home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
DP Tool Club 24
/
CD_ASCQ_24_0995.iso
/
dos
/
graphic
/
grabbr
/
docfiles.sfx
/
GRPCX.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1995-08-01
|
78KB
|
1,482 lines
GRABBER/PCX(tm) Version 2.10
Shareware Issue
----------------------
The PCX Screen Capture Program
for MS-DOS and IBM PC Compatibles
DOCUMENTATION AND TECHNICAL NOTES
August 1, 1995
Copyright 1987-1995 by
Gerald A. Monroe
All rights reserved.
+-------------------------------------------------+
| Although they are shareware, GRPCX and this |
| documentation file are copyrighted. They are |
| not in the public domain and they are not |
| "freeware." Please consult page 6 of the |
| REGISTER.DOC file for important copyright |
| information and license provisions. All use, |
| copying or distribution of GRPCX.EXE or this |
| document is governed by the terms and condi- |
| tions of the Shareware License contained in |
| the REGISTER.DOC file. |
+-------------------------------------------------+
Thank you for your interest in the GRABBER(tm) screen
capture system!
The GRABBER package is being marketed in this special form
as shareware. This means you have the opportunity to use
and evaluate it for 30 days before you decide whether to
buy. If you continue to use GRPCX.EXE or any of the other
programs in the GRABBER package beyond such 30-day period,
then you are required to send your registration fee to the
publisher according to the instructions in the REGISTER.DOC
file. When you register, you will receive a copy of the
latest release of the registered GRABBER package that you
order. You may not continue using GRABBER beyond such
30-day period without registering. For registration
instructions and a complete statement of your license to
use this software, please consult the REGISTER.DOC file.
(IBM and PC are trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation. MS-DOS and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation. Other trademarks referenced herein are the proper-
ties of their respective owners.)
Table of Contents
Overview of GRPCX.EXE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
System Requirements for GRPCX.EXE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Types of Screens that GRPCX.EXE Can Capture . . . . . . . . . . 4
Standard Video Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
"Tweaked" Standard Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Super-VGA Graphics Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How to Install GRPCX.EXE in Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How to Capture the Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Ascending Two-Tone Chirp Indicates a Successful Capture . . . . 7
Three Low-Pitched Beeps Indicate a File System Error . . . . . 7
One Low-Pitched Beep Indicates an Unrecognized Video Mode . . . 8
Changing the Destination Drive or Directory . . . . . . . . . . 8
How GRPCX.EXE Names Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Configuring GRPCX.EXE for Your Super-VGA Adapter . . . . . . . 9
Tips on Capturing from Game Programs with GRPCX.EXE . . . . . 10
Configuration Options for GRPCX.EXE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
INT=nn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
INT=OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
MOUSE and NOMOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
SOUND and NOSOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
CROP and NOCROP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
GRAYSCALE and NOGRAYSCALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
EGAFONT and NOEGAFONT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
COLORTEXT and NOCOLORTEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
TEXTINVERT and NOTEXTINVERT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
NOSWAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
NOEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
NOUMB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
UNLOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
NOVESA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
BATCHCAPTURE and BATCHCAPTURE:filename . . . . . . . . . . 19
Summary of Default Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Capturing 8514/A Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
How to Control GRPCX.EXE's Crop Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Using GRPCX.EXE with Microsoft Windows . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Changing GRPCX.EXE's Hotkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Testing Your VESA Video BIOS Compatibility . . . . . . . . . 25
Calling GRPCX.EXE From Your Own Software . . . . . . . . . . 27
How to Contact the Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Hotkey parameter code table no. 1 of 2 . . . . . . . Appendix A
Hotkey parameter code table no. 2 of 2 . . . . . . . Appendix B
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 3 of 30
1. Overview of GRPCX.EXE
GRABBER/PCX, or "GRPCX.EXE," is a memory-resident screen
capture program. It saves the images on your computer screen to
files on your disk using the very widely supported .PCX graphics
file format. Virtually all word processing, desktop publishing
and graphics programs for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows-based
computers are compatible with the .PCX graphics format.
GRPCX.EXE captures both pixel-based graphic images and charac-
ter-based text images to .PCX files. GRPCX.EXE can capture any
text image regardless of the number of rows or columns of
characters it contains, and gives a perfect dot-for-dot rendering
of every character, even if custom screen fonts, a 512-character
set, or the split-screen capabilities of the VGA adapter are
being used. GRPCX.EXE can also capture virtually any type of
pixel-based graphic image that a standard VGA adapter can
generate, even if the display is being run in a graphics mode
which uses a non-standard resolution or color depth. GRPCX.EXE
can also capture several of the most common "Super-VGA" graphics
modes that are available on most brands of Super-VGA adapters
currently available.
GRPCX.EXE is a memory-resident program, also known as a
"terminate-and-stay-resident" program, or "TSR." After you start
GRPCX.EXE, it waits in the background while you continue to run
other programs. To capture the image on the screen, press the
key combination (the "hotkey") which GRPCX.EXE reserves for
itself.
2. System Requirements for GRPCX.EXE
To use GRPCX.EXE, you will need the following:
- An IBM-PC, PC-XT, PC-AT, PS/1, PS/2, or 100% compatible
computer.
- A VGA ("Video Graphics Array") video adapter that is 100%
compatible with the original IBM VGA at the hardware
register level.
- MS-DOS, or IBM PC-DOS, Version 3.0 or later (Version 5.0
or later is recommended).
- At least 512Kb of random-access memory ("RAM"). Two
megabytes (2Mb) or more is recommended.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 4 of 30
3. Types of Screens that GRPCX.EXE Can Capture
GRPCX.EXE is designed to capture screens from programs that
run in "real mode" or "virtual 8086" mode under MS-DOS, on
systems that have a VGA-compatible display adapter. GRPCX.EXE
can capture VGA character-based text images up to 132 columns by
60 rows. GRPCX.EXE also captures all of the standard graphics
video modes displayable by a VGA display adapter. GRPCX.EXE is
NOT designed to capture screens from Microsoft Windows. (With
the right video driver and a little luck, however, you might be
able to get GRPCX.EXE to capture Windows screens. See
Section 16.)
3.1 Standard Video Modes
The following is a list of all of the IBM-defined "standard"
video modes. GRPCX.EXE is designed to work with all of them on a
VGA-compatible system.
