POINT Software Programming

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ POINT Software Programming / PPROG1.ISO / basic / mlib30 / mlib.doc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1994-02-21 | 122.0 KB | 3,023 lines

======================================= = = = MLIB(TM) v3.0 = = = = Mouse library for QuickBASIC = = = = 4.x = = = = and Visual Basic for MS-DOS = = = = = = Copyright (C) 1994 TERRY VENN = = = = All Rights Reserved = = = ======================================= = = = TERRY VENN = = = = BOX 3A-10, D'ARCY, SK., = = = = S0L 0N0, CANADA. = = = = PHONE: 1-306-379-4505 = = = ======================================= MLIB(TM) VERSION 3.0 COPYRIGHT (C) 1994 TERRY VENN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ===================================================================== = = = This software is a Shareware release and is provided at no charge = = to you for evaluation. = = = = YOU MAY USE THIS SOFTWARE ON A TRIAL BASIS PROVIDING YOU AGREE = = AND ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS: = = = = 1. MLIB(TM) IS PROVIDED AS IS. = = = = 2. THE AUTHOR OF MLIB(TM) DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, = = EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE = = WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. = = = = 3. THE AUTHOR ASSUMES NO LIABILITIES FOR DAMAGES, CAUSED BY THE = = USE, MISUSE OR INABILITY TO USE MLIB(TM). = = = = 4. ANY FILES THAT YOU CREATE WITH THE AID OF THIS SHAREWARE = = VERSION AND CONTAIN MLIB(TM) LIBRARY ROUTINES MAY NOT BE = = DISTRUBUTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. = = = ===================================================================== You may use this software on a 'try-before-you-buy' basis. At the end of this evaluation period you find it to be useful and wish to continue using the software, you are then expected to pay the registration fee. You may share copies of this software with others, provided that all the files pertaining to this software package are included with each copy and in their original condition. Distributors, refer to the VENDOR.DOC file. QuickBASIC and Visual Basic are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft, MS and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. MLIB v3.0 now offers more mouse power to MS-BASIC programmers than ever before, with its all new event-driven mouse interface. MLIB is now capable of working in the background (while your code is running) capturing all possible mouse events including double-clicks for all three buttons, pointer movement and even Shift, Crtl and Alt key events. These events are stored in a special buffer and can be removed at any time when needed. This means that while your program is performing some time-consuming task, mouse events are being captured and your program can respond to them when the task has been completed. No more missed clicks or double-clicks etc., frustrating the user. Another important feature, MLIB's event handling routines are simple to use. There are only two routines you actually need to work with; one installs and controls the internal handler, the other returns events from the mouse event buffer. A mouse toolkit (written in BASIC) is also provided with this library, to enhance mouse event handling even further. The use of the event-driven routines is optional. MLIB still provides a complete set of standard mouse controlling routines, that may be used on their own or, combined with the event-driven routines, its totally up to you on how they're used. MLIB is completely written in 8088 assembly, therefore the procedures are small and fast. -*- Print a Copy of This Manual: 1. Place the MLIB diskette into drive A. 2. Log onto drive A by typing: A: <Press Enter> 3. To begin printing type: COPY MLIB.DOC PRN <Press Enter> System and Software Requirements: An IBM PC/XT/AT/386 or compatible computer, plus a Microsoft compatible mouse and driver software, and Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.x or Visual Basic for DOS. Load the Correct Library: To run the sample programs or begin accessing the mouse routines, you must load the appropriate library for your particular version of BASIC. For example, to start the BASIC editor and load the right library: 1. If you are using QuickBASIC 4.0-4.5, type QB/L MLIBN. 2. If you are using Visual Basic for DOS, type VBDOS/L MLIBF. The 'N' appended to the library name identifies it as a near string support library. The 'F' appended to the library name identifies it as a far string support library. CONTENTS ===================================================================== Event Handling Methods Initializing the Mouse ........................ 1 Installing the Mouse Event Handler ............ 1 Enabling the Event Handler .................... 2 Disabling the Event Handler ................... 2 Clearing the Event Buffer ..................... 2 Events Captured by Default .................... 3 Specifying Which Events Are Captured .......... 3 Testing For Button Press Events ............... 5 Testing For Button Release Events ............. 5 Testing For Mouse Pointer Movement ............ 6 Testing For Shift-State Key Events ............ 6 Testing For Double-Click Events ............... 7 Polling For Mouse Events ...................... 8 Using Constants Mouse Event Handler Commands .................. 9 Mouse Events .................................. 9 Shift State Key Events ........................ 9 Internal Data Offsets ......................... 10 Event Handling Routines InMouseHandler ................................ 11 InMouse ....................................... 12 InMouseAddress ................................ 13 Standard Routines InitPointer ................................... 14 ChangePointer ................................. 15 HidePointer ................................... 16 ShowPointer ................................... 16 ShowPtrM ...................................... 17 GetButtonM .................................... 18 GetPressM ..................................... 19 GetReleaseM.................................... 20 SetBoundM ..................................... 21 SetHLimitM .................................... 22 SetVLimitM .................................... 23 SetPointer .................................... 24 GetSpeedM ..................................... 25 SetSpeedM ..................................... 26 GetMotionM .................................... 27 GetSizeM ...................................... 28 SaveStateM .................................... 29 RestoreStateM ................................. 30 Sample Pointer Shapes ......................... 31 --------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS continued... ===================================================================== Mouse Toolkit Routines InMouseState .................................. 32 GetEventsPending .............................. 32 GetEventMask .................................. 33 SetEventMask .................................. 34 GetDblClkSettings ............................. 35 SetDblClkSettings ............................. 36 InMouseSave ................................... 37 InMouseRestore ................................ 37 Additional Routines CviBin ........................................ 38 CvsBin ........................................ 38 GetWord ....................................... 39 PutWord ....................................... 39 InWinM ........................................ 40 Miscellaneous Information Discontinued Routines ......................... 