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ObjectEase v2.0 (c)Copyright 1992 - David S. Reinhart Associates 1004 Marticville Rd. Pequea, PA 17565 (717) 284-3736 The ObjectEase libraries are for use with any and all versions of Borland's C++ compilers. Welcome Welcome to the world of object oriented programming. Welcome to the world of ObjectEase! The ObjectEase library of C++ classes and member functions is going to do more for your programming efficiency than any other library, book, video tape, or any other learning tool or tool kit that you could purchase! Guaranteed! There is no learning curve involved in using this library. All of the classes are intuitive. You've been using them in someone else's programs for years, but you've just never been able to duplicate them in your own. Not because you don't have the programming skill, but because you didn't want to waste time developing tools when you could spend your valuable time developing a completed project. I, on the other hand have always been fascinated with the tools that are used to piece together a successful application, and that is what I have spent my time perfecting. Now you can exploit the work that I have already done by harnessing the power of the tools that are contained in the ObjectEase class library! What is the prime advantage that we keep hearing about OBJECT ORIENTED programming? That's right... OBJECTS that can be pieced together in various ways to form different applications. Predefined objects that YOU put together in whatever way you desire to produce your programs. You don't have to re-code anything. Just include the ObjectEase library in your project file and use these objects over and over to produce PROFESSIONAL QUALITY, HIGHLY RESPECTED applications. Enough said! If you haven't already done so, stop reading right now and run the demo programs that have been provided. The demos are called TUIDEMO.EXE, GUIDEMO.EXE, and VIDDEMO.EXE and are in the directory in which you have unpacked the ObjectEase DEMOS.ZIP files. This is the quickest and easiest way to see for yourself the QUALITY, EASE OF USE and POWER that YOU inherit through object oriented programming using the ObjectEase library! Go ahead... try it now!!! Meet The Objects There are 23 object classes in this library. "Only 23," you ask... Well, combined these 23 classes have over 500 member functions that give you TOTAL control. I dare say you will NEVER have the need to use all 23 classes in the same application. Some are exclusively for text mode use, some for graphics mode. Some to make things easier for you, the programmer. Some to make life easier for the end users of your programs. You will know, instinctively, which objects to use and in which situations. Let's take a look now at the objects, and later we'll define all of the member functions for each. TEXT MODE OBJECTS Twindow Pop up window object Tmenu Point and shoot type menu object Tstring String input object Tnumeral Numeral (int,long,float) input object Tdate Date input object Tbutton Pushbutton object Tcheckbox Checkbox object GRAPHICS MODE OBJECTS Point The base object for all other graphics objects Gstring Graphics mode string input object Colorbutton A generic object useful for such things as color selection bars, as in paint programs Icon Icon object used as a selection tool Acticon Animated icons. Really! It's great!!! Gcheckbox Graphics version of the checkbox object Gradio Graphics mode radiobutton control Button Graphic pushbuttons with both text and graphics Bitmap Bitmap image object Panel Sort of a graphics popup window object Bevel Fancier version of the panel object Gmenu Graphic pulldown menu Gmenubutton Used to create a graphics mode menu bar Screen Object determining the current mode and appearance of the video screen BI-MODAL OBJECTS Mcursor The mouse cursor SoundQ Sound queue for playing music and sounds in the background while other things keep happening in the foreground These objects provide you with all the power you need to quickly piece together applications without wasting your time creating the visual "tools" which control the program flow. The tools are all here, you just code in the appropriate reaction for every action! With this brief overview in hand, let's dive deeper into the world of each of these objects. Let's find out what makes them tick, and how YOU can control their every action. PART 1 TEXT MODE OBJECTS Probably the vast majority of any programmer's work has been done in the text mode, whether 80 or 40 column mode. Most of the tools used have been part of the standard library of functions supplied with the compiler, if any! Now you've got a new arsenal of tools which are as powerful to employ as they are easy to implement. NOTE: These classes and member functions are supplied in the fol- lowing files: TUI_S.LIB - Small memory model library TUI_L.LIB - Large memory model library TUI.H - Header file See the source code for TUI.CPP for more examples of their use. Twindow What program comes without at least one of these familiar fellows? The popup window, useful and attractive for displaying and framing just about any piece of information on the screen. Sure, there are many C libraries available for producing popup windows, but that's about all they do! And they don't do it with the ease and power available through object oriented programming and the ObjectEase library! Twindow::Twindow() The default constructor. Twindow::~Twindow() The destructor. Frees any and all memory associated with the window. Note that destructors are never directly callable. void Twindow::init(int xpos,int ypos,int x1pos,int y1pos,int fore, int back,int shadow,int shadowcolor) The toughest function call you'll ever have to remember. xpos - the upper left x coord of the window. ypos - the upper left y coord of the window. x1pos - the lower right x coord of the window. (NOT THE WIDTH) y1pos - the lower right y coord of the window. (NOT THE HEIGHT) fore - the foreground color used for drawing the lines. back - the background color of the window. shadow - 1 or 0. 1 represents the window has a shadow, 0 means no shadow. shadowcolor - 0 to 15 representing the color that any underlying text that is in the shadow region will be shown as. If there is no shadow this color should be 0. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); void Twindow::show() Displays the window on the screen. All underlying images are saved so that the screen can later be restored. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); void Twindow::zoom() Displays the window on the screen, but with a "zoom" effect rather than an "all at once" approach. Again, all underlying screen information is automatically saved. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.zoom(); void Twindow::hide() Removes the window from the screen restoring the portion of the screen which was obscured by the window. Calling Twindow::hide does not destroy the window. The window can be re-shown at any time as long as it is still in scope. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); //display the window getch(); mainwindow.hide(); //remove the window getch(); mainwindow.show(); //redisplay the window int Twindow::getborder() Returns the border style of the window. The styles DOUBLE and SINGLE are predefined in the header file. SINGLE is the default style unless otherwise specified. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); if(mainwindow.getborder()==DOUBLE) printf("Double border"); void Twindow::fill() Fills the window with its current background color effectively erasing anything that was shown in the window. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); getch(); mainwindow.wprintc(3,14,4,"Hi");// Print in // window getch(); mainwindow.fill(); void Twindow::border() Forces a redraw of the window's border. Must be called after the border style is changed. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); mainwindow.setborder(DOUBLE); //border is now //double mainwindow.border(); //must call to //show double //border int Twindow::setborder(int style) Sets the current border style of the window to SINGLE or DOUBLE. The new border style will not be shown until you call Twindow::border to redraw the window border. see example for Twindow::border() void Twindow::cfgd(int fore) Changes the window's foreground color to that specified in the fore parameter. The border (and only the border) is automatically redrawn to reflect the new color. