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4f343f39b9
- DOSBox now starts at session_start and persists in background - /dosbox command attaches UI to running instance (Ctrl+Q detaches) - Added dosbox tool with actions: send_keys, screenshot, read_text - Bundled QuickBASIC 4.5 files, mounted at C:\QB on startup - Agent can interact with DOSBox programmatically via tool Use: pi -e ./examples/extensions/pi-dosbox Then: /dosbox to view, or let agent use the dosbox tool
545 lines
19 KiB
Text
545 lines
19 KiB
Text
README.DOC File
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Release Notes for Microsoft (R) QuickBASIC
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Version 4.50
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(C) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1990
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Product Serial Number: 00-007-1450-26147102
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This document contains release notes for version 4.50 of the Microsoft (R)
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QuickBASIC for MS-DOS (R). The information in this document is more
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up-to-date than that in the manuals.
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================================================================================
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Contents
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================================================================================
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Part Description
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---- -----------
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1 Using QuickBASIC on a Two-Floppy System
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2 Using Your Mouse with QuickBASIC
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3 Supplementary Information on Mixed-Language Programming
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4 Using Btrieve with QuickBASIC
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5 Using the DOS 3.2 Patch for Math Accuracy
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6 Miscellaneous Information About Using QuickBASIC
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================================================================================
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Part 1: Using QuickBASIC on a Two-Floppy System
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================================================================================
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Installing QuickBASIC on Floppy Disks
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-------------------------------------
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The SETUP program can install QuickBASIC on floppy disks for use
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with a two-floppy system. You must run SETUP to install QuickBASIC
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on floppy disks. You cannot run QuickBASIC from the disks provided,
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because the files are stored in a compressed format.
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Before you install QuickBASIC on your two-floppy system, be sure
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you have enough blank, formatted disks. If you have 360K disk
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drives, you will need five blank disks. For 720K disk drives, you
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will need three blank disks.
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To install QuickBASIC, put Disk #1 in drive A. Type A:\SETUP and
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press Enter.
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When your installation is complete, you should label each disk with
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the names of the files that are on that disk. QuickBASIC will ask
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you to swap disks when it cannot find a file that it needs, and
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you will need to know which disk the file is on.
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If you use 360K disks, label them as follows:
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PROGRAM:
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QB.EXE QB45QCK.HLP
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UTILITIES:
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BC.EXE LINK.EXE
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BQLB45.LIB LIB.EXE
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BRUN45.EXE QB.QLB
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BRUN45.LIB QB.LIB
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UTILITIES 2:
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BCOM45.LIB QB45ENER.HLP
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ADVISOR:
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QB45ADVR.HLP
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EXAMPLES
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QB.BI BASIC examples
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If you use 720K disks, label them as follows:
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PROGRAM/EXAMPLES:
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QB.EXE QB45QCK.HLP
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QB.BI BASIC examples
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UTILITIES:
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BC.EXE LINK.EXE
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BQLB45.LIB LIB.EXE
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BRUN45.EXE QB.QLB
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BRUN45.LIB QB.LIB
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BCOM45.LIB
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ADVISOR:
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QB45ADVR.HLP QB45ENER.HLP
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Running QuickBASIC from Floppy Disks
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------------------------------------
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During some operations, QuickBASIC asks you to swap disks one
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or more times. You can minimize disk swapping by following the
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procedures in this section.
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Since the disks that you installed QuickBASIC on are nearly full, you
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should keep your BASIC source-code (.BAS) files on a separate disk.
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Label this disk SOURCE.
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Copy the run-time module BRUN45.EXE from the UTILITIES disk to your
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SOURCE disk. QuickBASIC needs this file to run executable programs
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compiled with the run-time support option.
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When you use QuickBASIC, a disk containing source-code (.BAS) files
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should always be in drive B. If you want to run existing BASIC
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programs (such as the example programs provided with QuickBASIC),
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remove the SOURCE disk from drive B and insert the disk containing
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these files.
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To run QuickBASIC:
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1. Insert the SOURCE disk in drive B.
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2. To make drive B the current drive, type B: and press Enter.
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3. Insert the PROGRAM disk (the disk containing QB.EXE) in drive A.
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4. Type the following command:
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A:QB.EXE
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To insure that QuickBASIC always looks on both disk drives for the
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files it needs, follow these steps:
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1. From the Options menu, choose Set Paths.
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2. Make sure each of the path settings includes both disk drives. The
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following line should be in all four text boxes:
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A:\;B:\
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3. Choose OK.
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QuickBASIC saves these path settings in the QB.INI file, so you will
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not have to enter them again.
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When you exit QuickBASIC or shell to DOS, you will be prompted to
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insert a disk containing the file COMMAND.COM. Remove the PROGRAM
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disk from drive A, insert a system disk, and press Enter.
