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JCSM Shareware Collection 1993 November
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JCSM Shareware Collection - 1993-11.iso
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cl720
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asmwiz16.lzh
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ASMWIZ.MAN
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1993-05-23
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Service : BC_ASC2INT
Module : Base Conversion Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts an ASCIIZ string to an unsigned integer
Parms:
BL <-- base from which to convert (2-36)
DS:SI <-- pointer to string
-------
AX = unsigned integer (0-65,535)
Description:
The BC_ASC2INT service converts an ASCIIZ string to an unsigned
integer value. The conversion stops at the first character which
cannot be construed as being part of the number.
Any reasonable base may be specified, giving this service
considerable flexibility. More commonly-used bases include:
2 binary
8 octal
10 decimal
16 hex
Service : BC_ASC2LONG
Module : Base Conversion Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts an ASCIIZ string to an unsigned long int
Parms:
BL <-- base from which to convert (2-36)
DS:SI <-- pointer to string
-------
DX,AX = unsigned long integer (0-4,294,967,295)
Description:
The BC_ASC2LONG service converts an ASCIIZ string to an unsigned
long integer value. The conversion stops at the first character
which cannot be construed as being part of the number.
Any reasonable base may be specified, giving this service
considerable flexibility. More commonly-used bases include:
2 binary
8 octal
10 decimal
16 hex
Service : BC_ASC2SINT
Module : Base Conversion Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts an ASCIIZ string to a signed integer
Parms:
BL <-- base from which to convert (2-36)
DS:SI <-- pointer to string
-------
AX = unsigned integer (-32768 to 32767)
Description:
The BC_ASC2SINT service converts an ASCIIZ string to a signed
integer value. The conversion stops at the first character which
cannot be construed as being part of the number.
Any reasonable base may be specified, giving this service
considerable flexibility. More commonly-used bases include:
2 binary
8 octal
10 decimal
16 hex
Note that negative numbers are frequently represented as
unsigned numbers when a base other than 10 (decimal) is used. If
you wish to follow that convention, simply use BC_ASC2INT
instead of this routine.
Service : BC_ASC2SLONG
Module : Base Conversion Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts an ASCIIZ string to a signed long integer
Parms:
BL <-- base from which to convert (2-36)
DS:SI <-- pointer to string
-------
DX,AX = signed long int (-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647)
Description:
The BC_ASC2SLONG service converts an ASCIIZ string to a signed
long integer value. The conversion stops at the first character
which cannot be construed as being part of the number.
Any reasonable base may be specified, giving this service
considerable flexibility. More commonly-used bases include:
2 binary
8 octal
10 decimal
16 hex
Note that negative numbers are frequently represented as
unsigned numbers when a base other than 10 (decimal) is used. If
you wish to follow that convention, simply use BC_ASC2LONG
instead of this routine.
Service : BC_INT2ASC
Module : Base Conversion Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts an unsigned integer to an ASCIIZ string
Parms:
AX <-- unsigned integer (0-65,535)
BL <-- desired base (2-36)
ES:DI <-- pointer to string buffer (recommend 17 bytes)
Description:
The BC_INT2ASC service converts an integer value to an ASCIIZ
number of a specified base. The integer is presumed to be
unsigned, giving a range of 0-65,535.
More commonly-used bases include:
2 binary
8 octal
10 decimal
16 hex
Service : BC_LONG2ASC
Module : Base Conversion Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts an unsigned long int to an ASCIIZ string
Parms:
DX,AX <-- unsigned long integer (0-4,294,967,295)
BL <-- desired base (2-36)
ES:DI <-- pointer to string buffer (recommend 33 bytes)
Description:
The BC_LONG2ASC service converts an unsigned long integer value
to an ASCIIZ number of a specified base.
More commonly-used bases include:
2 binary
8 octal
10 decimal
16 hex
Service : BC_SINT2ASC
Module : Base Conversion Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts a signed integer to an ASCIIZ string
Parms:
AX <-- signed integer (-32768 to 32767)
BL <-- desired base (2-36)
ES:DI <-- pointer to string buffer (recommend 18 bytes)
Description:
The BC_SINT2ASC service converts an integer value to an ASCIIZ
number of a specified base. The integer is presumed to be
signed, giving a range of -32,768 to 32,767.
More commonly-used bases include:
2 binary
8 octal
10 decimal
16 hex
Note that negative numbers are frequently represented as
unsigned numbers when a base other than 10 (decimal) is used. If
you wish to follow that convention, simply use BC_INT2ASC
instead of this routine.
Service : BC_SLONG2ASC
Module : Base Conversion Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts a signed long integer to an ASCIIZ string
Parms:
DX,AX <-- signed long int (-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647)
BL <-- desired base (2-36)
ES:DI <-- pointer to string buffer (recommend 34 bytes)
Description:
The BC_SLONG2ASC service converts a signed long integer value to
an ASCIIZ number of a specified base.
More commonly-used bases include:
2 binary
8 octal
10 decimal
16 hex
Note that negative numbers are frequently represented as
unsigned numbers when a base other than 10 (decimal) is used. If
you wish to follow that convention, simply use BC_LONG2ASC
instead of this routine.
Service : BK_GETCAPS
Module : Keyboard
Compat : BIOS with enhanced keyboard support
Purpose : gets the CapsLock state
Parms:
-------
AX = 0 if off, 0FFFFh if on
Description:
The BK_GETCAPS service tells you the current CapsLock state.
Note that the BK services require a modern BIOS with enhanced
keyboard support. If your program needs to run on older machines
(those made before the 101-key keyboard came out), use the BKO
services instead.
Service : BK_GETKEY
Module : Keyboard
Compat : BIOS with enhanced keyboard support
Purpose : gets a key
Parms:
AL <-- bit field (see description)
-------
AX = key code (- scan code, 0 no key, + ASCII code)
Flags = ZF if no key, NZ if got a key
Description:
The BK_GETKEY service gets a key from the keyboard. It provides
an assortment of options which may be selected by setting the
appropriate bit in AL before calling the routine:
Bit Meaning
=== =======
0 wait for a key to be pressed
1 ignore extended ASCII keys (function keys, etc)
2 capitalize letters (only ASCII 97-122 affected)
3 clear keyboard buffer before accepting a key
4-7 RESERVED for future expansion. Set to zero.
The result will be returned in AX. If there was no key, AX will
be zero. If there was a normal key, its ASCII code will be
returned. If there was an extended ASCII key, the scan code of
the key will be returned as a negative number.
Note that the BK services require a modern BIOS with enhanced
keyboard support. If your program needs to run on older machines
(those made before the 101-key keyboard came out), use the BKO
services instead.
Service : BK_GETNUM
Module : Keyboard
Compat : BIOS with enhanced keyboard support
Purpose : gets the NumLock state
Parms:
-------
AX = 0 if off, 0FFFFh if on
Description:
The BK_GETNUM service tells you the current NumLock state.
Note that the BK services require a modern BIOS with enhanced
keyboard support. If your program needs to run on older machines
(those made before the 101-key keyboard came out), use the BKO
services instead.
Service : BKO_GETCAPS
Module : Keyboard
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : gets the CapsLock state
Parms:
-------
AX = 0 if off, 0FFFFh if on
Description:
The BKO_GETCAPS service tells you the current CapsLock state.
Note that the BKO services provide compatibility across the
entire range of keyboards. As such, they do not provide access
to enhanced key codes (e.g., F11 and F12). If your program needs
access to enhanced key codes, use the BK services instead.
Service : BKO_GETKEY
Module : Keyboard
Compat : BIOS with enhanced keyboard support
Purpose : gets a key
Parms:
AL <-- bit field (see description)
-------
AX = key code (- scan code, 0 no key, + ASCII code)
Flags = ZF if no key, NZ if got a key
Description:
The BKO_GETKEY service gets a key from the keyboard. It provides
an assortment of options which may be selected by setting the
appropriate bit in AL before calling the routine:
Bit Meaning
=== =======
0 wait for a key to be pressed
1 ignore extended ASCII keys (function keys, etc)
2 capitalize letters (only ASCII 97-122 affected)
3 clear keyboard buffer before accepting a key
4-7 RESERVED for future expansion. Set to zero.
The result will be returned in AX. If there was no key, AX will
be zero. If there was a normal key, its ASCII code will be
returned. If there was an extended ASCII key, the scan code of
the key will be returned as a negative number.
Note that the BKO services provide compatibility across the
entire range of keyboards. As such, they do not provide access
to enhanced key codes (e.g., F11 and F12). If your program needs
access to enhanced key codes, use the BK services instead.
Service : BKO_GETNUM
Module : Keyboard
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : gets the NumLock state
Parms:
-------
AX = 0 if off, 0FFFFh if on
Description:
The BKO_GETNUM service tells you the current NumLock state.
Note that the BKO services provide compatibility across the
entire range of keyboards. As such, they do not provide access
to enhanced key codes (e.g., F11 and F12). If your program needs
access to enhanced key codes, use the BK services instead.
Service : BV_CHROUT
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Displays a character on the screen
Parms:
AL <-- character to display
Description:
The BV_CHROUT routine displays a character on the screen.
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
12 Formfeed clear screen and home cursor
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_CLEOLN
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Clears to the end of the line
Parms:
none
Description:
The BV_CLEOLN service clears from the current cursor position to
the end of the current screen line, inclusive.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_CLS
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Clears the screen
Parms:
none
Description:
The BV_CLS service clears the screen and homes the cursor to the
upper left corner.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_COLOR
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Sets the default text color
Parms:
AL <-- default color
Description:
The BV_COLOR service sets the default text color. A color
attribute table is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file. In general,
however, the background is in the high nybble and ranges 0-7 in
text modes, 0 in graphics modes; the foreground is in the low
nybble and ranges 0-7 in text modes, 0-x in graphics modes.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_CRLF
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Displays a <CR><LF> (carriage return and linefeed)
Parms:
none
Description:
The BV_CRLF routine displays a carriage return and linefeed on
the screen.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_DELLINE
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Deletes the current screen row
Parms:
none
Description:
The BV_DELLINE service deletes the row on which the cursor is
placed. Any rows beneath it are moved up and the bottom line of
the screen is cleared to a row of spaces in the current screen
colors.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_FIXCOLOR
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Tells the BV services to convert color to monochrome
Parms:
AL <-- whether to convert to mono (0 no, 1 yes)
Description:
The BV_FIXCOLOR service tells the BIOS Video services whether to
convert colors to their monochrome equivalents. If not, the
colors will remain as you originally specified. If so, the
colors will be converted to appropriate values for use on a
monochrome display.
The color-to-mono translation attempts to mimic the original
display as closely as possible. It analyzes the foreground and
background colors by their intensity. The results are translated
to white on black, bright white on black, or black on white. The
"blink" attribute is preserved. If the original foreground was
identical to the background (invisible characters), the result
will be black on black.
See also the MI_GETSCREEN service, which allows you to
automatically detect what kind of display is in use.
Service : BV_GETCOLOR
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Gets the default text color
Parms:
-------
AL = default color
Description:
The BV_GETCOLOR service gets the default text color. A
color/attribute table is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file. In
general, however, the background is in the high nybble and
ranges 0-7 in text modes, 0 in graphics modes; the foreground is
in the low nybble and ranges 0-7 in text modes, 0-x in graphics
modes.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_MODE
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Gets the default screen mode
Parms:
-------
AL = mode
Description:
The BV_GETMODE service gets the current screen mode. A table of
screen modes is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file.
