No Fragments Archive 10: Diskmags/nf_archive_10.iso/MAGS/STOS_FC/STOSFC01.MSA/EXTENTON.EXT_CONTROL.TXT

Text File | 1987-04-21 | 18KB | 493 lines

                  Stos Control Extension V3.0
                      Shareware version
                Copyright L.J.Greenhalgh 1994

        These files may be freely  distributed  providing they are not
altered in any way.

I am not responsible for  any  damage  which  occurs  to  your ST as a
result of  using  this  extension.Read  the  parallel  instrucion VERY
carefully.

If you find this extension  useful  then please consider registering ,
not only will you receive the  lastest  version of the extension , but
you will also receive loads  of  extra  graphics and source which will
enable you to get the  most  out  of  this  extension.I have many more
ideas for commands especially where the  STE  is concerned , but these
will only see the light of day if people register!


Installation
        Copy the file EXTENSION\CONTROL.EXW into your STOS folder.
        Copy the file EXTENSION\CONTROL.ECW into you Compiler folder.
        Run Stos

        STOS may  be  powerful  and  easy  to  learn  but  it  is very
unstructured when compared to  languages  like  C  and GFA basic .This
extension adds a switch construct to STOS which makes program listings
shorter  and   more   readable   as   well   as   many   other  useful
commands.Welcome to the control extension .Come let us enter.....


        Command Listing

        ctrl
        Switch on (INTEGER)
        Case(INTEGER)
        Switch off
        otherwise
        write STRING,ADDRESS
        cmove INTEGER,INTEGER
        cremember
        crecall
        A=add(A,I,L,R)
        A=exist$(FILENAME$+CHR$(0))


        Parallel port commands

        INTEGER=parallel(PORTNUMBER)
        para on
        para off
        INTEGER=para left(PORTNUMBER)
        INTEGER=para right(PORTNUMBER)
        INTEGER=para up(PORTNUMBER)
        INTEGER=para down(PORTNUMBER)
        INTEGER=para fire(PORTNUMBER)

        Zone Commands

        init megazone STARTZONE,NUMBEROFZONES
        set megazone STARTZONE,ZOMENUMBER,X1,Y1,X2,Y2
        range megazone STARTZONE,LOWERRANGE,UPPERRANGE
        Z=test megazone (STARTZONE,X,Y)
        del megazone STARTZONE



        Screen Commands

        screensize WIDTH,HEIGHT
        spread ADDRESS,START_COLOUR,END_COLOUR
        brdr remove TYPE
        hscroll SCREEN,START_Y,END_Y,BITPLANES,NUMBEROFPIXELS
        INTEGER=crack pac SCREEN_ADDRESS,DEST_ADDRESS
        crack unpac SCREEN_ADDRESS,DEST_ADDRESS,MODE

        quick screen$ SCREEN,X,Y,STRING,MODE
        image put SCREEN,X,Y,BANK_ADDRESS,NUMBER,MODE
        font SCREEN,X,Y,BANK_ADDRESS,STRING
        set clip X1,X2,Y1,Y2
        INTEGER=font width BANK_ADDRESS
        INTEGER=font height BANK_ADDRESS
        image palette BANK_ADDRESS


        A switch  construct  is  designed  to   replace  the following
code.For this example suppose we have  a situation where  we  click on
a zone and the result  is  stored  in a  variable  called select.Using
switch as opposed to ON  variable  GOSUB  has  the advantage  that   A
does not have to hold consecutive values.Note we can only switch using
integers.

90 select=zone(0)
100 flag=false
110 if select=1 then gosub 1200:flag=true:rem do loading
120 if select=3 then gosub 4000:flag=true:rem do saving
130 if select=4 then gosub 500:flag=true:rem .....
140 if select=7 then gosub 6000:flag=true do something else
150 if flag=false then gosub 2000:rem well we didnt select 1,3,4 or 7
160 continue program....

This can be replaced by the following code.