Mode Type X/Y Image No. of
No. of Mode Resolution Colors
----- -------- -------------------- ------
00 text 40 x 25 characters 2
01 text 40 x 25 characters 16
02 text 80+ x 25+ characters 2
03 text 80+ x 25+ characters 16
07 text 80+ x 25+ characters 2
04 graphics 320 x 200 pixels 4
05 graphics 320 x 200 pixels 2
06 graphics 640 x 200 pixels 2
13 graphics 320 x 200 pixels 16
14 graphics 640 x 200 pixels 16
15 graphics 640 x 350 pixels 2
16 graphics 640 x 350 pixels 16
17 graphics 640 x 480 pixels 2
18 graphics 640 x 480 pixels 16
19 graphics 320 x 200 pixels 256
3.2 "Tweaked" Standard Modes
Some programs use special graphics screen modes which are
similar to one of the above standard modes for VGA, but which are
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 5 of 30
altered for increased resolution or color depth by making special
adjustments to the video adapter registers. Examples include the
320 x 240 x 256-color mode and the 720 x 540 x 16-color mode.
Even though these are not "standard" modes, GRPCX.EXE is designed
to capture them as easily as the standard modes.
3.3 Super-VGA Graphics Modes
In addition to the graphics modes listed in Section 3.1,
GRPCX.EXE can also capture the following high-resolution graphics
modes under MS-DOS, if your system is equipped with one of
certain common "Super-VGA" graphics adapters:
Mode Type X/Y Image No. of
No.* of Mode Resolution Colors
----- -------- -------------------- ------
graphics 640 x 400 pixels 256
) graphics 640 x 480 pixels 256
vary) graphics 800 x 600 pixels 16
by ) graphics 800 x 600 pixels 256
card) graphics 1,024 x 768 pixels 16
mfg.) graphics 1,024 x 768 pixels 256
) graphics 1,280 x 1,024 pixels 16
graphics 1,280 x 1,024 pixels 256
GRPCX.EXE should be able to capture these high-resolution
"Super-VGA" graphics modes on any video system which is fully
compatible with the VESA Video BIOS Extension, sometimes called
the VESA "VBE." (To capture 1,280 x 1,024 graphics screens, a
VESA VBE is required.)
In addition, GRPCX.EXE should be able to capture these modes
from certain video adapters even if they are not fully compatible
with the VESA VBE. This depends on the identity of the VGA
controller chip that is used by the video adapter, and NOT on the
adapter's brand name or manufacturer name. Supported VGA
controller chips include the following:
- ATI VGA Wonder - Western Digital
- Video Seven - Tseng Laboratories
- Headland Technologies - Oak Technology
- Paradise - Trident Systems
If you want to capture Super-VGA graphics, and your system
does not fully support the VESA VBE, then you must tell GRPCX.EXE
which kind of video adapter is installed in your system. To
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 6 of 30
check whether your current configuration supports the VESA VBE,
use the CHKVBE.EXE program described in Section 18. If
CHKVBE.EXE reports that the VESA VBE is not supported, see
Section 11 for instructions on how to configure GRPCX.EXE for
your particular type of Super-VGA hardware.
4. How to Install GRPCX.EXE in Memory
To use GRPCX.EXE, load it into your computer's memory by
entering a command that follows this example:
GRPCX x:\pathname
In this example, "x:" indicates the drive letter for the drive
where GRPCX.EXE should place the .PCX files that it creates. You
should use "C:" if you have a single-hard disk system. In this
example, "\pathname" indicates the subdirectory on drive "x:"
where GRPCX.EXE should place the .PCX files that it creates.
Note that GRPCX.EXE will not stay resident in memory (and you
will not be able to capture screens) until you tell GRPCX.EXE
where to place its captured .PCX files, using the syntax shown
above.
What if you install GRPCX.EXE in memory by using the above
syntax, but you change your mind about where to store captured
.PCX files? This is not a problem. At any time, you can simply
re-enter the GRPCX command, substituting the new drive and
subdirectory location in place of your original "x:\pathname"
parameter.
When you install GRPCX.EXE in memory, it will display a start-
up message in a green box in the corner of your screen. The
start-up box is followed by a several lines of information about
the way GRPCX.EXE is currently configured to run on your system.
If you want to change this configuration, you can do so at the
time you install GRPCX.EXE in memory by adding additional
parameters on the command line after your "x:\pathname"
parameter, or you can change it after GRPCX.EXE is already
installed. See Section 13 for more information about this.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 7 of 30
5. How to Capture the Screen
To capture the screen, press GRPCX.EXE's current hotkey
combination, as listed on the start-up information screen.
GRPCX.EXE's default hotkey is [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F1] (i.e., press and
hold the both the [Ctrl] and [Alt] keys, then press the [F1] key,
then release all three keys).
(If you want to, you can change GRPCX.EXE's hotkey to some
combination other than [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F1]. See Section 17 for
instructions.)
After you press the hotkey, GRPCX.EXE will make a series of
clicking sounds on your computer's speaker to let you know that
it is busy capturing the screen.
6. Ascending Two-Tone Chirp Indicates a Successful Screen
Capture
If you hear an ascending, two-tone chirp from your computer's
speaker, it means that GRPCX.EXE has successfully completed the
screen capture, and the resulting .PCX file containing the
current screen image is located in the "Drive/path for .PCX
files" as shown on GRPCX.EXE's information screen.
7. Three Low-Pitched Beeps Indicate a File System Error
If you hear three low-pitched beeps from your speaker, it
means that no .PCX file was created. GRPCX.EXE was unable to
complete the screen capture for one of the following reasons.
Correct the error condition and try to capture the screen again.
Possible errors include:
- The destination disk is write-protected.
- The destination disk is full.
- The destination disk has no more directory entries
available.
- The destination disk has a critical surface defect.
- The door is open on the destination disk drive, or the
drive is otherwise indicating a "not ready" status.
- The "FILES=" command in your CONFIG.SYS file does not
specify enough files; increase the number and reboot
your computer.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 8 of 30
8. One Low-Pitched Beep Indicates an Unrecognized Video Mode
If you hear one low-pitched beep from your computer's speaker
when you press the hotkey, it means that no .PCX file was
created. GRPCX.EXE could not recognize the video mode in which
the screen is currently running, and did not know the pixel
dimensions of the image or how many different colors it contains.
In general, this will happen if you are trying to capture a
Super-VGA image (see Section 3.3), and your system is not
VESA VBE-compatible or you have not told GRPCX.EXE what type of
VGA controller chip is used by your video adapter.
9. Changing the Destination Drive or Directory
To change the drive or directory where GRPCX.EXE deposits
captured .PCX files, enter another GRPCX.EXE command like the one
described in Section 4. From that point forward, GRPCX.EXE will
place captured .PCX files in the new destination you specify.
10. How GRPCX.EXE Names Files
GRPCX.EXE automatically tries to detect the name of the
program that is running when you tell it to capture the screen.
