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1994-05-14
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GRABBER/AI(tm)
8514/A Adapter Interface Version
Release 2.00S Shareware Issue
--------------------------------
The Screen Capture Program
for MS-DOS and 8514/A-Compatible
Video Graphics
DOCUMENTATION AND TECHNICAL NOTES
May 14, 1994
Copyright 1987-1994 by
Gerald A. Monroe
All rights reserved.
+-------------------------------------------------+
| Although they are shareware, GR4AI 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. |
+-------------------------------------------------+
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,
GRABBER.EXE, any of its "offspring" programs, 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 regis-
ter, 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 soft-
ware, please consult the REGISTER.DOC file.
Gerald A. Monroe
P.O. Box 770906
Cleveland, Ohio 44107, U.S.A.
CompuServe Mail: 72321,1257
Fax: (216) 521-6060
IBM and PC are trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation. MS-DOS and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
Table of Contents
Shareware Registration and License Information ..... 1
Overview of GR4AI.EXE .............................. 3
About this documentation ........................... 4
Using GRABBER and GR4AI simultaneously ............. 4
Modifying the GR4AI hotkey ......................... 4
GR4AI's audible error indicators ................... 5
GR4AI installation options, including the following:
* DEFAULTDRIVE
* MOUSE and NOMOUSE
* UNLOAD
* SOUND and NOSOUND
* PROMPT and NOPROMPT
* NOSWAP
* NOEMS
* NOUMB
* INT=nn
* INT=OFF
* BATCHCAPTURE
* BATCHCAPTURE:filename ......................... 5
Offspring file compatibility with other systems .... 6
Offspring file command-line options ................ 6
Converting GR4AI offspring to PCX and GIF formats .. 7
Calling GR4AI from your own programs ............... 8
GR4AI(tm) Documentation & Technical Notes Page 3 of 8
OVERVIEW OF GR4AI.EXE
----------------------
GR4AI(tm) is an alternative version of the GRABBER screen capture
program. It is designed exclusively for capturing high-resolu-
tion 640 x 480 and 1024 x 768 graphic images from PC systems that
are compatible with the IBM 8514/A Adapter Interface, and which
are running in "real mode" under MS-DOS. (GR4AI does not capture
screens from Microsoft Windows or Windows applications.)
The Adapter Interface, or "AI," is a programming interface that
lets application programs work with your high-resolution video
adapter. Usually, the AI is loaded as a memory-resident (TSR)
program in your computer's memory. When it is present, it allows
GR4AI to capture certain types of high-resolution graphics.
GR4AI can only capture a screen if the foreground program that is
generating the image is actually using the AI to do its screen
work. Note that this is not always the case. For example, if
you have an IBM 8514/A adapter, or another manufacturer's card
that is compatible with IBM's 8514/A at the register level (such
as an ATI 8514/Ultra, Graphics Ultra or Graphics Vantage card),
then it is possible for some application programs to work with
the screen by writing directly to the adapter's hardware regis-
ters and ignoring the AI completely. GR4AI cannot capture any
screens from such applications, because unless the AI is being
used for screen output, GR4AI has no way of knowing that the
adapter is in use at all.
Therefore, if you have an application from which you want to
capture screens, and the application's installation or setup
allows you to choose between AI-compatible and 8514/A register-
level compatible video, then you should choose the AI-compatible
option.
Whatever kind of video hardware is installed, GR4AI expects to
find an AI driver resident in memory when you ask it to capture a
screen. If an AI driver is not present, GR4AI will not capture
the screen. (With the IBM 8514/A and the ATI 8514/A-compatibles
mentioned above, the AI driver is called HDILOAD.EXE. If you
have a different brand of adapter, the driver file may be called
by a different name.)
Note that you do not have to have an adapter that is register-
level compatible with the 8514/A in order to use GR4AI. All you
need is an adapter that comes supplied with an AI driver, and an
application program that uses the AI for its screen output.
GR4AI(tm) Documentation & Technical Notes Page 4 of 8
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENTATION
-------------------------
GR4AI can be installed in memory and operated in much the same
way as GRABBER.EXE, and the two programs have a very similar look
and feel. For the most part, this documentation for GR4AI covers
only the aspects of GR4AI which differ from GRABBER.EXE. To use
GR4AI effectively, you should read the GRABBER program documenta-
tion and become familiar with GRABBER's operation.