Service : BV_HIDECURSOR
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Hides the cursor
Parms:
none
Description:
The BV_HIDECURSOR service hides the cursor, making it invisible.
This does not affect normal cursor operation.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_INSLINE
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Inserts a line at the current screen row
Parms:
none
Description:
The BV_INSLINE service inserts a row at the current cursor
location. Any rows beneath it are moved down and the new line
screen is cleared to a row of spaces in the current screen
colors.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_LOCATE
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Sets the cursor position
Parms:
DH <-- row (1-25)
DL <-- column (1-40/80)
Description:
The BV_LOCATE service sets the cursor position.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_MODE
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Sets the screen mode
Parms:
AL <-- screen mode (0-7, 13-19, depending on adapter)
Description:
The BV_MODE routine sets the screen mode. This may be:
Mode Resolu. Type Colr Use Adapter(s)
0 40x25 b&w 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
1 40x25 color 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
2 80x25 b&w 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
def- 3 80x25 color 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
4 320x200 color 4 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
5 320x200 b&w 4 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
6 640x200 color 2 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
mda- 7 80x25 b&w - text MDA, EGA, VGA
13 320x200 color 16 graphics EGA, VGA
14 640x200 color 16 graphics EGA, VGA
15 640x350 mono - graphics EGA, VGA
16 640x350 color 16 graphics EGA, VGA
17 640x480 color 2 graphics VGA
18 640x480 color 16 graphics VGA
19 320x200 color 256 graphics VGA
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_POPUP
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Displays a pop-up window on the screen
Parms:
DS:DX <-- pointer to parameter list
Description:
The BV_POPUP service displays a pop-up window on the screen. A
variety of frames is available for the window. Titles are
optional and will be left- justified in the top bar of the
window if supplied.
Frame types are as follows:
0 none (blank)
1 single lines
2 double lines
3 single horizontal lines, double vertical lines
4 double horizontal lines, single vertical lines
The parameter list should look like this:
Y1 db ? ; top row of window
X1 db ? ; left column of window
Y2 db ? ; bottom row of window
X2 db ? ; right column of window
FRAMETYPE db ? ; frame type
FRAMECOLOR db ? ; frame color
TITLE dw ? ; offset (DS:) of ASCIIZ title
; use 0FFFFh for no title
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_SHOWCURSOR
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Shows the cursor
Parms:
none
Description:
The BV_SHOWCURSOR service shows the cursor, making it visible.
NOTE: This service may change the cursor shape if used before
BV_HIDECURSOR.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_STROUT
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Displays a string on the screen
Parms:
DS:DX <-- ptr to string to display
Description:
The BV_STROUT routine displays a string on the screen. The
string must be in ASCIIZ format (NUL terminated).
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
12 Formfeed clear screen and home cursor
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : BV_WHERE
Module : BIOS Video Services
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : Gets the cursor position
Parms:
-------
DH = row (1-25)
DL = column (1-40/80)
Description:
The BV_WHERE service gets the cursor position.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_CHROUT
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a character on the screen
Parms:
AL <-- character to display
Description:
The CG_CHROUT routine displays a character on the screen. The
screen must be in one of the CGA graphics modes (video modes
4-6).
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
12 Formfeed clear screen and home cursor
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_CLEOLN
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Clears to the end of the line
Parms:
none
Description:
The CG_CLEOLN service clears from the current cursor position to
the end of the current screen line, inclusive. The screen must
be in one of the CGA graphics modes (video modes 4-6).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_CLS
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Clears the screen
Parms:
none
Description:
The CG_CLS service clears the screen and homes the cursor to the
upper left corner. The screen must be in one of the CGA graphics
modes (video modes 4-6).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_COLOR
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the default text color
Parms:
AL <-- default color
Description:
The CG_COLOR service sets the default text color. A
color/attribute table is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file. In
general, however, the background is in the high nybble and
ranges 0-3; the foreground is in the low nybble and also ranges
0-3. The actual colors displayed depend on the palette setting.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_CRLF
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a <CR><LF> (carriage return and linefeed)
Parms:
none
Description:
The CG_CRLF routine displays a carriage return and linefeed on
the screen. The screen must be in one of the CGA graphics modes
(video modes 4-6).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_GETCOLOR
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the default text color
Parms:
-------
AL = default color
Description:
The CG_GETCOLOR service gets the default text color. A
color/attribute table is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file. In
general, however, the background is in the high nybble and
ranges 0-3; the foreground is in the low nybble and also ranges
0-3. The actual colors displayed depend on the palette setting.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_INIT
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Initializes the CGA Graphics Services
Parms:
none
Description:
The CG_INIT routine initializes the CGA Graphics Services. It
should be used once in your program, before any other CGA
Graphics Services are called.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_LOCATE
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the cursor position
Parms:
DH <-- row (1-25)
DL <-- column (1-40/80)
Description:
The CG_LOCATE service sets the cursor position. The screen must
be in one of the CGA graphics modes (video modes 4-6).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_MODE
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the screen mode
Parms:
AL <-- screen mode (4-6)
Description:
The CG_MODE routine sets the screen mode. This may be any of the
following:
Mode Resolu. Type Colr Use Adapter(s)
4 320x200 color 4 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
5 320x200 b&w 4 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
6 640x200 color 2 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_STROUT
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a string on the screen
Parms:
DS:DX <-- ptr to the string to display
Description:
The CG_STROUT routine displays a string on the screen. The
string must be in ASCIIZ (NUL terminated) format. The screen
must be in one of the CGA graphics modes (video modes 4-6).
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
12 Formfeed clear screen and home cursor
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : CG_WHERE
Module : CGA Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the cursor position
Parms:
-------
DH = row (1-25)
DL = column (1-40/80)
Description:
The CG_WHERE service gets the cursor position. The screen must
be in one of the CGA graphics modes (video modes 4-6).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : DF_CLOSE
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Closes a file
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
Description:
The DF_CLOSE service closes a file. This causes the disk
information associated with the file to be updated and the file
handle to be freed. You should use DF_CLOSE or DF_DONE to close
all files before your program terminates.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code. The AX register may be modified regardless of
whether an error occurs. Possible errors include specification
of an invalid handle and (if critical error handling is turned
on) inability to update the disk.
Service : DF_DONE
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Closes all open files
Parms:
none
Description:
The DF_DONE service closes all open file. This causes the disk
information associated with the files to be updated and the file
handles to be freed. You should use DF_CLOSE or DF_DONE to close
all files before your program terminates.
If an error occurs at any point, the carry flag is set and AX
contains the error code. The AX register may be modified
regardless of whether an error occurs. The only error possible
is inability to update the disk (only returned if critical error
handling is turned on).
Service : DF_FLUSH
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Flushes a file to disk
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
Description:
The DF_FLUSH service flushes a file. This causes the disk
information associated with the file to be updated as if the
file had been closed, only faster. This is typically used to
make sure a file is properly updated to its current status, so
it won't disappear entirely if the power goes off or a similar
disaster strikes.
For DOS versions prior to 3.3, there must be at least one free
file handle for this service to work, because a temporary handle
is needed. For later DOS versions, there is no such requirement.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code. The AX register may be modified regardless of
whether an error occurs. Possible errors include specification
of an invalid handle and (if critical error handling is turned
on) inability to update the disk.
Service : DF_GETTIME
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Gets a file's time/date stamp
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
-------
AX = time (DOS internal format)
DX = date (DOS internal format)
Description:
The DF_GETTIME service gets a file's time/date stamp.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code.
Service : DF_HANDLE
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Gets the DOS handle of a file
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
-------
BX = (DOS) file handle
Description:
The DF_HANDLE service gets the DOS file handle, given the
virtual file handle used by the AsmWiz services. If the file has
an input buffer, the buffer is flushed so that any operations
you do using the DOS file handle will not cause the AsmWiz
services to report incorrect information.
Note that the correlation between the virtual file handle and
DOS file handle is not guaranteed to remain constant. Any time
you use an AsmWiz file handling service, the DOS file handle for
any given virtual file handle may change. This is required to
allow for the future implementation of the ability to keep an
indefinite number of files open at the same time under any DOS
version.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code. The only possible error is the specification of an
invalid virtual file handle.
Service : DF_INIT
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Initializes the File Services
Parms:
DX <-- 0 (zero)
Description:
The DF_INIT service initializes the File Services. The DX
register currently must be zero. It will later be used to pass
the PSP segment if you want extended file handles, which will
allow an indefinite number of files to be open at one time.
Service : DF_LOCATE
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Sets the location of a file's read/write pointer
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
CL <-- location method (0-2)
DX,AX <-- location offset
Description:
The DF_LOCATE service sets the location of a file's read/write
pointer. This tells the File Services where the next read or
write should begin. You may specify any of three location
methods:
0 offset from the start of the file absolute offset
1 offset from the current location relative offset
2 offset from the end of the file relative offset
The "offset from the end of the file" method specifies an offset
at, or past, the current end of the file. It is commonly used
with an offset of zero to set up a file for an append operation.
It can also be used in conjunction with DF_WHERE in order to get
the size of the file.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code. Possible errors include specification of an invalid
handle and (if critical error handling is turned on) inability
to access the file.
Service : DF_OPEN
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Opens a file for access
Parms:
AX <-- access method: how to open the file
DS:DX <-- pointer to ASCIIZ filename
CX <-- input buffer length (use 0 for no buffer)
ES:SI <-- pointer to input buffer, if any
-------
BX = (virtual) file handle
Description:
The DF_OPEN service opens a file for access. File sharing (for
networks and multitasking) is supported automatically if the DOS
version is capable of handling it ("deny write" is used). You
must specify the access method in AX, as follows:
bit 0 allow Reading from the file
bit 1 allow Writing to the file
bit 2 Create a new file or truncate an existing one to zero bytes
bit 3 use Text mode (as opposed to the normal Binary mode)
Unused bits should be set to zero, to allow compatibility with
future versions of AsmWiz. For instance, to open and read from
an existing text file, you might use AX = 1001b (1001 binary is
9 in decimal or hex).
Text mode is handy for use with ASCII text files. It affects
reading from and writing to the file. If text mode is set, reads
from the file will stop when a carriage return/linefeed sequence
is encountered (or if a specified maximum number of characters
have been read) and a NUL character will be added to convert the
buffer to a string. Disk writing in this mode expects strings
(rather than using a byte count) and will automatically add a
carriage return/linefeed sequence. Control-Z is not used as an
end of file indicator, since such usage is archaic and
inappropriate in MS-DOS.
Note that if you are reading from a file using text mode, you
must specify an input buffer. An error code will be returned if
you do otherwise.
Note that the file handle returned is an index into an internal
file table and is not a normal DOS file handle. If you need to
find out the actual file handle used, you can get it from the
DF_HANDLE service.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code. The AX register may be modified regardless of
whether an error occurs. The error code will be -2 if you
attempt to read from a file that was opened in text mode without
a buffer. For a list of other possible errors, see the end of
the ASMWIZ.DOC file.