41 MLIB and Visual Basic Forms ................... 41 MLIB Versus the Basic Editor .................. 42 How To Contact the Author ..................... 43 Registration Fee .............................. 44 How To Register ............................... 44 Registered Users Will Receive ................. 44 --------------------------------------------------------------------- ===================================================================== Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== This section provides all the necessary information needed to begin accessing the mouse and handling all the different mouse events. All of the following code examples make use of symbolic constant names (defined in the MLIB.BI include file) for easier reading. See: Using Constants. Initializing the Mouse: Before any of the mouse routines, including the standard mouse routines, can be accessed, the mouse driver and the library must be initialized. The Buttons% argument returns the number of buttons on the mouse; if it returns zero, there is no driver installed. Note, all the mouse routines can be safely called whether a mouse driver is installed or not. IMPORTANT: For proper operation always include the MLIB.BI file near the beginning of your code prior to making any mouse calls. ' $INCLUDE: 'MLIB.BI' ' Initialize the mouse and library. CALL InitPointer(Buttons%) Installing the Mouse Event Handler: To begin capturing mouse events the event handler must be installed. Installing the handler does the following: - Links up with the mouse driver. - Places the mouse pointer on the screen. - Begins capturing events when they occur. - Stuffs captured events in the event buffer. By default the event handler captures all button events, including double-click and shift-state key events. Use the mouse toolkit to alter these settings. NOTE: You only need to install the handler once in your program. Disabling the handler just forces it to quit capturing events. The handler automatically removes itself when your program ends (normal or abnormal termination). ' Install the event handler. CALL InMouseHandler(EventInstall) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page 1 Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== Enabling the Event Handler: Once the event handler has been installed, it remains enabled (active) until you explicitly call and disable it. Enabling the handler places the mouse pointer on the screen, begins responding to mouse events and allows events to be removed from the event buffer ' Enable event handler. CALL InMouseHandler(EventEnable) Disabling the Event Handler: Disabling the handler removes the mouse pointer from the screen, prevents mouse events from being removed from the event buffer and ignores capturing any mouse events. ' Disable event handler. CALL InMouseHandler(EventDisable) Clearing the Event Buffer: Clearing the event buffer removes all mouse events currently pending in the buffer. NOTE: The handler must be enabled before it will allow the buffer to be cleared. IMPORTANT: Make sure that you are not inside a loop that relies on a button release event to exit. For example: Clearing the buffer here would cause a continuous loop if the left mouse button has already been released and the event is waiting in the buffer. For the loop to break, the user would have to press and release the left button again. ' Clear the event buffer. CALL InMouseHandler(ClearBuffer) DO ' Poll for mouse events. MouseEvent% = InMouse(MouseX%, MouseY%) LOOP UNTIL MouseEvent% AND LButtonUp --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page 2 Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== Events Captured by Default: The event handler captures the following events by default: - Left button presses and releases. - Right button presses and releases. - Center button presses and releases. - Left button double-clicks. - Right button double-clicks. - Center button double-clicks. - Shift key pressed during mouse event. - Ctrl key pressed during mouse event. - Alt key pressed during mouse event. Specifying Which Events Are Captured: Capturing events in this section refers to mouse events the event handler traps and stores in the event buffer. Event mask refers to a two byte bit-field the event handler uses to determine which events are captured. The following table shows which mouse events the user can specifically command the event handler to capture. Event mask bit-field: Captures (when set): Value: ===================== ============================ ========== 00000000 00000000---- Mouse pointer movement 1 -------- -|||||`----- Left button presses 2 | ||||`------ Left button releases 4 | |||`------- Right button presses 8 | ||`-------- Right button releases 16 | |`--------- Center button presses 32 | `---------- Center button releases 64 `---------------- Unused .... ------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: To prevent double-click events from being returned, set the double-click speed setting to zero. See the mouse toolkit routine: SetDblClkSettings in this manual. It is impossible to stop shift-state key events from being returned. Just ignore these events if they are not needed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page 3 Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== Specifying Which Events Are Captured: (continued...) The handler uses this mask by default: 00000000 01111110. If your program does not require that any mouse movement events be trapped, then it would not be necessary to change the default settings. To build your own mask is simple, for example we will start with a blank mask: 00000000 00000000 add pointer movement by OR-ing with the value 1, the mask would now look like this: 00000000 00000001 now add left button presses to the mask by OR-ing with the value 2: 00000000 00000011 finally add left button releases by OR-ing with the value 4, NewMask% = 00000000 00000111 the finished mask would now total (4+2+1) 7. Now we could call the SetEventMask() routine and pass it our new mask and the event handler would start trapping these events and stuff them in the buffer (if the handler is enabled). Now if we wanted to stop trapping mouse movement, all we need to do is use the NOT operator like this: NewMask% = NewMask% AND NOT 1 then call SetEventMask(NewMask%), the handler will now quit trapping mouse movement. The following code fragment requires that left button plus pointer movement events be trapped and placed in the event buffer. The use of the mouse toolkit routines are required to do this task. ' Save current mask. CALL GetEventMask(OldMask%) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page 4 Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== Specifying Which Events Are Captured: (continued...) ' Create a new event mask to trap left button and mouse ' movement events. NewMask% = NewMask% OR LButtonDown OR LButtonUp OR MouseMoved ' Tell the event handler to start trapping these events. CALL SetEventMask(NewMask%) . . Make use of the captured events here, and when task is . completed, restore mask back to the way it was before . we altered it. ' Restore original event mask. CALL SetEventMask(OldMask%) Testing For Button Press Events: The following code fragment shows how to test for button press events: ' Pull an event from the event buffer. MouseEvent% = InMouse(MouseX%, MouseY%) IF MouseEvent% AND LButtonDown THEN ' Left button was pressed. ELSEIF MouseEvent% AND RButtonDown THEN ' Right button was pressed. ELSEIF MouseEvent% AND CButtonDown THEN ' Center button was pressed. END IF Testing For Button