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Using Help from Floppy Disks
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----------------------------
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When you use the QuickBASIC Advisor online help system, you may need
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to swap disks. For example, if you choose "Details" or "Example" on a
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help screen, QuickBASIC will inform you that it cannot find the help
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file QB45ADVR.HLP. Put the disk that contains this file in drive A and
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choose Retry.
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Compiling Your Programs from Floppy Disks
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-----------------------------------------
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To compile your program from within QuickBASIC:
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1. From the Run menu, choose Make EXE File.
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2. Choose Make EXE. QuickBASIC displays the message "Cannot find file
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(BC.EXE)."
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3. Insert the UTILITIES disk (the disk containing BC.EXE) in drive A.
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Type A: and press Enter.
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If the program compiles successfully, QuickBASIC invokes the LINK
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utility. If LINK cannot find the library, it displays the following
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message:
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LINK : warning L4051 : BCOM45.LIB : cannot find library
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Enter new file spec:
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4. Insert the disk containing the requested library (BCOM45.LIB or
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BRUN45.LIB) in drive A.
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Note: The requested library may be located on the UTILITIES disk
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already in drive A. If this is the case, leave this disk in drive A.
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5. Type A: and press Enter. After the LINK utility finishes creating
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your executable program, QuickBASIC displays the message "Cannot
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find file (QB.EXE)."
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6. Insert the PROGRAM disk in drive A.
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7. Type A: and press Enter.
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If no errors occur during compiling or linking, your compiled program
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(.EXE) is created on drive B. QuickBASIC also creates an object-module
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(.OBJ) file. To save space, you can delete object-module files.
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================================================================================
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Part 2: Using Your Mouse with QuickBASIC
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================================================================================
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New Mouse Driver for Use with QuickBASIC
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----------------------------------------
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QuickBASIC Version 4.5 can be used with any mouse that is 100%
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compatible with the Microsoft Mouse. However, you must use a
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Microsoft Mouse driver Version 6.00 or later. Earlier versions may
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cause unpredictable behavior when used with QuickBASIC. MOUSE.COM,
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Version 6.24 is supplied with QuickBASIC Version 4.5.
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Especially if you are writing programs that use the mouse, you
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should use the supplied version of the mouse driver when working in
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QuickBASIC. Previous versions have included MOUSE.SYS, which is
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installed by including the line DEVICE=MOUSE.SYS in your CONFIG.SYS
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file. This version of QuickBASIC includes MOUSE.COM, which is not
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installed via CONFIG.SYS. To install MOUSE.COM, just type MOUSE at
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the DOS prompt. To include MOUSE.COM automatically when your machine
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boots, make sure MOUSE.COM is in your search path, then put the line
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MOUSE
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in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. To free up memory, you can remove the
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mouse driver at any time by typing MOUSE OFF at the DOS prompt.
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This will restore between 9K and 10.5K of memory with Version 6.11.
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Using Mouse Function Calls from QuickBASIC Programs
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---------------------------------------------------
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If you are programming for the Microsoft Mouse, you should obtain
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the Microsoft Mouse Programmer's Reference Guide and the library
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MOUSE.LIB that comes with it. (These are not included in QuickBASIC
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or Mouse package and must be ordered separately). Most of the
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information in the Mouse Programmer's Reference Guide applies
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directly to QuickBASIC Version 4.5. However, the following additional
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restrictions must be observed:
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Certain Mouse function calls (Functions 9 & 16) require you to set
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up an integer array and pass the address of the array to the mouse
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driver. For previous versions, the only restriction on this array
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was that it had to be $STATIC (the default array type). In QuickBASIC
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Version 4.5, however, the array also must be in a COMMON block if you
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will be making the Mouse function call from within the QuickBASIC
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environment. In addition, it is recommended that the support code
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for the Mouse call be in a Quick library or linked into the
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executable file when making Mouse function calls from QuickBASIC.
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To produce a Quick library for using Mouse function calls from
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within the QuickBASIC environment, use the following command line
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(produces MOUSE.QLB):
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LINK MOUSE.LIB/QU,MOUSE.QLB,,BQLB40.LIB/NOE;
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An example from PIANO.BAS (included with the Microsoft Mouse
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Programmer's Reference) for using Mouse function call 9:
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DEFINT A-Z
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DECLARE SUB MOUSE (M1, M2, M3, M4)
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DIM Cursor(15, 1)
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COMMON Cursor() 'Ensures array data is in DGROUP
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.
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. (set up Cursor() for mouse cursor shape desired)
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.
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M1 = 9: M2 = 6: M3 = 0
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CALL MOUSE(M1, M2, M3, VARPTR(Cursor(0, 0)))
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In addition to the above, note that Mouse function calls 21-23
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require dynamically allocated storage out of the home data segment.
