for making your own libraries is to use Tom Hanlin's LIBWIZ utility. This makes things very easy since LIBWIZ is smart enough to figure out if a routine requires others (for example, the INFORM%() function requires several other routines) and will include those other routines automatically. The drawback to LIBWIZ is ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 12 ___________________ that it has no "save" feature so you have to select each module every time (which can get a bit tedious if you have 50 modules or so). If you've never tried LIBWIZ you ought to at least check it out. The most current version I know of is LIBWIZ13. To use it just enter LIBWIZ ANGEL mylibname (where "mylibname" is your library's name). XI. REFERENCE ANGELIB is made up of functions and subroutines. Functions _______ return a value to a variable - e.g., a% = CalcAttr(White, Blue) puts a value in a% - whereas subroutines do not - e.g., BackUpMsg just prints a message on the screen. The general syntax of a function call is var = Function(param1,param2,etc). For a subroutine, the "formal" _________________________________ syntax is "[CALL] subname(param1, param2, etc.)" although "CALL" is ____________________________________ not needed when you include ANGEL.BI in your code. Subroutines do not yield any "result," but they often modify one or more variables which are passed to them. DBFHeader is a good example of this. The routines below each show their name at the left margin and a sample calling sequence aligned with the right margin, under which is the english explanation of the routine's purpose followed by the definition of variables. BackupMsg BackupMsg Prints what I think of as a pseudo-subliminal reminder to back-up your data :) A little reminder pops onto the screen for a second then the screen is cleared. Pass ____ Nothing Returns _______ Nothing ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 13 ___________________ BarMenu% opt% = BarMenu%(r%,c%,norm%,rev%,opts$(),seed%,getit%,ms%) Displays a horizontal bar menu and waits for user's choice of the options. Pass ____ r%/c% Row and column at which to begin displaying norm%/rev% Normal & reverse display attributes (via CalcAttr%) opts$() String array containing choices seed% Option number to highlight initially (normally "1") getit% Flag to get user's input: If true routine waits for user to select an option or press an extended key (e.g., an arrow, PgUp, etc.) or ENTER or Esc. If False, the routine displays the menu then exits (which is useful for displaying a bunch of horizontal menus on a setup screen, for example). ms% Mouse support (0=no, non-zero=yes) Returns _______ Function If getit% is true, the user's final keypress is returned - ENTER (13), Esc (27), or extended key code (2nd byte of code). If getit% is false then the returned value is irrelevant. seed% The number of the highlighted item, numbered from left to right starting with one. CalcAttr% attr% = CalcAttr% (Fore%, Back%) For use with routines that need a single integer colour code. Pass ____ Fore% Foreground colour code Back% Background colour code Returns _______ Fore% + (Back% * 16) ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 14 ___________________ ChooseFD$ fdd$ = ChooseFD$ This is a menu of available floppy disk drives. The function: 1. Checks the number of floppy disk drives 2. If there is only one drive then "A:" is returned, otherwise 3. A pop-up menu of floppy drives is presented from which the user may choose one or press Esc. Pass ____ Nothing Returns _______ Floppy disk drive letter followed by a colon, or a blank string if user presses Esc. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 15 ___________________ ChooseFile$ File$ = ChooseFile$(FSpec$,Exclude$,ExtInfo%,ms%)) Presents a scrollable list of files in a window which match FileSpec$ (excluding Exclude$) and waits for user to choose one. Pass ____ FSpec$ File specification to include in the list. May include drive and path name, if necessary. For example, "*.DAT" or "C:\DATA\*.DAT" are valid. Exclude$ File specification to exclude from the list (e.g., "*.bak"). Do not put a drive or path in this. ExtInfo% Extended Information flag & record size. Controls display of extended information (file size & long description). Set this variable to zero for no extra file information, or to the record size to show the number of records in the file along with description (if a file DESCRIPT.* is in the directory it will be used for file descriptions). To show size in bytes use a record size of one. If negative information will be in DOS Name/Size/Description order. If positive Description/Name/Size order will be displayed. ms% Mouse support flag (true/false). Returns _______ File name chosen without drive or path, or null string ("") _______ if user presses Esc Notes _____ If ExtInfo% is non-zero, font files *.SFP and *.SFL will be shown with their font names and other files will be shown with their size & any description. I patterned the format of the DESCRIPT.* file after 4DOS: file name followed by a space and up to 40 characters for the description. 4DOS makes a hidden file, however. ChooseFile$ will only read "normal" (not hidden) files right now. I'll soon have it so ChooseFile$ will read hidden files, too. ChooseFile$() uses the EZ-Windows routine ScrlMenu and the PBClone routines ScrSave & ScrRest. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 16 ___________________ ChooseFileS$ F$ = ChooseFileS$(Inc$,Exc$,Info%,many%,ms%)) Shows a scrollable list of files in a window which match Inc$ and excluding Exc$ then waits for user to choose one or more. Pass ____ Inc$ File specification to include in the list. May include drive and path name, if necessary. For example, "*.DAT" or "C:\DATA\*.DAT" are valid. Exc$ File specification to exclude from the list (e.g., "*.bak"). Do not put a drive or path in this. Info% Extended Information flag & record size. Controls display of extended information (file size & long description). Set this variable to zero for no extra file information, or to the record size to show the number of records in the file along with description (if a file DESCRIPT.* is in the directory it will be used for file descriptions). To show size in bytes use a record size of one. If negative information will be in DOS Name/Size/Description order. If positive Description/Name/Size order will be displayed. many% True=Allow multiple picks, False=Just one ms% Mouse support flag (true/false). Returns _______ File names without drive or path, or null string ("") if user _______ presses Esc. Names are padded to length of 12. Notes _____ This routine ends up about 10k larger than ChooseFile$() since it requires an EZ-Windows routine (ScrlTag) which the other routine does not. If your programme already uses ScrlTag you will only see a slight increase in your programme size (about .5k) over using ChooseFile$(). See ChooseFile$() for other notes. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 17 ___________________ ChoosePort% PtrPort% = ChoosePort%(default%, ms%) Presents a pop-up menu of printer ports (LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3) and waits for user to pick one or press Esc. Pass ____ default% Default (current) printer port setting (1-3). ms% Mouse support available: 0 = No, 1 = Yes Returns _______ Port number (1-3) or zero if user presses Esc ChoosePtr% Ok% = ChoosePtr%(pType$, path$, PtrNo%, PtrPort%, ms%) Presents a pop-up menu of printer choices from the PRINTER.DAT file. If there are less than 15 choices (that is, all choices fit inside the window), then the default (PtrNo%) will be highlighted. Pass ____ pType$ Printer types to include in the menu: D = Dot matrix printers L = Laser printers B = Both path$ File specification for PRINTER.DAT file. path$ may contain a drive, path, and/or file name. If no file name is given, PRINTER.DAT is used. If no drive & path are given, the current drive & path are used. PtrNo% Record number of currently chosen printer in PRINTER.DAT ms% 0 = Keyboard only 1 = Use mouse, too Returns _______ pType$ Changed to "D" if dot matrix chosen or "L" if laser printer chosen PtrNo% PRINTER.DAT record number for the chosen printer PtrPort% The port number selected for the printer (LPT1 is 1, LPT2 is 2, etc.) or zero if user presses Esc ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 18 ___________________ ContCan% i% = ContCan% Displays "Continue" and "Cancel" keys at the bottom of the screen and waits for response. Pass ____ Nothing Returns _______ TRUE (-1) if user presses Esc FALSE (0) if user presses Return (aka Enter) DateFmt$ FormattedDate$ = DateFmt$(d%, m%, y%, intl%) I use this routine to print the formatted date after getting input from the user. You can "PRINT DateFmt$()" or assign it to a variable. Use the ChooseCountry% menu to let the user set Intl%. Pass ____ d% Day on the month m% Month number y% Year (4-digits) Intl% International formatting 1 = USA (mm/dd/yyyy) 2 = Canadian (dd-mm-yyyy) 3 = USA & Cdn (dd MoName yyyy) 4 = International (dd MoName yyyy) Returns _______ Formatted date DateVal% dv% = DateVal%(TheDate$) Converts dates from 1992 to 2078 to an integer number for date calculations. For example, DateVal%(Date1$) - DateVal%(Date2$) would give you the number of days between the two dates. Years prior to 1992 are converted to 1992. Pass ____ TheDate$ Date formatted the same as BASIC's DATE$ function Returns _______ Integer value based on the date ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 19 ___________________ DBFHeader DBFHeader file$, Fld$(), reclen%, recs&, NoFlds% Opens .DBF file FileName$ and returns field names in Field$(), record length in reclen%, number of records in the file in recs&, and number of fields in NoFields%. You can then call DBFPickFld to pick fields from the list. See also DBFPickFld function. Pass ____ file$ The DBF file name, including drive and path, if necessary Fld$() This array must be initialized prior to calling DBFHeader to the maximum number of fields (I would suggest setting it to at least 50, unless you know better). Returns _______ Fld$() The names of the fields. The first field name is in Field$(1), etc. reclen% The file's record length recs& The number of records on file NoFlds% The number of fields Delay Delay Sec! Delays for Sec! seconds. I use this for copyright messages, etc. The accuracy is roughly +/- .1 seconds on a 386/40. Pass ____ Sec! Number of seconds to delay (floating point) Returns _______ Nothing ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 20 ___________________ DrawFDD DrawFDD Light%, iRow%, iCol% Draws a text picture of a floppy on the screen at iRow%,iCol%. If Light% is TRUE (-1) then the light blinks red (bright white on mono monitors), else it is white. Pass ____ Light% True if drive "light" is to blink, false if not iRow% Top row of picture iCol% Left column of picture Returns _______ Nothing DrawHDD DrawHDD Light%, iRow%, iCol%, Msg$ Similar to DrawFDD but draws a text picture of a hard disk and places the current