If GRPCX.EXE is able to detect the program's name, it takes the
first six characters of that name and adds: (1) a two-digit
number from "00" through "99", and (2) a file name extension of
".PCX". This is the name that will be assigned to the captured
screen file.
GRPCX always picks the lowest available two-digit number in
the destination path. For example, if you are running a program
called "WORDPROC.EXE" and there are already four files in the
destination path named "WORDPR00.PCX" through "WORDPR03.PCX",
then your next screen capture from that program will be called
"WORDPR04.PCX". If there are already 100 files in the destina-
tion path named "WORDPR00.PCX" through "WORDPR99.PCX", then your
next screen capture from that program will be called
"WORDPR00.PCX", and the contents of the original WORDPR00.PCX
file will be overwritten and lost forever.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 9 of 30
If GRPCX detects that you are sitting at the DOS prompt when
you request a screen capture, it will name the captured files
MSDOS00.PCX, MSDOS01.PCX, and so forth.
If GRPCX is unable to detect the name of the currently running
program, it will assign the names SCREEN00.PCX, SCREEN01.PCX, and
so forth.
11. Configuring GRPCX.EXE for Your Super-VGA Adapter
You should read this section if your system is not fully
compatible with the VESA VBE. To check whether it is, run the
CHKVBE.EXE utility. If your system is not compatible with the
VESA VBE, this section describes the steps you need to take to
allow GRPCX.EXE to capture Super-VGA graphics images like the
types listed in Section 3.3.
To configure GRPCX.EXE to work with your Super-VGA graphics,
include one of the following "@chiptype" parameters on the
GRPCX.EXE command line. For example:
GRPCX [other options] @CHIPTYPE
These parameters can be used when you initially install
GRPCX.EXE in memory, or after it is already resident in memory.
The "@chiptype" parameters and the types of Super-VGA controller
chips with which they are designed to work, are as follows:
"@chiptype"
Parameter Use With These Super-VGA Controller Chips
----------- -----------------------------------------
@ATI ATI Technologies "VGA Wonder" chips
@VIDEO7 Video Seven chips
@HEADLAND Headland Technologies chips
@PARADISE Paradise PVGA chips
@WD Western Digital WD90C00 chips
@TSENG3 Tseng Laboratories ET-3000 chips
@TSENG4 Tseng Laboratories ET-4000 chips
@STB4 STB Systems adapters using the ET-4000 chip
@OAK Oak Technology OTI-067 chips
@TRIDENT Trident Systems chips
Frequently, the type of Super-VGA controller chip will match
the brand name of the video adapter itself. For example, most
ATI, Video Seven and Trident brand-name adapters have matching
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 10 of 30
chipset names. However, be aware that this is not always true.
Many brand-name adapters use chipsets that were manufactured by
some other company. Such manufacturers (for example: STB,
Orchid, Genoa and Everex) frequently produce Super-VGA adapters
which include chipsets from other sources. The only way to be
sure which controller chip is used by your Super-VGA adapter is
to examine the adapter itself, and to check the name printed on
top of the VGA logic chip. (Usually, the Super-VGA is a card in
one of your computer's expansion slots, but sometimes it is a
section of the main system board itself.)
Another way to determine which of the "@chiptype" parameters
may work with your Super-VGA adapter is by trial-and-error. If
one setting does not work properly, try the next setting in the
list.
If you attempt to capture a Super-VGA graphic image and hear
one single low-pitched beep, it means that GRPCX.EXE does not
recognize or is not configured to capture the specific display
mode in which the adapter is currently operating. This will
happen if your video system is not VESA-compatible and you have
not configured GRPCX.EXE for the correct type of Super-VGA
controller chip.
You should also note that GRPCX.EXE cannot capture some 16-
color Super-VGA images even though they are of common
resolutions. An example is ATI's video mode numbered 65h (used
for 1024 x 768 x 16 on older VGA Wonder cards). GRPCX.EXE only
captures 16-color modes which conform to the IBM-standard "four-
plane planar" video memory organization scheme, such as the one
used by the standard 640 x 350 x 16 EGA graphic mode. 16-color
modes which do not conform to the "four-plane planar" memory
scheme cannot be captured by GRPCX.EXE, but such modes are not
common, so this limitation will probably not affect you.
12. Tips on Capturing from Game Programs with GRPCX.EXE
Game programs using animated graphics can be a challenge for
GRPCX.EXE to capture reliably. You may find a game program from
which GRPCX.EXE seems unable to capture accurate .PCX images, or
any images at all. Here are some suggestions that may help solve
the problem:
- Some games put the computer into what is called "protected
mode." GRPCX.EXE may work with some protected-mode
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 11 of 30
programs, even though it is not specifically designed for
protected-mode compatibility. However, it may be necessary
to load GRPCX.EXE using the INT=OFF command-line switch to
make it work with protected-mode programs. See Section 13.2
for a description of the INT=OFF switch.
- In some games, GRPCX.EXE's optional "crop box" (described
below in Section 13.5) will leave behind garbage on the
screen, or cause improper operation of the game after the
crop box is cleared. Try using the default NOCROP option,
which is described below in Section 13.5.
- Some games require complete control over the keyboard, and
will not let you use the keyboard to communicate with
GRPCX.EXE. If you cannot capture the screen using your
keyboard, try using your mouse buttons to capture the screen
instead. See the MOUSE option, which is described below in
Section 13.3.
- You may have to try more than once to capture a game screen
successfully. If a game screen turns out scrambled, it may
be because the game was in the middle of a timing-sensitive
operation at the instant you pressed GRPCX.EXE's hotkey.
13. Configuration Options for GRPCX.EXE
This section describes the command-line switches recognized by
GRPCX.EXE. A "command line switch" is a word which you type on
the command line after the GRPCX command itself. (For example:
"GRPCX MOUSE NOSOUND". The words "mouse" and "nosound" are
command-line switches.)
These switches allow you to modify the way GRPCX.EXE performs
certain operations. For example, turning beep sounds and
clicking sounds on and off, or enabling the use of the mouse
buttons to capture the screen, are just two of the many functions
which these command line switches allow you to control.
All of the command line switches described in this section may
be used to configure GRPCX.EXE's operation when you initially
install the program in memory. For example:
GRPCX x:\pathname {COMMAND LINE SWITCHES}
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 12 of 30
In addition, after GRPCX.EXE is installed, you may continue to
use most of these switches to communicate with the copy that is
resident in memory, and reconfigure its operations on the fly.
Unless the description states otherwise, that switch may be used
both when you initially install GRPCX.EXE in memory, and to
reconfigure its operation after the program is already resident.
If a particular switch is valid only when you initially load
GRPCX.EXE, that fact will be indicated below.
