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Text File | 1989-04-27 | 20.1 KB | 530 lines

Capture VGA and EGA screens to .GIF files Shareware Release Version 3.4 Copyright (C) 1988,1989 Laurie and Bill Fleisher 4680 Carrick SE Kentwood, MI 49508 (616)531-7007 Voice (616)531-0821 Data This program consists of two modules. The first on, SCRCAP, is a TSR (memory resident program) which captures a graphic color screen and palette to a disk file. The second module, SCR2GIF.EXE, converts this file into a .GIF file, which can be displayed with programs like PICEM or VGAGIF or VPIC. The reason for the split modules is to keep the size of the memory resident program small. This prevents competition for memory space with your graphics editor of display program. Some of these programs tend to be memory hogs when displaying Hi-Res modes. The SCRCAP uses only 3k of memory. This should not interfere with memory usage very much. The conversion program will also convert uncompressed screen files generated by COLORIX (a trademark of RIX SOFTWORKS, Inc.) to .GIF files, and also EGA Paint format files. To install the capture program, simply type SCRCAP. It will check your video adapter, and install itself if it finds a compatible adapter. Otherwise it simply aborts. In order to invoke it, display the image you want to capture. Then press ALT and C at the same time. After a few seconds of disk activity, a BEEP will sound to indicate a successful capture. SCRCAP will check video modes to see if compatible mode is active. If not, it will exit without capture with 3 beeps and will create a small binary file. If this program's beep sounds like a "fog horn" in a valid VGA or EGA 16 or 256 color graphic screen mode supported by this program ( please check valid modes below), please notify us at the above address or call and we will try to help. There are now 3 types of beeps: Successful Capture - 1 high pitch beep Unsupported mode - 3 medium pitch beeps Something didn't work - 1 medium and 1 low pitch "FOG HORN" There is a switch to the capture program SCRCAP which will allow over ride of the default video board. If you do not have a STB, Genoa or Video 7 board, the program will default to a Genoa board. This may not be compatible with other boards so a switch can be used when invoking the SCRCAP program. Examples are below. 1 EXAMPLES: for invoking the SCRCAP 1. SCRCAP /0 - use Video 7 for capturing 2. SCRCAP /1 - use Genoa for capturing 3. SCRCAP /2 - use STB for capturing 4. SCRCAP - will check your board for one of the above and if not found will default to Orchid Other switches for other boards include the following: /3 - Orchid Designer /4 - Standard VGA /5 - Standard EGA /6 - Paradise Pro /7 - ATI VGA Wonder If neither of the these configurations work with your board please contact us. If neither of the three configurations work with your board please contact us. The file created will have a name of CAP-xxx.SCx, where xxx is a three digit decimal number. The program checks the directory, and will use the lowest number not already in use. You can write 999 files to a directory this way (if you don't run out of disk space). The x that is the last character of the extension follows Colorix convention for file formats. If you delete any .SCx files, SCRCAP will fill the blank spaces on the next capture before adding to the end of the list. Each file consists simply of a 768 byte area for 256 color and 48 bytes for the 16 color which containing palette data, followed by a screen dump. The total size is dependent on screen resolution. For 16 color modes this is width divided by 8 multiplied by the height. For 256 colors it is width multiplied by height. It is recommended you rename the files to something descriptive when you return to DOS unless you are going to convert them immediately. The SCR2GIF program is very simple to use. There are three modes for using it. The modes are determined by whether no, one, or two file names are entered on the command line when SCR2GIF is invoked. SCR2GIF or SCR2GIF inputfilename or SCR2GIF inputfilename outputfilename 2 MODE 1 C:>SCR2GIF The first way of using it requires that you enter only SCR2GIF on the command line. It will prompt for both file names. It will fill in the suggested input file extension of .SCR. You need not enter the extension if .SCR is okay. Otherwise, as soon as you type the "." the SCR extension will vanish so you can enter your own extension. If it cannot find your input file name it will ask you to reenter. The output file name will then be requested. It will