Service : DF_READ
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Reads from a file
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
CX <-- bytes to read (if text mode, max bytes to read)
DS:DX <-- pointer to read buffer
-------
AX = bytes actually read (if NC and not text mode)
Description:
The DF_READ service reads from a file.
For files that were opened in text mode, the read operation will
stop on encountering a carriage return / linefeed sequence or
after having read the specified maximum number of bytes. The
CR/LF is not stored in the result. The result will be always be
converted to ASCIIZ (null-terminated string format), so your
actual buffer must be at least one byte larger than the
specified maximum number of bytes. If nulls are encountered in
the input stream, they will be converted to spaces. The
Control-Z code is not used as an end of file indicator and will
be read in like any other character.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code. The AX register may be modified regardless of
whether an error occurs. For a list of possible errors, see the
end of the ASMWIZ.DOC file.
Service : DF_TIME
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Sets a file's time/date stamp
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
AX <-- time (DOS internal format)
DX <-- date (DOS internal format)
Description:
The DF_TIME service sets a file's time/date stamp.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code.
Service : DF_WHERE
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Gets the location of a file's read/write pointer
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
-------
DX,AX = location offset
Description:
The DF_WHERE service gets the location of a file's read/write
pointer, which tells you where the next read or write will
begin.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code. Possible errors include specification of an invalid
handle and (if critical error handling is turned on) inability
to access the file.
Service : DF_WRITE
Module : File Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Writes to a file
Parms:
BX <-- (virtual) file handle
CX <-- bytes to write (if not text mode)
DS:DX <-- pointer to write buffer
Description:
The DF_WRITE service writes to a file.
For files that were opened in text mode, the write operation
expects an ASCIIZ string. It writes the string to the file
without the null terminator, then writes a carriage return /
linefeed sequence.
If an error occurs, the carry flag is set and AX contains the
error code. For a list of possible errors, see the end of the
ASMWIZ.DOC file. If there was no error code returned by DOS but
the entire buffer wasn't written, an error code of -1 (negative
one) is returned.
Service : DK_GETKEY
Module : Keyboard
Compat : DOS
Purpose : gets a key
Parms:
AL <-- bit field (see description)
-------
AX = key code (- scan code, 0 no key, + ASCII code)
Flags = ZF if no key, NZ if got a key
Description:
The DK_GETKEY service gets a key from the keyboard. It provides
an assortment of options which may be selected by setting the
appropriate bit in AL before calling the routine:
Bit Meaning
=== =======
0 wait for a key to be pressed
1 ignore extended ASCII keys (function keys, etc)
2 capitalize letters (only ASCII 97-122 affected)
3 clear keyboard buffer before accepting a key
4-7 RESERVED for future expansion. Set to zero.
The result will be returned in AX. If there was no key, AX will
be zero. If there was a normal key, its ASCII code will be
returned. If there was an extended ASCII key, the scan code of
the key will be returned as a negative number.
Service : DV_CHROUT
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Displays a character on the screen
Parms:
AL <-- character to display
Description:
The DV_CHROUT routine displays a character on the screen.
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_CLEOLN
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS (with ANSI)
Purpose : Clears to the end of the line
Parms:
none
Description:
The DV_CLEOLN service clears from the current cursor position to
the end of the current screen line, inclusive. It requires ANSI.
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_CLS
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS (with ANSI)
Purpose : Clears the screen
Parms:
none
Description:
The DV_CLS service clears the screen and homes the cursor to the
upper left corner. It requires ANSI.
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_COLOR
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS (with ANSI)
Purpose : Sets the default text color
Parms:
AL <-- default color
Description:
The DV_COLOR service sets the default text color. A
color/attribute table is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file. In
general, however, the background is in the high nybble and
ranges 0-7 in text modes, 0 in graphics modes; the foreground is
in the low nybble and ranges 0-7 in text modes, 0-x in graphics
modes.
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_CRLF
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Displays a <CR><LF> (carriage return and linefeed)
Parms:
none
Description:
The DV_CRLF routine displays a carriage return and linefeed on
the screen.
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_DELLINE
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS (with extended ANSI)
Purpose : Deletes the current screen row
Parms:
none
Description:
The DV_DELLINE service deletes the row on which the cursor is
placed. Any rows beneath it are moved up and the bottom line of
the screen is cleared to a row of spaces in the current screen
colors.
This service is only available under extended versions of the
ANSI driver, such as NANSI.SYS and ZANSI.SYS. It requires the
use of an ANSI code which is not implemented in the standard IBM
subset of the ANSI protocol.
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_FIXCOLOR
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Tells the DV services to convert color to monochrome
Parms:
AL <-- whether to convert to mono (0 no, 1 yes)
Description:
The DV_FIXCOLOR service tells the DOS Video services whether to
convert colors to their monochrome equivalents. If not, the
colors will remain as you originally specified. If so, the
colors will be converted to appropriate values for use on a
monochrome display.
The color-to-mono translation attempts to mimic the original
display as closely as possible. It analyzes the foreground and
background colors by their intensity. The results are translated
to white on black, bright white on black, or black on white. The
"blink" attribute is preserved. If the original foreground was
identical to the background (invisible characters), the result
will be black on black.
See also the MI_GETSCREEN service, which allows you to
automatically detect what kind of display is in use.
Service : DV_INSLINE
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS (with extended ANSI)
Purpose : Inserts a line at the current screen row
Parms:
none
Description:
The DV_INSLINE service inserts a row at the current cursor
location. Any rows beneath it are moved down and the new line
screen is cleared to a row of spaces in the current screen
colors.
This service is only available under extended versions of the
ANSI driver, such as NANSI.SYS and ZANSI.SYS. It requires the
use of an ANSI code which is not implemented in the standard IBM
subset of the ANSI protocol.
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_LOCATE
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS (with ANSI)
Purpose : Sets the cursor position
Parms:
DH <-- row (1-25)
DL <-- column (1-40/80)
Description:
The DV_LOCATE service sets the cursor position. It requires
ANSI.
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_MODE
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS (with ANSI)
Purpose : Sets the screen mode
Parms:
AL <-- screen mode (0-6)
Description:
The DV_MODE routine sets the screen mode. This may be any of the
following:
Mode Resolu. Type Colr Use Adapter(s)
0 40x25 b&w 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
1 40x25 color 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
2 80x25 b&w 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
def- 3 80x25 color 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
4 320x200 color 4 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
5 320x200 b&w 4 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
6 640x200 color 2 graphics CGA, EGA, VGA
Additional modes may be available, depending on the ANSI driver
used. See description of the BV_MODE service for information on
these additional modes.
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : DV_STROUT
Module : DOS Video Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Displays a string on the screen
Parms:
DS:DX <-- ptr to the string to display
Description:
The DV_STROUT routine displays a string on the screen. The
string must be in ASCIIZ (NUL terminated) format.
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is in effect. Text from this service may be
redirected to any file or device. Pipes can also be used.
Service : EH_ADDBREAK
Module : Exception Handling Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Adds a procedure to be called on ^C or ^Break
Parms:
DX <-- offset of procedure (from CS:)
-------
Flags = CY if there's no room for another procedure
NC if the procedure was added
Description:
The EH_ADDBREAK service adds a procedure to the list of
procedures to be called if Control-C or Control-Break is
pressed. Up to eight procedures can be chained this way. They
will be called only if ^C / ^Break has been allowed by your
program.
This service allows for orderly shutdown if the user chooses to
abort the program. Files are closed automatically, but interrupt
vectors are not ordinarily restored on program exit, which can
lead to catastrophe if you have replaced one of the interrupt
handlers. A number of the AsmWiz services do such things and
need to execute a shutdown procedure before the program
terminates: MD_DONE for the 100th-second delay services, for
instance. If you allow the user to break out of the program with
^C or ^Break, you should make sure that any procedures which
must be called before program termination are added to the break
chain by EH_ADDBREAK.
Your shutdown routine must be a NEAR procedure. It may alter any
register, except SS and SP (the stack must remain intact). Any
BIOS or DOS interrupt may be called. Your routine is expected to
exit with a NEAR return.
If you use EH_ADDBREAK, don't forget to initialize the break
handler by calling EH_INITBREAK at the start of your program!
Service : EH_CRITDONE
Module : Exception Handling Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Terminates the critical error handler
Parms:
none
Description:
The EH_CRITDONE service terminates the critical error handler
installed by EH_INITCRIT. You can do this if you wish to use
your own critical error handler or the default handler, for
example. It is not necessary to call EH_CRITDONE before
terminating your program.
See also the EH_INITCRIT and EH_CRITERR services.
Service : EH_CRITERR
Module : Exception Handling Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Checks for critical errors
Parms:
-------
Flags = CY if there was a critical error
AH contains the error code
NC if there was no error
Description:
The EH_CRITERR service tells you whether a critical error
occurred. It should be used just after any DOS functions which
may cause a critical error. This includes virtually all disk
operations, DOS-based communications and printing. If a critical
error occurred, the carry flag will be set, AH will contain the
critical error code, and AL will contain any normal error code
that was returned. If no critical error occurred, the flags and
registers will be untouched, so normal errors (if any) will pass
through.
This service clears the critical error code when it is called,
so if you call it a second time, no error will be returned
unless another critical error occurred in the meantime.
A list of critical error codes and DOS error codes is included
at the end of the ASMWIZ.DOC file.
See also the EH_INITCRIT and EH_CRITDONE services.
Example:
MOV AH,3Ch ; create file
INT 21h ;
CALL EH_CRITERR ; see if there was a critical error
JNC All_Ok ; no errors at all
CMP AH,0 ; was it a normal error?
JZ NormalErr ; yep, go take care of it
; it was a critical error... AH contains the critical error code.
Service : EH_INITBREAK
Module : Exception Handling Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Initializes the ^C / ^Break handler
Parms:
none
Description:
The EH_INITBREAK service initializes the break handling
services. This allows you to either ignore Control-C and
Control-Break, or to specify one or more procedures to call
before your program is terminated.
See also the EH_ADDBREAK, EH_SETBREAK, and EH_SUBBREAK services.
Service : EH_INITCRIT
Module : Exception Handling Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Initializes the critical error handler
Parms:
none
Description:
The EH_INITCRIT service initializes and installs a critical
error handler. This allows your programs to recover from
problems that would normally cause DOS to display the infamous
"A>bort, R>etry, I>gnore" prompt.
When a critical error occurs, the error handler installed by
EH_INITCRIT makes a note of what kind of error it was, then
tells DOS to ignore the error. Your program is expected to check
for critical errors using the EH_CRITERR service.
Note that DOS will not allow certain errors to be ignored. In
that case, DOS will act as if a Control-Break had been entered.
The break handling services can catch such conditions. See
EH_INITBREAK for more information.
See also the EH_CRITERR and EH_CRITDONE services.
Service : EH_SETBREAK
Module : Exception Handling Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Allows you to turn ^Break / ^C on or off
Parms:
AL <-- 0 to turn breaks off, 1 to turn them on
Description:
The EH_SETBREAK service allows you to turn ^Break / ^C on or
off. If you turn breaks off, there will be no effect on your
program if these keys are pressed. If you turn them on, pressing
these keys will cause your program to be terminated after it
calls any procedures specified by EH_ADDBREAK.