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); getch(); mainwindow.cfgd(15); fgd is now color 15 void Twindow::cbgd(int back) Changes the window's background color to that specified in the back parameter. The background is automatically redrawn in the new color, effectively erasing anything that was in the window. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); getch(); mainwindow.cbgd(0); bgd is now color 0 int Twindow::getfgd() Returns the integer value of the window's current foreground color. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); if(mainwindow.getfgd()==14) printf("The color is yellow"); int Twindow::getbgd() Returns the integer value of the window's background color. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); if(mainwindow.getbgd()==4) printf("The background is red"); void Twindow::divider(int direction,int style,int offset) Creates a divider in the window in the direction of the direction parameter, with the style of the style parameter and offset spaces in from the top or left, depending on the direction. Use the predefined HOR and VER to represent direction and SINGLE and DOUBLE to represent style. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); getch(); mainwindow.divider(HOR,SINGLE,3); void Twindow::title(char txt[15]) Displays a title on the window in the upper left corner. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.title(" MAIN "); mainwindow.show(); int Twindow::isshown() Returns 1 if the window is currently displayed on the screen, 0 otherwise. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); if(!mainwindow.isshown()) mainwindow.show(); int Twindow::isx() Returns the integer value of the upper left x coord int Twindow::isy() Returns the integer value of the upper left y coord int Twindow::isx1() Returns the integer value of the lower right x coord int Twindow::isy1() Returns the integer value of the lower right y coord int Twindow::size() Returns the size in bytes of the area occupied by the window. void Twindow::wprintat(int x,int y,int fgd,int bgd,char *txt) Prints text relative to the window, not the screen, in the specified foreground and background colors. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); mainwindow.wprintat(3,3,14,4,"This text is in 3 and down 3 from the upper left corner"); void Twindow::wprintc(int y,int fgd,int bgd,char *txt) Centers text within a window on the given line and in the specified foreground and background colors. example: Twindow mainwindow; mainwindow.init(10,5,71,20,14,4,1,9); mainwindow.show(); mainwindow.wprintc(2,14,4,"Centered on line 2"); So, what do you think? Will these member functions give you all the control over popup windows that you ever dreamed of or what?! Be sure to see the code for the demo program for further examples of the use of the member functions for the Twindow class. Tmenu Tmenu is the point and shoot menu object. Being inherited from Twindow, Tmenu automatically includes all of the functionality of the Twindow class. This means that practically anything you can do to a Twindow instance you can also to with a Tmenu instance. An "instance" is an actual variable within your program of a given type. Tmenu does not have its own constructor and destructor, but uses those it inherits from Twindow. void Tmenu::init(int itemcnt,itemarray item,int xpos,int ypos, int width,int fore,int back,int hfore,int hback,int shadow, int shadowcolor) Well, maybe Twindow::init wasn't the toughest! OK here goes. itemcnt - the number of items in the menu. item - type itemarray is defined in the header file. You must fill and itemarray structure with items and pass it to Tmenu. xpos - the upper left x coord of the menu ypos - the upper left y coord of the menu width - the width in characters of the menu. Make sure this is wide enough to accomodate you longest menu entry. fore - the foreground color of the menu and unhighlighted text. back - the background color of the menu and unhighlighted text. hfore - the foreground color of the highlighted menu entry. hback - the background color of the highlighted menu entry. shadow - 0 for no shadow, 1 for a shadow. shadowcolor - 0 to 15 representing the color of any text within the shadow region. example: itemarray menuitems; Tmenu the_menu; strcpy(menuitems[1],"Number 1"); //ALWAYS start with itemarray[1], NOT [0] strcpy(menuitems[2],"Number 2"); strcpy(menuitems[3],"Number 3"); the_menu.init(3,menuitems,5,2,10,15,1,1,7,0,0); the_menu.show(); int Tmenu::show() This function displays the menu, handles all keyboard input while the menu is displayed, and returns the integer value of the menu selection, providing the user pressed the <ENTER> key to make a selection. If the user presses the <ESC> key the function returns 0. example: itemarray menuitems; Tmenu the_menu; int menuchoice; strcpy(menuitems[1],"Number 1"); strcpy(menuitems[2],"Number 2"); strcpy(menuitems[3],"Number 3"); the_menu.init(3,menuitems,5,2,10,15,1,1,7,0,0); choice=the_menu.show(); switch(choice) { case 1:printf("selection #1"); break; case 2:printf("selection #2"); break; case 3:printf("selection #3"); break; case 0:printf("<ESC> key pressed"); } the_menu.hide();//inherited from Twindow This rounds out the Tmenu object, but don't forget that you can use practically all of the Twindow member functions with the Tmenu class as well! Tstring The Tstring class is going to very quickly become one of your best friends. There is simply no easier way to get user text input from the users of your programs than with Tstring and its children Tnumeral and Tdate. All of the standard editing keys (HOME, END, BACKWARD AND FORWARD ARROWS, DELETE, BACKSPACE, ENTER, ESC...) are supported as well as UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, and TAB which allows you to EASILY create great forms, something that I have found no other library function anywhere could do the way I wanted to do. Lets get to know your new best friend! Tstring::Tstring() The default constructor. Tstring::~Tstring() The default destructor. void Tstring::init(int xloc,int yloc,int len,int uppercase) xloc - x coord for the left side of the string field. yloc - y coord for the string field len - the maximum length of the string field. uppercase - 1 if the string should be all uppercase, 0 if case is not important. example: Tstring the_string; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); void Tstring::show() Displays the input field on the screen, though it does not yet become active. This is helpful for displaying all of the fields in a form at one time. example: Tstring the_string; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.show(); void Tstring::input() Checks for an input character, and immediately exits if there is none. This function can be useful for apparent multitasking. example: Tstring the_string; int x=0; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.show(); while(1) { the_string.input(); gotoxy(1,1); printf("%5d",x++); } Even though you can continue to edit the Tstring instance, the variable x keeps incrementing and displaying to the screen. void Tstring::get_input() This is the function that you will most commonly call for single string input. Basically this function continually calls Tstring::input() and exits when the user presses either the ENTER key or the ESC key. Even if the user presses ESC anything in the input field will be captured and can be retrieved, though this is not generally the case. example: Tstring the_string; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.get_input();//automatically calls //Tstring::show if the field is not //already displayed. if(the_string.escapehit()) exit(0); int Tstring::escapehit() Returns 1 if the ESC key was been pressed to end editing of a field. See example for Tstring::get_input(). int Tstring::returnhit() Returns 1 if the ENTER key was pressed to end editing of a field. example: Tstring