A single command line may contain as many switch options as
you desire, in any order, in either uppercase or lowercase
letters.
13.1 Option: INT=nn
This switch tells GRPCX.EXE to try to use a particular block
of interrupt vector numbers for relocating the IRQ0-IRQ7 hardware
interrupts while it is resident in memory. The "nn" in the
string represents a two-digit hexadecimal number, which may be
any one of the following: D8, D0, C8, C0, B8, B0, A8, A0, 98,
90, 88, 80, or 78. The program will try to use the eight
consecutive interrupt vector numbers beginning with the number
you specify as "nn". (For example: INT=78 tells the program to
try allocating interrupts 78 hex through 7F hex, while INT=B0
instructs the program to try allocating interrupts B0 hex through
B7 hex.)
GRPCX.EXE will ignore your INT=nn request, and will not
redirect the IRQ0-IRQ7 hardware interrupts at all, if either of
the following is true: (1) the "nn" number you specify is not
included in the list above; or (2) the program detects a
possibility that one or more of the eight interrupt numbers in
the block starting with "nn" might already be in use by some
other software in your system.
If you do not specify the INT=nn option, and you do not
specify the INT=OFF option (described in Section 13.2), then
GRPCX.EXE will automatically search for a block of eight
consecutive interrupts beginning with one of the interrupt
numbers in the above list (searching in the order listed above),
and will allocate the first free block it finds.
The INT=nn option is valid only when you are initially
installing GRPCX.EXE in memory. If you use it after the program
is already resident, it will be ignored.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 13 of 30
13.2 Option: INT=OFF
This switch tells GRPCX.EXE not to attempt to redirect the
IRQ0-IRQ7 hardware interrupts to any other block of interrupt
numbers from where the program originally finds them. On most
PC's, the IRQ0-IRQ7 hardware interrupts are almost always mapped
to the interrupt vector numbers 08 hex through 0F hex. Using the
INT=OFF option ensures that the program will not attempt to
disturb this mapping arrangement.
If your computer stops responding at all (it "hangs") or shows
other unexplained behavior when GRPCX.EXE is loaded in memory,
you should try using this INT=OFF option on the command line to
solve the problem.
The INT=OFF option is valid only when you are initially
installing GRPCX.EXE in memory. If you use it after the program
is already resident, it will be ignored.
13.3 Options: MOUSE and NOMOUSE
The MOUSE switch tells GRPCX.EXE to pay attention to the
status of your mouse buttons, and to capture the screen when both
the left and right buttons are depressed for more than about one
second. This "mouse hotkey" function is supported only if your
mouse is running under the control of a Microsoft-compatible
mouse driver, as most mice do. The default setting for this
option is NOMOUSE (i.e., no mouse support). For example, the
command GRPCX MOUSE can be used to turn it on. The mouse hotkey
will then remain enabled until the command GRPCX NOMOUSE is
issued.
To capture a screen, press and hold both the left and right
mouse buttons for about one or two seconds. This has the same
effect as pressing the current hotkey combination at the
keyboard, and GRPCX.EXE will begin to capture the screen (or will
display the crop box, if the CROP function is enabled; see
Section 13.5).
When used together with the INT=OFF option, the MOUSE option
may allow you to capture screens from within applications which
completely take over the keyboard hardware and do not allow
software loaded before them in memory (like GRPCX.EXE) to be
informed about what is happening on the keyboard. Many game
programs behave this way, among others.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 14 of 30
13.4 Options: SOUND and NOSOUND
These switches tell GRPCX.EXE whether it should beep the
computer's speaker ("SOUND"), or remain silent ("NOSOUND"), while
the program is busy capturing the screen and when a screen
capture is successfully completed. The default setting is SOUND
(i.e., sounds enabled). For example, the command GRPCX NOSOUND
can be used to silence the program. The beep sounds will then
remain disabled until the next GRPCX SOUND command is issued.
Please note that GRPCX.EXE also makes three low-pitched beep
sounds whenever it is unable to capture a screen because of a
disk or file system error (see Section 7), and one low-pitched
beep sound whenever it is unable to capture a screen because of
an unrecognized video mode (see Section 8). Using the NOSOUND
switch does not disable these error indicators.
13.5 Options: CROP and NOCROP
Use the CROP option to enable GRPCX.EXE to capture only the
part of the screen which you select. When CROP is enabled and
you request a screen capture, GRPCX.EXE does not capture the
screen right away. Instead, it first prompts you to indicate
which portion of the screen you wish to capture to a .PCX file by
drawing a box on top of the current screen image, which you can
move and reshape to your preference. Instructions for moving and
reshaping this "crop box" are given below in Section 15. The
default setting is NOCROP (i.e., crop box is disabled). The
command GRPCX CROP can be used to enable the crop box. The crop
box will then remain enabled until the next GRPCX NOCROP command
is issued.
13.6 Options: GRAYSCALE and NOGRAYSCALE
The GRAYSCALE option forces GRPCX to convert all palette
colors in the current screen image to evenly spaced shades of
gray. For 16-color images, colors in the resulting .PCX file
will be forced to 16 shades of gray. For 256-color images,
colors in the resulting .PCX file will be forced to 64 shades of
gray. The GRAYSCALE option functions on both character-based
text images and on graphic-mode images. The default setting is
NOGRAYSCALE (i.e., grayscale conversion is disabled and all
palette colors are preserved). The command GRPCX GRAYSCALE can
be used to enable grayscale conversion. Grayscale conversion
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 15 of 30
will then remain enabled until the next GRPCX NOGRAYSCALE command
is issued.
13.7 Options: EGAFONT and NOEGAFONT
The EGAFONT option forces GRPCX.EXE to use the standard EGA-
style 8x14 character font that is built into your VGA adapter
when capturing text-mode screens. This option is included so
that a standard 80-column by 25-row text image (which is the most
common type of text-mode image) can be captured to a .PCX file
measuring an even 640 dots (horizontally) by 350 dots (verti-
cally). The 640 x 350 size is sometimes desirable because it
happens to correspond to the dimensions of the standard EGA/VGA
graphics mode 16 (10 hex), and this makes it easy to view the
entire captured .PCX image at once using popular DOS picture
viewing utilities, without having to pan or scroll around the
screen. Note that when the EGAFONT option is enabled, it forces
GRPCX.EXE to ignore any customized screen fonts that may
currently be active, and therefore it may cause the captured text
characters to be rendered incorrectly in the .PCX file if you are
capturing from a foreground program that uses customized screen
fonts, a 512-character set, or the split-screen capabilities of
the VGA adapter. The EGAFONT option has no effect at all when
capturing graphic-mode screens.