Whether breaks are on or off, there is one minor effect that a
break key will have which can't be prevented: "^C" with a
carriage return and linefeed will be displayed. That seems to be
controlled by the BIOS, rather than DOS, and I haven't yet found
a way around it. I'll be working on it, though.
If you use EH_SETBREAK, don't forget to initialize the break
handler by calling EH_INITBREAK at the start of your program!
Service : EH_SUBBREAK
Module : Exception Handling Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Removes a procedure from the list to be called
on ^C or ^Break
Parms:
DX <-- offset of procedure (from CS:)
-------
Flags = CY if the procedure was not in the list
NC if the procedure was removed
Description:
The EH_SUBBREAK service removes a procedure to the list of
procedures to be called if Control-C or Control-Break is
pressed. This reverses the effect of the EH_ADDBREAK service.
Service : FI_COMPLETE
Module : Filename Manipulation Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Completes a filespec
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to filespec
DS:BX <-- ptr to default extension (1-3 bytes)
ES:DI <-- ptr to result buffer (80 bytes minimum)
-------
flags: CY = the filespec is not valid
Description:
The FI_COMPLETE service completes a file specification. If no
drive was specified, the current drive will be inserted. The
directory specification will be converted to an absolute path,
with "." and ".." references also resolved. If there is no
filename, "*.*" will be used. If there is a filename without an
extension, the specified default extension will be added.
Note that this service translates filespecs almost, but not
quite, the same as DOS would. The final part of a filespec is
assumed to be a filename unless it ends in "\". This means that
something like "C:\BIN" will be translated to "C:\BIN." (if the
default extension is null). If you want to specify a directory
named BIN, you would use the form "C:\BIN\", which would be
translated to "C:\BIN\*.*". This may seem like a bit of an
inconvenience, but it removes a dangerous ambiguity from file
specification.
This service does not check to see if the drive or directory
specified is valid. It does check to make sure that the
specification is valid and will trim over-long file or directory
names appropriately. Unlike DOS, directory specifications are
not allowed to contain extensions, but few people use that
capability in any event. I'll see about adding it to a future
version, however.
Service : FI_MATCH (formerly MI_MATCHFILE)
Module : Filename Manipulation Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Determines whether file name matches a given pattern
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to pattern (which may contain wildcards)
ES:DI <-- ptr to filename (may not contain drive or path)
-------
flags: ZF = the filename matches the pattern
NZ = the filename does not match the pattern
Description:
The FI_MATCH service compares a filename with a specified
pattern. The pattern may contain the "*" or "?" wildcards. This
pattern-matching service works just the way DOS does. It can be
used for finding a desired set of matches within a list of known
files, for excluding an unwanted set of files from a directory
list, and so forth.
The DOS "DEL" command is used as a basis for this matcher. Thus,
using "*" as a pattern is equivalent to using "*.", not "*.*" as
"DIR" would interpret the pattern. The matcher uses the more
conservative algorithm in an attempt to avoid excessive
broadness in its matches. If you prefer otherwise, simply have
your program replace the "*" pattern with "*.*" before calling
this service.
Service : FI_PATTERN
Module : Filename Manipulation Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Pushes a filename through a pattern specification
Parms:
DS:SI <-- pointer to filename
DS:BX <-- pointer to pattern
ES:DI <-- pointer to new filename (13 bytes minimum)
-------
Flags = CY for some errors
Description:
The FI_PATTERN service pushes a filename through a specified
pattern. This would be used for creating a replacement for the
COPY command, for example. If you entered a filename of
"EXAMPLE.ASM" and a pattern of "*.BAK", for instance, the result
would be "EXAMPLE.BAK".
This service expects filenames without drive or directory
specifications. Wildcards are allowed in the pattern, but not in
the filename. The carry flag will be set on return if the
filename or pattern were malformed (basically, just if they were
over 8 chars + "." + 3 chars).
Service : FI_SPLIT
Module : Filename Manipulation Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Split a path spec into drive, directory, filename
Parms:
DS:SI <-- pointer to path specification
ES:DI <-- pointer to result buffer (minimum 80 bytes)
Description:
The FI_SPLIT service takes a path specification apart into its
components. Although a full path spec is not required, it is
probably a good idea to make sure that the spec is reasonable
beforehand, as wildly erroneous path specs may cause the results
to overflow your result buffer.
The results are stored as a series of ASCIIZ strings. The drive
will be at offset 0, the directory at offset 2, and the filename
at offset 67. As you might guess, then, the drive is up to one
character (plus nul), the directory is up to 64 chars (plus
nul), and the filename is up to 12 chars (plus nul).
Service : G13_BOX
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a box
Parms:
CX <-- left X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- top Y coordinate (0-199)
SI <-- right X coordinate (0-319)
DI <-- bottom Y coordinate (0-199)
AH <-- whether to fill box (0 no, 1 yes)
AL <-- color (0-255)
Description:
The G13_BOX service displays a box on the screen. The screen
must be in mode 13h (VGA 320x200).
Service : G13_LINE
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a line
Parms:
CX <-- starting X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- starting Y coordinate (0-199)
SI <-- ending X coordinate (0-319)
DI <-- ending Y coordinate (0-199)
AL <-- color (0-255)
Description:
The G13_LINE service displays a line on the screen. The screen
must be in mode 13h (VGA 320x200).
Drawing diagonal lines is a bit slow and will be optimized in a
future release. Vertical and horizontal line drawing is
extremely fast, however. For this mode, horizontal lines are
drawn the fastest.
Service : G13_PLOT
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-199)
AL <-- color (0-255)
Description:
The G13_PLOT service sets the current color of a specified
point. The screen must be in mode 13h (VGA 320x200).
Service : G4_BOX
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a box
Parms:
CX <-- left X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- top Y coordinate (0-199)
SI <-- right X coordinate (0-319)
DI <-- bottom Y coordinate (0-199)
AH <-- whether to fill box (0 no, 1 yes)
AL <-- color (0-3)
Description:
The G4_BOX service displays a box on the screen. The screen must
be in Mode 4 or 5 (CGA 320x200).
Service : G4_GETPEL
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the current color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-199)
-------
AL = color (0-3)
Description:
The G4_GETPEL service gets the current color of a specified
point. The screen must be in Mode 4 or 5 (CGA 320x200). Why
"pel"? Graphics points are also known as pixels or pels.
Service : G4_LINE
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a line
Parms:
CX <-- starting X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- starting Y coordinate (0-199)
SI <-- ending X coordinate (0-319)
DI <-- ending Y coordinate (0-199)
AL <-- color (0-3)
Description:
The G4_LINE service displays a line on the screen. The screen
must be in Mode 4 or 5 (CGA 320x200).
Drawing diagonal lines is a bit slow and will be optimized in a
future release. Vertical and horizontal line drawing is
extremely fast, however. For the CGA, horizontal line drawing is
the fastest.
Service : G4_PLOT
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-199)
AL <-- color (0-3)
Description:
The G4_PLOT service sets the current color of a specified point.
The screen must be in Mode 4 or 5 (CGA 320x200).
Service : G6_BOX
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a box
Parms:
CX <-- left X coordinate (0-639)
DX <-- top Y coordinate (0-199)
SI <-- right X coordinate (0-639)
DI <-- bottom Y coordinate (0-199)
AH <-- whether to fill box (0 no, 1 yes)
AL <-- color (0-1)
Description:
The G6_BOX service displays a box on the screen. The screen must
be in Mode 6 (CGA 640x200).
Service : G6_GETPEL
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the current color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-639)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-199)
-------
AL = color (0-1)
Description:
The G6_GETPEL service gets the current color of a specified
point. The screen must be in Mode 6 (CGA 640x200). Why "pel"?
Graphics points are also known as pixels or pels.
Service : G6_LINE
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a line
Parms:
CX <-- starting X coordinate (0-639)
DX <-- starting Y coordinate (0-199)
SI <-- ending X coordinate (0-639)
DI <-- ending Y coordinate (0-199)
AL <-- color (0-1)
Description:
The G6_LINE service displays a line on the screen. The screen
must be in Mode 6 (CGA 640x200).
Drawing diagonal lines is a bit slow and will be optimized in a
future release. Vertical and horizontal line drawing is
extremely fast, however. For the CGA, horizontal line drawing is
the fastest.
Service : G6_PLOT
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-639)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-199)
AL <-- color (0-1)
Description:
The G6_PLOT service sets the current color of a specified point.
The screen must be in Mode 6 (CGA 640x200).
Service : GD_BOX
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a box
Parms:
CX <-- left X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- top Y coordinate (0-199)
SI <-- right X coordinate (0-319)
DI <-- bottom Y coordinate (0-199)
AH <-- whether to fill box (0 no, 1 yes)
AL <-- color (0-15)
Description:
The GD_BOX service displays a box on the screen. The screen must
be in Mode 0Dh (EGA 320x200).
Service : GD_LINE
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a line
Parms:
CX <-- starting X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- starting Y coordinate (0-199)
SI <-- ending X coordinate (0-319)
DI <-- ending Y coordinate (0-199)
AL <-- color (0-15)
Description:
The GD_LINE service displays a line on the screen. The screen
must be in Mode 0Dh (EGA 320x200).
Drawing diagonal lines is a bit slow and will be optimized in a
future release. Vertical and horizontal line drawing is
extremely fast, however. For the EGA, vertical line drawing is
the fastest.
Service : GD_PLOT
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-319)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-199)
AL <-- color (0-15)
Description:
The GD_PLOT service sets the current color of a specified point.
The screen must be in Mode 0Dh (EGA 320x200).
Service : GE_BOX
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a box
Parms:
CX <-- left X coordinate (0-639)
DX <-- top Y coordinate (0-199/349/479)
SI <-- right X coordinate (0-639)
DI <-- bottom Y coordinate (0-199/349/479)
AH <-- whether to fill box (0 no, 1 yes)
AL <-- color (0-1/15)
Description:
The GE_BOX service displays a box on the screen. The screen must
be in one of the following modes:
0Eh EGA 640x200 16 colors
10h EGA 640x350 16 colors
11h VGA 640x480 2 colors
12h VGA 640x480 16 colors
Service : GE_LINE
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a line
Parms:
CX <-- starting X coordinate (0-639)
DX <-- starting Y coordinate (0-199/349/479)
SI <-- ending X coordinate (0-639)
DI <-- ending Y coordinate (0-199/349/479)
AL <-- color (0-1/15)
Description:
The GE_LINE service displays a line on the screen. The screen
must be in one of the following modes:
0Eh EGA 640x200 16 colors
10h EGA 640x350 16 colors
11h VGA 640x480 2 colors
12h VGA 640x480 16 colors
Drawing diagonal lines is a bit slow and will be optimized in a
future release. Vertical and horizontal line drawing is
extremely fast, however. For the EGA and VGA, vertical line
drawing is the fastest.
Service : GE_PLOT
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-639)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-199/349/479)
AL <-- color (0-1/15)
Description:
The GE_PLOT service sets the current color of a specified point.
The screen must be in one of the following modes:
0Eh EGA 640x200 16 colors
10h EGA 640x350 16 colors
11h VGA 640x480 2 colors
12h VGA 640x480 16 colors
Service : GH_BOX
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a box
Parms:
CX <-- left X coordinate (0-719)
DX <-- top Y coordinate (0-347)
SI <-- right X coordinate (0-719)
DI <-- bottom Y coordinate (0-347)
AH <-- whether to fill box (0 no, 1 yes)
AL <-- color (0-1)
Description:
The GH_BOX service displays a box on the screen. The screen must
be in Hercules graphics mode. It is not actually important that
the upper left corner and lower right corner of the box be
specified in that order.
