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Text File | 1990-04-29 | 18KB | 430 lines

WELCOME TO INTERFACE PLUS! Version 2.1 The Solution For Your QuickBASIC 4.5 Problems ============================================= by George Campbell 1472 Sixth St. Los Osos, CA 93402 CIS: 71571,222 GEnie: G.CAMPBELL BBS - (805) 528-3753 INTRODUCTION ============ After writing dozens of shareware and public domain programs in QuickBASIC, I finally figured out that I was re-inventing the interface wheel for each program. As I developed my skills, my interfaces became more and more sophisticated. BUT -- I was still rewriting the things for each program. Finally, I came up with an answer. Why not create a universal interface for all my software....one which was flexible enough to handle a single menu, and complex enough to work for a complex program with dozens of choices? Out of that need comes Interface Plus, the program you're looking at today. The interface itself became an obsession: Every time I turned around, I found another thing it needed. Mouse support? Of course! Built-in routines for common needs? Certainly! Drop-down menus? What else? In any case, I finally brought the program to a point where I felt it was good enough for my programs. Now, I'm offering it as a shareware program to aid other QuickBASIC programmers. Can it work for you? WHY YOU NEED INTERFACE PLUS =========================== If you write shareware software, you already know that registration checks from users depend on your program. If it's complete and easy to use, you get checks. It's that simple. By writing your program within Interface Plus, you assure better registration response. Your program, no matter what it does, has a state-of-the-art interface. You save time, too. Since you don't have to re-invent the interface wheel each time you create a new program, you can focus on YOUR routines. Finally, since your programs will be in a flexible interface, adding new functions as you upgrade is a walk in the park. You can add new menu items just by writing three lines of code. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS =================== Interface Plus will run on any IBM-compatible PC. It needs 256K of memory, DOS 2.1 or a later version, but will work on any monitor. The mouse is optional. Its mouse-handling routines are designed to support ALL mice, including the IBM PS/2 mouse. The program automatically determines what's available in any PC, then adjusts itself accordingly. As a programmer, working with Interface Plus, you'll need 640K, QuickBASIC 4.5 or later, and DOS 3.1 or a later version. A mouse is a good idea for testing. FEATURES ======== Interface Plus has an extensive features list, with handles you can build on to make all your programs more powerful. Here's a fairly complete list: USER FUNCTIONS Windows-like text interface Drop-Down Menus Mouse Support Automatic Configuration All menu functions can be accessed by: 1. Mouse click 2. First letter keypress 3. Cursor keys plus <Enter> Intelligent Menus (jumps to next logical choice) Screen Color Selection built-in. (point and click) Screen background choices File selection from screen list File Viewer Shell to DOS with command or just to prompt Pop-up windows and input boxes OK and YES/NO buttons for mouse or keyboard Configuration file automatically saves YOUR setup Environment variables for power users Automatic return to original directory Totally intuitive operation PROGRAMMER FUNCTIONS ==================== MENUS Full drop-down, with mouse, keyboard, or cursor-key control Up to 240 separate menu items Easy menu setup, with all menu variables in one place Automatic sizing and positioning of menus Total menu flexibility MENU INTELLIGENCE By adding two simple variables, you can make your Interface Plus applications intelligent. After executing one function, your user finds him or herself looking at the next logical menu -- already highlighted. You control this easily. MOUSE SUPPORT By keeping mouse functions simple, this program is completely independent of type of mouse. It works with ALL mice, automatically. Mouse Cursor Control -- YOU decide where you want the mouse cursor to be. Combined with intelligent menus, you can always place the cursor in the next logical spot. Detect clicks Find mouse location Turn mouse on or off with a command WINDOWS and BOXES Built-in input or information box with: Fixed location for instant user recognition. Room for three 60-character lines of text OK button or YES/NO button optional Custom Screen Windows with: Flexible sizing Total color control 5 Border types One-line call to create box on screen Multiple boxes on screen at once. OK and YES/NO buttons: Can be positioned anywhere on screen One line call to create button Accept mouse click or keystroke Optional defaults Mouse cursor is automatically on button! Program Intelligence Interface Plus checks the user's system and knows these things: Memory Size DOS Version Monitor Type Mouse status Available Drives (A: to H:) (NOTE: The drive check is currently REMmed out in this version. It occasionally leaves a temporary file behind on LOGICAL drives. You can decide for yourself whether to use the DriveTest routine) Original Directory Current Directory Environment path setting for your data files File choice - if file is selected Command line parameters MORE! Programmer-accessible routines include: Directory Display File Selection Change Directory Display ASCII file Mouse cursor position - set or read Mouse cursor on or off Programmable delay Print Screen Send Formfeed Change File Mask for directory search Shell to DOS Input box -- described above OK and YES/NO buttons -- described above Sizable and movable windows Read in Color data from file. Write and read configuration file. Keystroke filter -- tells you what key has been pressed, including all function keys, plain or shifted, and cursor keys. Easy string-type identifiers. FAST! MORE! PROGRAM LAYOUT Interface Plus is written TOTALLY in QuickBASIC 4.5. There are no hidden