USING GRABBER and GR4AI SIMULTANEOUSLY
---------------------------------------
GR4AI is designed to be compatible with GRABBER. Both programs
can be installed in memory and used at the same time, but only if
you specify the "INT=OFF" command-line switch when you initially
load GR4AI.EXE in memory.
The default "hotkey" sequence for GR4AI is [Ctrl Alt F10]. That
is, you hold down the [Ctrl] key and the [Alt] key at the same
time, then press the [F10] key, then release all three keys.
As in GRABBER, the MOUSE command-line option in GR4AI allows you
to capture the screen by holding down the left and right mouse
buttons simultaneously for one or two seconds. If you have
installed both GRABBER.EXE and GR4AI.EXE in memory simultaneous-
ly, you should not use the MOUSE switch to enable the mouse
hotkey with both programs. Strange results are almost guaranteed
to occur, and it may even lock up your computer when you use the
mouse hotkey. It is acceptable to use the MOUSE switch with
either GR4AI or GRABBER, but not both.
MODIFYING THE GR4AI HOTKEY
---------------------------
GR4AI allows you to modify your hotkey sequence from the default
[Ctrl Alt F10] to practically any other key sequence you choose.
In this respect, GR4AI is exactly like GRABBER. There is no
separate documentation here which covers the procedure for
changing your GR4AI hotkey. GR4AI uses the exact same hotkey
procedures as GRABBER. You can read about these in the GRAB-
BER.DOC manual, at page 33 and at Appendices A and B. (To view a
list of valid KEY= codes for GR4AI, use the command GR4AI KEY=?.
To view a list of valid SHIFT= codes, enter GR4AI SHIFT=?.)
GR4AI(tm) Documentation & Technical Notes Page 5 of 8
GR4AI's AUDIBLE ERROR INDICATORS
---------------------------------
If you press GR4AI's hotkey and hear one or two short, low-
pitched tones from your PC speaker, it means that GR4AI is unable
to capture the screen because an error condition exists.
One low-pitched tone indicates that no AI driver is currently
loaded in memory.
Two low-pitched tones indicate that an AI driver is loaded in
memory, but that it is not presently in use by a foreground
application, or that the adapter is presently operating in a
video mode that exceeds GR4AI's capabilities. GR4AI is able to
capture these AI modes:
* 640 x 480, 16 colors * 640 x 480, 256 colors
* 1024 x 768, 16 colors * 1024 x 768, 256 colors
* 1280 x 1024, 16 colors * 1280 x 1024, 256 colors
(Three low-pitched tones indicate a probable disk error during
the screen capture process. See "Errors During the Screen
Capture" in the GRABBER program documentation.)
GR4AI INSTALLATION OPTIONS
---------------------------
GR4AI accepts the following command-line configuration options.
Each of these optional switches can be added to the GR4AI command
line to alter GR4AI's default mode of operation. All of these
switches are also available in the GRABBER.EXE program, and none
is separately described here. For complete details concerning
the purpose of these options and how they work, consult the
section "Grabber Installation Options" beginning on page 14 in
the GRABBER program documentation.
* DEFAULTDRIVE (specifies capture destination)
* MOUSE and NOMOUSE (enables/disables mouse hotkey)
* UNLOAD (removes GR4AI from memory)
* SOUND and NOSOUND (enables/disables sounds)
* PROMPT and NOPROMPT (enables/disables screen prompts)
* NOSWAP (disables swapping of DOS kernel)
* NOEMS (disables GR4AI's EMS memory usage)
* NOUMB (disables GR4AI'S UMB memory usage)
* INT=nn (specifies block of interrupt
vectors for redirecting IRQ0-IRQ7)
* INT=OFF (disables redirection of IRQ0-IRQ7)
* BATCHCAPTURE (causes immediate screen capture)
* BATCHCAPTURE:filename (causes immediate screen capture to
file specified as "filename")
GR4AI(tm) Documentation & Technical Notes Page 6 of 8
OFFSPRING FILE COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER SYSTEMS
------------------------------------------------
As mentioned above on page 4, GR4AI can capture six different
types of images from AI-compatible video adapters. The six types
are:
* 640 x 480, 16 colors * 640 x 480, 256 colors
* 1024 x 768, 16 colors * 1024 x 768, 256 colors
* 1280 x 1024, 16 colors * 1280 x 1024, 256 colors
Each type of image can be displayed on a different system than
the one from which it was originally captured, if the destination
system has an AI driver (such as IBM's or ATI's HDILOAD.EXE)
resident in memory (and assuming that the destination system has
enough video memory and a monitor that is capable enough to
display the particular graphics mode).