the_string; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.get_input(); if(the_string.returnhit()) printf("\a"); int Tstring::tabhit() Returns 1 if the TAB key was pressed while editing a field. example: Tstring the_string; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.get_input(); if(the_string.tabhit()) printf("\a"); int Tstring::uparrowhit() Returns 1 if the UP ARROW key was pressed while editing a field. This function is very useful for form input and is used with the Tstring::get_form_input member function. See the example with the Tstring::get_form_input() function. int Tstring::dnarrowhit() Returns 1 if the DOWN ARROW key was pressed while editing a field. This function is very useful for form input and is used with the Tstring::get_form_input member function. See the example with the Tstring::get_form_input() function. int Tstring::isshown() Returns 1 if the string field has been displayed on the screen, 0 if not. int Tstring::hit() Returns 1 if the left mouse button is pressed while the mouse cursor is on the string field. This function is used in conjunction with the Tstring::get_form_mouse_input() function. example: Tstring the_string; extern Mcursor the_mouse; //See Mcursor for //details. the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_mouse.init(); //See Mcursor the_mouse.show(); //See Mcursor the_string.get_form_mouse_input(); if(the_string.hit()) printf("\a); void Tstring::setincolors(int fgd,int bgd) Sets the foreground and background colors of the input field. By default these colors will be yellow (14) on blue (1). Use this member function to change these default values. example: Tstring the_string; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.setincolors(0,7); the_string.get_input(); void Tstring::get_form_input() VERY useful function for getting input in form fashion from the user. I remember reading when I first learned Pascal that a skilled Pascal programmer would never use a GOTO statement, but would find a more elegant way control program flow. BULL! Skillful use of a GOTO statement can be very powerful indeed as we will now see. example: Tstring string1; Tstring string2; Tstring string3; string1.init(10,5,10,0); string2.init(10,7,10,0); string3.init(10,9,10,0); string1.show(); string2.show(); string3.show(); getstring1: //This is a label string1.get_form_input(); if(string1.escapehit()) goto esc; if(string1.uparrowhit()) goto getstring3; if(string1.dnarrowhit()) goto getstring2; getstring2: //Another label string2.get_form_input(); if(string2.escapehit()) goto esc; if(string2.uparrowhit()) goto getstring1; if(string2.dnarrowhit()) goto getstring3; getstring3: //And another string3.get_form_input(); if(string3.escapehit()) goto esc; if(string3.uparrowhit()) goto getstring2; if(string3.dnarrowhit()) goto getstring1; goto continue; esc: exit(0); continue: ... //program continues. In this way a user can move continuously among the different input fields until everything is perfect before leaving this particular screen. void Tstring::get_form_mouse_input() This function is very similar to Tstring::get_form_input, but it also checks to see if you have clicked the left mouse button on another field within the form. example: Tstring string1; Tstring string2; extern Mcursor the_mouse; //See Mcursor the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.show(); string1.init(10,5,10,0); string2.init(10,7,10,0); getstring1: string1.get_form_mouse.input(); if(the_mouse.LBP()) { //See Mcursor if(string2.hit()) goto getstring2; getstring2: string2.get_form_mouse_input(); if(the_mouse.LBP()) { if(string1.hit()) goto getstring1; char * Tstring::getstring() Returns a pointer to the string that the Tstring instance contains. This is the only way to get at the contents of the Tstring input field. example: Tstring the_string; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.get_input(); printf("%s",the_string.getstring()); void Tstring::preset(char *) Use this function to automatically display a predefined string in the input field. The user can still edit this field in the usual manner. example: Tstring the_string; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.preset("Yes"); the_string.get_input(); void Tstring::reset() Clears the contents of a Tstring input field. example: Tstring the_string; char stringholder[80]; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.get_input(); strcpy(stringholder,the_string.getstring()); the_string.reset(); the_string.show(); void Tstring::erase() Clears the contents of a Tstring input field and automatically redisplays the blank field on the screen. example: Tstring the_string; char stringholder[80]; the_string.init(10,5,10,0); the_string.getinput(); strcpy(stringholder,the_string.getstring()); the_string.erase(); That wraps it up for the Tstring class. VERY POWERFUL STUFF!!! You can do some incredible things with this class and its member functions, and the best part is that you can do them EASILY! Now let's take a look at Tstring's descendants, Tnumeral and Tdate. Tnumeral Being descended from Tstring, Tnumeral of course inherits all of Tstring's power and ease of use. Some member functions, however, have been modified somewhat for the particulars of a numeral class as opposed to a string class. Let's examine Tnumeral's member functions. void Tnumeral::init(int xpos,int ypos,int length,int int_or_float) This member function looks similar to that of Tstring, but some particulars have been changed. The first three parameters again refer to the x and y screen coordinates for the input field to begin, and the length of the input field respectively. The fourth parameter now specifies whether or not the field is to display an integer or a float value. int_or_float - 0 for int or long values, 1 for float values. example: Tnumeral the_int; Tnumeral the_float; the_int.init(10,10,5,0); the_float.init(10,12,5,1); int Tnumeral::getint() Returns the integer value input by the user. example: Tnumeral the_int; int myint; the_int.init(10,10,5,0); the_int.get_input(); myint=the_int.getint(); long Tnumeral::getlong() Returns a long value input by the user. example: Tnumeral the_long; long mylong; the_long.init(10,10,5,0); the_long.get_input(); mylong=the_long.getlong(); float Tnumeral::getfloat() Returns a float value input by the user. example: Tnumeral the_float; float myfloat; the_float.init(10,10,5,1); the_float.get_input(); myfloat=the_float.getfloat(); These are the specifics of the Tnumeral class. Don't forget that you can still use any of the member functions inherited from the Tstring class. This is the essential power of object oriented programming! Tdate The Tdate class is a specialized version of the Tstring class used specifically for entering date information. Slashes will be displayed in the input field at the appropriate places, and all user input will take place around these slashes, never overwriting them or requiring the user to forward space over them. When the user presses <ENTER> the date value will be validated, and if the date is not valid a warning beep will sound and editing will continue until a valid date is entered or the user presses <ESC>. void Tdate.init(int xpos,int ypos) xpos - the x screen coordinate at which to begin the date field. ypos - the y screen coordinate at which to begin the date field. example: Tdate the_date; the_date.init(10,10); int Tdate::verified() Returns 0 if the date entered is NOT a valid date, 1 if it is valid. example: Tdate the_date; int date_is_OK=0; the_date.init(10,10); the_date.get_input(); if(the_date.verified()) date_is_OK=1; char * Tdate::getdatestring() Returns a character string representing the date as literally entered by the user. An example of a string returned by this function would be "06/06/92". example: Tdate the_date; char mydate[8]; the_date.init(10,10); the_date.get_input(); strcpy(mydate,the_date.getdatestring()); long Tdate::getdate() Returns a long number representing the date as entered by the user. If the user entered a date of 01/13/64 the Tdate::getdate function would return a value of 640113. This value is useful for comparing two or more dates. example: Tdate the_date; long mydate; the_date.init(10,10); the_date.get_input(); mydate=the_date.getdate(); That's