Service : GH_GETPEL
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the current color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-719)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-347)
-------
AL = color (0-1)
Description:
The GH_GETPEL service gets the current color of a specified
point. The screen must be in Hercules graphics mode. Why "pel"?
Graphics points are also known as pixels or pels.
Service : GH_LINE
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Draws a line
Parms:
CX <-- starting X coordinate (0-719)
DX <-- starting Y coordinate (0-347)
SI <-- ending X coordinate (0-719)
DI <-- ending Y coordinate (0-347)
AL <-- color (0-1)
Description:
The GH_LINE service displays a line on the screen. The screen
must be in Hercules graphics mode.
Drawing diagonal lines is a bit slow and will be optimized in a
future release. Vertical and horizontal line drawing is
extremely fast, however.
Service : GH_PLOT
Module : Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the color of a point
Parms:
CX <-- X coordinate (0-719)
DX <-- Y coordinate (0-347)
AL <-- color (0-1)
Description:
The GH_PLOT service sets the current color of a specified point.
The screen must be in Hercules graphics mode.
Service : HG_CHROUT
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a character on the screen
Parms:
AL <-- character to display
Description:
The HG_CHROUT routine displays a character on the screen. The
screen must be in Hercules graphics mode.
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
12 Formfeed clear screen and home cursor
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_CLEOLN
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Clears to the end of the line
Parms:
none
Description:
The HG_CLEOLN service clears from the current cursor position to
the end of the current screen line, inclusive. The screen must
be in Hercules graphics mode.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_CLS
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Clears the screen
Parms:
none
Description:
The HG_CLS service clears the screen and homes the cursor to the
upper left corner. The screen must be in Hercules graphics mode.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_COLOR
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the default text color
Parms:
AL <-- default color
Description:
The HG_COLOR service sets the default text color. The background
is in the high nybble and the foreground in the low nybble.
Colors may be 0 (black) or 1 (white), giving the following
possibilities:
Fore Back Color in AL
----- ----- -----------
black black 00h
black white 10h (reverse video)
white black 01h (normal video)
white white 11h
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_CRLF
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a <CR><LF> (carriage return and linefeed)
Parms:
none
Description:
The HG_CRLF routine displays a carriage return and linefeed on
the screen. The screen must be in Hercules graphics mode.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_GETCOLOR
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the default text color
Parms:
-------
AL = default color
Description:
The HG_GETCOLOR service gets the default text color. The
background is in the high nybble and the foreground in the low
nybble. Colors may be 0 (black) or 1 (white), giving the
following possibilities:
Fore Back Color in AL
----- ----- -----------
black black 00h
black white 10h (reverse video)
white black 01h (normal video)
white white 11h
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_LOCATE
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the cursor position
Parms:
DH <-- row (1-43)
DL <-- column (1-90)
Description:
The HG_LOCATE service sets the cursor position. The screen must
be in Hercules graphics mode.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_MODE
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the screen mode
Parms:
AL <-- screen mode (0-1)
Description:
The HG_MODE service sets the screen mode. Since the Hercules
graphics mode is not assigned a BIOS mode number, I've set up an
arbitrary system. The mode may be either:
Mode Resolu. Use Notes
0 80x25 text same as BIOS mode 7: normal MDA
1 90x43 graphics this is a 720x348 graphics mode
The HG services are designed for use in Hercules graphics mode.
When in text mode, the Hercules operates like an ordinary MDA,
so you should use the MV, BV, or DV services instead.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_STROUT
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a string on the screen
Parms:
DS:DX <-- ptr to the string to display
Description:
The HG_STROUT routine displays a string on the screen. The
string must be in ASCIIZ (NUL terminated) format. The screen
must be in Hercules graphics mode.
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
12 Formfeed clear screen and home cursor
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : HG_WHERE
Module : Hercules Graphics Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the cursor position
Parms:
-------
DH = row (1-43)
DL = column (1-90)
Description:
The HG_WHERE service gets the cursor position. The screen must
be in Hercules graphics mode.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MA_ADD32
Module : Math (32-bit) Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Adds two unsigned long integers
Parms:
DS:SI <-- first operand
DS:SI+4 <-- second operand
-------
DS:SI+8 = result
Description:
The MA_ADD32 routine adds two unsigned long integers, giving a
result of the same type. Since such numbers are rather bulky,
they are passed through a buffer rather than through registers.
The numbers in the buffer are stored in normal Intel format,
least significant word to most significant word. The buffer
should look something like this:
FIRST32 dd ?
SECOND32 dd ?
RESULT32 dd ?
Service : MA_DIV32
Module : Math (32-bit) Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Divides an unsigned very long integer by a long int
Parms:
DS:SI <-- dividend (64 bits: high bit must be zero)
DS:SI+8 <-- divisor (unsigned long integer)
-------
DS:SI+12 = quotient (unsigned long integer)
DS:SI+16 = remainder (unsigned long integer)
Description:
The MA_DIV32 routine divides an unsigned 63-bit integer by an
unsigned long integer, giving a quotient and remainder.
Since the numbers are rather bulky, they are passed through a
buffer rather than through registers. The numbers in the buffer
are stored in normal Intel format, least significant word to
most significant word. The buffer should look something like
this:
FIRST64 dq ?
SECOND32 dd ?
RESULT32 dd ?
REMAIN32 dd ?
Note that since this service uses unsigned numbers, it is
possible to use it to divide a 32-bit quantity by another 32-bit
quantity, giving a 32-bit result. In that case, just convert the
32-bit dividend to 64 bits by making the upper 32 bits zero. The
BC_LONG2ASC service uses this approach in the course of its
work.
Service : MA_MUL32
Module : Math (32-bit) Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Multiplies two unsigned long integers
Parms:
DS:SI <-- first operand
DS:SI+4 <-- second operand
-------
DS:SI+8 = result (64 bits)
Description:
The MA_MUL32 routine multiplies two unsigned long integers,
giving a result of a type that might be called an unsigned very
long integer (64 bits). Since such numbers are rather bulky,
they are passed through a buffer rather than through registers.
The numbers in the buffer are stored in normal Intel format,
least significant word to most significant word. The buffer
should look something like this:
FIRST32 dd ?
SECOND32 dd ?
RESULT64 dq ?
Note that since this service uses unsigned numbers, it is
possible to use it to multiply a 32-bit quantity by a 16-bit
quantity, giving (maybe) a 32-bit result. In that case, just
convert the 16-bit quantity to 32 bits by making the upper 16
bits zero; if the next-to-highest word of the result is nonzero,
there was an overflow, and the result did not fit into 32 bits.
Service : MA_SUB32
Module : Math (32-bit) Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Subtracts one unsigned long integer from another
Parms:
DS:SI <-- first operand
DS:SI+4 <-- second operand
-------
DS:SI+8 = result
Description:
The MA_SUB32 routine subtracts one unsigned long integer from
another, giving a result of the same type. Since such numbers
are rather bulky, they are passed through a buffer rather than
through registers. The numbers in the buffer are stored in
normal Intel format, least significant word to most significant
word. The buffer should look something like this:
FIRST32 dd ?
SECOND32 dd ?
RESULT32 dd ?
Service : MD_DELAY
Module : Delay Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Delays for a number of 100ths of seconds
Parms:
CX <-- delay (0-32767)
Description:
The MD_DELAY service waits for a specified number of clock
ticks. This is based on the timer system initialized by the
MD_INIT service. Timer #0 is used by MD_DELAY, so you should
avoid Timer #0 if you use MD_DELAY. Timer #1 will probably be
reserved for music in the future, so avoid it if you expect to
add sound effects to your program.
If you use the 100th-second time services, it is vital that you
initialize them with MD_INIT (at the start of your program) and
terminate them with MD_DONE (at the end of your program).
Since the system clock is maintained via the interrupt system,
interrupts will be enabled for the duration of this service, to
avoid an infinite delay.
This service has been designed to accommodate multitaskers. If
another task is in operation, the delay may be a trifle longer
than expected, however.
Service : MD_DONE
Module : Delay Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Terminates the 100th-second timer handler
Parms:
none
Description:
The MD_DONE service terminates the 100th-second timer handler.
The original timer interrupt is restored and the system clock is
reset to 18.2 cycles per second, which is presumed to have been
the original speed.
If you use the 100th-second time services, it is vital that you
initialize them with MD_INIT (at the start of your program) and
terminate them with MD_DONE (at the end of your program).
Service : MD_GETTIMER
Module : Delay Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets one of the 100th-second countdown timers
Parms:
AL <-- timer number (0-7)
-------
CX = time count (0-65,534)
Description:
The MD_GETTIMER service gets the time remaining from one of the
100th-second countdown timers. The time returned will be in
200ths of seconds. It is expected that you will normally just
compare the result with zero to see if the countdown time has
elapsed. See the MD_SETTIMER service for details.
If you use the 100th-second time services, it is vital that you
initialize them with MD_INIT (at the start of your program) and
terminate them with MD_DONE (at the end of your program).
Service : MD_INIT
Module : Delay Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Initializes the 100th-second timer handler
Parms:
none
Description:
The MD_INIT service initializes the 100th-second timer handler.
The system clock is reset to 200.27 cycles per second. The old
timer interrupt is executed every 11th time through, so as to
maintain the usual 18.2 cycles per second for the rest of the
system.
If you use the 100th-second time services, it is vital that you
initialize them with MD_INIT (at the start of your program) and
terminate them with MD_DONE (at the end of your program).
The MD_INIT service provides up to eight countdown timers which
may be accessed by the MD_SETTIMER and MD_GETTIMER services.
These countdown timers decrement their respective counts at a
rate of 100 per second. The count is not allowed to go below
zero.
Service : MD_SETTIMER
Module : Delay Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets one of the 100th-second countdown timers
Parms:
AL <-- timer number (0-7)
CX <-- time count (0-32,767)
Description:
The MD_SETTIMER service sets one of the 100th-second countdown
timers going. The time will be decremented once every 100th of a
second until it reaches zero. This is useful for occasions where
you need to do something within a specified amount of time. For
instance, in a communications program you might want a "receive
character" routine to keep looking for a character for up to a
second before returning a "time out" error.
Up to eight countdown timers are available. Timer 0 is used by
MD_DELAY, so don't access it if you wish to use the MD_DELAY
service. Timer 1 is reserved for the upcoming MU_MUSIC music
service, so don't use it if you would like to add music to a
future program. Timers 2-7 are always available for your use.
The time count is restricted to a maximum of 32,767 because it
is doubled internally. The timer runs at 200 cycles/second to
improve accuracy and make it easy to maintain the old rate of
18.2 cycles/second for the system.
If you use the 100th-second time services, it is vital that you
initialize them with MD_INIT (at the start of your program) and
terminate them with MD_DONE (at the end of your program).
Service : MD_TICK
Module : Delay Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Delays for a number of clock ticks (1/18th seconds)
Parms:
CX <-- delay (0-65535)
Description:
The MD_TICK service waits for a specified number of clock ticks.