present your input file name with the extension changed to "GIF". If this is okay, just hit the ENTER key. Otherwise, start entering the filename you want. The extension will behave as in entering the input file name described above. If the output file already exists, it will ask permission to overwrite it. The default (ENTER) is "No, don't overwrite" It will then ask for a new file name. MODE 2 C:>SCR2GIF filename.SCR or C:>SCR2GIF *.SCR This mode will accept wildcards. The output file names will be the same as the input file names except that the extension is changed to .GIF. It will accept the same wildcards as DOS (? or *). You will be asked ONCE whether it should overwrite a .GIF if the name happens to be the same as the output file. This will apply to all conversions if a wildcard is used. For instance, if the input file is CAP-000.SCR and it finds a file named CAP-000.GIF it will overwrite it if you answer Y. If, however, CAP-000.GIF is protected (Read only attribute set) it will refuse to over-write it and "Permission denied" will be displayed. MODE 3 C:>SCR2GIF inputname.SCR outputname.GIF The third mode is intended for running from batch files and accepts both input and output file names on the command line as: SCR2GIF myinput.scr myoutput.gif 3 An error message is generated if it cannot open the input file (if it can't find it for instance) or if it cannot open the output file (if the output file already exists). In any case, the program will request whatever information it requires. If the output file exists already, you will be asked if you want to overwrite it. In addition to the above modes, several switches may be used which will do the following: /M - Invoke the EGA Palette MENU Editor /D - Default ; Palette is in .SCR file /S - Palette file same name as Input .SCR file;*** / - Palette file same name as Input .SCR file;*** /1 - Palette file name is "PALETTE1.PAL"*** /2 - Palette file name is "PALETTE2.PAL"*** /B - Palette file format is BINARY /H - Default; Palette file format is ASCII Hexadecimal /P - Pause for keypress after a .SCR file is displayed on screen /C - NOT Available in this version Convert a 256 color to a 16 color /? - This HELP output file /V=# Override VIDEO board Identification where # 0 - Vega 7 VGA 1 - Genoa 2 - STB Systems 3 - Orchid Designer 4 - Standard VGA 5 - Standard EGA 6 - Paradise Pro 7 - ATI VGA Wonder *** Default format ASCII Hex Also included with this program are 2 sample substitute palettes, PALETTE1.PAL and PALETTE2.PAL. The first is the standard 64 color EGA palette. The second is a grey scale palette and will only work on a VGA graphic board, although interesting results may occur if you try this on an EGA. The substitute Palette files should have the following: ASCII HEX - 256 colors - 768 ASCII Hex numbers delimited by <cr> or space where each color is a triplet of red, Green and Blue values 0 to 63 for 256 colors. 16 colors - 195 + 16 ASCII Hex numbers delimited by <cr> or space where each color is a triplet of Red, Green and Blue values 0 to 63 for 65 colors, and the last 16 4 numbers are the 16 indexes into the 64 color palette. Binary - 256 colors - 778 bytes of data where the first 10 are ignored 16 colors - 195 + 16 + 10 bytes of data where the first 10 are ignored. The binary files allow the palette from one capture to be transported into another capture file Note: on EGA video adapter boards the palette may not be the same as the displayed screen during a capture. EGA PALETTE MENU -> move to next color <- move to previous color Up Ar add one to color at arrow Dn Ar subtract one to color at arrow F1 Save changes and convert to .GIF F2 ReTry with previous palette F3 Shift all colors on palette right 4 F4 Save changed palette to a .PAL (ASCII txt) file ESC Abort File conversion EXAMPLES: 1. >SCR2GIF /M/P <return> This will prompt you for an input and output file, put the screen data up and then go to the EGA MENU Editor if the file is 16 colors. Once you have exited the EGA MENU Editor the new screen will be re-displayed and then the program will pause waiting on a keypress. If you enter an ESCAPE key the program will abort the conversion. Be forewarned that on a VGA graphics board with a palette other than the standard 64 color palette, the R G B keys may not have the same meaning as changing the colors of your picture with respect to Red, Green and Blue. 2. >SCR2GIF /1/B *.SCR<return> This will convert all files with the extension ".SCR", while reading the default palette in file "PALETTE1.PAL" which is a binary formatted with either 778 bytes or 221 bytes depending on the number of colors of the .SCR file. NOTE: the .SCR files should all be the same number of colors. 