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The recommended way to do this is to allocate space in a dynamic
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string variable based on the return value from function call 21,
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using the STRING$ or SPACE$ function. Then use VARPTR on this string
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variable just prior to calling Mouse function call 22 or 23.
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================================================================================
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Part 3: Supplementary Information on Mixed-Language Programming
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================================================================================
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Linking from Within QuickC or with QCL
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--------------------------------------
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Microsoft QuickC and the QCL command both set the /NOI linker
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by default. Therefore, you should not link from within QuickC, or
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with QCL, when your program contains modules written in a case-
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insensitive language such as BASIC. Use LINK to link your program
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from the command line.
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Pascal and FORTRAN Modules in QuickBASIC Programs
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-------------------------------------------------
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Modules compiled with Microsoft Pascal or FORTRAN can be linked with
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BASIC programs, as described in the Microsoft Mixed-Language
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Programming Guide. They can also be incorporated in Quick libraries.
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However, QuickBASIC programs containing code compiled with Microsoft
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Pascal must allocate at least 2K near-heap space for Pascal. This can
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be done by using the DIM statement to allocate a static array of 2K or
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greater in the NMALLOC named common block, for example, as follows:
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DIM name%(2048)
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COMMON SHARED /NMALLOC/name%()
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The Pascal run-time assumes it always has at least 2K of near-heap
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space available. If the Pascal code cannot allocate the required
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space, QuickBASIC may crash. This applies to Pascal code in Quick
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libraries as well as Pascal code linked into executable files. The
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situation is similar for FORTRAN I/O, which also requires near
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buffer space, and which can be provided by the same means as the
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Pascal near malloc space.
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STATIC Array Allocation
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-----------------------
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If you are writing assembly-language modules for use in QuickBASIC
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programs, see Section 2.3.3, "Variable Storage Allocation," in the
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BASIC Language Reference. Assembly-language code should not assume
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data is in a particular segment. To avoid problems, pass data using
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the SEG or CALLS keywords, or use FAR pointers. Alternatively, you
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can declare all arrays dynamic (still using far pointers) since
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dynamic arrays are handled identically by BC and within QuickBASIC.
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Quick Libraries with Leading Zeros in the First Code Segment
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------------------------------------------------------------
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A Quick library containing leading zeros in the first CODE segment
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is invalid, causing the message "Error in loading file <name> -
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Invalid format" when you try to load it in QuickBASIC. For example,
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this can occur if an assembly-language routine puts data that is
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initialized to zero in the first CODE segment, and it is subsequently
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listed first on the LINK command line when you make a Quick library.
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If you have this problem, do either of the following:
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(1) link with a BASIC module first on the LINK command line, or
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(2) make sure that, in whatever module comes first on the LINK
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command line, the first code segment starts with a non-zero byte.
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References to DGROUP in Extended Run-Time Modules
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-------------------------------------------------
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For mixed-language programs that use the CHAIN command, you should
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make sure that any code built into an extended run-time module does not
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contain any references to DGROUP. (The CHAIN command causes DGROUP to
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move, but does not update references to DGROUP.) This rule applies
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only to mixed-language programs; because BASIC routines never refer
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to DGROUP, you can ignore this caution for programs written entirely
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in BASIC.
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To avoid this problem, you can use the value of SS, since BASIC always
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assumes that SS coincides with DGROUP.
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================================================================================
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Part 4: Using Btrieve
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================================================================================
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Using Btrieve in OS/2 Protected Mode
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------------------------------------
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In OS/2 protected mode, a BASIC program that uses Btrieve must do a
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Btrieve reset call (function 28) before executing the CHAIN statement.
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The program must also reopen all Btrieve files when the destination of
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the CHAIN starts to run.
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Using Btrieve with QuickBASIC
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-----------------------------
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If you use Btrieve with QuickBASIC, you must make a small change to
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your programs for QuickBASIC Version 4.5. Currently your programs
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contain a statement that obtains the address of the field buffer for
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an open file. For example:
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OPEN "NUL" AS #1
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FIELD #1, 20 AS CITY$, 10 AS STATE$
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FCB.ADDR% = VARPTR(#1) 'This statement obtains the address
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In QuickBASIC Version 4.5, you should change the indicated statement
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to return the address of the first variable in your field buffer minus
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a constant, as follows:
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OPEN "NUL" AS #1
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FIELD #1, 20 AS CITY$, 10 AS STATE$
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FCB.ADDR% = SADD(CITY$) - 188 ' CITY$ is the first field
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' buffer variable
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The following example shows how to obtain the same address for a
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user-defined type:
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TYPE ADDRESS
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CITY AS STRING * 20
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STATE AS STRING * 10
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END TYPE
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DIM ADD1 AS ADDRESS
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FCB.ADDR% = VARPTR(ADD1) - 188
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' or, you can use FCB.ADDR% = VARPTR(ADD1.CITY) - 188
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Your programs should function correctly with Btrieve with this change.