90 select=zone(0)
100 switch on(select)
110 if case(1) then gosub 1200:ren do loading
120 if case(3) then gosub 4000:rem so saving
130 if case(4) then gosub 500:rem ...
140 if case(7) then gosub 6000:rem so something else
150 if otherwise then gosub 2000:rem well we didn't select 1,3,4 or 7
160 switch off

switch on (INTEGER)

        This stores the value of  the  variable INTEGER in an internal
store for accessing by the  case  and  otherwise commands.You can nest
your case structures up to a depth of 3.

Case (INTEGER)

        returns a value of true if the value of INTEGER is the same as
that for the preceeding switch on ,otherwise it returns false.

otherwise

        returns a  value  of  true  if  none  of  the  preceeding case
statements were true otherwise it returns false.

switch off

        ends the current switch construct.

ctrl

        Shows  the  command    list.(Thanks   Martin!)   This   is   a
wounderful  idea  , every  extension   should   have  one!  Note  this
does  nothing  in  compiled programs.

write STRING,ADDRESS

        writes a copy of STRING  starting  at  ADDRESS.Note if you are
using banks then address must  be  the  actual  start of the  bank .eg
write "hello",START(10) not write "hello",10.This provides an easy way
to bypass the infamous STOS string  bug.It  has the advantage over the
copy command in that it will copy strings of non even lengths.

So      10 reserve as data 10,10000
        20 write "hello world",start(10)

is equivalent to the following.

        10 reserve as data 10,1000
        20 s=start(10)
        30 a$="hello world"
        40 al=len$(a$)
        50 for loop=1 to al
        60 poke s+loop-1,asc(mid$(a$,loop,1))
        70 next loop

cmove INTEGER,INTEGER

        Moves the cursor relative  to  its current postion.Remember to
put a ';' after your print statements otherwise the cursor is moved to
the next line.

cremember

        Stores the current cursor position in a safe place.

crecall

        moves the cursor  back  to  its  cremembered  position.These 2
commands mean that you can  write  subroutines which return the cursor
to its origonal position on exit  from  the subrountine.

A=add(A,I,L,R)

Adds I to A and then  ensures  that  A  is  in  the  range L to R in a
cyclical manner.It is equivalent to the following code

        10 A=A+I
        20 if A<L then A=R
        30 if A>R then A=L

A=exist$(FILENAME$+CHR$(0))

Returns true if the file FILENAME$ exists  at the current path , false
if it does not.


                Parallel Joystick Commands

Para on/Para off
        Initialise/Deactivate parallel port adaptor.

J=parallel(0-1)

        Remember those joystick   adaptors   which   plugged  into the
parallel port and were  used in   games  like Gauntlet II enabling you
to have 4 players.  Well   now   you   can   read   them  from STOS. J
is returned in the following way  with   the   following bits set to 1
if you are performing that action.

        bit     0       Up
        bit     1       Down
        bit     2       Left
        bit     3       Right
        bit     4       Fire

        Because of the fact   that   one   single   chip   in  the  ST
controls the printer,sound chip  and  discdrive  ,  using this command
will deactivate the disc  drive  (harddrives are  unaffected).The para
on command stores the current state  of  the  sound chip ie before the
disc drive is turned off by the parallel command.Using  the  para  off
command restores the  sound  chip  register  to   its  original  value
thus  restoring the disc drive.

        So whenever you want to   use   the  floppy  drive after using
the parallel command  ,  use   para   off.If   all   else  fails  type
'boom' or  'shoot'  as  this  also  reinitialises   the  discdrive.The
reason I didn't store and  restore  the  status  of the discdrive from
within the parallel command  is  that  it  would   further  slow  down
what is already quite a slow process.

eg.
        10 para on:rem save sound chip register
        .
        .
        1000 p=parallel(0):rem this will deactivate discdrive
        .
        .
        2000 para off:rem we can now use the floppy drive again.


INTEGER=para right(0-1)
        Returns true if the joystick is currently being moved right.

INTEGER=para left(0-1)
        Returns true if the joystick is currently being moved left.

INTEGER=para up(0-1)
        Returns true if the joystick is currently being moved up.

INTEGER=para down(0-1)
        Returns true if the joystick is currently being moved down.

INTEGER=para fire(0-1)
        Returns true if the joystick fire button is currently pressed.