3. >SCR2GIF /S CAP-000.SCR NEWFILE.GIF<return> This will read in screen file "CAP-000.SCR" and the palette file "CAP-000.PAL" The palette file is expected in ASCII Hex and will be used to convert the screen file to the 5 .GIF "NEWFILE.GIF" 4. >SCR2GIF<return> This will prompt you for an input and output file to convert. Since no switches are used the defaults will be: Palette used will be from the input file. No pausing after screen display Palette Menu Editor will Not be invoked. The following modes have been tested on the STB systems, the Vega Seven VGA, and the Genoa 5200 video boards 512 x 512, 16 colors 640 x 200, 16 colors ** 640 x 350, 16 colors NOTE: some boards 640 x 400 640 x 480, 16 colors 720 x 512, 16 colors NOTE: some boards 720 x 540 800 x 600, 16 colors 1024 x 768, 16 colors ** 320 x 200, 256 colors 512 x 512, 256 colors 640 x 350, 256 colors NOTE: some boards 640 x 400 640 x 480, 256 colors 720 x 512, 256 colors NOTE: some boards 720 x 540 800 x 600, 256 colors *** Note: only these modes supported by this version. The licensed version supports all modes above. To receive the licensed version, please send $19.95 to the address above, Or call the data line with a VISA or MASTERCARD. Please also describe which Video adapter you have on your system. The conversion program will also convert uncompressed screen files generated by COLORIX (a trademark of RIX SOFTWORKS, Inc.) to .GIF files. DISCLAIMER: This program is supplied without warranty. Use at your own risk. GIF is a trademark of H and R BLOCK Companies. 6 ----------------------------------------------------- Revision Change History Version 2.4B changes: 1. Fixes for use with the Vega Seven VGA board. (Extended modes not yet tested on a Video 7 board) 2. Fixes for when Menu editor is used, palette was not being saved correctly in the .GIF file. Version 2.5B and 2.5 1. Add enabling Video 7 extensions for extended modes on the Video 7 board. Version 2.6B and 2.6 1. Bug fix for Video 7 board. Was previously destroying a register before switching pages on extended mode Video 7 board. Version 3.0B and 3.0 1. The screen capture SCRCAP will now capture in COLORIX format. Colorix can read in the captured file. Please note that Colorix 16 color drivers for the VGA have not yet been completed by Colorix. (They said in about 2-3 weeks). Also note that it does not capture to EGApaint, only Colorix. They are different formats. The GIF converter will, however convert the EGApaint 16 color files. (as tested from Bob Montgomery's VPIC to RIX viewer) 2. The screen capture board default can be overridden with a switch at invoke time. /0 - Video 7 /1 - genoa /2 - STB 3. The palette saved is only 48 bytes instead of 768 for 16 color captures. This means the palettes on 16 color VGA images taking advantage of the 16 of 64K color palette can not meaningfully change the palette using the MENU function. However a straight capture to .GIF should maintain the 16 of 64K palette. 4. The program SCR2GIF was modified to read in the EGApaint and Colorix 16 color format files and convert to .GIF. 7 5. The entire 16 color capture file is manipulated in ELM memory if available instead of only 64k. A temp file is created if ELM not available. 6. Fix problem of confusion about the overwriting of output file on wild card conversions. Version 3.1B and 3.1 1. If the screen is scrolled using register writes to 3D4 and 3D5 the screen that is captured is what you see. "What you see is what you get". (VPIC scrolls through register writes.) 2. Fix problem with EGAPaint not masking the most significant 2 bits. Version 3.2 1. Add switches for Orchid, Paradise, and ATI VGA Wonder to the SCRCAP TSR program. A /# on the command line is the board override. Testing was also performed on the Orchid Pro Designer Plus. 2. Fix scroll problem if scrolled down past the first memory bank. 3. Add switch overrides for the SCR2GIF program. A /V=# gives the board override. Version 3.3: 1. There are now 3 types of beeps: Successful Capture - 1 high pitch beep Unsupported mode - 3 medium pitch beeps Something didn't work - 1 medium and 1 low pitch "FOG HORN" 2. Bug fix for Video 7 - in determining mode. 3. Support for Colorix 1.1 16 color modes. Will now capture to format and convert Colorix new 16 color screen files to .GIF. 4. Add memory bank switching to support Paradise card. Version 3.3-1 1. Bug fix for EGA using wild card mode. Version 3.4 1. Added ATI VGA Wonder support. 8