This is based on the system clock. There are about 18.2 ticks
per second, so the delay for one tick is approximately 1/18th
second.
Since the system clock is maintained via the interrupt system,
interrupts will be enabled for the duration of this service, to
avoid an infinite delay.
This service has been designed to accommodate multitaskers. If
another task is in operation, the delay may be a trifle longer
than expected, however.
Service : ME_BINFO
Module : Memory Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets information about a BSAVE-format memory image
Parms:
DS:DX <-- pointer to ASCIIZ filename
-------
ES:SI = memory image segment:offset
CX = memory image size (bytes)
Flags = CY if unable to get information; AX = error code
Description:
The ME_BINFO service gets information about a memory image
stored in a BSAVE-format file. The information is retrieved from
the file header.
The BSAVE format is used by BASIC in storing memory images to
disk. It is typically used for saving screen images.
If there is an error in reading from the specified file, the
carry flag will be set and an error code will be returned. The
error code corresponds with normal DOS error codes, except for
the code of -1, which means that the file was not in BSAVE
format.
The following information may prove helpful in decoding picture
files:
Segment Picture type
B000h Monochrome (Hercules graphics)
B800h CGA
A000h EGA or VGA
(monochrome unless there are multiple files)
Service : ME_BLOAD
Module : Memory Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Restores a memory image from a BSAVE-format file
Parms:
DS:DX <-- pointer to ASCIIZ filename
-------
Flags = CY if unable to load memory image; AX = error code
Description:
The ME_BLOAD service restores a memory image from a file in
BSAVE format. The image is restored to the location from which
it was originally saved.
The BSAVE format is used by BASIC in storing memory images to
disk. It is typically used for saving screen images.
If there is an error in reading from the specified file, the
carry flag will be set and an error code will be returned. The
error code corresponds with normal DOS error codes, except for
the code of -1, which means that the file was not in BSAVE
format.
The following information may prove helpful in decoding picture
files:
Segment Picture type
B000h Monochrome (Hercules graphics)
B800h CGA
A000h EGA or VGA
(monochrome unless there are multiple files)
Service : ME_BSAVE
Module : Memory Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Saves a memory image to a BSAVE-format file
Parms:
DS:DX <-- pointer to ASCIIZ filename
ES:SI <-- pointer to start of area to be saved
CX <-- size of memory area (bytes)
-------
Flags = CY if unable to save memory image; AX = error code
Description:
The ME_BSAVE service saves a memory image to a file in BSAVE
format.
The BSAVE format is used by BASIC in storing memory images to
disk. It is typically used for saving screen images.
If there is an error in writing to the specified file, the carry
flag will be set and an error code will be returned. The error
code corresponds with normal DOS error codes.
The following information may prove helpful in saving picture
files (note that the offset is normally zero):
Segment Picture type Length
B000h Hercules graphics 16,384
B800h CGA graphics 16,384
A000h EGA or VGA (monochrome) 28,000+
It is possible to save EGA and VGA pictures in color, using four
files rather than one, plus a palette file. This is a bit
awkward, though, so we'll save it for a future version of AsmWiz
(using the PCX file format, instead).
Service : ME_HIGHOFS
Module : Memory Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts an address to have the lowest segment
and highest offset
Parms:
DX:AX <-- segment:offset
-------
DX:AX = converted segment:offset
Description:
The ME_HIGHOFS service converts an address so that it has the
highest possible offset and lowest possible segment. This allows
you to work backwards from this address by up to 65,519 bytes
without wrapping around within the segment, which is a
convenience for reverse REP operations, for example. The
resulting offset will be in the range FFF0h - FFFFh, unless the
address is extremely low in memory, in which case the range may
be lower.
Service : ME_LOWOFS
Module : Memory Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts an address to have the highest segment and
lowest offset
Parms:
DX:AX <-- segment:offset
-------
DX:AX = converted segment:offset
Description:
The ME_LOWOFS service converts an address so that it has the
lowest possible offset and highest possible segment. This allows
you to work forwards from this address by up to 65,519 bytes
without wrapping around within the segment, which is a
convenience for forward REP operations, for example. The
resulting offset will be in the range 0000h - 000Fh.
Service : ME_MOVE
Module : Memory Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Moves a block of data from one place to another
Parms:
DS:SI <-- source segment:offset
ES:DI <-- destination segment:offset
CX <-- bytes to move (0 - 65,519)
Description:
The ME_MOVE service moves data from one place to another. It
automatically handles overlaps, so the data will always be
copied correctly.
The reason ME_MOVE can only handle up to 65,519 characters
rather than a full 65,535 is because it uses the ME_LOWOFS and
ME_HIGHOFS services rather than recalculating and re-normalizing
the addresses every time. The loss of a few bytes' range is, in
most cases, an acceptable price for the vastly increased speed.
If you need greater range, calling ME_MOVE more than once may be
a bit of a nuisance, but it will still be considerably faster
than the recalculation approach.
Service : MI_BOOT
Module : Miscellaneous Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Reboots the computer (warm boot)
Parms:
none
Description:
The MI_BOOT service restarts the computer by performing a warm
boot.
I'd provide a "cold boot" service as well, but I've found that
doing a cold boot is liable to lock up many clones, including
some Compaq models. The warm boot, however, always seems to work
as advertised.
This service may be accessed by JMP instead of CALL if you
prefer. It really doesn't matter, since the stack is reset and
control is returned to the system during the boot process. The
JMP is trivially more efficient, though.
Service : MI_GETSCREEN
Module : Miscellaneous Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets information about the active video display
Parms:
-------
AH = adapter type (1-6: MDA, Herc, CGA, EGA, MCGA, VGA)
AL = color flag (0 color, 1 mono)
Description:
The MI_GETSCREEN service gets vital information about the
active display. It tells you whether the display is capable of
handling color and what kind of display adapter is in use.
Note that the color flag will not necessarily be accurate for
CGAs. It is possible to connect a monochrome monitor to the CGA,
but there is no way for the computer to detect whether this has
been done, so it is assumed that CGAs are always color. You
should add a "/B" command-line option to your program so that
the user can specify that a monochrome CGA display is in use
("/B" is what Microsoft uses to specify "black and white").
If the adapter is determined to be MDA or Hercules, the
interrupt system will be turned on and the service will delay
for up to 1/9th second as it attempts to decide which kind of
adapter is in use. The original interrupt status will be
restored when the service exits.
The AsmWiz text services allow for automatic conversion of
colors to their monochrome equivalents, making it easy to handle
any display. See the BV_FIXCOLOR, DV_FIXCOLOR, or MV_FIXCOLOR
service for more information.
Service : MI_PARSE
Module : Miscellaneous Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Parses a command line into file specs and options
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to command line (for COM files, is CS:0080h)
ES:DI <-- ptr to filename buffer (recommend 128 bytes)
ES:BX <-- ptr to option buffer (recommend 128 bytes)
AL <-- switch character (normally "/" for DOS)
-------
AH = number of options
AL = number of filenames
Description:
The MI_PARSE routine takes the information passed to your
program on the command line and parses it into filenames and
options.
The command line is everything that comes after your program
name when the user types in the name of your program. It is
generally used for passing filenames and options to your
program. DOS itself is rather crude about such matters and
simply passes the original input to your program, after removing
the name of the program itself and any piping or redirection
which may have been done.
This routine assumes that anything which isn't an option is a
filename. Of course, this need not be true, but it's a
convenient fiction for separating the options from the rest of
the information.
Options may be delimited by the character of your choice. DOS
normally uses "/" and assumes "\" is used for specifying paths.
Many people prefer the *nix convention of "-" for switches and
"/" for specifying paths, however, so this routine allows for
that possibility. DOS will recognize "/" as being the same as
"\" in any DOS interrupt that accepts paths, so this works out
fairly well, since *nix folks are accustomed to using "/" as a
path delimiter. It's somewhat appalling that Microsoft/IBM
deliberately chose to avoid the *nix conventions, but it is
certainly handy that DOS will (more or less) accept such usage
internally, if not at the command level. Note that use of "-" as
a switch character means that you will not be able to access any
files which contain "-" characters in the filename. This is
rarely a problem, but it can happen.
The two parameter tables, filenames and options, will consist of
strings in their original order in the command line. Each string
will be terminated by a null character, in keeping with C usage.
The number of strings in each parameter table is returned by
MI_PARSE in one or another half of the AX register, as specified
in the "Parms" list, above.
You will normally specify the offset of the command line for
this service. For COM-format files, this is CS:0080h.
Service : MI_RANDOM
Module : Miscellaneous Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Generates a pseudo-random number
Parms:
DX <-- desired range of pseudo-random number (1-4000)
-------
AX = pseudo-random number (0 to DX - 1)
Description:
The MI_RANDOM service generates pseudo-random numbers within a
desired range.
A linear congruential method is used to generate the numbers.
The algorithm was derived from the book "How to Solve it by
Computer", by R. G. Dromey (Prentiss-Hall).
See also the MI_RANDOMIZE service, which is used to initialize
the random number generator.
Service : MI_RANDOMIZE
Module : Miscellaneous Services
Compat : Any / Clone
Purpose : Initializes the pseudo-random number generator
Parms:
AX <-- random number seed or 0FFFFh
Description:
The MI_RANDOMIZE routine initializes the MI_RANDOM random number
generator service. You may specify your own random number seed
(in which case this routine is compatible with any PC) or use
0FFFFh for the routine to pick its own seed (in which case this
routine is only compatible with clones).
If you specify 0FFFFh, the random number seed is read directly
from the timer chip's countdown tick, giving a quite adequately
random initial seed value.
Specifying your own seed may be done to maximize compatibility
with the most machines. In that case, you will probably want to
get a seed value from the DOS time service, using the seconds
value. Use of the "hundredths of seconds" value is not advised,
as it is always zero on some machines.
You might also want to specify your own seed during debugging,
to assure you of a reproducible set of pseudo-random numbers.
The same stream of numbers will always be generated from the
same seed value.
Service : MI_SCANENV
Module : Miscellaneous Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Scans the DOS environment (or similar table) for a
specified string
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to DOS environment
ES:DI <-- ptr to string for which to seek
-------
DS:SI = ptr to parm value (if NC; CY is set if not found)
Description:
The MI_SCANENV routine scans the DOS environment for a specified
string and returns the value of the parameter which matches that
string. If there is no matching parameter, the carry flag is
set.
You may also use this routine for scanning your own tables if
you format them like the DOS environment: each entry of the
table is an ASCIIZ string which contains a parameter name and
parameter value, seperated by an "equals" sign. The end of the
table is marked by an additional NUL character. Matching is
case-sensitive ("comspec" will not match "COMSPEC").
The segment of the environment is stored at offset 002Ch within
the PSP. For COM files, the segment is at CS:[002Ch] (see notes
under MI_PARSE). Since parameters in the environment are stored
in uppercase, you should make sure that the string for which you
seek is also capitalized.
The resulting match, if any, will be pointed to by DS:SI on
exit. It is the value of the parameter, not the parameter name,
which is returned.
