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1987-04-25
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OKSHOW.COM
Basic BLOAD File Resident Viewer
Copyright 1987
by Keith P. Graham
The OPTIKS graphics base will have, when it is
complete, a variety of add on products. OKSHOW is the prototype
of one of the products. OKSHOW is a resident program which
responds to cues from the screen and from the keyboard to
display a screen dump file which has been created by the BASIC
BSAVE/BLOAD command pair. OPTIKS has an option (as did its
parent PCRGB) to save in the BLOAD format also.
The main function of OKSHOW is to allow a simple
interface for programs which do not handle graphics image files
to access BLOAD screen dumps. The user has to put a simple
message on the screen and press the "+" key that is located to
the right of the numeric key pad OKSHOW will look at the screen
and then display the file on the screen.
The most obvious use for OKSHOW is to display data
images from within a database program. I have included a DBASE
III .PRG file which will show all of the images in a data base
file sequentially. It should be very easy for a good programmer
to make a very sophisticated system for displaying a selected
image on the screen. This is good for security systems or sales
systems. OKSHOW, however, is not limited to DBASE. I have also
included OPX.WKS which does nothing more than make the OPTIKS
logo viewable through Lotus 1-2-3. OKSHOW should work with any
program which does not alter the keyboard interrupt too much.
As I have said, OKSHOW is a prototype and as such is
being tested. It may not work correctly all the time. Emily, my
portable PC is sick and hangs up from time to time. I am
assuming it is not because of OKSHOW, because she tends to do it
even when OKSHOW is not running. Please be warned that this
program uses an experimental method for issuing DOS calls from
memory resident programs, and I am not at all confident in it
yet. There is a danger that OKSHOW may hang or abort a program
while you are running so always save all critical data. OKSHOW
appears to be stable or I would not be releasing it, but treat
OKSHOW and all public domain programs as if they are potentially
flakey.
OKSHOW is the first generation of a project closely
associated with OPTIKS that I will eventually offer for sale.
The final product will support all the graphics screens that
OPTIKS supports, and all of the picture formats that OPTIKS can
handle, not just BLOAD, but MacPaint and PC Paintbrush and
Microsoft Paint. This is several months off, and my main effort
now is to get OPTIKS rolling.
The trick to using OKSHOW is to have you program place
a tilde (~) on the screen 5 rows down and 5 columns over. For
DBASE programmers this at position 4,4 on the screen. Following
the tilde is the name of the basic BLOAD file that you want
loaded followed by a space. When this cue is on the screen the
user need only to press the plus "+" on the right of the numeric
key pad to view the picture. To return to the program the user
must strike any key. The name of the file can have no spaces in
it. The file name can be a complex name including disk and path,
but it cannot be longer than 64 characters. If the file cannot
be found or can't be opened, OKSHOW gives up and goes back to
watching the keyboard and the screen.
WARNING: OKSHOW has no critical error handling routines
so make sure that the disk drive door is not open and the disk
you have is good. You don't want "Abort, Ignore, Retry" messages
coming up in the middle of your graphics.
OKSHOW only works on CGA systems (although it will use
CGA on an EGA). It only works for BLOAD dumps BSAVED from CGA
screens.
If you have a need for the full blown system with
support for other displays and graphics formats, complete with
resident critical error handling and tried and tested DOS
sharing techniques, drop me a line this summer, I should be
looking for beta testers by then.
Keith P. Graham
238 Germonds Road
West Nyack, New York 10994
(914) 623-4161