all there is to tell about Tstring and its descendants Tnumeral and Tdate. As stated earlier, I'm sure these classes are going to make life much easier for you, the programmer, as well as the users of your programs. Now let's move on to explore some of the other text mode objects of the ObjectEase library. Tbutton Tbutton is the class which represents the text mode pushbutton. With the growing popularity of the GUI and mouse usage, text mode graphic objects also become increasingly necessary if your programs are to remain efficient and easy to use. The Tbutton class is just for this purpose. Sometimes a menu is just too much, and that is where the Tbutton excels. Tbuttons can be activated by the mouse or by a keyboard trigger. The usual keyboard trigger is the ALT key in combination with the highlighted letter from the Tbutton. This is the method the will be used in the following examples. Tbutton::Tbutton() The default constructor. Tbutton::~Tbutton() The default destructor. void Tbutton::init(int xpos,int ypos,char* text,int highlight) xpos - the x screen coordinate to display the Tbutton. ypos - the y screen coordinate to display the Tbutton. text - the string to be displayed on the Tbutton. highlight - the position within the string of the letter to highlight (for use as a keyboard trigger). example: Tbutton mybutton; mybutton.init(10,10,"Hello",1); //The 'H' in Hello, being the first letter, will //be highlighted. void Tbutton::show(int bgd) Displays the Tbutton instance on the screen. The bgd parameter is the color of the background on which the Tbutton instance will be displayed. example: Tbutton mybutton; mybutton.init(10,10,"Hello",1); settextbackground(1); clrscr(); mybutton.show(1); int Tbutton::hit() Returns 1 if the mouse cursor is on the Tbutton, 0 otherwise. example: Tbutton mybutton; Mcursor the_mouse; //see Mcursor class mybutton.init(10,10,"Hello",1); mybutton.show(0); if(the_mouse.LBP()) { if(mybutton.hit()) { mybutton.press(0); while(the_mouse.LBP()); mybutton.show(0); } } void Tbutton::press(int bgd) Displays the Tbutton on the screen in the depressed mode. See the example for Tbutton::hit() int Tbutton.ispressed() Returns 1 if the Tbutton instance is in the depressed state, 0 otherwise. example: Tbutton mybutton; mybutton.init(10,10,"Hello",1); mybutton.show(0); if(!mybutton.ispressed()) mybutton.press(0); These examples have shown how to activate a Tbutton instance using the mouse as a trigger. Let me now provide an example of how to use the keyboard as a trigger. I will be using some additional functions in this example which ARE included in the ObjectEase library even though they are not member functions of a particular class. example: Tbutton mybutton; char ch; mybutton.init(10,10,"Hello",1); settextbackground(1); clrscr(); mybutton.show(1); ch=getch(); if(altkey()) { //included function ch=getch(); if(ch==ALTH) { //defined in the //included header file mybutton.press(1); while(altkey()); mybutton.show(1); //branch here to any action } } Again, see the source code for the demo program for further examples if this is not totally clear to you. Tcheckbox The Tcheckbox class allows you to offer multiple choices and have the user make multiple selections. You can then "ask" the Tcheckbox if it has been checked by the user and take the appropriate actions. The mouse or the keyboard can act as a trigger to toggle the state of a Tcheckbox. When the keyboard is used, it is usually the SPACE BAR that serves as the trigger. Let's see how... void Tcheckbox::init(int xpos,int ypos,int fgd,int bgd) xpos - the x screen coordinate of the Tcheckbox. ypos - the y screen coordinate of the Tcheckbox. fgd - the foreground color to use for the Tcheckbox. bgd - the background color to use for the Tcheckbox. example: Tcheckbox mybox; mybox,init(10,10,15,0); void Tcheckbox::show() Displays the Tcheckbox instance on the screen. example: Tcheckbox mybox; mybox.init(10,10,15,0); mybox.show(); void Tcheckbox::check() Displays an 'X' in the Tcheckbox, marking it as selected. example: Tcheckbox mybox; mybox.init(10,10,15,0); mybox.show(); mybox.check(); void Tcheckbox::uncheck() Clears the 'X' from a checked Tcheckbox. example: Tcheckbox mybox; mybox.init(10,10,15,0); mybox.show(); getch(); mybox.check(); getch(); mybox.uncheck(); int Tcheckbox.ischecked() Returns 1 if the Tcheckbox is checked, 0 otherwise. example: Tcheckbox mybox; mybox.init(10,10,15,0); mybox.show(); mybox.check(); if(mybox.ischecked()) mybox.uncheck(); else mybox.chech(); void Tcheckbox::grabcursor() Moves the cursor to a particular Tcheckbox instance. example: Tcheckbox mybox; mybox.init(10,10,15,0); clrscr(); //cursor is now at 1,1 mybox.show(); mybox.grabcursor(); //cursor is now at mybox int Tcheckbox::hit() Returns 1 if the mouse cursor is on the Tcheckbox, 0 otherwise. example: Tcheckbox mybox; Mcursor the_mouse; //See Mcursor mybox.init(10,10,15,0); mybox.show(); if(the_mouse.LBP()) { if(mybox.hit()) { if(mybox.ischecked()) mybox.uncheck(); else mybox.check(); while(the_mouse.LBP()); } } Let me now give an example of how to use the keyboard to toggle the state of a Tcheckbox instance. example: Tcheckbox mybox; char ch; int done=0; mybox.init(10,10,15,0); mybox.show(); mybox.grabcursor(); while(!done) { ch=getch(); if(ch==32) { if(mybox.ischecked()) mybox.uncheck(); else mybox.check(); } } This concludes the text mode class descriptions. In the next section we will look at the graphic mode objects in detail. PART 2 GRAPHICS MODE OBJECTS Using the graphic objects of the ObjectEase library In order to utilize the objects and functions in the ObjectEase library you need only add the GUI.LIB library to your project, and include the header file in your program code. You can then declare object instances and call the functions as you would with any other library. You must, of course, first initialize the graphics mode with a call to initgraph(), or preferably through one of the member functions of the screen class. The graphic objects are available only in the large memory model of the library. This is because the use of graphics can be very memory intensive and the large memory model gives the program access to all of the available RAM, not just a single 64K data segment. This documentation is divided into sections describing each of the various graphic objects followed by a description and examples of all of the methods that may be used with the object. Please take special note of the example fragments as they may be of great help to you in getting to know the proper use of these objects and methods. The following classes are available in these files: GUI.LIB - Large memory model library GUI.H - Header file See the source code for the sample program GUIDEMO.EXE for more examples of these classes and their use. Panels Panels can be associated with pop-up windows in a text environment. They serve to contain and draw attention to other objects such as text or pushbuttons. The class POINT from which Panel is derived is the base class for all of the graphic objects in this library. In order to facilitate the initialization of the inorout and thickorthin variables the definitions IN, OUT, THICK and THIN may be used. These are defined in the header file. To declare an instance of class PANEL and display it in your application follow the example in the following code fragment. Panel mypanel; mypanel.init(10,10,100,100,IN,THICK); mypanel.show(); It's just that simple. Remember that the graphics mode must first be initialized by a call to initgraph. If you are unfamiliar with this function consult your compiler documentation. All of the objects in this library contain the method "init". You must call "init" with the proper parameters before trying to display the object. There's no telling what might happen if you try to display an uninitialized object. Bevels Bevels are just like panels with a more decorative border. All calls to their methods are identical except that a call to Bevel.init() takes one less parameter. You do not need to specify IN or OUT because Bevel borders always go out. PushButtons Pushbuttons simulate keyboard keys on the screen. They serve to get user input for a variety of