Example:
MOV DS,DS:[002Ch] ; assumes CS = DS = ES (COM file)
XOR SI,SI
MOV DI,OFFSET TOFIND
CALL MI_SCANENV
JC NOTFOUND
MOV DX,SI
CALL DV_STROUT
CALL DV_CRLF
(etc)
NOTFOUND:
(etc)
TOFIND DB "PATH",0
This example will search the environment for the "PATH"
parameter. If a PATH exists, it will be displayed, looking
perhaps something like "C:\DOS;C:\WP" (without the quotes).
Service : MK_SETCAPS
Module : Keyboard
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : sets the Caps Lock state
Parms:
AX <-- 0 to turn off, nonzero to turn on
Description:
The MK_SETCAPS service sets the Caps Lock state.
To avoid disrupting the global environment, it is a good idea to
get the state of Caps Lock at the start of your program, and
restore this original state before your program exits-- unless,
of course, your program is specifically intended to alter the
Caps Lock setting.
Use of this routine may cause the corresponding keyboard status
light on some old keyboards (mostly IBM PC and XT types) to be
at variance with the actual setting.
Service : MK_SETNUM
Module : Keyboard
Compat : BIOS
Purpose : sets the Num Lock state
Parms:
AX <-- 0 to turn off, nonzero to turn on
Description:
The MK_SETNUM service sets the Num Lock state.
To avoid disrupting the global environment, it is a good idea to
get the state of Num Lock at the start of your program, and
restore this original state before your program exits-- unless,
of course, your program is specifically intended to alter the
Num Lock setting.
Use of this routine may cause the corresponding keyboard status
light on some old keyboards (mostly IBM PC and XT types) to be
at variance with the actual setting.
Service : MO_GLOCATE
Module : Mouse Services
Compat : BIOS (Microsoft-type mouse driver)
Purpose : Sets the mouse cursor location (graphics modes)
Parms:
CX <-- X (horiz) coordinate (0-MaxX, depending on mode)
DX <-- Y (vert) coordinate (0-MaxY, depending on mode)
Description:
The MO_GLOCATE service sets the mouse cursor position. It works
whether or not the mouse cursor is visible.
In 80x25 text mode and CGA graphics modes, the mouse driver uses
virtual coordinates based on a 640x200 graphics screen. Keep
this in mind if using these modes.
Service : MO_GWHERE
Module : Mouse Services
Compat : BIOS (Microsoft-type mouse driver)
Purpose : Gets the mouse cursor location
Parms:
-------
AH = right mouse button (0 if not pressed, 1 if pressed)
AL = left mouse button (0 if not pressed, 1 if pressed)
CX <-- X (horiz) coordinate (0-MaxX, depending on mode)
DX <-- Y (vert) coordinate (0-MaxY, depending on mode)
Description:
The MO_GWHERE service gets the mouse cursor position and current
button status. It works whether or not the mouse cursor is
visible.
In 80x25 text mode and CGA graphics modes, the mouse driver uses
virtual coordinates based on a 640x200 graphics screen. Keep
this in mind if using these modes.
Service : MO_HIDECURSOR
Module : Mouse Services
Compat : BIOS (Microsoft-type mouse driver)
Purpose : Hides the mouse cursor
Parms:
none
Description:
The MO_HIDECURSOR service hides the mouse cursor. After using
this service, the mouse cursor will not be visible, although it
will still be there.
This is a somewhat peculiar service. If you use it more than
once, it will take more than one application of MO_SHOWCURSOR
before the cursor actually reappears. The mouse driver keeps a
"level of invisibility" counter rather than simply turning the
cursor on and off.
Service : MO_INIT
Module : Mouse Services
Compat : BIOS (Microsoft-type mouse driver)
Purpose : Initialize mouse, if any, and get info about it
Parms:
-------
AL = number of buttons (0-3)
Description:
The MO_INIT service initializes the mouse driver and returns the
number of buttons on the mouse. If no mouse is available, the
number of buttons will be zero. Otherwise, you can expect 2-3
buttons.
The Microsoft mouse is somewhat limited in that it has only two
buttons. Most compatible mice have three. The AsmWiz mouse
services will work with either, but will ignore the middle
button of three-button mice.
Service : MO_LOCATE
Module : Mouse Services
Compat : BIOS (Microsoft-type mouse driver)
Purpose : Sets the mouse cursor location
Parms:
DH <-- row (1-25)
DL <-- column (1-80)
Description:
The MO_LOCATE service sets the mouse cursor position. It works
whether or not the mouse cursor is visible.
Normally, the mouse driver uses coordinates based on a 640x200
virtual screen. In order to make it easier to handle the mouse
for text, this service automatically converts from an 80x25
format.
Service : MO_RANGE
Module : Mouse Services
Compat : BIOS (Microsoft-type mouse driver)
Purpose : Sets the mouse cursor range
Parms:
CH <-- top row (1-25)
CL <-- left column (1-80)
DH <-- bottom row (1-25)
DL <-- right column (1-80)
Description:
The MO_RANGE service sets the mouse cursor range. The mouse
cursor will be constrained to the specified area of the screen.
Normally, the mouse driver uses coordinates based on a 640x200
virtual screen. In order to make it easier to handle the mouse
for text, this service automatically converts from an 80x25
format.
Service : MO_SHOWCURSOR
Module : Mouse Services
Compat : BIOS (Microsoft-type mouse driver)
Purpose : Shows the mouse cursor
Parms:
none
Description:
The MO_SHOWCURSOR service shows the mouse cursor. After using
this service, the mouse cursor will (probably) be visible.
See the description of the MO_HIDECURSOR service for details on
that "probably" caution!
Service : MO_WHERE
Module : Mouse Services
Compat : BIOS (Microsoft-type mouse driver)
Purpose : Gets the mouse cursor location
Parms:
-------
AH = right mouse button (0 if not pressed, 1 if pressed)
AL = left mouse button (0 if not pressed, 1 if pressed)
DH = row (1-25)
DL = column (1-80)
Description:
The MO_WHERE service gets the mouse cursor position and current
button status. It works whether or not the mouse cursor is
visible.
Normally, the mouse driver uses coordinates based on a 640x200
virtual screen. In order to make it easier to handle the mouse
for text, this service automatically converts to an 80x25
format.
Service : MU_SOUND
Module : Sound and Music Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Produces a sound of the desired frequency & duration
Parms:
AX <-- frequency of the sound, in cycles per second (Hertz)
DX <-- duration of the sound (in 1/18th seconds)
Description:
The MU_SOUND routine produces a sound of the specified frequency
(about 50-4000 is useful) and duration (in 18ths of seconds).
If you are interested in producing music using this service, the
following table may prove of some use. You can move down an
octave by halving the frequency for a given note (which can be
efficiently accomplished using the SHR or SHift Right
assembly-language operation). About seven octaves are available
on the usual PC compatible.
Note Frequency (highest octave)
===== =========
A 3520
A#,B- 3714
B 3952
C 4186
C#,D- 4434
D 4698
D#,E- 4978
E 5274
F 5588
F#,G- 5920
G 6272
G#,A- 6644
Service : MV_CHROUT
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a character on the screen
Parms:
AL <-- character to display
Description:
The MV_CHROUT routine displays a character on the screen. The
screen must be in one of the text modes (video modes 0-3, 7).
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
12 Formfeed clear screen and home cursor
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_CLEOLN
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Clears to the end of the line
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_CLEOLN service clears from the current cursor position to
the end of the current screen line, inclusive. The screen must
be in one of the text modes (video modes 0-3, 7).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_CLS
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Clears the screen
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_CLS service clears the screen and homes the cursor to the
upper left corner. The screen must be in one of the text modes
(video modes 0-3, 7).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_COLOR
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the default text color
Parms:
AL <-- default color
Description:
The MV_COLOR service sets the default text color. A
color/attribute table is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file. In
general, however, the background is in the high nybble and
ranges 0-7; the foreground is in the low nybble and also ranges
0-7. For bright, add 8 to the foreground; for blinking, add 8 to
the background.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_CRLF
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a <CR><LF> (carriage return and linefeed)
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_CRLF routine displays a carriage return and linefeed on
the screen. The screen must be in one of the text modes (video
modes 0-3, 7).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_DELCHR
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Deletes the character at the cursor
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_DELCHR service deletes the character on which the cursor
is placed. Any characters to the right of it are moved left and
the rightmost column of the screen is cleared to a space in the
current screen colors.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_DELLINE
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Deletes the current screen row
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_DELLINE service deletes the row on which the cursor is
placed. Any rows beneath it are moved up and the bottom line of
the screen is cleared to a row of spaces in the current screen
colors.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_FIXCOLOR
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Tells the MV services to convert color to monochrome
Parms:
AL <-- whether to convert to mono (0 no, 1 yes)
Description:
The MV_FIXCOLOR service tells the Machine-level Video services
whether to convert colors to their monochrome equivalents. If
not, the colors will remain as you originally specified. If so,
the colors will be converted to appropriate values for use on a
monochrome display.
The color-to-mono translation attempts to mimic the original
display as closely as possible. It analyzes the foreground and
background colors by their intensity. The results are translated
to white on black, bright white on black, or black on white. The
"blink" attribute is preserved. If the original foreground was
identical to the background (invisible characters), the result
will be black on black.
See also the MI_GETSCREEN service, which allows you to
automatically detect what kind of display is in use.
Service : MV_FRAME
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a window frame
Parms:
CH,CL <-- upper left corner (row 1-25/43, column 1-40/80)
DH,DL <-- lower right corner (row 1-25/43, column 1-40/80)
DS:SI <-- frame pointer (SI = -1 to -9 for built-in frames)
Description:
The MV_FRAME service displays a window frame. You may design
your own frame or use one of a variety of built-in frames.
If you choose to build your own frame, you must point DS:SI to
an eight-byte list of characters with which to build the frame.
The list should be in this order: top left corner, top middle,
top right corner, left middle, right middle, lower left corner,
lower middle, and lower right corner.
You may also choose to use a built-in frame by setting SI in the
range -1 to -9, as follows:
-1 single line frame
-2 double line frame
-3 single horizontal lines, double vertical lines
-4 double horizontal lines, single vertical lines
-5 blank block frame (CHR$(32))
-6 low intensity block frame (CHR$(176))
-7 medium intensity block frame (CHR$(177))
-8 high intensity block frame (CHR$(178))
-9 solid block frame (CHR$(219))
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_GETCOLOR
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the default text color
Parms:
-------
AL = default color
Description:
The MV_GETCOLOR service gets the default text color. A
color/attribute table is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file. In
general, however, the background is in the high nybble and
ranges 0-7; the foreground is in the low nybble and also ranges
0-7.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_MODE
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the default screen mode
Parms:
-------
AL = mode
Description:
The MV_GETMODE service gets the current screen mode. A table of
screen modes is given in the ASMWIZ.DOC file.
Service : MV_HIDECURSOR
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Hides the cursor
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_HIDECURSOR service hides the cursor, making it invisible.