In addition, each type of image can be displayed on a system
which is compatible with the VESA video BIOS extension, even if
no AI driver is loaded (and assuming that the destination system
has enough video memory and a monitor that is capable enough to
display the particular graphics mode).
A 16-color, 640 x 480 offspring image can be ported to any VGA-
compatible system -- even one which does not have an AI driver
loaded and is not VESA-compatible.
Some types of screens have special video memory requirements:
* 1280 x 1024 x 256 images require at least 2 Mb of video memory
* 1280 x 1024 x 16 images require at least 1 Mb of video memory
* 1024 x 768 x 256 images require at least 1 Mb of video memory
* 1024 x 768 x 16 images require at least 512 Kb of video memory
* 640 x 480 x 256 images require at least 512 Kb of video memory
OFFSPRING FILE COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS
------------------------------------
GR4AI offspring files support the same command-line options as
are supported by GRABBER.EXE offspring files. This includes the
"FADEIN" and "FADEOUT" options, the /Tn option for timed execu-
tion, the /F and /N options for exiting without erasing, and the
/K keylist option. Each of these options is fully explained in
the GRABBER program documentation, starting at page 22.
However, you should note that for technical reasons it is not
always safe to use the /F and /N command-line options with GR4AI
offspring files. These two options can cause a system crash when
you are executing a GR4AI offspring at the DOS prompt or within a
batch file, and should not be used in those situations. You may
GR4AI(tm) Documentation & Technical Notes Page 7 of 8
use these two options when executing a GR4AI offspring from
inside another program by way of a SHELL or EXEC-type function,
but only if the parent program re-initializes the AI (with the
AI's HINIT or HSYNC functions) or closes the AI (with the HCLOSE
function) immediately upon return from the child program.
CONVERTING GR4AI OFFSPRING TO .PCX and .GIF
--------------------------------------------
GR4AI is supplied along with two companion utilities which
convert captured AI screens to the PCX and GIF file formats. The
utilities are called GRAI2PCX and GRAI2GIF. These utilities
function in exactly the same way as the GR2PCX and GR2GIF pro-
grams which are also included in this GRABBER package. However,
here is the difference: GRAI2PCX and GRAI2GIF are designed to
convert only offspring screens created by GR4AI.EXE, while GR2PCX
and GR2GIF are designed to convert only screens created by
GRABBER.EXE.
For instructions on using GRAI2PCX and GRAI2GIF, consult the
CONVERT.DOC documentation file.
GR4AI(tm) Documentation & Technical Notes Page 8 of 8
PROGRAMMERS NOTE:
CALLING GR4AI FROM YOUR OWN PROGRAMS
-------------------------------------
If you are a programmer developing your own software, you can
invoke GR4AI to capture the screen from within your own program,
assuming that GR4AI is already resident in memory.
This is accomplished by using GR4AI's external programming hook,
which is really 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.
CUSTOMIZED INTERRUPT 16H TO INVOKE GR4AI, SERVICE 4741H
--------------------------------------------------------
On entry: AX = 4741h
DL = 0 (to check only if GR4AI is resident)
DL = 1 (to capture the current screen)
On return: AX = 4147h (if GR4AI is installed in memory)
For DL=0
or DL=1: BL contains the logical drive to which
the capture would be attempted (DL=0)
or was attempted (DL=1). 0=default drive,
1=drive A, 2=drive B, and so forth.
For DL=1:
No --> Capture successful. ES:DX points to
Carry an ASCIIZ string which contains the
Flag [drive:][\path\]filename of the newly
created offspring (drive also coded in BL).
Carry --> If DX = FFFFh, then a capture attempt
Flag failed due to a critical disk error or
Set disk-full error on the logical drive
encoded in BL. (Speaker beeped in either
case.)
If DX does not equal FFFFh, capture was
not attempted. GR4AI was busy servicing
a prior capture request, or some other disk
I/O was occurring, or DOS was not in a re-
enterable state. Try again momentarily.
* * * End of GR4AI.DOC * * *