The default setting for this option is NOEGAFONT (i.e., use of
the 8x14 character cell is not forced, and characters are
captured using the actual font data that is presently active).
NOEGAFONT allows an exact dot-for-dot rendering of each character
in the captured .PCX file, even when customized screen fonts, a
512-character set, or the split-screen capabilities of the VGA
adapter are being used. The command GRPCX EGAFONT can be used to
enable the 8x14 character cell. The 8x14 cell will then remain
enabled until the next GRPCX NOEGAFONT command is issued.
13.8 Options: COLORTEXT and NOCOLORTEXT
The COLORTEXT option allows GRPCX.EXE to retain the exact
color palette of the original image when capturing character-
based text screens. When COLORTEXT is enabled, color text images
will be captured to 16-color .PCX files with a palette that
matches the original image's palette exactly. The COLORTEXT
option has no effect at all when capturing graphic-mode screens.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 16 of 30
The NOCOLORTEXT option forces GRPCX.EXE to capture character-
based text images to monochrome, or "2-color," .PCX files. This
option is sometimes useful when you need to print a text-screen
image using a low-resolution printer, or using graphics software
which does a poor job of dithering colors for printing on a
black-and-white device. When NOCOLORTEXT is active, none of the
palette color information from the original text image will be
retained in the captured .PCX file. The NOCOLORTEXT option has
no effect at all when capturing graphic-mode screens. By
default, the NOCOLORTEXT option is disabled.
The default setting for this option is COLORTEXT (i.e., the
color palette is preserved when capturing text screens). The
command GRPCX NOCOLORTEXT can be used to force monochrome text
captures. Monochrome text captures will then remain enabled
until the next GRPCX COLORTEXT command is issued.
13.9 Options: TEXTINVERT and NOTEXTINVERT
The TEXTINVERT option forces GRPCX.EXE to invert the black and
white elements of a character-based text image that is being
captured while the NOCOLORTEXT option is active. This creates,
in effect, a negative of the monochrome .PCX image. This option
is sometimes useful for improving the appearance of a captured
text image that is being reproduced on a black-and-white printer.
The TEXTINVERT option has no effect on text-screen captures
unless the NOCOLORTEXT option is also enabled, and it has no
effect at all when capturing graphic-mode screens. The default
setting for this option is NOTEXTINVERT (i.e., monochrome text
captures under NOCOLORTEXT are not reversed). The command GRPCX
TEXTINVERT can be used to force negatives of monochrome text
captures. Negatives will then remain enabled until the next
GRPCX NOTEXTINVERT command is issued.
13.10 Option: NOSWAP
This switch tells GRPCX.EXE not to "swap" certain sensitive
regions of the MS-DOS kernel out of memory during a screen
capture operation. By default, the program will perform this
swapping during a screen capture operation in order to eliminate
delays between the time you press the hotkey and the time the
program actually begins capturing the screen image. On rare
occasions, however, this swapping activity may lead to a system
crash. If your system hangs when you request the program to
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 17 of 30
capture the screen, try using the NOSWAP option on the command
line.
The NOSWAP option is valid only when you are initially
installing GRPCX.EXE in memory. If you use it after GRPCX.EXE is
already resident, it will be ignored.
13.11 Option: NOEMS
The NOEMS option prevents GRPCX.EXE from using EMS expanded
memory, such as the kind provided by the EMM386.EXE program
supplied with DOS, the QEMM and 386^Max programs, and by certain
memory-expansion boards. If at least 32Kb of EMS expanded memory
is available when you initially install GRPCX.EXE in memory, then
unless you specify this option, GRPCX.EXE will automatically
allocate that amount of expanded memory to itself, and use the
expanded memory to store most of its program buffers.
If GRPCX.EXE is able to use EMS expanded memory, then it will
occupy only about 5,000 bytes of your system's memory below the
1-megabyte DOS threshold ("DOS memory"). However, if no EMS ex-
panded memory is available (and no UMBs are available either --
see Section 13.12), then GRPCX.EXE will occupy about 20,000 bytes
of DOS memory. The NOEMS option is not recommended unless, in
contrast to the rest of us, you have DOS memory to burn and need
to conserve expanded memory space for other programs.
The NOEMS option is valid only when you are initially install-
ing GRPCX.EXE in memory. If you use it after the program is
already resident, it will be ignored.
Special note for QEMM users: The Quarterdeck Expanded Memory
Manager (QEMM) Versions 6.0 and later include a special feature
called "Stealth" ROM management, which is incompatible with
GRPCX.EXE. If GRPCX.EXE detects that QEMM Stealth has remapped
your video BIOS segment (which is usually the segment at C0000h,
but it can also be elsewhere), then GRPCX.EXE program will auto-
matically disable EMS expanded memory usage as though you had
included the NOEMS option on the command line. However, in rare
situations, GRPCX.EXE might be unable to detect that QEMM Stealth
has remapped your video BIOS segment. This may be the case if
your system hangs when you attempt to capture the screen. To
cure this problem, try using the NOEMS option when you initially
install GRPCX.EXE in memory. You can still take advantage of
GRPCX.EXE's EMS expanded memory capability as long as your video
BIOS segment is not one of the segments that has been remapped by
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 18 of 30
QEMM Stealth. For instructions on excluding the video BIOS
segment from Stealth coverage, consult the description of the
"XST:" option in your QEMM manual.
13.12 Option: NOUMB
The NOUMB option prevents GRPCX.EXE from using upper memory
blocks (UMBs) to store its program buffers. UMBs are regions of
DOS memory above the 640Kb "conventional memory" limit and below
the 1-megabyte threshold that can be enabled with DOS versions
5.0 and later, on computers with 80386 or later processors.
When you initially install GRPCX.EXE in memory, it first looks
for 32Kb of EMS expanded memory in which to store its program
buffers, as described above in Section 13.11. If a 32Kb block of
EMS expanded memory is not available (or if you specified the
NOEMS option), then GRPCX.EXE will try to allocate a UMB of 24Kb
in which to store its program buffers. If one is available,
GRPCX.EXE will reserve it for itself unless you tell it otherwise
using this option. As noted above, GRPCX.EXE requires only about
5,000 bytes of conventional DOS memory if a 32Kb block of EMS
expanded memory or a 24Kb UMB is available at installation time.
Otherwise, GRPCX.EXE requires about 20,000 bytes of conventional
DOS memory.
The NOUMB option is valid only when you are initially install-
ing GRPCX.EXE in memory. If you use it after the program is
already resident, it will be ignored.