routines or libraries. All routines are included and may be altered to suit your needs. You get COMPLETE source code! All variables and routines have long, readable names. You won't have to remember cryptic variable and routine names when you insert your own code. Interface Plus is clean and well-designed. It uses the appropriate QB tools in the appropriate places. CALLed subroutines and GOSUBs are use throughout, depending on the need for global or local variables. NOTICE: There are three places where GOTOs are used, but they never leave a routine, so cause zero problems. Where appropriate, Interface Plus uses INTERRUPT-driven routines. Mouse control, file lists, and others are included. Since these are fundamental to the program, you don't need to know how to use interrupts to use them. There here for speed and to add support for functions not supported by QuickBASIC. The Interface Plus source code is in three sections. 1. The main menu section. All menu design tools are right up-front and easy to use. The QB SELECT CASE function is used throughout. 1. GOSUB subroutines These routines use global variables. Every precaution has been taken to clear variables when needed. Here's where you add your own stuff. 2. Called subroutines Most of these are integral to the interface itself. Calling each of these means that you must pass variables to the routine. Since variable names are clear and understandable, it's easy. Individual routines are separated by comment lines, clearly identifying them. The full documentation package even includes keywords for jumping to any routine while in the QB environment. LICENSING INFORMATION ===================== Interface Plus is shareware, and has a four-tiered licensing structure, along with several registration methods. First and foremost: YOU NEVER PAY ROYALTIES WHEN YOU USE INTERFACE PLUS! Overall Licensing Interface Plus contains code which will identify it, regardless of how you use it. In addition, a copyright notice is included as a string constant in the program. This notice will NEVER appear to your customers, but MUST remain in the source code, without changes. It will appear in the .EXE file, if a hex editor is used. No licence granted allows removal of that code or copyright notice. Regardless of the license type, users may alter any portion of the Interface Plus source code to suit their needs. Here's a rundown on licensing and registration options: Public Domain and Personal Use license: You may use Interface Plus to create personal programs and programs you place in the public domain at no charge whatsoever. I want to encourage the development of free programs. By public domain, I mean programs which are offered to the public with no registration fee whatsoever. You may, of course, want to take advantage of the $10 registration offer, which brings a clean version of the source code, and more documentation. Shareware Licence: If you use Interface Plus to create shareware software, wherein you request a registration fee from users, the licence fee is $60. That's just three $20 registrations, so it's not all that expensive. See the Registration Information below to see what you get for your $60 registration fee! Corporate In-House License: If you use Interface Plus to create applications which will be used internally WITHIN a corporation, the license fee is $125. This fee entitles you to distribute unlimited copies of a program using Interface Plus WITHIN a single corporation. Under this fee, you MAY NOT sell or otherwise distribute a program outside your corporation or to clients of your corporation. Commercial License: If you use Interface Plus to create software which you will sell outright to customers, whether corporate or individual, the license fee is $1000. It's simple: If a program using Interface Plus has a price tag and is not distributed as shareware, you must buy a Commercial License. REGISTRATION INFORMATION ======================== Here's what you get for each of the license formats: Public Domain and Personal Use License: COST: $10 INCLUDES: 1. Full source code, both for the demo version and for the cleaned-up version with no built-in menu functions. 2. 5.25" or 3.5" diskettes. 3. Basic documentation, on-disk, which includes all information needed to use functions in Interface Plus. 4. TXT2COM -- a shareware text-to-COM file utility for creating self-browsing text files. 5. Limited support on CompuServe, GEnie, or the author's BBS. No telephone support is included with this license. All other Licenses: COST: Varies INCLUDES: 1. Full source code, both for the demonstration version and the empty version. 2. 5.25" AND 3.5" Diskettes 3. Laser-printed manual in three-ring binder. Manual includes: a. Detailed source code comments b. Full variable list, with calls and functions c. Full subroutine details, with parameters and syntax. d. Menu-design tips and parameters. e. Printed copy of both source code sets for study. f. Hints and tips for making Interface Plus work for you. 4. Telephone support, along with the other support tools. 5. Notification of upgrades. Upgrades will cost $15, and will include new disks, and manual pages for quick insertion. ORDER FORM INTERFACE PLUS George Campbell 1472 Sixth Street Los Osos, CA 93402 YES! I want to order a Registered Version of Interface Plus! Please send the version checked below. I'm enclosing a check or money order. ___ Personal Use License ($15) ____ 5.25" ___ 3.5" ___ Shareware License ($60) ___ Corporate In-house License ($125) ___ Commercial License ($1000) (See section above for what's included) AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $____________ (Includes shipping) SEND TO: NAME:_______________________________________________________ STREET:_____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ CITY:____________________________STATE:_____ZIP_____________ FINAL NOTE: If you're reading this, but haven't yet seen a copy of Interface Plus, be sure and download your copy of NRFACE.ZIP soon. You'll wonder why nobody did this before!