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- Explaination of the DESQview API Demo programs
-
- The DESQview API demo programs are a set of demonstration
- programs that come with the DESQview API toolkits. They
- demonstration of some of the API functions available in the
- DESQview API. If you are a programmer, they should give you an
- idea of some of the things that can be done with the API and what
- it takes to accomplish the task.
-
- If you are not a programmer, but a DESQview user, you might find
- them amusing, but be aware that they do not form any useful
- application (other than API instruction).
-
- The example programs:
-
- EXAMPLES - Serves as the front end for the demonstration
- programs. Displays a menu listing the examples programs and
- starts an example as a new process when so requested. Reads a
- DESQview Program Information file (DVP) from disk. Adjust the
- DVP to reflect the current drive and directory. Starts a new
- process using the DVP.
-
- HELLO - Shows how to write a "minimal" DESQview-specific program.
- It detects the presence and version number of DESQview, and exits
- if DESQview is not present. If DESQview is present, it prints
- "Hello world" to the task window via the DESQview interface.
-
- FRUIT - Displays a "pop-up" menu and reports selections from that
- menu. Creates a new window and associated keyboard, moves and
- displays the window. Sets up a menu field table and takes input
- from the user via the keyboard or mouse.
-
- POINT - Creates and reads a pointer object. Forces the keyboard
- mouse ON if you have no external mouse.
-
- WASHER - Emulates a washing machine control panel. Constructs
- a complex menu (dialogue box) including select, input, output and
- inactive fields. Changes field types dynamically. Implements
- "radio button" select fields. Uses a timer object to measure
- time intervals. Establishes an OBJECTQ to wait for multiple
- events.
-
- SNAKES - Displays multiple "snakes" each controlled by a separate
- task. Creates and terminates subtasks (threads). Uses mail to
- send initial data to a new task. Uses semaphores to control
- access to a resource, in this case the window. Reads and writes
- the window contents.
-
- SERVER - Provides a very simple file management service. It
- maintains a database consisting of arbitrary length text strings
- and allows the database to be queried for all records containing
- a specified substring. Queries are sent by mail from REQUEST
- windows. The results are returned to the REQUESTers mailbox. It
- uses named mailboxes to detect multiple instances of the same
- program. Uses named mailboxes to control access to public
- utilities. Sends and receives mail. Uses a timer object to
- display a running clock.
-
- REQUEST - Provides a front-end for the SERVER program. Takes a
- string entered by the user and sends requests to the SERVER to
- either add the string to the database or find all records that
- contain the string. Shows how to find a named mailbox, read a
- key-at-a-time from the keyboard. Uses an asynchronous notify
- function to detect attempts to close the window.
-
- The documentation files:
-
- README.1ST - The file you are now reading. We hope you read it
- first, but you apparently got around to it eventually.
-
- API.DOC - Gives an overview of the DESQview API. Explains what
- the DESQview API is and gives some examples of how your programs
- can make use of it.
-
- ASSEMBLY.DOC - Gives some general background on the DESQview API
- and lists the interface calls available in the assembly language
- calls available in the DESQview API.
-
- C.DOC - A listing of the "C" language calls supported by the
- DESQview API C Library.
-
- PASCAL.DOC - A listing of the Turbo Pascal language calls
- supported by the DESQview API Pascal Library.
-
- The source code:
-
- HELLO.C "C" source of HELLO program.
- FRUIT.C "C" source of FRUIT program.
- POINT.C "C" source of POINT program.
- WASHER.C "C" source of WASHER program.
- SNAKES.C "C" source of SNAKES program.
- SERVER.C "C" source of SERVER program.
- REQUEST.C "C" source of REQUEST program.
- EXAMPLES.C "C" source of EXAMPLES program.
-
- HELLO.PAS Turbo Pascal source of HELLO program.
-
- WASHER_P.C "C" example utilizing a panel file
- WASHER.PAS Turbo Pascal example utilizing a panel file
-
- Installing the example programs:
-
- To install and run the examples, put all of the un-ARCed files
- into a directory on your hard drive. Then run Add a Program from
- the DESQview Open Window menu. When Add a Program comes up,
- select "Other" from the top of the menu. Specify the
- drive and subdirectory into which you copied the files. Add a
- Program should find the EX-PIF.DVP file in the directory and will
- display "Examples" as a selectable program to Add. Select the
- program, hit the Enter key to add it and keep hitting Enter until
- the item is added to your menu. Then you may run Examples as you
- would any other installed program.
-
- * * * E N D O F F I L E * * *