13.13 Option: UNLOAD
The UNLOAD switch tells GRPCX.EXE to try to remove itself from
your computer's memory if it is already installed. If removal is
successful, then a message is displayed at the upper left corner
of your screen stating that GRPCX.EXE is not resident in memory,
and all memory that GRPCX.EXE was occupying will be released and
made available for other programs. This includes any
conventional DOS memory, plus any EMS expanded memory or upper
memory block (UMB) which GRPCX.EXE may have been using as
temporary workspace. Also, if the resident copy of GRPCX.EXE was
redirecting the IRQ0-IRQ7 hardware interrupts to somewhere other
than their usual location (see Section 13.1), the UNLOAD option
causes these interrupts to be restored to their original
locations.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 19 of 30
GRPCX.EXE cannot be removed from memory if, after you
initially installed it, you then loaded other memory-resident
software which is activated by any of the same hardware or
software interrupts which GRPCX.EXE uses. Attempting to use the
UNLOAD option under such circumstances will not work, and a
message to this effect will be displayed. You should always be
able to unload GRPCX.EXE from memory if it was the most recent
memory-resident program installed.
13.14 Option: NOVESA
This option tells GRPCX.EXE not to use VESA VBE functions,
even if they are available on your system. (Some VESA VBE
implementations are defective and cannot be relied on by
GRPCX.EXE to capture screens. For more information, refer to
Section 18.)
13.15 Options: @ATI, @VIDEO7, @HEADLAND, @PARADISE,
@WD, @TSENG3, @TSENG4, @STB4, @OAK,
@TRIDENT
These options tell the screen capture program what kind of
Super-VGA controller chip is used by your video adapter. You
will need to use one of these if (1) you wish to capture Super-
VGA graphic images, and (2) your system is not compatible with
the VESA VBE. See Section 11 for more information.
13.16 Options: BATCHCAPTURE and BATCHCAPTURE:filename
These options tell a memory-resident copy of GRPCX.EXE to
capture the current screen immediately. This is called a "batch
capture" because the most useful way to use these options is in a
batch file, when you want to capture the screen without having to
stop and press a hotkey.
If you use "BATCHCAPTURE" by itself, the captured screen will
be given a file name according to GRPCX.EXE's default "serial
number" scheme (see Section 10).
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 20 of 30
If you use "BATCHCAPTURE:" followed by a file name, the image
will be captured to a file with the name you specify. The
"filename" parameter may be any length, and may optionally
include a drive or directory path specification. For example:
GRPCX BATCHCAPTURE:C:\PICTURES\TESTPIC.PCX
If the batch capture is completed successfully, GRPCX.EXE passes
an errorlevel of zero back to the batch file which issued the
batchcapture command. If any error occurs, an errorlevel of 1 is
returned.
Both BATCHCAPTURE options may be used only after GRPCX.EXE has
been installed in memory. Also, any other configuration options
which are specified on the same command line as a BATCHCAPTURE
option will be ignored.
13.17 Summary of Default Options
For your reference, here is a description of GRPCX.EXE's
default configuration. This is how GRPCX.EXE will be set up if
you do not specify any command-line options when you initially
install GRPCX.EXE in memory:
- Super-VGA logic: Generic VGA
- Use VESA video BIOS calls: Yes, if a VESA BIOS is present at
the time GRPCX is initially installed in memory; otherwise,
No.
- Allow captures using mouse buttons: No (NOMOUSE)
- Use sounds to indicate capture progress: Yes (SOUND)
- Convert color images to grayscale: No (NOGRAYSCALE)
- Force the use of the EGA-style 8x14 character font for text
screen captures: No (NOEGAFONT)
- Retain color palette information for text screen captures:
Yes (COLORTEXT)
- Invert black and white elements (i.e., make a negative) of
black-and-white text screens: No (NOTEXTINVERT)
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 21 of 30
- Crop image before saving to .PCX file: No (NOCROP)
- Load GRPCX into EMS expanded memory or a DOS upper memory
block, if available: Yes
- Enable swapping of DOS kernel: Yes
- Redirect IRQ0-IRQ7 hardware interrupts: Yes, to the first
available block of eight interrupt numbers as explained under
"INT=nn" above in Section 13.1.
14. Capturing 8514/A Graphics
GRPCX.EXE is able to capture high-resolution graphics from
systems that are compatible with the 8514/A Adapter Interface,
also known as the "AI". The AI is a graphics programming stan-
dard that was originally invented by IBM for its 8514/A and XGA
video adapters, and is now supported by several other video card
manufacturers. The AI is similar to the VESA video BIOS exten-
sion in that it takes the form of a memory-resident driver that
other programs, like GRPCX.EXE, can call on to create and work
with high-resolution graphics. The AI supports screen
resolutions of 640 x 480 and 1024 x 768 pixels, in either 16 or
256 colors.
If your video adapter is part of the popular "Graphics
Vantage," "Graphics Ultra" or "8514 Ultra" series of boards
manufactured by ATI Technologies, then you can add AI compatibil-
ity to your system by loading the HDILOAD.EXE program that is
supplied with the board. AI drivers are also available for other
non-IBM video adapters, such as the many Super-VGA boards which
use the Tseng Laboratories ET4000 chipset or some S3 ("S-Cubed")
chipsets.
You do not have to configure GRPCX.EXE to capture screens from
programs that use the AI for graphics output. GRPCX.EXE
automatically detects the presence of an AI driver when you
initially install GRPCX.EXE in memory. Note, however, that
GRPCX.EXE will not be able to capture AI-compatible graphics
unless you load your AI driver (for example, HDILOAD.EXE)
*before* you install GRPCX.EXE in memory. GRPCX.EXE will not
recognize an AI driver that is loaded after it in memory.
Some AI video adapters are compatible with the IBM 8514/A
adapter at the hardware register level. These include, for
example, the ATI adapters mentioned above. Some programs,
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 22 of 30
including Microsoft Windows, work with such hardware-compatible
adapters by writing directly to the hardware registers and
bypassing the AI completely. GRPCX.EXE is not able to capture
screens from such programs, and can only capture 8514/A graphics
from programs that use the AI for screen output.
15. How to Control GRPCX.EXE's Crop Box
When the CROP option is enabled (see Section 13.5), you can
move and reshape GRPCX.EXE's crop box on your screen by using the
following keys:
<Esc> . . . . . . . . . . Abort the screen capture and exit
back to the foreground program.
<Return> . . . . . . . . Accept the area enclosed or covered
by the crop box, and begin capturing.
<Left Arrow>,
<Right Arrow>,
<Up Arrow> or
<Down Arrow> . . . . . . Move the crop box in the direction
indicated, without changing the shape
of the box.
<Shift><Left Arrow> . . . Shrink the box horizontally.
<Shift><Right Arrow> . . Expand the box horizontally.
<Shift><Up Arrow> . . . . Shrink the box vertically.