        Using the parallel commands with STOS Maestro Samples

If you want to use  STOS  maestro  samples  with the parallel commands
then make sure that the keyboard click is turned off and that you have
used the sound init command first eg

        10 click off:sound init:para on


spread SCREEN_ADDRESS,START_COLOUR,END_COLOUR

spread will  produce  graduated  shades  between  the  colour  indexes
START_COLOUR and END_COLOUR.eg if colour 1  was  $111 and colour 7 was
$777  then  spread  logic,1,7  would   produce  the  following  colour
values.Note that this will not  work  correctly  on colours which have
the STE's extra bits set.

        colour 1= $111
        colour 2= $222
        colour 3= $333
        colour 4= $444
        colour 5= $555
        colour 6= $666
        colour 7= $777


brdr remove TYPE  (STFMs only!)
Will remove selected borders depending on the value of TYPE.

TYPE=0 return borders to normal
TYPE=1 bottom border only.
TYPE=2 top border.
TYPE=3 both border!

When using this  command  you  can  only  read  the  keyboard by using
HARDKEY command from the misty extension  or by peeking the value from
$FFFC02.


        Zone Commands

Ever think that 128 zones were too little? well now you can have up to
65536 zones for collison detection.


init mega zone START_ADDRESS,NUMBEROFZONES

Set up replacement zones.You must  reserve  space for your zones using
either a memory bank or a string  and  then put the start address into
STARTZONE, the amont of  space  you  need  can  be calculated by space
=8+NUMBEROFZONES*8.


set megazone START_ADDRESS,ZONENUMBER,X1,Y1,X2,Y2

creates a  rectangular  zone  ,ZONENUMBER  with  coordinates  X1,Y1 to
X2,Y2.

INTEGER=test negazone (START_ADDRESS,X,Y)

Gives you the first zone  which contains coordinates X and Y.

range megazone START_ADDRESS,ZONE_S,ZONE_E

Limits subsequent test megazones to  a  subset of the total number of
zones .This means you can create  control  panels which can have over-
lapping zones and just test the few you are interestred in.If you want
to reset the tests to the default range use

      range megazone START_ADDRESS,1,NUMBEROFZONES

del megazone START_ADDRESS

Deletes all the zones or a subset if you have used range megazone.


hscroll SCREEN_ADDRESS,YSTART,YEND,BITPLANES,NUMBEROFPIXELSTOSCROLL

STOS' horizontal scrolling is  appalling  ,  this  command attempts to
redress the balance . SCREEN_ADDRESS is as usual . YSTART is the first
line to start the scroll on , YEND is the line to finish the scroll on
.BITPLANES is the pattern of bitplanes  to  scroll ie %1 , just scroll
bitplane 1, %1111 scroll them all  . NUMBER_OF_PIXELS is the number of
pixels to scroll by , if  this  number  is positive then the screen is
scrolled to the right otherwise it  is  scrolled to the left.Note that
you can only use this command on regular 320 x 200 sized screens.



crack unpac BANK_ADDRESS,SCREEN_ADDRESS,MODE

        Crack Art is a  wounderful  art  package  and these 2 commands
allow you to pack and unpack  lowrez  crack art screens . BANK_ADDRESS
and SCREEN_ADDRESS are as normal,  if  MODE=0  then the palette of the
current screen is not altered , if MODE<>0 then it is.

LENGTH=crack pac SCREEN_ADDRESS,BANK_ADDRESS

        As for the STOS pack command

        The control extension now  includes  a  complete sprite engine
which is much faster  than  STOS's  existing  one  .  It is similar in
nature to the Missing Link's engine  although it is much more flexible
in that you have a variety of choices in how the sprites are placed on
the screen and it is fully compatible with the large hardware scrolled
screens avalaible  on  the  STE  .  The  banks  and  however  are  not
compatible with either STOS sprite mbk's or the missing links mbk's or
ICBIS's mbk's.


screen size WIDTH,HEIGHT

        This informs the sprite engine what  size screens you have set
up for the STE's hardware  scrolling  .The  parameters are the same as
for the hard screensize command from the  STE extension . Dont try and
grab screen$ when using screens which  are  not  the usual 320 x 200 ,
because STOS itself is unaware is  that  the screen size has changed ,
in fact don't try any of STOS's  graphics commands on screens that are
not 320 x 200 as you will get very strange results.