purposes. They are very intuitive and can display either a text title or a graphic image. To declare an instance of class Button you need to supply the parameters for the upper left x and y positions, a string which either represents the text to be displayed on the button or the name of the file containing the image to be used on the button, and an integer flag representing whether or not the last parameter refers to text or a filename. The definitions TEXT and IMAGE can be used in this parameter and are defined in the header file. Consider this example: Button textbutton; textbutton.init(10,10," EXIT ",TEXT); textbutton.show(); This would create and display a button that said " EXIT " on it. Consider this: Button graphbutton; graphbutton.init(10,10,"EXIT",IMAGE); graphbutton.show(); This would create and display a button containing the image stored in the file "EXIT.BTN". The file extension should not be included in the parameter as ".BTN" is the assumed extension. The graphic file must be present on the disk before trying to call this function. Using the ICONEDIT program supplied with this package you can very easily create these graphics to be included on buttons. Note that you do not need to specify the width and height of buttons. If you are using text labels the button width is determined automatically to accomodate up to 40 characters, and if your are using graphics the button defaults to 20x20. This is the size of the button graphics created by the ICONEDIT program. Pressing the button is usually done with the mouse cursor, however, you may find it useful to use some other trigger to press the button. The button method "hit()" determines if the mouse cursor is within the boundaries of the button. For a detailed discussion on the use of the mouse functions see the appropriate section of this documentation. If you don't understand all of the functions in this next code fragment you can find explanations elsewhere in this document. Button mybutton; DECLARES INSTANCE OF BUTTON mybutton.init(10,10,"EXIT",TEXT); INITIALIZES MYBUTTON mybutton.show(); DISPLAYS MYBUTTON ON SCREEN while(!kbhit()) { DO THIS WHILE NO KEYS ARE HIT if(the_mouse.LBP()) { IF THE LEFT MOUSE KEY IS PRESSED if(mybutton.hit()) { IF MOUSE CURSOR IS ON MYBUTTON mybutton.press(); DISPLAY MYBUTTON AS PRESSED while(the_mouse.LBP()); WAIT UNTIL LEFT MOUSE KEY HAS BEEN RELEASED mybutton.show(); DISPLAY MYBUTTON IN NORMAL STATE } } } Immediately after restoring the button to the normal (undepressed) state the program can branch to take whatever action the button calls for. By using the Button method "press()" all of the redrawing and repositioning of the text and/or graphic images is handled automatically by the ObjectEase library. Colorbuttons Colorbuttons don't do much except tell you when they are hit and return their current color. This is very useful if you are coding a paint program and need some way to set the current foreground and background colors. I'm sure you can find some other good uses for this class as well. Call "init()" with integer parameters for the x and y position, the width, the height, and the color of the button. Call "show()" with an integer value representing the color of the rectangle you wish to have surrounding the Colorbutton. By manipulating this value you can effectively show an "active" Colorbutton in a row of Colorbuttons. "Hit()" simply returns whether or not the mouse cursor is in the Colorbutton area, and "getcolor()" returns the color of the Colorbutton. A quick way to make a color selection bar is as follows: Colorbutton colorarray[16]; for(int i=0;i<16;i++) { colorarray[i].init(100+(i*20),100,20,20,i); colorarray[i].show(15); } Gcheckbox The Gcheckbox is the graphics mode counterpart to the Tcheckbox class. Like the Tcheckbox, Gcheckbox should be used to allow the user to make multiple selections. Call "init()" with the following three parameters to initialize a Gcheckbox. The x int coordinate, the y int coordinate, and a char * representing the descriptive text to be displayed with the Gcheckbox. Call "show()" to display the Gcheckbox on the screen. Calling "check()" and "uncheck()" will toggle the state of the Gcheckbox, and calling "is_checked()" will tell you its current state. The "hit()" member function returns true if the mouse cursor is positioned on the Gcheckbox. Follow this example: Gcheckbox mybox; int done=0; mybox.init(100,100,"This is a Gcheckbox"); mybox.show(); while(!done) { if(the_mouse.LBP()) { if(mybox.hit()) { if(mybox.is_checked()) mybox.uncheck(); else mybox.check(); } } } You don't have to use the mouse as the trigger to toggle states. Any keypress or key combination that you choose can be used to toggle the state. Gradio Gradio is the graphics mode version of the radio button. Basically the way a radio button works is this: First, you must have more than one of them. If you only need one use a Gcheckbox instead. One of the series of Gradios is initially selected. When the user selects a different radio button, the first one becomes de-selected, and the new one becomes selected, and so on. Remember, unlike a series of Gcheckboxes, only ONE Gradio can be selected at a time. Initialize a Gradio by calling "init()" with three parameters. The first two are ints specifying the x and y coordinates respectively to display the Gradio, and the third is a char* representing the descriptive text to be displayed to the right of the Gradio. After initializing the Gradio you can show it with a call to "show()". Like a Gcheckbox you can toggle the state of a Gradio with calls to "check()" and "uncheck()", and test if it has been hit with the mouse cursor by calling "hit()". Calling "is_checked()" will tell you the current state of the Gradio. Let's look at an example: Gradio rb1,rb2; int done=0; rb1.init(100,100,"This is a radio button"); rb2.init(100,120,"So is this"); rb1.show(); rb2.show(); while(!done) { if(the_mouse.LBP()) { if(rb1.hit()) { if(rb1.is_checked()) { rb1.uncheck(); rb2.check(); } else { rb1.check(); rb2.uncheck(); } if(rb2.hit()) { if(rb2.is_checked()) { rb2.uncheck(); rb1.check(); } else { rb2.check(); rb1.uncheck(); } } } } Icons Icons can be used in much the same way as buttons. They will always contain a graphic image, although text can be a part of the graphic. They are not 3 dimensional like pushbuttons. The graphic images for these Icon objects are created using the ICONEDIT program. This program produces 32x32 pixel icons that can be single or multi-framed. More on this in a moment. Like the other graphic objects, the Icon class must first be initialized with a call to "init()." Init() takes three parameter, the x and y coordinates of the upper left corner, and the file name of the file containing the graphic image for the icon. The filename parameter should be given without an extension as the default extension ".ICN" is assumed. The file named in this parameter must exist in the current directory. Let's look at a short example: Icon myicon; myicon.init(10,10,"paint"); myicon.show(); This example declares an instance of class Icon using the file "paint.icn" as the graphic, and then displays the icon. As with the pushbutton, the method "hit()" determines if the mouse cursor is within the boundaries of the icon. If it is, and if a mouse key is pressed, we can change the appearance of the icon to mark it as selected using the method "choose()." Here's a quick example, similar to that presented for the pushbutton: Icon myicon; myicon.init(10,10,"paint"); myicon.show(); while(!kbhit()) { if(the_mouse.LBP()) { if(myicon.hit()) { if(!myicon.ispressed()) { myicon.choose(); while(the_mouse.LBP()); myicon.show(); } } } } Usually when an icon has been selected you will want to make sure that the last icon to be selected gets reset to its normal state with a call to "show()." Whatever action needs to be taken as a result of the icon's selection can be done after the call to "choose()." The method "ispressed()" simply returns whether or not the icon is already displayed in its selected state. Acticons Acticons are exactly like Icons except that instead of simply reversing their image to mark them as the selected icon, they become animated. Acticons