<Shift><Down Arrow> . . . Expand the box vertically.
<Insert> . . . . . . . . Toggle between coarse and fine
increments for moving or reshaping
the box.
<Home> . . . . . . . . . Move the box to the upper left-hand
corner of the screen.
<End> . . . . . . . . . . Move the box to the lower left-hand
corner of the screen.
<Ctrl><PgUp> . . . . . . Move the box to the upper right-hand
corner of the screen.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 23 of 30
<Ctrl><PgDn> . . . . . . Move the box to the lower right-hand
corner of the screen.
<PgUp> . . . . . . . . . Move box to top edge of the screen.
<PgDn> . . . . . . . . . Move box to bottom edge of the
screen.
<Ctrl><Left Arrow> . . . Move box to left edge of the screen.
<Ctrl><Right Arrow> . . . Move box to right edge of the screen.
16. Using GRPCX.EXE with Microsoft Windows
GRPCX.EXE is designed to work with programs that run in "real
mode" or "virtual 8086" mode under MS-DOS. If you are running an
MS-DOS application in full-screen mode under Microsoft Windows,
GRPCX.EXE should be able to capture screens from that application
just as though you were running it outside of Windows.
GRPCX.EXE is not specifically designed to capture images from
the Windows desktop itself, or from MS-DOS applications which are
running in a window instead of full-screen mode. However, you
might still be able to use GRPCX.EXE to capture the Windows
desktop.
To increase your chances that GRPCX.EXE will work with your
Windows configuration, make sure you install GRPCX.EXE in memory
before starting Windows. Also, make sure you use the INT=OFF
command-line option (see Section 13.2) when you initially install
GRPCX.EXE in memory; if you don't, GRPCX.EXE will not allow
Windows to load.
While Windows is running, GRPCX.EXE automatically changes its
hotkey combination to [Ctrl Shift]. When you exit Windows,
GRPCX.EXE's hotkey combination reverts back to [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F1]
or whatever you may have changed it to be.
Also, while Windows is running, GRPCX.EXE ignores the status
of the CROP option and capture the entire screen image. When you
exit Windows, GRPCX.EXE will resume following the status of the
CROP option.
Whether your captured .PCX files turn out correctly will
depend on what type of video hardware is installed, which Windows
video driver you are using, and what other memory-resident
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 24 of 30
programs are also loaded. GRPCX.EXE has been known to work using
the generic VGA video driver supplied with Windows 3.1 (640 x 480
x 16 mode), as well as with recent Super-VGA drivers for ATI VGA
Wonder adapters and adapters based on the Tseng Labs ET-4000
chipset (in the 640 x 480 and 1,024 x 768 x 256 modes). It may
work with other Super-VGA cards. It will not work with XGA,
8514/A, ATI Mach-8, ATI Mach-32, ATI Mach-64, S-Cubed, Weitek,
Hercules XGE, or other video coprocessor drivers for Windows.
After GRPCX.EXE captures a Windows screen, it might upset the
Windows video driver in such a way that garbage is left on the
screen when you move the mouse, push menu items and buttons, or
move graphic objects around. To cure this, exit back to DOS and
restart Windows.
Please note, again, that GRPCX.EXE is designed for use only in
the MS-DOS environment, and is not supported by the publisher as
a Windows screen capture program.
17. Changing GRPCX.EXE's Hotkey
Every GRPCX.EXE hotkey has two parts. We'll call them the
"KEY" and the "SHIFT". The KEY can be an alphanumeric key such
as the letter A or the number 4, or a punctuation key such as the
semicolon [;], or a function key such as [F10], [Esc], [PgDn] or
[Del]. In GRPCX.EXE's default [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F1] hotkey, [F1] is
the KEY part.
The SHIFT part of a hotkey can be made up of any combination
of the following keys: [Shift], [Ctrl], or [Alt]. In
GRPCX.EXE's default [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[F1] hotkey, the combination of
the [Ctrl] and [Alt] keys is the SHIFT part.
You can specify a hotkey on the command line either when you
are initially installing GRPCX.EXE in memory, or after it is
already resident. Use this syntax:
GRPCX [other options] KEY=KK SHIFT=SS [SAVEHOTKEY]
"KK" represents a two-character KEY code. Valid KEY codes are
listed in Appendix A of this manual. "SS" represents a
two-character SHIFT code. Valid SHIFT codes are listed in
Appendix B of this manual.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 25 of 30
The "SAVEHOTKEY" parameter is optional. When you include it
on the command line together with the KEY and SHIFT parameters,
it instructs GRPCX.EXE to save your new hotkey choice
permanently. This way, your new hotkey will take effect
automatically every time you reinstall GRPCX.EXE in memory. If
you do not include the savehotkey parameter, the hotkey you
specify will be effective only for as long as the current copy of
GRPCX.EXE remains resident in memory, or until you change it
again with new KEY and SHIFT codes.
Please read Appendices A and B in this manual for additional
important information.
18. Testing Your VESA Video BIOS Compatibility
"VESA" stands for the Video Electronics Standards Association,
which has invented something called the "VESA Video BIOS
Extension" (VESA VBE). The VESA VBE is a standardized method for
MS-DOS programs to utilize high-resolution Super-VGA adapters,
without having to know exactly which manufacturer's adapter is
installed or how its low-level hardware details work. The
VESA VBE is built into some systems, and on most others, it can
be added by loading a software driver which the manufacturer
supplies with the adapter, or by loading a VBE driver from a
third-party source. In general, it is easier for GRPCX.EXE to
capture Super-VGA graphics images when a VESA VBE is present. If
your video adapter is supplied with a memory-resident VESA VBE
program or you have a third-party VBE driver, you should load it
in memory according to the its instructions before you load
GRPCX.EXE in memory.
To determine whether your system has a built-in VESA VBE or a
software VESA VBE installed, run the CHKVBE.EXE program which is
supplied with GRPCX.EXE. CHKVBE.EXE will tell you whether a
VESA VBE is present. It will also tell you whether the installed
VESA VBE is 100% compatible with GRPCX.EXE and the international
VESA VBE standard (some manufacturers have shipped VBE's which
are not).
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 26 of 30
If CHKVBE.EXE determines that the VESA VBE is not 100%
compatible with international standards, then CHKVBE.EXE will
report that the VESA VBE "appears to be incompatible with GRPCX."