quick screen$ SCREEN,X,Y,STRING,MODE

        Puts a string stored in  screen$  format  onto the screen much
faster than its STOS equivalent , plus  you can place it on the screen
in either transparent or replace form as well as chooseing  whether to
flip it vertically in  real  time  as  you  plot  it.These options are
activated by setting various bits  in  MODE  .
bit 0=0 use replace mode
    0=1 use transparent mode
    1=0 don't flip vertically
    1=1 flip vertically

By using the set clip command you can activate a clipping region .


image put SCREEN_ADDRESS,X,Y,IMAGE_BANK_ADDRESS,IMAGE_NUMBER,MODE

        Puts an image NUMBER from  bank  BANK_ADDRESS  onto the screen
SCREEN_ADDRESS using  the  MODE  options  from  above.Use  the program
maker.bas to make these banks.This is a similar command to the Missing
Link's Bob command although  it  is  slightly  slower  it has far more
flexibilty in that you don't  have  to  store  both up and down facing
sprites . This is the only sprite  routine avaliable for STOS which is
compatible with the  STE's  hardware  scrolling  in  that  it works on
screens of many different sizes. You  can  have  up to 65536 images in
your bank!

font SCREEN_ADDRESS,X,Y,IMAGE_BANK_ADDRESS,TEXT$

        writes a 16 colour font  to  the  screen SCREEN_ADDRESS at the
coordinates X,Y using the images  from IMAGE_BANK.Make sure that text$
is in upper case! Use the program maker.bas to make these banks.
eg.

        font logic,0,0,start(10),"HELLO"

Note that if you  include  a  chr$(23)  in  your  text string then the
'graphic' cursor will move to the beginning of the next line.


INTEGER=image height BANK_ADDRESS
        Gets the height of all the images in the image bank.

INTEGER=image width BANK_ADDRESS
        Gets the width of all the images in the image bank.

image palette BANK_ADDRESS
        Gets the palette from an image bank.

set clip X1,Y1,X2,Y2

        Sets the clipping rectangle for the  quick screen$ , image put
and font commands . Note  that  the  X  coordinates are rounded to the
nearest multiple of 16.


many image SCREEN_ADDRESS,BANK_ADDRESS,FIRST_XCOORD_ADDRESS,
           FIRST_YCOORD_ADDRESS,FIRST_IMAGE_NUMBER_ADDRESS,
           NUMBER_TO_PLOT

        This plots a large number of images  in one go .The images are
all plotted in transparent mode . If bit  31 of an image number is set
then the image is flipped vertically  when  it is plotted.If any image
number is 0 then that image is not plotted.

eg.

10 mode 0:key off:curs off:hide:flash off
15 dim x(10),y(10),i(10)
20 load "font.mbk",10:st=start(10)
30 for loop=1 to 10
40 x(loop)=loop*32:y(loop)=0:i(loop)=loop
50 next loop
60 many image logic,st,varptr(x(1)),varptr(y(1)),varptr(i(1)),10


        Well there  you have  it.  I    would   like   to thank Martin
Cubbit for his excellent  articles  in  the  Stosser  diskzine   which
provided valuable  guidence   in   writing   this    extension.

Registration
        If you would  like  to   register   for   this  extension then
please send a 5 UK pound cheque/postal  order or cash to the following
address .

        L.J.Greenhalgh
        24 Park Avenue,
          Rudloe Manor,
               Corsham,
                 Wilts,
              SN13 OJT.
               England.

        email   [e-mail]       (valid until june 1995)





+----------------------------------------------------------+
|Please except my registration for the control extension   |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|I wish to pay by cash/cheque/postal order                 |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|Machine owned                                             |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|Bugs                                                      |
|                                                          |
|                                                          |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|Ideas for new commands                                    |
|                                                          |
|                                                          |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|Please send my registration package to:                   |
|                                                          |
|                                                          |
|                                                          |
|                                                          |
|                                                          |
|                                                          |
|                                                          |
+----------------------------------------------------------+