are created using the ICONEDIT program. They are created in the same manner as an Icon, but instead of just a single frame graphic, they contain several (up to 32) frames. Like Icons, they are initialized with a call to "init()" with parameters for the upper left x and y coordinates, and the file name containing the graphic images. When you call "show()", however, you must supply an integer parameter specifying which frame to display. Usually you will want to make this frame 0 because if you call "choose()" the negative image of frame 0 will be displayed by default. For example: Acticon myicon; myicon.init(10,10,"paint"); myicon.show(0); Just like an Icon except for the parameter in the call to "show()." If you want to use choose to show the reverse image of the Acticon it is done the same as it is for class Icon. If however you want to animate the Acticon you must call "animate()" or "backforth()." Both of these methods will put the Acticon in motion. "Animate()" will display the frames in ascending order and then restart at frame 0. "Backforth()" will display the frames in ascending order, but when it reaches the last frame it will then display the frames in reverse order back to frame 0. Both of these methods take a single parameter which specifies the delay between displaying each frame. This delay is expressed in eighteenths of a second. The lower the value, the faster the animation. You do not need to specify the number of frames in the Acticon as this information is contained in the graphic file created by ICONEDIT. Let's take a look: Acticon myicon; myicon.init(10,10,"paint"); myicon.show(0); while(!kbhit()) { if(the_mouse.LBP()) { if(myicon.hit()) { while(the_mouse.LBP()) myicon.animate(3); } } } In this code fragment, if the left mouse key is pressed while the cursor is on the Acticon, then the Acticon will animate for as long as the left mouse key is pressed. Note that "animate()" and "backforth()" will only change the animation by one frame, so for continuous motion you must include calls to these methods within some sort of loop. Bitmaps The Bitmap object is used to display and capture graphic images. There are two editors included in this package to create bitmap images. The files are in the Borland getimage() format, which is certainly not the most compressed format for image storage. Future versions of this library are sure to include Bitmap objects with various graphic file formats. The bitmap editors are 16IMAGE.EXE and 256IMAGE.EXE for creating 16 and 256 color bitmaps respectively. Bitmap::Bitmap() The default constructor. Bitmap::~Bitmap() The default destructor. void Bitmap::init(int x,int y) Initializes a bitmap object. The x and y parameter represent the x,y coordinates for displaying the bitmap. If this coordinate pair is not known when you initialize the bitmap instance, simply initialize it to 0,0. void Bitmap::changexy(int x,int y) Changes the x,y coordinates at which to display the bitmap. void Bitmap::load(char* name) Loads the bitmap image specified in the name parameter from disk. This file must have been created by one of the bitmap editors included with the ObjectEase library, or by a previous call to Bitmap::save(char*). void Bitmap::save(char* name) Saves a bitmap image to disk. Under most circumstances, this will be an image that has been captured using the Bitmap::capture(int,int,int,int) member function. void Bitmap::capture(int x,int y,int x1,int y1) Captures the area bounded by the rectangle x,y,x1,y1 to a Bitmap object. This area MUST NOT exceed 64K as this is the maximum size for a Borland getimage() buffer. void Bitmap::moveto(int x,int y) Hides a displyed Bitmap object and re-displays it at the new x,y coordinates. void Bitmap::hide() Removes a displayed Bitmap object from the screen. void Bitmap::show_COPY() Displays a Bitmap image using the COPY_PUT mode. void Bitmap::show_XOR() Displays a Bitmap object using the XOR_PUT mode. void Bitmap::show_OR() Displays a Bitmap object using the OR_PUT mode. void Bitmap::show_NOT() Displays a Bitmap using the NOT_PUT mode. void Bitmap::show_AND() Displays a Bitmap object using the AND_PUT mode. int Bitmap::isshown() Returns 1 if the Bitmap object is displayed on the screen, 0 otherwise. int Bitmap::hit() Returns 1 if the mouse cursor is on the Bitmap object, 0 otherwise. int Bitmap::xsize() Returns an integer representing the horizontal size of the Bitmap. int Bitmap::ysize() Returns an integer representing the vertical size of the Bitmap. int Bitmap::bitmapx() Returns the upper left x coordinate of the Bitmap. int Bitmap::bitmapy() Returns the upper left y coordinate of the Bitmap. int Bitmap::LBSCLK() Returns 1 if the left mouse button has been pressed while the mouse cursor was on the Bitmap object, 0 otherwise int Bitmap::LBDCLK() Returns 1 if the left mouse button was pressed twice while the mouse cursor was on the Bitmap object. The button must have been pressed two time with 1/2 of a second or else the timer resets. Gstrings No, it's not something a stripper wears, the G in Gstring simply stands for graphic. These object are used for getting text input while in graphics mode. They display their own input fields and can handle all of the text editing keys like arrows, backspace, delete, etc... Once again a call to "init()" is necessary to begin. The necessary parameters are the x and y coordinates of the upper left corner of the input field, the length of the field, and an integer flag to indicate whether of not to force the input into all capital letters. Any nonzero value will force all caps. Two methods that are part of Tstring that you might find useful are "preset()" and "reset()." Call "preset()" with a string parameter that you wish to have displayed in the input field by default, and "reset()" with no parameters to clear the input field. For example, if you wanted the input field to be displayed with the preset value of "Married" you would use code similar to the following: Gstring mystring; mystring.init(100,10,10,0); mystring.preset("Married"); mystring.show(); If you don't use the "preset()" method the input field will just be blank, probably what you want in most cases anyway. To allow user input just add the statement: mystring.get_input(); This will allow text input until the user presses either <ESCAPE> or <ENTER>. You can test for the <ESCAPE> key with the Tstring method "escapehit()." Let's put it all together... Gstring mystring; char *the_string; mystring.init(100,10,10,0); mystring.get_input(); if(mystring.escapehit()) exit(0); else strcpy(the_string,mystring.getstring()); The Tstring method "getstring()" returns a char * to the actual text string that was entered by the user. Gmenubutton & Gmenu The classes Gmenubutton and Gmenu provide the capabilities for you to include pulldown menus in you graphics applications. The Gmenubutton is simply the text that will appear in the menu bar whereas the Gmenu is the moving bar menu that will pop up when a Gmenubutton is selected. Since these two objects are so closely related I will discuss them together. The data element gitemarray is a predefined two dimensional array containing the strings that will appear in the Gmenu. The maximum number of items in a Gmenu is 10, and the width of the pop-up menu is fixed at 100 pixels. When initializing the strings in the gitemarray always start at index 1 rather than index 0. Like this: gitemarray menu1array; strcpy(menu1array[1],"ITEM 1"); strcpy(menu1array[2],"ITEM 2"); etc... A Gmenubutton is initialized with parameters for x and y screen locations, normal state fgd and bgd colors, selected state fgd and bgd colors, and the text to be displayed. A Gmenu is initialized with parameters for the x and y screen locations, the number of entries to be in the menu, and the gitemarray containing the item strings. The Gmenu is popped-up with a call to "show()" which returns an integer representing the index of the gitemarray the bar was on when the selection was made. If no selection was made "show()" returns 11. Let's look at an example to hopefully clear this all up. gitemarray itemarray; Gmenu mymenu; Gmenubutton mymenubutton; int menuchoice; strcpy(itemarray[1],"ITEM 1"); strcpy(itemarray[2],"ITEM 