In this case, you should prevent GRPCX.EXE from trying to use
your VESA VBE by including the "NOVESA" switch on the command
line. For example:
GRPCX [other parameters] NOVESA
If your VESA VBE is incompatible with GRPCX.EXE, you may still
be able to capture Super-VGA graphic images, but you will need to
determine the type of controller chip used by your Super-VGA
adapter and tell GRPCX.EXE what it is by using one of the
@chiptype parameters. Refer to Section 11 for more information.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 27 of 30
19. Programmers' Note: Calling GRPCX.EXE From Your Own Software
If you are a programmer developing your own software, you can
invoke GRPCX.EXE to capture the screen from within your own pro-
gram, assuming that GRPCX.EXE is already resident in memory.
This is accomplished by using GRPCX.EXE's external programming
hook, which is a customized call to Interrupt 16h, described
below. You can write a routine to implement this hook in 80x86
assembly language or in any high-level programming language which
supports BIOS-level interrupt calls.
INTERRUPT 16h, FUNCTION 4750h
On entry: AX = 4750h
DL = 0 (to check only if GRPCX.EXE is resident)
DL = 1 (to capture the current screen)
On return: AX = 5047h (if GRPCX.EXE is installed in memory)
For DL=0
or DL=1: BL contains the logical drive to which the
capture would be attempted (for DL=0), or was
attempted (for DL=1). 0 = default drive,
1 = drive A, 2 = drive B, and so forth.
For DL=1:
If CF=0: Capture was successful. ES:DX points to
an ASCIIZ string which contains the
[drive:][\path\]filename of the newly
created .PCX file (the drive is also coded
in BL; see above).
If CF=1: If DX = FFFFh, then a capture attempt
failed due to a critical disk error or
disk-full error on the logical drive
encoded in BL (see above). Speaker will
beep.
If DX does not equal FFFFh, capture was
not attempted. GRPCX.EXE was busy
servicing a prior capture request, or some
other disk I/O was occurring, or DOS was
not in a reenterable state. Try again
momentarily.
GRPCX.EXE Documentation and Technical Notes Page 28 of 30
20. Technical Questions? Reporting a Problem or Bug?
>> Do not contact the Public Software Library if you are
experiencing a technical problem with GRPCX.EXE or if you have
any questions about how GRPCX.EXE is supposed to work. Instead,
contact the publisher directly, as described in this section. <<
The publisher wants to know if GRPCX.EXE ever fails to
function on your system as documented in this manual. Also, if
you feel there is an aspect of the program which is not clearly
or completely described here, we appreciate your suggestions.
Please read all of the documentation before submitting a
problem report. This way you can be certain whether there really
is a problem, or whether the program is being put to a use for
which it is not designed or intended. When submitting a problem
report, be as specific as possible about what happens and in what
sequence or situation. Be sure to list these specific things:
(1) All of the information provided on the screen after you
enter the GRPCX command at the DOS prompt with the
program already resident in memory.
(2) Your brand and model of video adapter.
(3) Your brand and model of PC.
(4) Your brand and version of DOS (for example, MS-DOS V6.20,
DR-DOS V5.0, PC DOS V4.0, etc.).
(5) Your brand and model of video adapter.
(6) The program from which you are trying to capture when the
problem occurs.
(7) The contents of both your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT
files.
Without all of this information, it is difficult to solve a
problem, and a response will be delayed.
The publisher can be reached at the following addresses:
Mail: Gerald A. Monroe Fax: (216) 333-6299
P.O. Box 16296 Telephone: (216) 333-6075
Cleveland, Ohio 44116
U.S.A.
CompuServe: 72321,1257
Internet: 72321.1257@compuserve.com
APPENDIX A
------------
These are the codes you may use with GRPCX.EXE's "KEY=kk"
parameter to change its hotkey combination. See also Section 17
and Appendix B.
Key Code Key Code Key Code Key Code
--------- --------- ----------- ------------------
A 30 1 02 F1 59 Keypad plus 78
B 48 2 03 F2 60 Keypad minus 74
C 46 3 04 F3 61 Keypad 5 76
D 32 4 05 F4 62 Print Screen 89
E 18 5 06 F5 63 Backspace 14
F 33 6 07 F6 64 Enter 28
G 34 7 08 F7 65
H 35 8 09 F8 66 Tab 15
I 23 9 10 F9 67 Esc 01
J 36 0 11 F10 68 Ins 82
K 37 F11 87 Del 83
L 38 ` 41 F12 88 PgUp 73
M 50 - 12 PgDn 81
N 49 = 13 Home 71
O 24 , 51 End 79
P 25 . 52 * 55
Q 16 / 53 Up Arrow 72
R 19 ; 39 Down Arrow 80
S 31 ' 40 Left Arrow 75
T 20 [ 26 Right Arrow 77
U 22 ] 27
V 47 \ 43
W 17
X 45
Y 21
Z 44
To view this table on your screen, enter: GRPCX KEY=?
The asterisk key (fifth from the bottom in the fourth column)
refers to the <*> key which is located next to the right-hand
<Shift> on 83-key PC and PC/XT keyboards (which is also marked
"PrtSc"), and also refers to the <*> key which is located on the
numeric keypad of 101-key PC/AT and PS/2 enhanced keyboards.
The <Print Screen> key (fourth entry in the last column)
refers to the key which is labeled "Print Screen" on 101-key
enhanced keyboards only. It does not refer to the "PrtSc" key on
83-key keyboards. The "Print Screen" key does not exist on
non-enhanced keyboards. Do not specify KEY=89 unless your
keyboard has a "Print Screen" key.
APPENDIX B
------------
These are the codes you may use with GRPCX.EXE's "SHIFT=ss"
parameter to change its hotkey combination. See also Section 17
and Appendix A.
Combination Code
---------------------------
No shift keys 00
Shift 03
Ctrl 04
Alt 08
Alt + Shift 11
Ctrl + Shift 07
Ctrl + Alt 12
Ctrl + Alt + Shift 15
NOTES:
To view this table on your screen, enter GRPCX SHIFT=?
If you wish to use a hotkey which does not include any of
these shift keys (for example, <F10> or <Print Screen> alone),
you may do so by specifying SHIFT=00 or no SHIFT= parameter at
all. However, it is recommended that you include some nonzero
SHIFT= parameter to avoid probable keyboard conflicts between
GRPCX.EXE and other software in your system.
The exceptions to this are the <Esc> and <Enter> keys. If you
wish to use either of these in your GRPCX.EXE hotkey, then you
must include some nonzero SHIFT= parameter.
GRPCX.EXE does not distinguish between the left-hand and
right-hand <Shift> keys, which are present on all keyboards.
Pressing the left <Shift> key has the same effect on GRPCX.EXE as
pressing the right <Shift> key, and vice-versa.
If you have an enhanced keyboard which has two <Ctrl> keys and
two <Alt> keys, GRPCX.EXE treats the left and right members of
each pair identically as well.
*** End of GRPCX.DOC ***