drive (CURDRIVE) letter in the box. Pass ____ Light% True if drive "light" is to blink, else false iRow% Top row of picture iCol% Left column of picture Msg$ A message up to 20 characters long to display inside the picture. If longer than 20 chars it will be truncated. Returns _______ Nothing ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 21 ___________________ DrvSpace DrvSpace (Drive$, Total&, Free&, EC%) Returns total space and free space (in bytes) of drive Drive$. Pass ____ Drive$ Disk drive letter (e.g., "C") Returns _______ Total& Total bytes are returned in this variable Free& Free bytes are returned in this variable EC% DOS error code is returned in this variable or zero if no error ElapsedTime ElapsedTime STime$, ETime$, Hour%, Minutes%, Secs% Calculates elapsed time. Pass ____ STime$ Starting time hh:mm:ss (same format as TIME$ function) ETime$ Ending time hh:mm:ss (same format as TIME$ function) Returns _______ ETime$ Formatted elapsed time (hh:mm:ss) Hour% Elapsed hours Minutes% Elapsed minutes Secs% Elapsed seconds Example _______ S$ = TIME$ 'Starting time (do whatever needs to be done) E$ = TIME$ 'Ending time ElapsedTime S$, E$, H%, M%, S% ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 22 ___________________ ErrScn ErrScn ErrCode%, Module$ Presents an error screen showing error number, english text, possible solution, and module name. Pass ____ ErrCode% Error number Module$ Module name Returns _______ Nothing ErrSolve$ ErrSolve$ Number% Prints possible solution to error number Number%. Used by subroutine ErrScn. Not very extensive (to save memory), but it sure beats no error handling... ErrText$ ErrText$ Number% Prints text of error Number%. Used by ErrScn. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 23 ___________________ FileBackup% ec% = FileBackup%(FileMask$, Method%) Asks for user to enter path (including drive) on which to store the back-up (e.g., "A:\" or "\TEMP\BACKUPS") then backs-up FileMask$ to drive Drive$ using Method%. Pass ____ FileMask$ File mask to include in restore (e.g., *.*, *.DAT, OLD??.*, etc.) Method% The method to use in making the back-up 1 = DOS Copy 2 = ARJ (req. a lot of free memory) 3 = LHARC 4 = PKZIP Returns _______ 0 = Completed 1 = Cancelled 2 = Bad file mask 3 = No files matching file mask Notes _____ Requires GetValidPath$() function (GETPATH.OBJ) ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 24 ___________________ FileRestore% ec% = FileRestore%(FileMask$, Method%) Menu of floppy drives then if Method% is 2, 3, or 4 a menu of files matching FileMask$ (user can select one to restore). If Method%=1 all files matching FileMask$ are restored. Pass ____ FileMask$ Files to restore (*.*, *.DAT, OLD??.*, etc.) Method% The method to use in restoring 1 = DOS Copy 2 = ARJ (req. a lot of free memory) 3 = LHARC 4 = PKZIP Anything else = DOS Copy Returns _______ 0 = Completed 1 = Cancelled 2 = Bad file mask 3 = No files matching file mask Notes _____ Requires ChooseFile$() function (CHOOSEFL.OBJ). FileRestores% ec% = FileRestores%(FileMask$, Method%) Same as FileRestore%() function above except that user can select one or multiple files to restore. See FileRestore%() for a description of the parameters. Notes _____ Requires ChooseFileS$() function (CHOOSEFS.OBJ). Will add ½k to 10k to your code size over using FileRestore%(). ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 25 ___________________ FKeys FKeys Keys$ Displays a list of function keys at the bottom of the screen. Pass ____ Keys$ String of keys to be displayed (e.g., "EPNQ"). Plus sign (+) is a reserved character. If the first character is a plus sign followed by two- digits, then the keys are placed starting on that row. For example, "+24EPNQ" would place the keys on row 24/25, instead of the default rows 23/24. Notes _____ The file FKEY.LST is seached first if it is in the current directory, then an internal list is searched if the keys are not found. The format of FKEY.LST ASCII file is: KeyCode$,KeyName$,KeyDesc$,XPos% For example, a line reading "C,Enter,Continue,51" would place the key "Enter" (in reverse video) and the description "Continue" under it at column 51 whenever an FKeys "C" is issued in a program. See the sample FKEY.LST file. The routine scans the first screen row at column 1 for the colour to use. The keys "AacCFNoPQSsTtyn" are defined internally as follows: A - Up and Down arrows a - Up/Down/Right/Left arrows C - Esc = Cancel c - Enter = Continue N - PgDn = Next o - Enter = OK P - PgUp = Prev Q - Esc = Quit S - Enter = Select s - Esc = Stop T - TAB = Next t - BackTAB = Prev y - Enter = Yes n - Esc = No ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 26 ___________________ FmtFDD% ec% = FmtFDD% Format floppy disks. Pass ____ Nothing Returns _______ TRUE if function completed FALSE if cancelled Notes _____ It's easiest to give you an algorithm of the logic flow: Search DOS PATH for WFF.EXE (What Floppy Format?) If found, run it and exit How many drives does this computer have? If more than 1 present list Issue DOS command "FORMAT d:" and exit I always put a "Format Floppies" option under my File menu which simply does "i% = FmtFDD". See also FromFDD% and ToFDD% functions. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 27 ___________________ FontDL FontDL FontFile$, Pts%, Port%, FontNo% Downloads a soft font file to a laser printer and displays a status window while doing so. Pass ____ FontFile$ The full file name, including drive and path if necessary, of the soft font file to be downloaded. Port% The port number (1-3) of the printer. FontNo% PCL font number to assign this font (e.g., 400). Numbers >128 are generally best to use as the lower numbers have standard fonts which typically apply to them. Returns _______ Pts% The point size of the font is returned in this variable. Example _______ ok% = FontDL%(FontFile$, Pts%, Port%, FontNo%) if ok% then PRINT #PrintFile%, chr$(27)+"("+ltrim$(str$(FontNo%))+"X" end if Notes _____ The above sequence selects FontNo% as the primary font (the '(' does this). To select it as the secondary font use chr$(27)+"("+ltrim$(str$(FontNo%))+"X" ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 28 ___________________ GetDate GetDate d%, m%, y%, Intl%, Row%, Col% Accepts date from keyboard at {Row%,Col%} unformatted (no symbols, just numbers run together). Extended keys (arrows, PgUp, etc.) will exit plus a mouse button push or the Alt key. Intl% determines the sequence of entry. Pass ____ d% Default day (1-31), zero to use to-day's date, negative to skip the day m% Default month number, zero to use current month, negative to skip the month y% Default year number (4 digits), zero to use current year, negative to skip the year Intl% Country setting (1=US, 2=Cdn, 3=US & Cdn, 4=Other) Row% Screen row on which to get input Col% Screen column in which to get input Returns _______ d%, m%, and y% are set to user's input GetFileDesc$ desc$ = GetFileDesc$(file$) Get a file's description (long name) from the DESCRIPT.* file in the current directory. Pass ____ file$ DOS file name. You can specify a drive & path, but the current directory will be accessed for the DESCRIPT.* file. Returns _______ Description (long name) of the file. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 29 ___________________ GetFileName$ afile$ = GetFileName$(InOut%, ttl$, msg$, dflt$, ms%) Get a file name from user in a window, verify proper format of entry, and check status of file. Pass ____ InOut% Input or Output file? 1 = Input file (file must exist; error message displayed if not) ('1' is for 'I'nput) 0 = Output file (checks that file does not exist; if file exists, presents a warning that file will be over-written) ('0' is for 'O'utput) ttl$ Title of window msg$ Help message displayed on the screen below the file entry window dflt$ Default response ms% Mouse flag (0=no mouse, non-zero=use mouse) Mouse cursor should be invisible (off) Returns _______ Name of file, including drive and path (if entered) GetFileNames$ files$ = GetFileNames$(InOut%, ttl$, msg$, dflt$, ms%) Same as GetFileName$ except that user can specify more than one input file. Pass ____ InOut% Input or Output file? 1 = Single input file -1 = Multiple input files 0 = Output file Everything else is the same as GetFileName$() above. Returns _______ Drive and path (if entered) followed by file name(s) padded to 12 spaces. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 30 ___________________ GetFontInfo GetFontInfo File$, FontName$, PtSize% Provides name & size in the header of a soft font file. Try FontDL% on your laser for a demonstration of this. Pass ____ File$ The name of the soft font, including drive and path, if necessary. Returns _______ FontName$ The long name of the font is returned in this variable, if present (some fonts do not have any name in the header) PtSize% In the font file's header is a point size -- the integer value of this is returned (decimal chopped off). Although this should be the real point size, it's possible for it to be wrong. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 31 ___________________ GetNum$ n$ = GetNum$(iRow%, iCol%, NumMask$, OrigNo$, ExitCode%) Get formatted numerical input from user. Screen colours at the specified location will be inverted during input and restored upon exit. Pass ____ iRow% Row at which to get input iCol% Left column at which to get input NumMask$ Format mask. Valid mask characters are pound (#), dollar ($), and comma (,); all else are literals (same as PRINT USING). E.g., "#,###", "$$##.##" or "(###) ###-####". OrigNo$ Default number in string form to avoid numerical data type conflicts. Can be integer or floating point. Returns _______ User's entry as a string (use VAL to extract it into the proper variable; for example, Cost@=VAL(A$) or Miles%=VAL(A$) ExitCode% ASCII value of key user pressed to exit. E.g., Esc = 27. If an extended key (e.g., F4, PgUp, etc.) is used ExitCode% is negative. Example _______ A$=GetNum$(15,30,"$$###.##",STR$(UnitPrice@),ExitCode%) In the above example an input field will be created at location (15,30). The original number, UnitPrice@, will be formatted and displayed using the mask "$$###.##", then the computer will wait for the user's input. The key that the user presses to exit the field will be returned in the variable ExitCode%. See FKEYS.BI for key definitions. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 32 ___________________ GetValidPath GetValidPath Drv$, path$, Msg$, InOut%, ms% Displays Msg$ then asks user for a valid path name, defaulting to Drv$ and Path$. If path does not exist and it is being used for output, user is asked if s/he wants to create it. Pass ____ Drv$ Default drive (e.g., "C:") Path$ Default path (e.g., "\TEST\DIR") Msg$ Helpful message to display on the screen (using Inform%) InOut% 1=Input/0=Output If InOut%=0 will prompt to create a directory that does not exist. ms% 0=No mouse, 1=Use mouse Returns _______ Drv$ Selected drive letter followed by a colon Path$ Selected path with trailing foreslash (\) (e.g., "\TEST\DIR\") Notes _____ The mouse must be initialized and visible to use it. To keep things simple & save stack space, the windows are at fixed positions (which also helps keep things consistent, too). ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 33 ___________________ GoodbyeScreen GoodbyeScreen Pkg$, Reg%, FirstUse$, TimesUsed% Presents a 'goobye screen' with which I end my programmes. It also has my name on it... :) When you register ANGELIB you will get a version which lets you put your copyright message on it. Pass ____ Pkg$ Package abbreviation (e.g., "WVH", "WML", etc.). Should be a short name to fit properly in window. Reg% Registration flag, true/false, controls the information displayed FirstUse$ Date of first use. Used to calculate number of days package has been used. TimesUsed% Number of times package has been used. Returns _______ Nothing ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 34 ___________________ HelpIndex HelpIndex Topic$, FileSpec$ Displays a help index (menu) or a specific help screen. Pass ____ Topic$ A specific topic to look up (as might be desired with context-sensitive help). If blank an index is presented in a scrollable menu. Once the user selects a topic, the help text is displayed using the Inform% function. FileSpec$ The specification for the help file. If blank, "*.HLP" is used. FileSpec$ may contain a drive, path, and/or file name (wildcards okay). Returns _______ Nothing. Notes _____ The help file is an ASCII text file which is arranged like this: Topic #1+chr$(4)+Help information more information at least one space from left more help etc. etc. Topic #2+chr$(4)+Help info... Help files may contain up to 100 topics. The total length of the help text for a single entry is limited to 99 lines with a maximum of 50 characters per line (roughly 4k of text). Topics MUST begin in column one, additional text MUST begin AFTER column 1 (i.e., indent the help text at least one space). The topic may begin with a chr$(1) through chr$(3) to indicate an outline level. For example, you might have FILE then chr$(1)+Open. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 35 ___________________ Inform% ok% = Inform%(iRow%, iCol%, iWid%, iType%, ms%, snd%, Msg$) Displays a scrollable information window containing up to 99 lines of information. Msg$ may be any length. The routine will break the message into lines of iWid% length or less. If the box is positioned too low on the screen, it will be adjusted upwards. Pass ____ iRow% Top row of window iCol% Left column of window iWid% Window width (in characters) iType% Determines buttons (see below) 0="Message" (no buttons) 1="Note" (Ok button) 2="Caution" (Ok/Cancel) 3="Warning" (blinking) (Continue/Stop) 4="Attention" (blinking) (Yes/No) ms% Mouse support 0 = No mouse 1 = Mouse available 99 = Reset mouse & use it, if available snd% Sound: 0=None 1=Squeak 2=Tick 3=Beep Msg$ Message to display in the window. Will be truncated at 99 lines, if necessary. Returns _______ TRUE if user presses ENTER to exit FALSE if user presses ESC to exit Notes _____ All message types except zero restore the screen on exit. Use iType%=0 when you want to put information on the screen and leave it there, such as instructions on how to enter data. The mouse should be turned OFF before calling Inform% Custom Titles _____________ A custom title can replace the default. Just place a title plus chr$(254) at the start of your message (changed from chr$(4) to allow the code to be imbedded without the use of the CHR$ function ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 36 ___________________ InformFill InformFill Row%, Col%, BegLine%, WinSize%, MLines$() Used by Inform% -- fills the window with text. InputDate InputDate Mo%, Dy%, Yr%, DtStr$, Row%, Col%, ExitCode% Accepts a valid date. Unlike GetDate, InputDate only supports the DD/MM/YYYY format and does not check for a mouse button or the Alt key being pressed. However, the input is formatted whereas GetDate has all the numbers run together. Pass ____ Mo% Month number (1-12) Zero for current month -1 to skip month Dy% Day number (1-31) Zero for current day -1 to skip day Yr% Year number (4 digits) Zero for current year -1 to skip year r%/c% Screen row & column at which to display/get date Returns _______ DtStr$ Date string formatted MM/DD/YYYY. ExitCode% Set to the key used to exit. Example 1 _________ M%=0: D%=0: Y%=0: row%=10: col%=20 InputDate M%, D%, Y%, DtStr$, row%, col%, ExitCode% This will get the date at location {10,20} using the system date as default. Because InputDate is a BASIC subroutine, it is not necessary to initialize DtStr$ before using it. Example 2 _________ M%=5: D%=-1: Y%=0: row%=10: col%=20 InputDate M%, D%, Y%, DtStr$, row%, col%, ExitCode% This will get a month and year at location {10,20} using May and the system clock's year as default. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 37 ___________________ IsColour% x% = IsColour% Get adapter card type. Pass ____ Nothing Returns _______ True (-1) if colour adapter card, otherwise False (0). IsPath% stat% = IsPath%(Pathname$, InOut%) Checks validity & extends path. If directory is being accessed for output and does not exist, user is prompted to create it. Pass ____ TheName$ Path name in the format [d:][\path\] If the drive or full path are missing the current drive/path are inserted InOut% 1=Input/0=Output If directory does not exist and InOut%=0 then user will be prompted to create the directory Returns _______ 0 = Path not found/not created (suitable for Output) _ 1 = Path exists (suitable for Input) _ -1 = Bad path specification, or -2 = Other error TheName$ Contains the fully extended path name including the drive letter unless user hit Esc when asked permission to create the directory. Example _______ Assume the current path is C:\ugh\ and no directories under it. Path$ = "test": InOut% = 0 stat% = IsPath%(Path$, InOut%) select case stat% case 0 'Path not found & not created (user hit Esc) case 1 'Path found, everything okay case is < 0 'Bad path specification or DOS error Inform user that C:\ugh\test\ does not exist & ask to create. If "No" stat%=0 & Path$="test", else stat%=1 & Path$="C:\ugh\test\" ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 38 ___________________ Max% Highest% = Max%(A%, B%) Returns the larger of the two integers MaxL& Highest& = MaxL&(A&, B&) Returns the larger of two long integers. MaxS! Highest! = MaxS!(A!, B!) Returns the larger of two single-precision floating point numbers. Min% Lowest% = Min%(A%, B%) Returns the smaller of two integers. MinL& Lowest& = MinL&(A&, B&) Returns the smaller of two long integers. MinS! Lowest! = MinS!(A!, B!) Returns the smaller of two single precision numbers. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 39 ___________________ MonthDays% NoDays% = MonthDays%(M%, Y%) Returns the number of days in month M% of year Y%. Pass ____ M% Month (1-12) Y% Year (2 or 4 digits) Returns _______ Number of days in the specified month Example _______ MonthDays%(2,1992) returns 29 OutDev$ PDev$ = OutDev$(Port%, ms%) Presents a menu of output devices: Screen, Printer, and Disk File. If Disk File is selected the user is prompted for a file name (using GetFileName$). If Printer is selected the routine checks if the printer is on-line (that's partly why Port% is needed) and returns the device name as "LPT1:", "LPT2:", or "LPT3:" (that's also why Port% is needed). Pass ____ Port% Port number of printer (1, 2, or 3) ms% Mouse support: 0=no, non-zero=yes Returns _______ Device or file name OutDevs$ PDev$ = OutDevs$(Port%, ms%) Same as OutDev$ function, but for use with ChooseFiles$, FileRestore2%, GetFileNames$, and SelectSoftFonts% routines. See OutDev$ function for details. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 40 ___________________ ParseFSpec ParseFSpec TheName$, Drv$, Pathname$, TheName2$ Searches file name for the drive, path, and NAME.EXT components. Pass ____ TheName$ Full file name to parse Returns _______ Drv$ Drive letter followed by a colon (if present) Pathname$ Path name, if present, beginning and ending with a foreslash (\). Path will be extended with current path, if necessary. TheName2$ FILENAME.EXT, if present Notes _____ Converts the regular slash (/) to a foreslash (\), in case user enters the wrong one. If an invalid file name is entered (for example, more than eight characters in the name or more than three characters in the extension) then TheName2$ is returned as a blank string. The original file name, TheName$, is not changed so that if there is an error it can be given to the user for editing again. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 41 ___________________ PctDone PctDone PctY%, PctX%, Percent%, title$ Displays a graph of percentage completion in a box on the screen. If the process takes longer than 10 seconds a count-down timer will appear below the graph. Pass ____ PctY% The row (Y position) of the top right corner PctX% The column (X position) of the top right corner Percent% Percentage to draw on the graph. The first time PctDone is called a small window is drawn. When Percent% is 100 the window is erased. title$ A title (10 chars max) to display over the progress bar. The length of the title determines the width of the window. Returns _______ Nothing Notes _____ You must call PctDone with 100 to clear it. If you do not, the window will not be displayed until the routine is cleared. Example _______ For Sort&=0 to NumRecs& PctDone 9, 30, 100 * Sort& \ Y&, "Sorting" do something... next Sort& PrintRptMsg PrintRptMsg Msg$ Displays a window saying "Printing "+Rpt$+" Press Esc to cancel." I use this on every report so I made it into a routine. Example _______ Rpt$ = "Stock Status Report" PrintRptMsg Rpt$ ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 42 ___________________ PtrReady% ok% = PtrReady%(Port%) Checks if printer on LPT[Port%] is on-line. Pass ____ Port% Printer port (1, 2, or 3) Returns _______ TRUE if ready, FALSE if not Notes _____ It doesn't matter whether or not you have opened a channel to the printer before calling this routine. QSort QSort Wrk%(), Arr1$(), Arr2$(), NoDims%, NoItems%, SortField% A good public domain sorting method. Used by ChooseFile$ to sort the file list. See the source code in QSORT.SUB. This is not my code -- I'm not selling it, I just use it and pass it on to you... Repl$ cmd$ = Repl$(St$, Target$, Item$) Replaces occurence of Target$ in St$ with Item$. Good for laser printer codes. Pass ____ St$ Complete string Target$ The part of St$ to be replaced Item$ The replacement for Target$ Returns _______ The modified string with trailing spaces & nulls truncated. Example _______ Repl$("&a#V ","#","500") will return "&a500V" ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 43 ___________________ SayOk SayOk Row%, Col%, ms% Puts an "Ok" button centred at position {Row%, Col%} and an "Enter / Continue" message at the bottom of the screen, flushes keyboard buffer, then waits for mouse or keyboard to