2"); strcpy(itemarray[3],"ITEM 3"); strcpy(itemarray[4],"ITEM 4"); setfillstyle(SOLID_FILL,15); MAKE A MENU BAR AT TOP OF SCREEN bar(0,0,getmaxx(),10); mymenubutton.init(0,0,0,15,15,0,"MENU 1"); mymenubutton.show(); mymenu.init(0,11,4,itemarray); if(the_mouse.LBP()) { if(mymenubutton.hit()) { mymenubutton.press(); choice=mymenu.show(); mymenu.hide(); mymenubutton.show(); } } In this example the integer variable choice will contain the number of the item that was selected. Execution can then branch to the appropriate functions based on this value using case statements. Screen The final graphics class that we will discuss is the Screen object. This object greatly simplifies the process of putting the screen into various modes. You should use this object to manipulate the screen as it initializes variables which are used by other object instances to determine the current screen mode. void Screen::Screen() The default constructor. void Screen::~Screen() The default destructor. void Screen::VGA_480_16() Puts the screen into 640x480 16 color graphics mode. example: Screen the_screen; the_screen.VGA_480_16(); void Screen::VGA_350_16() Puts the screen into 640x350 16 color graphics mode. void Screen::VGA_200_16() Puts the screen into 320x200 16 color graphics mode. void Screen::VGA_200_256() Puts the screen into 320x200 256 color graphics mode. void Screen::fill(int color) Fills the background of the graphics screen (any mode) with the color specifies in the color parameter. example: Screen screen; screen.VGA256(); screen.fill(48); Printing Text Although not part of a class library, there is a text output function included in the library that you will find most useful. The "outtextxy()" function which is part of the Borland library will only take a char* as the parameter to write to the screen. You cannot give it a variable to format into a string for you. There is a function in the ObjectEase library called gprintxy() that will format variables into printable text for you. The definition is: gprintxy(int,int,char *fmt,...) You can use this function just as you would the "printf()" function in text mode. So for example you could write: int age=27; gprintxy(100,100,"%d",age); "gprintxy()" will format the variable and print it to the screen correctly. The two integer parameters represent the x and y position to print the string. Remember that this function is dependent on the current text justification settings. Use the Borland library function "settextjustify()" to alter these settings. Next we'll explore the bi-modal objects of the ObjectEase library. That is, objects that can be used in both the text mode and the graphics mode. Bi-Modal Objects The final discussion of objects in the ObjectEase library will be about the bi-modal objects...objects that can be used in both the text mode as well as the graphics mode. These are the objects SoundQ,and Mcursor. The code for these objects is included in both the TUI libraries and the GUI library. SoundQ The SoundQ class is used for playing music and sounds in the background while foreground processes continue to execute. This is a feature that you will commonly find in use in game programs, but can be useful in any application. If you're like me, you have probably tried to find some way to do this before, but the necessary functions are simply not available as part of the standard C or C++ libraries. Now you have the tools... you have the POWER...the power of the OBJECT! NOTE: When you include an instance of the SoundQ class in your program the timer chip will be reset to tick 500 times per second. The normal rate for this chip is 18.2 times per second. Clock functions will continue to operate normally as the SoundQ object issues a clock tick at the normal rate of 18.2 times per second, however, you may find that you need to make adjustments in any delays issued by the "void delay(long)" function that comes with the standard library. Let's take a look at the details of the SoundQ class... SoundQ::SoundQ The default constructor. SoundQ::~SoundQ The default destructor. void SoundQ::adjust_speed(float) Adjusts the speed of the sounds being played in the background. The default value is 1.0. Increasing this value will slow down the playback, decreasing it will of course speed up the playback. Changing this value to 2.0 will effectively play back the sounds at half speed. example: SoundQ sq; sq.adjust_speed(2.0); void SoundQ::play(int freq,int duration) Places notes in the queue to be played by the SoundQ object. The notes placed in the queue will begin to play immediately. Remember that the timer tick has been reset to tick 500 times per second by the SoundQ object, therefore, to make a note sound for 1 second the duration parameter must be 500. example: SoundQ sq; sq.play(440,100); Note: The following have been defined in the header file, and make the programming of music much simpler: #define C 523 Frequency of Middle C #define CS 554 C Sharp #define D 587 D #define DS 622 D Sharp #define E 659 E #define F 698 F #define FS 740 F Sharp #define G 784 G #define GS 831 G Sharp #define A 880 A #define AS 932 A Sharp (or B Flat) #define B 988 B #define C1 1046 C one octave above middle C #define SN 32 Duration of sixteenth note #define EN 63 Eighth note #define QN 125 Quarter note #define HN 250 Half note #define WN 500 Whole note #define ENT 20 Duration of eighth note triplet #define QNT 41 Duration of Quarter note triplet #define HNT 83 Duration of Half note triplet #define BN 30000,5 Place between two notes of the same frequency to clearly define the sounding of two notes. #define SR 30000,32 Plays a sixteenth note rest #define ER 30000,63 Plays an eighth note rest #define QR 30000,125 Plays a quarter note rest #define HR 30000,250 Plays a half note rest #define WR 30000,500 Plays a whole note rest #define NM 30000,1 Stops the sounding of a tone. Use at the end of a song. Let's use these defines to play the C Major Scale with quarter notes... SoundQ sq; sq.play(C,QN); sq.play(D,QN); sq.play(E,QN); sq.play(F,QN); sq.play(G,QN); sq.play(A,QN); sq.play(B,QN); sq.play(C1,QN); sq.play(NM); //used to stop the sound These defined values can be multiplied or divided to play sounds from different octaves. Remember that once you have created a song you only need to use SoundQ::adjust_speed to vary the playback speed of the song. Mcursor The Mcursor object controls and gets information about the mouse cursor. Again, this class is available in both text and graphics modes. Several predefined shapes for the graphics mouse cursor have been included in the ObjectEase library, however, at this time there is no provision for including your own designs with the Mcursor class. Note: The instance "Mcursor the_mouse;" has been pre-defined in the header file. This is because many of the objects in this library make use of the Mcursor object on their own. You need to declare this same instance of the Mcursor class within your code or the mouse will not function as you expect. When you declare an Mcursor instance in your code simply declare it as external like this: extern Mcursor the_mouse; //you MUST name your instance //the_mouse int Mcursor::init() Initializes the mouse. This function must be called before trying to use any of the other mouse functions. If a mouse driver is detected the function will return 1, if no mouse driver is present it will return 0. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; if(!the_mouse.init()) { puts("No mouse driver detected"); exit(0); } The Mcursor instance is immediately put into a state of "unarmed." You must "arm" the instance before it can be displayed. void Mcursor::show() Makes the mouse cursor visible on the screen. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.show(); Note: upon initialization the state of the mouse cursor will be visible. void Mcursor::hide() Makes the mouse cursor invisible. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); getch(); the_mouse.hide(); void Mcursor::unarm() Makes the mouse cursor invisible, and keeps other object instances from turning it back on. Any object that needs to draw itself on the screen will turn off the mouse cursor while it is manipulating the screen and then turns it back on when it is finished. If you don't want an object to have the capability of restoring the mouse cursor to the screen you must call Mcursor::unarm(). example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.unarm(); //hides the mouse cursor //and keeps it from //being restored by //other objects //instances. void Mcursor::arm() Restores the mouse cursor to the screen and allows other object instances to restore it to the screen when they have finished updating the screen. YOU MUST CALL THIS MEMBER FUNCTION AFTER INITIALIZING THE MOUSE BECAUSE IT IS UNARMED UPON INITIALIZATION! example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.unarm(); ...do some screen manipulation the_mouse.arm(); void Mcursor::set_hor_bounds(int left,int right) Sets the horizontal bounds of the mouse cursor movement. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.set_hor_bounds(100,getmaxx()-100); // the mouse cursor now cannot move closer than //100 pixels to the sides of the screen. void Mcursor::set_ver_bounds(int top,int bottom) Sets the vertical bounds of the mouse cursor movement. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.set_ver_bounds(100,getmaxy()-100); //the mouse cursor now cannot move closer than //100 pixels to the top or bottom of the screen. void Mcursor::position(int x,int y) Moves the mouse to the specified coordinates on the screen. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.position(0,0); //the mouse cursor is now in the upper left //corner of the screen. void Mcursor::conditional_off(int x,int y,int x1,int y1) Declares a portion of the screen where the mouse cursor will not be visible. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.conditional_off(0,0,100,100); //the mouse cursor will not be visible in the //upper left corner of the screen. int Mcursor::LBP() Returns 1 if the left mouse button is pressed, 0 otherwise. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; int done=0; the_mouse.init(); while(!done) { if(the_mouse.LBP()) done=1; } printf("\a"); int Mcursor::RBP() Returns 1 if the right mouse button is pressed, 0 otherwise. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; int done=0; the_mouse.init(); while(!done) { if(the_mouse.RBP()) done=1; } printf("\a"); int Mcursor::mx() Returns an integer representing the x coordinate of the mouse cursor. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; int x; the_mouse.init(); x=the_mouse.mx(); int Mcursor::my() Returns an integer representing the y coordinate of the mouse cursor. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; int y; the_mouse.init(); y=the_mouse.my(); void Mcursor::changeto(int) Changes the shape of the graphics mouse cursor. Has no effect on the text mode mouse cursor. This function first determines the current shape of the mouse cursor. If the current shape is the same as the one you are requesting it to change to the function will exit with no action taken. example: extern Mcursor the_mouse; the_mouse.init(); the_mouse.changeto(CROSSHAIR); Note: The following cursor shapes are predefined and may be used as the parameter to the Mcursor::changeto(int) function: #define UPARROW 1 #define DOT 2 #define PENCIL 3 #define CROSSHAIR 4 #define ARROW 5 #define FINGER 6 #define POINT 7 #define CLOCK 8 #define DISK 9 #define IBAR 10 #define PAINTCAN 11 #define HAND 12 #define ERASOR 13 #define GUNSIGHT 14 #define SCISSORS 15 #define JAWS 16 These are the member functions of the Mcursor class. I'm sure you'll find them as easy to implement as they are powerful to use. In these days of the Graphical User Interface, mouse routines are becoming a standard even in text based applications. These tools out the power of the mouse in your hands. Next I will briefly discuss the many functions that are included in this library that are not necessarily member functions of a particular object. Miscellaneous Functions of the ObjectEase Library Note: The designations TUI and GUI included with the following function descriptions designate which library the function can be found in. TUI void vprintat(int cols,int rows,int fore,int back,char *,...); Writes directly to video memory in the specified fgd & bgd colors at the specified location. Accepts variables in the same way as the printf() function. TUI void vprintc(int row,int fore,int back,char *,...); Centers texts directly in video memory at the specified row in the specified fgd & bgd colors. Accepts variables in the same way as the printf() function. TUI void printat(int,int,int,int,char *); Same as vprintat, however, only literal text is accepted, not variables. TUI void printc(int,int,int,char *); Same as vprintc, however, only literal text is accepted, not variables. TUI void cprintat(int,int,int,int,char *,...); Same as vprintat, however, the cursor is moved to the end of the string after the write. TUI void cprintc(int,int,int,char *,...); Same as vprintc, however, the cursor is moved to the end of the string after the write. TUI void clear(char ch,int fore,int back); Fills video memory with the specified character in the specified fgd & bgd colors. TUI void cursoroff(); Turns off the text cursor. TUI void cursoron(); Turns on the text cursor. TUI void settext(int fgd,int bgd); Sets the current text attributes to the specified fgd & bgd colors. TUI void chsattr(int fgd,int bgd); Changes the attributes of the entire screen to the specified fgd & bgd colors, leaving all character info on the screen intact. TUI void chcattr(int xpos,int ypos,int length,int fgd,int bgd); Changes the screen attributes to the specified fgd & bgd colors starting at xpos,ypos and continuing for length characters. TUI/GUI void dlay(int ticks); Causes a delay of the specified number of clock ticks. Clock ticks occur 18.2 times per second. TUI/GUI long getticks(); Returns the time as a long number representing the number of clock ticks since the preceding midnight. TUI/GUI int altkey(); Returns 1 if an ALT key is pressed, 0 otherwise. TUI/GUI int ctrlkey(); Returns 1 if a CTRL key is pressed, 0 otherwise. TUI/GUI int lshiftkey(); Returns 1 if the LEFT SHIFT key is pressed, 0 otherwise. TUI/GUI int rshiftkey(); Returns 1 if the RIGHT SHIFT key is pressed, 0 otherwise. TUI/GUI void flushkeys(); Clears any and all keypresses from the keyboard buffer. TUI/GUI unsigned char getvidmode(); Returns an unsigned char value representing the current video mode. The remaining functions are all part of the VIDBIOSS & VIDBIOSL libraries. void set_default_palette(); Sets all palette values to their initial values. void blankcolor(int); Sets the palette values of the color specified to 0,0,0. In other words to BLACK. void fade1_3(); Fades any object or text displayed from color 1, BLUE, to color 3, CYAN. void fade3_1(); Fades any object or text displayed from color 3, CYAN, to color 1, BLUE. void fade1_4(); Fades any object or text displayed from color 1, BLUE, to color 4, RED. void fade4_1(); Fades any object or text displayed from color 4, RED, to color 1, BLUE. void fade1_5(); Fades any object or text displayed from color 1, BLUE, to color 5, MAGENTA. void fade5_1(); Fades any object or text displayed from color , MAGENTA, to color 1, BLUE. void fadein(int color); Fades the specified color from 0,0,0, (BLACK) to its normal palette value. void fadeout(int color); Fades the specified color from its normal palette value to 0,0,0 (BLACK). void rgb(int color,int R,int G,int B); Sets the specified color to the specified values of Red, Green, and Blue. Valid RGB values are from 0 to 63. void make_grayscale(); Resets the normal palette to its grayscale equivalents. void screenbord(int); Makes the screen border the color specified. void disable_blink(); Disables the ability to make characters blink, however, this allows you to use colors 8 through 15 as background colors in text mode. void enable_blink(); Restores the ability to make characters blink, however, colors 8 through 15 will not be available for use as background colors in the text mode. void disable_refresh(); Disables the video refresh, effectively blanking the screen. void enable_refresh(); Enables the video refresh, restoring a screen blanked by a call to disable_refresh().