Release Events: The following code fragment shows how to test for button release events: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page 5 Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== Testing For Button Release Events: (continued...) ' Pull an event from the event buffer. MouseEvent% = InMouse(MouseX%, MouseY%) IF MouseEvent% AND LButtonUp THEN ' Left button was released. ELSEIF MouseEvent% AND RButtonUp THEN ' Right button was released. ELSEIF MouseEvent% AND CButtonUp THEN ' Center button was released. END IF Testing For Mouse Pointer Movement: The following code fragment shows how to test for mouse movement. ' Pull an event from the event buffer. MouseEvent% = InMouse(MouseX%, MouseY%) IF MouseEvent% AND MouseMoved THEN ' The pointer moved. END IF IF MouseEvent% AND LButtonDown OR (continued on next line...) MouseEvent% AND MouseMoved THEN ' Left button was pressed or the pointer moved. END IF Testing For Shift-State Key Events: The following code fragment shows how to test for shift- state key events: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page 6 Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== Testing For Shift-State Key Events: (continued...) ' Pull an event from the event buffer. MouseEvent% = InMouse(MouseX%, MouseY%) IF MouseEvent% AND ShiftKey THEN ' Shift key was down when mouse event occurred. ELSEIF MouseEvent% AND CtrlKey THEN ' Ctrl key was down when mouse event occurred. ELSEIF MouseEvent% AND AltKey THEN ' Alt key was down when mouse event occurred. END IF Testing For Double-Click Events: A double-click event is always returned in this order; ButtonDown, ButtonUp, ButtonDown plus ButtonDblClk and a final ButtonUp when user releases the button. The following code fragment shows how to test for double- clicks. ' Pull an event from the event buffer. MouseEvent% = InMouse(MouseX%, MouseY%) IF MouseEvent% AND LButtonDblClk THEN ' Left button was double-clicked. ELSEIF MouseEvent% AND RButtonDblClk THEN ' Right button was double-clicked. ELSEIF MouseEvent% AND CButtonDblClk THEN ' Center button was double-clicked. END IF --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page 7 Event Handling Methods ===================================================================== Polling For Mouse Events: The following sample is an empty code shell that shows how you could poll for mouse and keyboard events. It assumes the mouse event handler's default settings are used. See: InMouseHandler, for the default settings. NOTE: The mouse position is always returned (unless of course there is no mouse installed) in MouseX% and MouseY%. If the event buffer is empty the current pointer position is returned. If an event is returned (if MouseEvent% returns a value) from the buffer, then the coordinates reflect the position of the pointer WHEN the mouse event occurred. DO DO ' Poll for a mouse event. MouseEvent% = InMouse(MouseX%, MouseY%) KeyPress$ = INKEY$: KeyEvent% = LEN(KeyPress$) LOOP UNTIL MouseEvent% OR KeyEvent% IF KeyEvent% THEN ' Branch here for key presses. ' Respond to left button events only. You could add code ' to test for the right and center button plus shift-state ' events here also if needed. IF MouseEvent% THEN IF MouseEvent% AND LButtonDown THEN ' Branch for a left button press. END IF IF MouseEvent% AND LButtonUp THEN ' Branch for a left button release. END IF IF MouseEvent% AND LButtonDblClk THEN ' Branch for a left button double-click. END IF END IF LOOP UNTIL KeyPress$ = CHR$(27) ' The Esc key exits. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 8 ===================================================================== Using Constants ===================================================================== Using Constants ===================================================================== MLIB comes with an include file called MLIB.BI. It contains all the constant definitions needed to control the event handling routines and masking values needed to test for events. Using these constants will make your code much easier to read. If your program is large, you may need to edit the MLIB.BI file and remove unused definitions, thus increasing the amount of available memory. Mouse Event Handler Commands: Use these constants to control the mouse event handler. Constant Name: Value: Performs This Task: ==================== ====== ================================= EventInstall 1 Installs handler - shows pointer EventEnable 2 Enables handler - shows pointer EventDisable 4 Disables handler - hides pointer ClearBuffer 8 Clears event buffer ------------------------------------------------------------- Mouse Events: Use these constants as a mask when testing for mouse events. Constant Name: Value: Represents: ==================== ====== ================================= MouseMoved 1 Mouse pointer moved LButtonDown 2 Left button pressed LButtonUp 4 Left button released RButtonDown 8 Right button pressed RButtonUp 16 Right button released CButtonDown 32 Center button pressed CButtonUp 64 Center button released LButtonDblClk 128 Left button double-click RButtonDblClk 256 Right button double-click CButtonDblClk 512 Center button double-click ------------------------------------------------------------- Shift-State Key Events: Use these constants as a mask when testing for shift events. Constant Name: Value: Represents: ==================== ====== ================================= ShiftKey 1024 Shift key down CtrlKey 2048 Ctrl key down AltKey 4096 Alt key down ------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page 9 Using Constants ===================================================================== Internal Data Offsets: The mouse toolkit makes use of these constants as an offset pointer to certain internal data. Each constant value is relative to the first byte in the mouse event handler's data storage area. Constant Name: Value: Points To The: ==================== ====== ================================= InMouseStateOff 28 Handler status flag EventMaskOff 30 Mouse event mask word ClickSOff 32 Double-click speed setting ClickWOff 34 Double-click width setting ClickHOff 36 Double-click height setting HeadPtrOff 38 Head pointer position TailPtrOff 40 Tail pointer position BufferOff 42 First byte in the event buffer ------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 10 ===================================================================== Event Handling Routines ===================================================================== InMouseHandler ===================================================================== Controls the mouse event handler. DECLARE SUB InMouseHandler(BYVAL Action%) Syntax: CALL InMouseHandler(Action%) Action% Commands the mouse event handler to perform a specific task. Command values: 1 - install 2 - enable 4 - disable 8 - clear buffer Example: For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS Comments: The mouse event handler is simular to a TSR program, it must be installed before it can perform any tasks. Upon installation, the mouse pointer is placed on the screen, and the handler immediately becomes active responding to mouse events. By default the handler captures left, right, and center mouse button events, including double-clicks and shift-state key events. The captured events are stored in the event buffer, simular to way keyboard data is stored in the type-ahead buffer. The event buffer can hold a maximum of eight mouse events. IMPORTANT: The mouse driver and MLIB MUST be initialized before installing the mouse event handler. Disabling the handler removes the pointer from the screen