exit. Pass ____ Row% Row on which to place button Col% Middle of button ms% Use mouse support? (True/False) Returns _______ Nothing Notes _____ Scans screen at {Row%-1, Col%} and inverts the colours found there -- the idea being to make the button stand out from the lines above it. If ms% is non-zero (True) then the mouse must be initialized but invisible. SearchPath$ a$ = SearchPath$(FileName$) Searches the DOS PATH environment variable for a file. Pass ____ FileName$ Name of file for which to search (file name only; no drive or path) Returns _______ If file is found, DOS path with trailing foreslash (\) If file is not found, returns blank string ("") Example _______ Assuming you have C:\ in your search path... A$ = SearchPath$("Config.sys") will set A$ = "C:\" ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 44 ___________________ SelectFont% ok% = SelectFont%(m$,path$,PtrNo%,Pts%,Ext$,SFdir$,ms%) Displays a scrollable list of soft fonts in a window and waits for user to select one or press Esc. List will show DOS file name, font name (if present in header) and point size (if present in header). Pass ____ m$ Purpose of font, displayed at top of window (e.g., "Printing", "Reports", "Titles", etc.) path$ File specification for PRINTER.DAT file. path$ may contain a drive, path, and/or file name. If no file name is given, PRINTER.DAT is used. If no drive & path are given, the current drive & path are used. PtrNo% The printer's record number in PRINTER.DAT Ext$ Soft font file extension (e.g., "SFP" for portrait fonts, "SFL" for landscape fonts) SFdir$ Default soft font directory (e.g., "C:\Fonts") ms% Mouse support: 0=no mouse, 1=use mouse Returns _______ Function returns font's record number in PRINTER.DAT or zero if user presses Esc m$ Changed to soft font file name (including path) if soft font selected Pts% Changed to point size if scalable font SFdir$ Soft font directory with any user modifications Notes _____ Mouse must be initialized but turned OFF SelectFonts% ok% = SelectFonts%(m$,path$,PtrNo%,Pts%,Ext$,SFdir$,ms%) Same as SelectFont%() function except that it uses ChooseFileS$() (instead of ChooseFile$()). ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 45 ___________________ SelectFontSize% Pts% = SelectFontSize%(Font$, IsPts%, ms%) This routine gets the user's choice for font size in a window. This routine is called whenever a scalable font is selected in SelectFont% (I don't ever use this routine directly). Pass ____ Font$ The font name (for displaying on the screen). For example, CG Times. IsPts% Logical flag to indicate whether point size is needed (versus character pitch). If true "points" is displayed; otherwise (if zero) "character pitch" is displayed on screen. ms% Mouse flag: 0=no mouse, 1=use mouse Returns _______ Font size (integer) or zero if user presses Esc. Notes _____ This routine is called by SelectFont%. Mouse must be initialized but turned OFF (invisible cursor). SelectSoftFont$ Font$ = SelectSoftFont$(Path$, Ext$, ms%) This routine presents a scrollable list of soft fonts in a window. It is called by SelectFont% if the user selects a soft font (as opposed to a font built into the printer). Pass ____ Path$ Path to soft fonts Ext$ Extension to be included in the list (e.g., "SFP" for portrait fonts) ms% Mouse support (0=no, 1=yes) Returns _______ Name of chosen font, including drive & path, if necessary. Path$ Path as modified by user Notes _____ Uses ChooseFile$() function ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 46 ___________________ SelectSoftFonts$ Font$ = SelectSoftFonts$(Path$, Ext$, ms%) Same as SelectSoftFont$() except this routine uses ChooseFileS$() instead of ChooseFile$(). StrFmt$ ph$ = StrFmt$(Mask$, St$, reverse%) Formats a string according to a given mask. I use this to format phone numbers, zip codes, etc. Pass ____ Mask$ Mask: "#" is a digit or a space; "9" is a digit or a zero; "*" is a digit or an asterisk; everything else is treated as a literal St$ String to format reverse% Flag: if TRUE formatting is done from right to left; if FALSE (0) formatting is done from left to right. TRUE is the most common setting. Returns _______ Formatted string Examples ________ a$ = StrFmt$("8052662574","(###) ###-####",-1) returns a$ = "(805) 266-2574" a$ = StrFmt$("2726893","(###) ###-####",-1) returns a$ = "( ) 272-6893" a$ = StrFmt$("$*****","15",-1) returns a$ = "$***15" StripSymbols$ new$ = StripSymbols$(Old$) This strips any symbols from a string, returning numbers and letters only. I use it to strip the parenthesis, etc. from phone numbers, etc. Returns the string St$ stripped of its parenthesis, dashes, and commas. Example _______ a$ = StripSymbols$("(805) 272-4923") returns a$ = "8052724923" ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 47 ___________________ Trim$ b$ = Trim$(a$) Trims leading & trailing spaces and trailing chr$(0)'s from a string (using LTRIM$/RTRIM$ will remove spaces but not nulls). I use this to test the length of static strings, which are padded with CHR$(0)'s. ZipFmt$ a$ = ZipFmt$(TheZip$) Formats a zip code. Pass ____ TheZip$ Unformatted Zip/Postal code Returns _______ Zip/postal code formatted as follows: * If all numbers, #####-####### * If len 4 or 5 -- A#A #A# * Other -- No formatting zTrim$ b$ = zTrim$(a$) This routine only trims trailing nulls [chr$(0)] from the string. Good for trimming fixed-length file fields which are padded with nulls when you don't want to remove any spaces [chr$(32)] from the string. ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 48 ___________________ XII. USING PRINTER FUNCTIONS In order to use the printer functions, you will need to include the data structures definition file PtrRec.DEF in your source code. Place the line '$INCLUDE: 'PtrRec.DEF' near the beginning of your code. Next, you will need to dimension the variables to hold the records. I use both local and the global (common) variables; either will work fine unless your programme is strapped for memory one way or the other. For local variables use DIM; to make the variables global use DIM SHARED. The record types are: LaserPtrRec - Control codes which are not font-specific LaserFontRec - Font-specific control codes DMPtrRec - Dot matrix codes which are not font-specific DMFontRec - Font-specific dot matrix control codes The records are all the same length so that the single file, PRINTER.DAT, can contain all four record types. Laser printer records start with a greater-than (>) sign (for example, ">Panasonic KX- P4450"). Dot matrix printer records start with a dot (for example, ".NEC P5300"). Both record types (dot matrix and laser) begin with a Model field, so you can use a LaserPtrRec variable to read a dot matrix record, then, if the Model begins with a period, re-read the record as a DMPtrRec variable. Here are the steps your programme will need to take to set everything up: 1. Use the ChoosePtr% function to get and save the user's choice for a printer 2. Use SelectFont% to get the user's font choice(s). 3. Save printer & font choices in a configuration file. 4. Either at programme start-up or before printing read the printer control codes into memory. For example: DIM SHARED Lz as LaserPtrRec DIM SHARED DM as DMPtrRec PtrFile% = FREEFILE OPEN HomePath$ + "Printer.DAT" FOR RANDOM ACCESS READ SHARED AS PtrFile% LEN = LEN(Lz) GET #PtrFile%, PtrRec%, Lz IF LEFT$(Lz.Model, 1) = "." THEN GET #PtrFile%, PtrRec%, DM END IF 5. At programme start-up or before printing read the printer font codes into memory (like the example below) ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 49 ___________________ DIM LF as LaserFontRec DIM DF as DMFontRec ' Normally you would already have PtrFile% open from the ' above routine (to read the printer codes). If not, you ' would need to open the file as in the above routine. m$ = "Reports": Ext$ = "SFP" 'Portrait fonts (SFP) FontRec%=SelectFont%(m$, PtrRec%, Pts%, Ext$, SFdir$, ms%) SELECT CASE FontRec% 'Check result CASE 0 'User hit Escape key EXIT SUB CASE -1 'User chose soft font PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(Lz.Init); 'Reset laser Done% = FontDL(SFont$, FPts%, PtrPort%, 400) 'Download font IF NOT Done% THEN 'User aborted download; flag routine as 'cancelled' EXIT FUNCTION or SUB END IF IF FPts% > 0 THEN 'FontDL got a size? Fcpi% = 120 \ FPts% 'Cvt points to rough CPI for calcs ELSE 'No size in font hdr Fcpi% = 10 'Assume 12pt/10cpi for calcs END IF PRINT #PrintFile%, CHR$(27); ")400X"; 'Secondary, ID #400 CASE ELSE IF Ptr$ = "D" THEN 'DOT MATRIX PRINTER GET #PtrFile%, FontRec%, DF PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(DM.Init); 'Reset PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(DF.Select); 'Select font T$=Trim$(DM.HTab) + CHR$(2 * Fcpi) + CHR$(0) 'Set tab @ 2" ELSE 'LASER PRINTER GET #PtrFile%, FontRec%, LF PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(LF.SymSet2); 'Make secondary PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(LF.Select2); 'Use SymSet1 etc PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(LF.Spacing); 'to make Primary IF VAL(LF.Pitch) = 0 THEN 'Scalable font? PRINT #PrintFile%,LTRIM$(STR$(Pts%)); 'Point size END IF '(from SelectFont%) PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(LF.Pitch); 'Pitch select cmd PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(LF.Slant); 'Upright/italic PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(LF.Weight); 'Light/Med/Bold PRINT #PrintFile%, zTrim$(LF.Number); 'PCL font number IF RIGHT$(zTrim$(LF.Pitch), 1) = "h" THEN 'Mono-spaced? Fcpi% = VAL(LF.Pitch) 'Store cpi FPts% = 120 \ temp1% 'Cvt cpi to rough pts if nec ELSE FPts% = VAL(LF.Pitch) 'Store points Fcpi% = 120 \ TPts% 'Cvt pts to rough cpi if nec END IF END IF ANGELIB for BC7/PDS 50 ___________________ END SELECT CLOSE #PtrFile% Now you have the printer ready to go and you have the variables Fcpi% and Fpts% to work with in calculating TAB locations, line length, etc. You will notice that I use zTrim$() rather than just printing a variable. This is because BASIC pads TYPE fields with nulls - CHR$(0)'s. The zTrim$() function removes CHR$(0)'s but leaves trailing spaces (which may be part of the command string). There are some things that you must know, such as that the pitch command for a PCL (laser) printer ends in "h" if it is mono-spaced (cpi) and "v" if it is proportionally-spaced (points). Also, in setting a TAB string in the above example I used the Epson-standard which terminates the setting of TABs with a CHR$(0). This is the best solution I have come up with, and every printer I've seen in the past five years uses Epson codes anyhow, so I figure this technique will work 90% of the time or better. You can make your own PRINTER.DAT file or modify the one supplied just by using the PtrRec.DEF file. Someday soon I will make a programme for modifying the PRINTER.DAT file, but for now it will have to be done manually. I would really appreciate it if you would share with me any new printers you install by sending me your modified PRINTER.DAT file.