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================================================================================
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Part 5: DOS 3.20 Patch
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================================================================================
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This information is important only if your system has all of the
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following characteristics:
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1. Uses MS-DOS version 3.20
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2. Boots from a hard disk drive
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3. Has a math coprocessor (for instance, an 8087 chip)
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4. Runs programs that use floating-point math
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For systems that satisfy all of the preceding conditions, you may be
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able to eliminate floating-point math problems by installing a small
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patch in DOS. If you are not sure whether you need the patch, perform
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the following steps:
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1. Copy the program PATCH87.EXE (included in this release) to the root
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directory of your hard-disk drive.
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2. Reboot your system from the hard disk, and do not perform any floppy-
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disk operations after rebooting. It is very important that you avoid
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floppy-disk I/O after rebooting, since that will affect the
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reliability of the diagnostic test that you are about to perform.
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3. If necessary, use the CD command to move to the root directory of
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your hard-disk drive.
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4. Run the PATCH87.EXE program by entering this command at the DOS
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prompt:
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PATCH87
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5. The program performs a diagnostic test on your system to determine
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whether it needs the DOS patch, and if the patch is needed,
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whether the patch can be installed successfully. If the program
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tells you that you need to install the DOS patch, and that it can be
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done, follow the procedure described in the next section.
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Note: The floating-point problem has been eliminated in versions of
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MS-DOS higher than 3.20. This includes MS-DOS versions 3.21 and 3.30.
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If you performed the preceding test and determined that you should
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install the DOS patch on your system, perform the following steps:
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1. Format a blank floppy disk. (Do NOT use the /s formatting option to
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transfer system files to the disk.)
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2. Use the SYS command to copy IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS from the root
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directory of your hard disk to the new floppy disk. For instance, if
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you boot from drive C:, you would enter the following commands:
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C:
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SYS A:
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3. Use the COPY command to copy COMMAND.COM and SYS.COM to the same
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floppy disk.
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4. Use the COPY command to copy the program PATCH87.EXE (included in
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this release) to the same floppy disk.
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5. Change the current drive and directory to the floppy disk, by
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entering the following command:
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A:
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7. Install the DOS patch by entering the following command:
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PATCH87 /F
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WARNING: If you experience any disk errors during steps 2 through 7,
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do not proceed with step 8. Reboot from your hard disk and repeat the
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entire process.
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8. If you have not experienced any errors, use the SYS command to
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transfer the files IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS from the floppy disk back to
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your hard disk. For instance, if the boot directory of your system
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is the root directory of drive C:, you would enter the following
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command at the DOS prompt:
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A:
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SYS C:
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9. The DOS patch has been installed. Reboot the system.
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================================================================================
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Part 6: Miscellaneous Information About Using QuickBASIC
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================================================================================
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Using FIXSHIFT.COM Utility
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--------------------------
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Some keyboards have an extra set of DIRECTION (i.e. arrow) keys, in
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addition to those on the numeric keypad. A bug in the ROM BIOS of
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some machines with these keyboards can interfere with the QuickBASIC
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editor. The Utilities 2 disk includes a program, FIXSHIFT.COM, that
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fixes this bug. If you have such a keyboard, run this program by typing
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FIXSHIFT. If your machine does not have the bug, FIXSHIFT displays a
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message telling you so. Otherwise FIXSHIFT prompts you for the proper
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actions. FIXSHIFT takes about 450 bytes of memory. Except for the BIOS
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bug, it has no effect on other programs you run.
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Note on VGA Display Adapters
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----------------------------
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If you install an IBM (R) Personal System/2 (TM) Video Graphics
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Array display adapter (VGA) in a non-PS/2 machine, the VGA adapter
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should be the only adapter in the system, and you should not use
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monochrome modes (SCREEN 10) if you have a color monitor. Similarly,
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you should not use color modes (SCREEN 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13) if
|
|
you have a monochrome monitor.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note on Using QuickBASIC with DOS 2.1
|
|
-------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
To use QuickBASIC with a two-floppy system under DOS 2.1, you must
|
|
put a copy of COMMAND.COM on each disk containing an executable
|
|
file ( a file with the .EXE extension).
|
|
|
|
|
|
PTR86, LOF, Naming SUB Procedures and Variables
|
|
-----------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
PTR86 is no longer supported. Use VARSEG and VARPTR instead.
|
|
Also, when used with a communications device, LOF now returns the
|
|
amount of space remaining (in bytes) in the output buffer. In
|
|
previous versions this was returned in the input buffer. Also, note
|
|
that a variable and SUB procedure could have the same name in
|
|
previous versions. In Version 4.5, this causes a "Duplicate
|
|
definition" error message.
|