and temporarily suspends events from being captured until it is once again enabled, in which case the pointer is placed back on the screen. Clearing the event buffer removes all events that are currently pending, and also clears internal data. NOTE: When the handler is disabled, events cannot be returned from the mouse event buffer. Events will be returned when the handler is re-enabled. See Also: InitPointer, InMouse, Using Constants --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 11 InMouse ===================================================================== Returns mouse events from the mouse event buffer. DECLARE FUNCTION InMouse% (MouseX%, MouseY%) Syntax: MouseEvent% = InMouse(MouseX%, MouseY%) MouseEvent% An argument that is a bit-field with bits corresponding to captured mouse and shift-state events. See the Event bit-field table below. MouseX% Returns the horizontal position (in pixels) of the mouse pointer. MouseY% Returns the vertical position (in pixels) of the mouse pointer. Example: For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS Comments: IMPORTANT: When a mouse event is returned, MouseX and MouseY return the position of the pointer WHEN the event occurred, NOT the current position. The current pointer position is returned ONLY when the mouse event buffer is empty. The following table shows all possible mouse events and corresponding bits in the bit-field. Event bit-field: Represents (when set): Bit: Value: ==================== =========================== ===== ====== 00000000 00000000--- Mouse pointer moved 0 1 ---||||| ||||||`---- Left button pressed 1 2 | ||||| |||||`----- Left button released 2 4 | ||||| ||||`------ Right button pressed 3 8 | ||||| |||`------- Right button released 4 16 | ||||| ||`-------- Center button pressed 5 32 | ||||| |`--------- Center button released 6 64 | ||||| `---------- Left button double-click 7 128 | ||||`------------ Right button double-click 8 256 | |||`------------- Center button double-click 9 512 | ||`-------------- Shift key down 10 1024 | |`--------------- Ctrl key down 11 2048 | `---------------- Alt key down 12 4096 `------------------ Unused 13-15 .... ------------------------------------------------------------- See Also: InMouseHandler, Using Constants --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly function Page 12 InMouseAddress ===================================================================== Returns an address to the mouse event handler's internal data area. Use in conjunction with: GetWord, PutWord DECLARE FUNCTION InMouseAddress% (Offset%) Syntax: Segment% = InMouseAddress(Offset%) Segment% Returns the segment part of address. Offset% Returns the offset part of address. Example: Segment% = InMouseAddress(Offset%) ' Get address. DEF SEG = Segment% ' Change to the segment. Byte% = PEEK(Offset%) ' Byte now holds the value ' of the first byte in the DEF SEG ' handler's data block. Comments: The purpose of this function is to keep the library as small as possible by eliminating code needed to alter the internal default settings of the event handler; and still offer the BASIC programmer a way to change these settings if needed. To change the default settings, load the mouse toolkit (MLIBTOOL.BAS) along with your program and call the appropriate routines. NOTE: The mouse event handler does not need to be installed to use this procedure. For a working example see: MLIBTOOL.BAS See Also: Mouse Toolkit Routines, GetWord, PutWord, Using Constants --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly function Page 13 ===================================================================== Standard Routines ===================================================================== InitPointer ===================================================================== Initialize the mouse driver and the MLIB library. DECLARE SUB InitPointer(Buttons%) Syntax: CALL InitPointer(Buttons%) Buttons% Returns the number of buttons on the mouse. If a mouse driver is not detected or there is no mouse attached to the system, then the Buttons% argument returns a zero. Example: CALL InitPointer(Buttons%) IF Buttons% THEN PRINT "This mouse has "; Buttons%; " buttons." ELSE PRINT "Unable to detect a mouse." END IF Comments: IMPORTANT: This routine must be called before you can access any of the internal mouse routines, including both the standard and the event handling routines. You should also call this routine immediately after a screen-mode change so the mouse driver can adjust for the new mode setting. Your program can safely call any routines in this library whether a mouse driver is installed or not. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 14 ChangePointer ===================================================================== Change the shape of the mouse pointer (graphic modes only). DECLARE SUB ChangePointer(Shape$, HotX%, HotY%) Syntax: CALL ChangePointer(Shape$, HotX%, HotY%) Shape$ A 64 byte string, consisting of two 32 byte sections. The first 32 bytes is the screen mask which is ANDed on the screen. The last half containing the cursor mask is then XORed over this. A color cursor (SOLID) can have two colors, white or black, where a non-color cursor (TRANS) just inverts with the colored pixels it passes over. HotX% Horizontal hot spot value ranging from 0 - 15. HotY% Vertical hot spot value ranging from 0 - 15. Example: HotX% = 0 ' Upper left corner of new image HotY% = 0 Shape$ = Arrow$ ' String containing the new image. CALL ChangePointer(Shape$, HotX%, HotY%) Comments: The mouse driver uses the hot spot coordinates to determine the location of the pointer. For a working example see: MLIBVIEW.BAS --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 15 HidePointer ===================================================================== Remove the mouse pointer from the screen. Use in conjunction with: ShowPointer DECLARE SUB HidePointer Syntax: CALL HidePointer Example: CALL HidePointer ' Remove pointer before printing. PRINT "A line of text." CALL ShowPointer ' Restore after the task has been completed. Comments: You must turn off the pointer before doing any drawing or printing on the screen; this will prevent the pointer from being overwritten. It should also be noted that the mouse driver increments a counter each time the pointer is turned off, and decrements that count for each call to turn it back on. This count must equal zero before the driver will turn the pointer back on. For example; if HidePointer() is called 3 times, then ShowPointer() must also be called 3 times before the pointer will actually become visible. See Also: ShowPointer, ShowPtrM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine ShowPointer ===================================================================== Display the mouse pointer on the screen. Use in conjunction with: HidePointer DECLARE SUB ShowPointer Syntax: CALL ShowPointer See Also: HidePointer, ShowPtrM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 16 ShowPtrM ===================================================================== Restore the mouse pointer on the screen. Use in conjunction with: GetSizeM DECLARE FUNCTION ShowPtrM%(Buffer$) Syntax: ErrNum% = ShowPtrM%(Buffer$) ErrNum% If successful a value of 0 will be returned. If unsuccessful a value of -1 will be returned (Buffer$ was of insufficient size). Buffer$ ShowPtrM% needs a working space of at least twice the size of the mouse driver's environment. Example: Size% = GetSizeM% ' Amount of memory needed to hold ' the mouse driver's environment. Buffer$ = SPACE$(Size% * 2) ' Pad buffer with