This does not affect normal cursor operation.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_INIT
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Initializes the Machine-level Video Services
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_INIT routine initializes the Machine-level Graphics
Services. It should be used once in your program, before any
other Machine-level Graphics Services are called.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_INSCHR
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Inserts a space at the cursor position
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_INSCHR service inserts a space at the current cursor
location. Any characters to the right of it are moved right and
a space is inserted in the current screen colors.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_INSLINE
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Inserts a line at the current screen row
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_INSLINE service inserts a row at the current cursor
location. Any rows beneath it are moved down and the new line
screen is cleared to a row of spaces in the current screen
colors.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_LOCATE
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the cursor position
Parms:
DH <-- row (1-25)
DL <-- column (1-40/80)
Description:
The MV_LOCATE service sets the cursor position. The screen must
be in one of the text modes (video modes 0-3, 7).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_MODE
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Sets the screen mode
Parms:
AL <-- screen mode (0-3, 7)
Description:
The MV_MODE routine sets the screen mode. This may be any of the
following:
Mode Resolu. Type Colr Use Adapter(s)
0 40x25 b&w 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
1 40x25 color 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
2 80x25 b&w 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
3 80x25 color 16 text CGA, EGA, VGA
7 80x25 b&w - text MDA, EGA, VGA
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_POPUP
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a pop-up window on the screen
Parms:
DS:DX <-- pointer to parameter list
Description:
The MV_POPUP service displays a pop-up window on the screen. A
variety of frames is available for the window. Titles are
optional and will be left- justified in the top bar of the
window if supplied.
Frame types are as follows:
0 none (blank)
1 single lines
2 double lines
3 single horizontal lines, double vertical lines
4 double horizontal lines, single vertical lines
The parameter list should look like this:
Y1 db ? ; top row of window
X1 db ? ; left column of window
Y2 db ? ; bottom row of window
X2 db ? ; right column of window
FRAMETYPE db ? ; frame type
FRAMECOLOR db ? ; frame color
TITLE dw ? ; offset (DS:) of ASCIIZ title
; use 0FFFFh for no title
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_SAVESIZE
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Gets the number of bytes needed to save screen area
Parms:
-------
AX = bytes
Description:
The MV_SAVESIZE service tells you how many bytes will be needed
to save an area of the screen with MV_SCRSAVE. This is intended
as a convenience for programs that allocate the required space
on the fly. The actual calculation looks like this:
Bytes = (RowsToSave * ScreenColumns + ColumnsToSave + 1)*2
You will need 4,002 bytes to save an entire 80x25 screen.
Service : MV_SCRREST
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Restores a saved area of the screen
Parms:
DS:SI <-- pointer to buffer containing a saved screen area
DH <-- top row (where to restore to)
DL <-- left column (where to restore to)
Description:
The MV_SCRREST service restores a saved area of the screen to
the display. The image may be stored to any location, regardless
of where it was saved from, as long as the results don't go off
the edge of the screen.
Only the upper left corner of the location to which to restore
is specified. This service calculates the lower left corner from
size parameters which are stored in the saved screen image.
Text mode (modes 0-3, 7) is required. Only display page zero is
supported.
Service : MV_SCRSAVE
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Saves an area of the screen to a buffer
Parms:
ES:DI <-- pointer to a buffer to which to save screen area
CH <-- top row
CL <-- left column
DH <-- bottom row
DL <-- right column
-------
AX = bytes used to store the image
Description:
The MV_SCRSAVE service saves an area of the screen to a buffer.
The number of bytes used to store the image is returned. You can
find out the number of bytes that will be needed in advance, if
desired, via the MV_SAVESIZE service.
The saved image will be a direct copy of the specified area of
the screen. The first two bytes of the image will contain the
number of rows and columns in the image, respectively.
Text mode (modes 0-3, 7) is required. Only display page zero is
supported.
Service : MV_SHOWCURSOR
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Shows the cursor
Parms:
none
Description:
The MV_SHOWCURSOR service shows the cursor, making it visible.
NOTE: This service may change the cursor shape if used before
MV_HIDECURSOR.
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_STROUT
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Displays a string on the screen
Parms:
DS:DX <-- ptr to the string to display
Description:
The MV_STROUT routine displays a string on the screen. The
string must be in ASCIIZ (NUL terminated) format. The screen
must be in one of the text modes (video modes 0-3, 7).
The following control codes are interpreted:
7 Bell beep
8 Backspace non-destructive backspace
9 Tab space over to the next tab stop
10 Linefeed move cursor down one line
12 Formfeed clear screen and home cursor
13 Carriage Return home cursor on current line
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : MV_WHERE
Module : Machine-level Video Services
Compat : Clone
Purpose : Gets the cursor position
Parms:
-------
DH = row (1-25)
DL = column (1-40/80)
Description:
The MV_WHERE service gets the cursor position. The screen must
be in one of the text modes (video modes 0-3, 7).
Redirection, if any, is ignored.
Service : S0_COMPARE
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Compares two strings
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to first string
ES:DI <-- ptr to second string
-------
Flags = ZF if equal, NZ if not equal
Flags = CY if first < second, NC if first >= second
Description:
The S0_COMPARE service compares two strings. The carry flag and
zero flag are set as you might expect for a comparison
operation.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
Service : S0_DUPE
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Creates a string by duplicating a given character
Parms:
AL <-- character to duplicate
CX <-- number of times to repeat the character
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_DUPE service creates a string by repeating a single
character. The resulting string will be in ASCIIZ form (NUL
terminated), so be sure to use a buffer large enough to hold
both the string and its terminator.
Service : S0_FIND
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Searches for a substring within a string
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to substring
ES:DI <-- ptr to string
-------
AX = position of substring within string
Description:
The S0_FIND service searches for a substring within a string. It
returns zero if the substring does not exist within the string.
The Zero Flag is set accordingly (NZ if found).
Service : S0_LEFT
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Copies a section from the left of a string
Parms:
CX <-- number of characters to copy
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_LEFT service copies a specified number of characters from
the left of one string into another. If you prefer, you can use
the same address for both strings, allowing you to place the
result back into the source buffer.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
Service : S0_LENGTH
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Returns the length of a string
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
-------
CX = string length
Description:
The S0_LENGTH service returns the length of a string, not
counting the NUL terminator.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
Service : S0_LOCASE
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts a string to lowercase (International)
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_LOCASE service converts all of the alphabetic characters
in a string to lowercase. As well as American alphabet
characters, the international alphabet characters supplied in
the upper 128 IBM ASCII set are also translated.
If you prefer, you can use the same address for both strings,
allowing you to place the result back into the source buffer.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
See also S0_LOCASES, which provides a slightly slower service
which affects only American letters, at a fraction of the cost
in memory.
Service : S0_LOCASES
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts a string to lowercase (American)
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_LOCASES service converts all of the alphabetic characters
in a string to lowercase. Only American letters (in the ASCII
range 1-127) are affected.
If you prefer, you can use the same address for both strings,
allowing you to place the result back into the source buffer.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
See also S0_LOCASE, which provides a faster international
version of the same routine, at the cost of more memory.
Service : S0_MID
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Copies a section of one string to another
Parms:
CX <-- number of characters to copy
DX <-- where to start copying from (1-x)
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_MID service copies a specified number of characters one
string to another, starting from a given location. If you
prefer, you can use the same address for both strings, allowing
you to place the result back into the source buffer.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
Service : S0_RIGHT
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Copies a section from the right of a string
Parms:
CX <-- number of characters to copy
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_RIGHT service copies a specified number of characters
from the right of one string into another. If you prefer, you
can use the same address for both strings, allowing you to place
the result back into the source buffer.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
Service : S0_TRIM
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Trims the white space from either side of a string
Parms:
AL <-- trim code: set bit 0 for left, bit 1 for right
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_TRIM service removes the "white space" from either side
(or both sides) of a string. Blanks and control characters are
considered white space. This is a handy routine for normalizing
user input and trimming the padding from fixed-length records,
for instance.
If you prefer, you can use the same address for both strings,
allowing you to place the result back into the source buffer.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
Service : S0_UPCASE
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts a string to uppercase (International)
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_UPCASE service converts all of the alphabetic characters
in a string to uppercase. As well as American alphabet
characters, the international alphabet characters supplied in
the upper 128 IBM ASCII set are also translated.
If you prefer, you can use the same address for both strings,
allowing you to place the result back into the source buffer.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
See also S0_UPCASES, which provides a slightly slower service
which will capitalize only American letters, but which takes up
a fraction of the memory.
Service : S0_UPCASES
Module : String Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Converts a string to uppercase (American)
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to source string
ES:DI <-- ptr to result string
Description:
The S0_UPCASES service converts all of the alphabetic characters
in a string to uppercase. Only American letters (ASCII 1-127
range) are affected.
If you prefer, you can use the same address for both strings,
allowing you to place the result back into the source buffer.
Strings must be in ASCIIZ form (NUL terminated).
See also S0_UPCASE, which provides a faster service which will
capitalize letters in the entire IBM ASCII set (ASCII 1-255),
but which takes up considerably more memory.
Service : TC_CHKSUM
Module : Telecommunications Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Calculates a checksum for Xmodem or Ymodem
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to data block
CX <-- length of data block (bytes)
-------
AX = checksum
Description:
The TC_CHKSUM routine calculates the checksum of a block of
data. The algorithm used is compatible with the Xmodem and
Ymodem file transfer protocols (use the lower byte of the
checksum, AL, in that case).
Service : TC_CRC
Module : Telecommunications Services
Compat : Any
Purpose : Calculates a CRC for Xmodem or Ymodem
Parms:
DS:SI <-- ptr to data block
CX <-- length of data block (bytes)
-------
AX = CRC
Description:
The TC_CRC routine calculates the CRC (Cyclical Redundancy
Check) value of a block of data. The algorithm used is
compatible with the Xmodem and Ymodem file transfer protocols.
If you use TC_CRC for an outgoing Xmodem/Ymodem block, you need
to add two nulls to the end of the block and increment CX
accordingly. When you get the CRC, exchange AL and AH, then put
AX where the nulls were, which will complete the outgoing
packet. The reason for the swap is that Xmodem/Ymodem expect the
CRC with the high byte followed by the low byte (non-Intel
format).
If you use TC_CRC for an incoming Xmodem/Ymodem block, leave the
received CRC at the end of the data block and increment CX
accordingly. If the calculated CRC comes out to zero, the
received packet is fine.
Service : TD_GETDATE
Module : Time and Date Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Returns the date as a formatted string
Parms:
AL <-- 0 for 2-digit year, 1 for 4-digit year
DS:DX <-- ptr to result buffer (minimum 11 bytes)
Description:
The TD_GETDATE service returns the current date as a formatted
string. The formatting includes international date handling, in
that the string is formatted in the appropriate manner for the
country in which the computer is being operated. If a DOS
version before 3.0 is used, the date delimiters are not
guaranteed to be correct, but the month, day and year will be in
the proper order regardless.
The result is returned as an ASCIIZ (NUL terminated) string.
Service : TD_GETTIME
Module : Time and Date Services
Compat : DOS
Purpose : Returns the time as a formatted string
Parms:
DS:DX <-- ptr to result buffer (minimum 8 bytes)
Description:
The TD_GETTIME service returns the current time as a formatted
string. The formatting includes international time handling, in
that the string is formatted in the appropriate manner for the
country in which the computer is being operated. If a DOS
version before 3.0 is used, the time delimiters and 12/24-hour
formatting are not guaranteed to be correct.
If the hour is a single-digit number, it will be preceeded by a
space. This is handy for keeping times in columns, but if you
don't want the space there, chop it off by calling the S0_TRIM
service.
The result is returned as an ASCIIZ (NUL terminated) string.