spaces. ErrNum% = ShowPtrM%(Buffer$)' Restore pointer. Buffer$ = "" ' Release memory. Comments: The purpose of this function is to explicitly show the pointer on the screen. If the mouse pointer has been removed from the screen an unknown number of times, calling ShowPointer() once would fail to re-show the pointer. For example: if the pointer has been hidden 3 times, then the pointer would have to be shown 3 times before it would actually become visible. NOTE: This routine requires a greater amount of time to accomplish its task than ShowPointer() needs to show the pointer only once. See Also: GetSizeM, ShowPointer --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly function Page 17 GetButtonM ===================================================================== Get the current horizontal and vertical positon of the mouse pointer plus mouse button status. DECLARE SUB GetButtonM(Button%, MouseX%, MouseY%) Syntax: CALL GetButtonM(Button%, MouseX%, MouseY%) Button% Returns a bit-field with bits set that identify which button(s) are currently pressed. MouseX% Returns the current horizontal position of the mouse pointer (in pixels). MouseY% Returns the current vertical position of the mouse pointer (in pixels). Example: SCREEN 0 ' Convert the virtual mouse screen coordinates ' to BASIC's row/column format, in text mode. DO ' Using a character block size of 8 X 8. CALL GetButtonM(Button%, X%, Y%) Row% = (Y% \ 8) + 1 Col% = (X% \ 8) + 1 LOCATE 1: PRINT Row%; " X "; Col% IF Button% AND 1 THEN ' The left button is down. IF Button% AND 2 THEN ' The right button is down. IF Button% AND 4 THEN ' The center button is down. LOOP UNTIL LEN(INKEY$) Comments: Button bit-field: Represents (when set): Value: ===================== ======================= ============= 00000000 00000000---- Left button pressed 1 |`----- Right button pressed 2 `------ Center button pressed 4 ------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 18 GetPressM ===================================================================== Get specific button press information. DECLARE SUB GetPressM(Button%, Stat%, Count%, MouseX%, MouseY%) Syntax: CALL GetPressM(Button%, Stat%, Count%, MouseX%, MouseY%) Button% Specifies which mouse button is checked and for which information is to be returned. 1 checks the left button, 2 and 3 check the right and center buttons respectively. Stat% Returns a bit-field containing the current button status. A value of 1, 2 or 4 (or a combination of) indicates the left, right or center button is currently being pressed, respectively. Count% Returns the number of times the requested button has been pressed since last called. MouseX% Returns the horizontal position (in pixels) of the mouse pointer when the button was last pressed. MouseY% Returns the vertical position (in pixels) of the mouse pointer when the button was last pressed. Example: Button% = 1 ' Check the left button. CALL GetPressM(Button%, Stat%, Count%, MouseX%, MouseY%) IF Count% > 1 THEN PRINT "Left button has been pressed: "; Count%; " times" END IF Comments: NOTE: The values returned by MouseX% and MouseY% refer to the location of the pointer WHEN the mouse button was pressed, NOT the current location. The button count is automatically reset to zero each time this routine is called. See Also: GetReleaseM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 19 GetReleaseM ===================================================================== Get specific button release information. DECLARE SUB GetReleaseM(Button%, Stat%, Count%, MouseX%, MouseY%) Syntax: CALL GetReleaseM(Button%, Stat%, Count%, MouseX%, MouseY%) Button% Specifies which mouse button is checked and for which information is to be returned. 1 checks the left button, 2 and 3 check the right and center buttons respectively. Stat% Returns a bit-field containing the current button status. A value of 1, 2 or 4 (or a combination of) indicates the left, right or center button is currently being pressed, respectively. Count% Returns the number of times the requested button has been released since last called. MouseX% Returns the horizontal position (in pixels) of the mouse pointer when the button was last released. MouseY% Returns the vertical position (in pixels) of the mouse pointer when the button was last released. Example: Button% = 1 ' Check the left button. CALL GetReleaseM(Button%, Stat%, Count%, MouseX%, MouseY%) IF Count% > 1 THEN PRINT "Left button has been released: "; Count%; " times" END IF Comments: NOTE: The values returned by MouseX% and MouseY% refer to the location of the pointer WHEN the mouse button was released, NOT the current location. The button count is automatically reset to zero each time this routine is called. See Also: GetPressM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 20 SetBoundM ===================================================================== Confine pointer movement to a specified area on the screen. DECLARE SUB SetBoundM(x1%, y1%, x2%, y2%) Syntax: CALL SetBoundM(x1%, y1%, x2%, y2%) x1%, x2% Left and right boundaries (in pixels). y1%, y2% Top and bottom boundaries (in pixels). Example: ' Limit pointer to an area starting in the upper left corner ' of the screen, 100 pixels wide by 100 pixels high. CALL SetBoundM(0, 0, 100, 100) Comments: This routine eliminates the need of calling both SetHLimit() and SetVLimit() to confine the pointer to an enclosed area. See Also: SetHLimitM, SetVLimitM. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 21 SetHLimitM ===================================================================== Specify a left and right boundary in which the horizontal movement of the mouse pointer will be confined. Use in conjunction with: SetVLimitM DECLARE SUB SetHLimitM(X%, Y%) Syntax: CALL SetHLimitM(X%, Y%) X% Minimum left limit in pixels. Y% Maximum right limit in pixels. Example: X1% = 0 ' Create a window in which the pointer will be Y1% = 100 ' confined. X2% = 0 Y2% = 100 CALL SetHLimitM(X1%, Y1%) CALL SetVLimitM(X2%, Y2%) Comments: If the left value is greater than the right value, this routine will exchange the two. The pointer will then be displayed within these two boundaries. See Also: SetVLimitM, SetBoundM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 22 SetVLimitM ===================================================================== Specify an upper and lower boundary in which the vertical movement of the mouse pointer will be confined. Use in conjunction with: SetHLimitM DECLARE SUB SetVLimitM(X%, Y%) Syntax: CALL SetVLimitM(X%, Y%) X% Minimum upper limit in pixels. Y% Maximum lower limit in pixels. Example: X1% = 0 ' Create a window in which the pointer will be Y1% = 100 ' confined. X2% = 0 Y2% = 100 CALL SetHLimitM(X1%, Y1%) CALL SetVLimitM(X2%, Y2%) Comments: If the upper value is greater than the lower value, this routine will exchange the two. The pointer will then be displayed within these two boundaries. See Also: SetHLimitM, SetBoundM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 23 SetPointer ===================================================================== Display the mouse pointer at a new location. DECLARE SUB SetPointer(X%, Y%) Syntax: CALL SetPointer(X%, Y%) X% New horizontal position, in pixels. Y% New vertical position, in pixels. Example: X% = 0 ' Place the pointer in the upper left corner of the ' screen. Y% = 0 CALL SetPointer(X%, Y%) Comments: If X% or Y% are outside of any defined boundary, such as off the screen, the mouse driver will automatically place the pointer to the nearest legal position within this boundary. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 24 GetSpeedM ===================================================================== Get the rate settings at which the pointer travels across the screen. Use in conjunction with: SetSpeedM DECLARE SUB CALL GetSpeedM(H%, V%, D%) Syntax: CALL GetSpeedM(H%, V%, D%) H% Returns the current horizontal value. V% Returns the current vertical value. D% Returns double speed threshold value. Example: ' Get and save the current sensitivity state of the mouse. ' Upon ending your program, pass these values to the routine ' SetSpeedM(), which will restore the settings back to their ' original state. ' Program startup. CALL GetSpeedM(SaveH%, SaveV%, SaveD%) ' Save old settings. CALL SetSpeedM(50, 50, 50) ' New setting for your ' program's use. ' Program code. CALL SetSpeedM(SaveH%, SaveV%, SaveD%) ' Restore setting. ' End of program. Comments: Mouse sensitivity is defined as how far the pointer moves per actual movement of the mouse itself. The higher the values in X%, Y%, the greater the sensitivity (or rate of travel). See Also: SetSpeedM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 25 SetSpeedM ===================================================================== Set the rate at which the pointer travels across the screen. Use in conjunction with: GetSpeedM DECLARE SUB CALL SetSpeedM(H%, V%, D%) Syntax: CALL SetSpeedM(H%, V%, D%) H% New horizontal value (1 - 100). V% New vertical value (1 - 100). D% New double speed threshold (1 - 100). Example: ' Get and save the current sensitivity state of the mouse. ' Upon ending your program, pass these values to the routine ' SetSpeedM(), which will restore the settings back to their ' original state. ' Program startup. CALL GetSpeedM(SaveH%, SaveV%, SaveD%) ' Save old settings. CALL SetSpeedM(50, 50, 50) ' New setting for your ' program's use. ' Program code. CALL SetSpeedM(SaveH%, SaveV%, SaveD%) ' Restore setting. ' End of program. Comments: Mouse sensitivity is defined as how far the pointer moves per actual movement of the mouse itself. The higher the values in X%, Y%, the greater the sensitivity (or rate of travel). See Also: GetSpeedM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 26 GetMotionM ===================================================================== Get the mouse pointer's direction of travel. DECLARE SUB GetMotionM(MouseX%, MouseY%) Syntax: CALL GetMotionM(MouseX%, MouseY%) MouseX% Returns the horizontal value. MouseY% Returns the vertical value. Example: DO CALL GetMotionM(MouseX%, MouseY%) Direction$ = "" IF MouseX% > 0 THEN Direction$ = "Right" ' If positive. IF MouseX% < 0 THEN Direction$ = "Left " ' If negative. IF MouseY% > 0 THEN Direction$ = "Down " ' If positive. IF MouseY% < 0 THEN Direction$ = "Up " ' If negative. IF LEN(Direction$) THEN LOCATE 5 PRINT Direction$ END IF LOOP UNTIL LEN(INKEY$) Comments: The values returned will range from -32768 to 32768. Positive values show right or downward movement, and negative values show left or upward movement. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 27 GetSizeM ===================================================================== Get the size the mouse driver's environment. Use in conjunction with: ShowPtrM%, SaveStateM DECLARE FUNCTION GetSizeM% Syntax: Size% = GetSizeM% Size% Returns the size of the mouse driver's environment (in bytes). Example: Size% = GetSizeM% ' Amount of memory needed to hold the ' mouse driver's environment. Buffer$ = SPACE$(Size% * 2) ' Pad buffer with spaces. ErrNum% = ShowPtrM%(Buffer$) Buffer$ = "" ' Release memory. Comments: Use this function to determine buffer size needed by both ShowPtrM% () and SaveStateM(). See Also: ShowPtrM%, RestoreStateM, SaveStateM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly function Page 28 SaveStateM ===================================================================== Save the mouse driver's environment. Use in conjunction with: GetSizeM, RestoreStateM DECLARE SUB SaveStateM(Buffer$, ErrNum%) Syntax: CALL SaveStateM(Buffer$, ErrNum%) Buffer$ Buffer in which the mouse driver's environment will be stored. ErrNum% Returns a -1, if Buffer$ is not large enough to hold the mouse environment. Example: ' Amount of memory needed to hold the mouse state. Size% = GetSizeM% Buffer$ = SPACE$(Size%) ' Pad buffer with spaces. CALL SaveStateM(Buffer$, ErrNum%) ' Save mouse state. CALL HidePointer SHELL"XXXX" ' Pass control. CALL ShowPointer CALL RestoreStateM(Buffer$, ErrNum%) ' Restore state. Comments: If your program needs to temporarily pass control to another program or procedure that also uses the mouse and where the mouse state may be altered (such as a video mode change), use GetSizeM% () along with this subroutine, to save the mouse state first before passing control. When your program has regained control, use RestoreStateM() to restore the driver's state. See Also: GetSizeM, RestoreStateM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 29 RestoreStateM ===================================================================== Restore mouse environment. Use in conjunction with: GetSizeM, SaveStateM DECLARE SUB RestoreStateM(Buffer$, ErrNum%) Syntax: CALL RestoreStateM(Buffer$, ErrNum%) Buffer$ Contains a previously saved mouse state. ErrNum% Returns a -1, if Buffer$ is smaller than the mouse environment. Example: ' Amount of memory needed to hold the mouse state. Size% = GetSizeM% Buffer$ = SPACE$(Size%) ' Pad buffer with spaces. CALL SaveStateM(Buffer$, ErrNum%) ' Save mouse state. CALL HidePointer SHELL"XXXX" ' Pass control. CALL ShowPointer CALL RestoreStateM(Buffer$, ErrNum%) ' Restore state. Comments: You must have used the SaveStateM() routine to save the mouse state in Buffer$ before calling this routine. See Also: GetSizeM, SaveStateM --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 30 Sample Pointer Shapes ===================================================================== Change the shape of the mouse pointer (graphics only). DECLARE SUB <shape name> Syntax: CALL <shape name> ARROW0 HANDV0 HOURGLASS0 PEN0 MAGNIFYGLASS0 PAINTCUP0 MOUSE0 WHATCH0 ARROW1 Example: CALL HANDV0 'Change pointer to a hand shape. Comments: A zero appended to a shape name denotes a color pointer, A one(1) denotes inverted or non-colored pointer. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly routines Page 31 ===================================================================== Mouse Toolkit Routines ===================================================================== InMouseState ===================================================================== Returns the status of the event handler. DECLARE FUNCTION InMouseState% () Syntax: Value% = InMouseState% Value% A bit-field argument with bits reflecting the status of the event handler. Status Values: 0 - Handler is not installed 2 - Handler is enabled 4 - Handler is disabled Example: Value% = InMouseState% IF Value% = 0 THEN PRINT "Handler is not installed" IF Value% AND 2 THEN PRINT "Handler is enabled" IF Value% AND 4 THEN PRINT "Handler is disabled" Comments: For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS --------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC function GetEventsPending ===================================================================== Returns the number of mouse events currently pending in the buffer. DECLARE FUNCTION GetEventsPending% () Syntax: Value% = GetEventsPending% Value% The number of mouse events currently waiting in the event buffer. Example: For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS Comments: Use InMouseHandler() to clear events from the buffer. See Also: InMouseHandler, Clearing the Event Buffer --------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC function Page 32 GetEventMask ===================================================================== Returns current event mask. Use in conjunction with: SetEventMask DECLARE SUB GetEventMask(Mask%) Syntax: CALL GetEventMask(Mask%) Mask% A bit-field argument with bits corresponding to mouse events that are currently being captured. Example: ' Get and save the current event mask. CALL GetEventMask(OldMask%) ' Set mouse movement bit. NewMask% = OldMask% OR 1 ' Tell the event handler to begin capturing mouse movement. CALL SetEventMask(NewMask%) ' Do something that requires mouse movement. ' . ' . ' . ' Restore the original event mask. CALL GetEventMask(OldMask%) Comments: Use this procedure and SetEventMask() when you need to alter the events currently being captured. See the Event bit-field table, under the InMouse heading. This table shows all the different mouse events that can be captured. For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS See Also: SetEventMask --------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC subroutine Page 33 SetEventMask ===================================================================== Informs the mouse event handler to begin capturing specified events. Use in conjunction with: GetEventMask DECLARE SUB SetEventMask(Mask%) Syntax: CALL SetEventMask(Mask%) Mask% A bit-field argument that specifies which mouse events are to be captured. Example: ' Get and save the current event mask. CALL GetEventMask(OldMask%) ' Set mouse movement bit. NewMask% = OldMask% OR 1 ' Tell the event handler to begin capturing mouse movement. CALL SetEventMask(NewMask%) ' Do something that requires mouse movement. ' . ' . ' . ' Restore the original event mask. CALL GetEventMask(OldMask%) Comments: Use this procedure and GetEventMask() when you need to alter the events currently being captured. See the Event bit-field table, under the InMouse heading. This table shows all the different mouse events that can be captured. For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS See Also: GetEventMask --------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC subroutine Page 34 GetDblClkSettings ===================================================================== Returns current double-click settings. DECLARE SUB GetDblClkSettings(ClickS%, ClickW%, ClickH%) Syntax: CALL GetDblClkSettings(ClickS%, ClickW%, ClickH%) ClickS% Time frame in which the event handler will register a double-click. ClickW% Specifies the width (in pixels, on either side) that the pointer can move between clicks when double-clicking. ClickH% Specifies the height (in pixels, above and below) that the pointer can move between clicks when double-clicking. Example: ' Save current settings. CALL GetDblClkSettings(OldClickS%, OldClickW%, OldClickH%) ClickS% = 9 ' Allow 1/2 second in which a double-click will be registered. ClickW% = 4 ' Allow 8 pixels in total of horizontal pointer pointer movement. ClickH% = 4 ' Allow 8 pixels in total of vertical pointer pointer movement. ' Use the new settings. CALL SetDblClkSettings(ClickS%, ClickW%, ClickH%) Comments: There are 18 (approx.) clock ticks per second. Default double-click settings: 6 - Double-click speed 2 - Double-click width 2 - Double-click height For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS See Also: SetDblClkSettings --------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC subroutine Page 35 SetDblClkSettings ===================================================================== Change current double-click settings. DECLARE SUB SetDblClkSettings(ClickS%, ClickW%, ClickH%) Syntax: CALL SetDblClkSettings(ClickS%, ClickW%, ClickH%) ClickS% Time frame in which the event handler will register a double-click. ClickW% Specifies the width (in pixels, on either side) that the pointer can move between clicks when double-clicking. ClickH% Specifies the height (in pixels, above and below) that the pointer can move between clicks when double-clicking. Example: ' Save current settings. CALL GetDblClkSettings(OldClickS%, OldClickW%, OldClickH%) ClickS% = 9 ' Allow 1/2 second in which a double-click will be registered. ClickW% = 4 ' Allow 8 pixels in total of horizontal pointer pointer movement. ClickH% = 4 ' Allow 8 pixels in total of vertical pointer pointer movement. ' Use the new settings. CALL SetDblClkSettings(ClickS%, ClickW%, ClickH%) Comments: There are 18 (approx.) clock ticks per second. Default double-click settings: 6 - Double-click speed 2 - Double-click width 2 - Double-click height For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS See Also: GetDblClkSettings --------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC subroutine Page 36 InMouseSave ===================================================================== Save the event handler's state. Use in conjunction with: InMouseRestore DECLARE SUB InMouseSave(Buffer$) Syntax: CALL InMouseSave(Buffer$) Buffer$ Returns a 132 byte string containing the event handler's internal data storage block. Example: For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS Comments: Use this procedure to save the current instance of the event handler before performing some task that may alter some or all internal settings. See Also: InMouseRestore, SaveStateM, RestoreStateM --------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC subroutine InMouseRestore ===================================================================== Restore a previously saved instance of the event handler. Use in conjunction with: InMouseRestore DECLARE SUB InMouseSave(Buffer$) Syntax: CALL InMouseRestore(Buffer$) Buffer$ Contains the event handler's internal data storage block. Example: For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS Comments: IMPORTANT: InMouseSave() and InMouseRestore() save and restore the event handler's state, NOT the mouse driver's state. See Also: InMouseSave, SaveStateM, RestoreStateM --------------------------------------------------------------------- BASIC subroutine Page 37 ===================================================================== Additional Routines ===================================================================== CviBin ===================================================================== Returns a binary string representation of a decimal value. DECLARE FUNCTION CviBin$ (BYVAL Value%) Syntax: Binary$ = CviBin$ (Value%) Binary$ Returns a 16 byte string that represents the binary value of the passed argument. Value% Value to convert. Example: For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS Comments: The returned string is always 16 bytes in length, even if the passed argument's value was zero. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly function CvsBin ===================================================================== Converts a binary string representation into a decimal value. DECLARE FUNCTION CvsBin% (Binary$) Syntax: Value% = CvsBin% (Binary$) Value% Returned decimal value. Binary$ A 16 byte string that represents a 16 bit binary value. Example: For a working example see: MLIBSAM6.BAS Comments: The string passed to this routine must be 16 bytes in length. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly function Page 38 GetWord ===================================================================== Returns two bytes from specified memory location. DECLARE FUNCTION GetWord% (BYVAL Segment%, BYVAL Offset%) Syntax: Value% = GetWord(Segment%, Offset%) Value% Returned value from specified memory location. Segment% Source segment part of address. Offset% Source offset part of address. Example: For a working example see: MLIBTOOL.BAS Comments: Use this routine when you need to read two bytes at one time, it will be faster than using BASIC's PEEK function twice. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly function PutWord ===================================================================== Writes two bytes to specified memory location. DECLARE SUB PutWord(BYVAL Segment%, BYVAL Offset%, BYVAL Value%) Syntax: CALL PutWord(Segment%, Offset%, Value%) Segment% Destination segment part of address. Offset% Destination offset part of address. Value% Value to write to specified memory location. Example: For a working example see: MLIBTOOL.BAS Comments: Use this routine when you need to write two bytes at one time, it will be faster than using BASIC's POKE statement twice. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly subroutine Page 39 InWinM ===================================================================== Check if pointer is in a specified area on the screen. DECLARE FUNCTION InWinM% (BYVAL x1%, BYVAL y1%, BYVAL x2%, BYVAL y2%) Syntax: Value% = InWinM(x1%, y1%, x2%, y2%) Value% Returns a -1 if true, else 0. x1%, x2% Left and right boundaries (in pixels). y1%, y2% Top and bottom boundaries (in pixels). Example: ' $INCLUDE: 'MLIB.BI' SCREEN 12 CALL InitPointer(X%) CALL SetPointer(0, 0) x1% = 0 y1% = 0 x2% = 100 y2% = 100 LINE (x1%, y1%)-(x2%, y2%), , B CALL ShowPointer ' Loop while pointer is in the given coordinates. DO InIt% = InWinM(x1%, y1%, x2%, y2%) LOOP WHILE InIt% SCREEN 0 Comments: BYVAL is used here for speed. NOTE: This function will not work properly using a screen resolution of 320 X 200. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Assembly function Page 40 ===================================================================== Miscellaneous Information ===================================================================== Miscellaneous Information ===================================================================== Discontinued Routines: The following routines have been discontinued and are no longer supported: DClicBut() DClicM() DClicOff() DClicOn() DClicRate() The mouse event handler now handles all the double-click events. See: InMouseHandler MLIB and Visual Basic Forms: MLIB was designed to provide mouse support in a Visual Basic form-free environment. Calling any of MLIB's mouse routines while forms are showing may conflict with Visual Basic's built-in mouse handling procedures and produce unpredictable results. It is possible to combine the two handlers if these guidelines are followed: 1. Hide ALL Visual Basic forms before accessing ANY of MLIB's mouse routines. 2. Once the forms are hidden, initialize MLIB (by calling InitPointer()), or restore a previously saved instance of the mouse driver. 3. When you are ready to give mouse control back to Visual Basic (you could save this instance of the mouse for form- free use), just re-show the forms. For Example: ' Hide the Visual Basic form. VBForm.HIDE --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page: 41 Miscellaneous Information ===================================================================== MLIB and Visual Basic Forms: (continued...) ' If we have previously saved our own mouse state then ' restore and use this instance, it will be faster than ' re-initializing. IF IsSaved% THEN CALL RestoreStateM(MyMouseState$, RestoreErr%) ELSE CALL InitPointer(X%) END IF CALL ShowPointer ' MLIB is now ready to be used. '. '. '. ' Reverse cycle; hide the pointer and save this instance ' of the mouse for later use, then give control back to ' Visual Basic. CALL HidePointer ' Create a buffer and save the mouse state. MyMouseState$ = SPACE$(GetSizeM%) CALL SaveStateM(MyMouseState$, SaveErr%) ' Show that we saved the mouse state. IF NOT SaveErr% THEN IsSaved% = -1 END IF ' Show the VB form. VBForm.SHOW See: GetSizeM, SaveStateM, RestoreStateM MLIB Versus the Basic Editor: Basic refers to QuickBASIC or Visual Basic. When developing a program in the Basic editing environment, the editor and MLIB must of course share the same mouse --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page: 42 Miscellaneous Information ===================================================================== MLIB Verses the Basic Editor: (continued...) driver which under certain conditions can lead to temporary mouse failure. This "problem" is more likely to occur when debugging; when your executing code stops due to breakpoints (or errors) etc., leaving MLIB's mouse handler still active. When this happens the editor's mouse may not respond and under certain circumstances the pointer may disappear altogether. For the editor to regain control of the mouse, MLIB must release its control of the mouse driver. This can be done by typing "END" in the Immediate window and pressing Enter or if possible, continue executing your program to normal termination. MLIB will always remove its link with the mouse driver when your program ends (even if a critical error terminates your program). Once compiled, and outside the Basic environment, our handler is on it's own, and this will no longer pose a problem. NOTE: This condition only occurs when using MLIB's internal event-driven mouse handler (InMouseHandler()). How To Contact the Author: If you wish to contact me for any reason at all, here is my phone number and mailing address: Phone: 1-306-379-4505 TERRY VENN BOX 3A-10, D'ARCY, SK., S0L 0N0, CANADA. If you reach my answering machine, leave your name and number and I will return your call as soon as possible. Just so there are no surprises; I run this business out of my own home. Don't be shocked if one of my inquisitive sons beat me to the phone and chatter inanely. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Continued... Page: 43 Miscellaneous Information ===================================================================== Registration Fee: The registration fee is $25.00 US/CDN, plus $2.50 for shipping and handling (US, or CDN funds only). Payment must be made in the form of a money order or check. Checks must be drawn on a US or CDN bank. There may be a delay in processing orders for non-certified check clearance. All orders are shipped by air mail. Foreign orders are welcome. NOTE: The fee for upgrading from a previous version of MLIB is $12.50 plus $2.50 for shipping and handling. How To Register: To register with the author and receive a copy of the latest release of this software, fill out the order form (ORDER.FRM) and send it along with the registration fee to the address below: TERRY VENN BOX 3A-10, D'ARCY, SK., S0L 0N0, CANADA. To send a copy of the order form to your printer: 1. Place the MLIB diskette into drive A. 2. Log onto drive A by typing: A: <Press Enter> 3. To begin printing type: COPY ORDER.FRM PRN <Press Enter> IMPORTANT: Please print clearly when filling out the order form. Prefered method is to fill out the ORDER.FRM file using a text editor. Registered Users Will Receive: 1. The latest release of MLIB. 2. A license or the right to distribute .EXE's that contain MLIB routines. 3. Free phone/mail support. 4. ME.EXE, a mouse pointer shape editing tool. 5. CVTASM.EXE, a command line utility that converts raw pointer shape data into assembly code, which can be assembled and added to your library. 6. ASC2SHP.BAS, a shape editing tool written in BASIC. 7. SHP2ASC.BAS, coverts raw pointer shape data into ASCII text which can then be edited by ASC2SHP.BAS. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Page: 44