<title>GEOSLib docs
<author>Maciej Witkowiak, <htmlurl url="mailto:ytm@elysium.pl" name="ytm@elysium.pl">
-<date>v1.2, 26.12.1999, 16.03.2000, 19-22.03.2000, 11,29.07.2000, 3-4,15.07.2001
+<date>v1.5, 26.12.1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
<abstract>
This is the documentation of cc65's GEOSLib, but information contained here may be also
-useful for writting GEOS applications in general.
+useful for writing GEOS applications in general.
</abstract>
<!-- Table of contents -->
<tt/dio/ - direct disk access is available, but you might have problems with devices other
than 1541, 1571 or 1581. RAM drives emulating these should work.
<p>
-It is safe to use these includes: <tt/dio.h, errno.h, geos.h, joystick.h, mouse.h, stdlib.h,
-string.h/
+<tt/conio/ - simple console input-output is available for command line applications.
+This implementation assumes that one character will fit in 8x8 cell, so output with
+default BSW font, which is has 9 points, might be a bit messy.
+<tt/cputs/ will output characters with fixed width, for proportional spacing use
+<tt/cpputs/ but this function does not update cursor. There is no color support in
+GEOS 2.0 so color functions are disabled. Both 40 and 80 columns modes are supported
+and automatically detected.
+<p>
+<tt/tgi/ - TGI driver for GEOS that supports both 40 and 80 columns modes but mode can not be
+changed between <tt/tgi_init/ and <tt/tgi_done/.
+<p>
+<tt/joy/ - JOY driver for GEOS supports only joystick, not current pointing device.
+<p>
+It is safe to use these standard includes and their contents:
+<tt/assert.h, conio.h, dio.h, errno.h, em.h, geos.h, joystick.h, modload.h, mouse.h, stdlib.h, string.h, tgi.h, time.h/
+<p>
+For <tt/time.h/ functions <tt/systime()/ and <tt/clock()/ note that the resolution is one second.
+<p>
+It was not tested enough, but functions from these includes might work under GEOS:
+<tt/rs232.h, zlib.h/
+<p>
+Functions from the headers above are either standard C library functions or cc65-specific, in
+either case they are not GEOS specific and so they are not described here.
<p>
I am an assembler programmer and GEOSLib was designed in such way that cc65 could emit the best
available code (well, the best as for machine :). Many of the <tt/void foo (void)/ functions are
just raw calls to Kernal (assembled just as <tt/jsr _foo/), look in <tt/gsym.h/, where you
will find many definitions of standard GEOS locations. Access to these addresses is optimized by
-cc65 to simple <tt/lda/ and <tt/sta/. Don't be afraid to use the power of C.
+cc65 to simple <tt/lda/ and <tt/sta/. Don't be afraid to use C syntax.
<sect1>Requirements
<p>
You will not need c64 or c128 for development. The only hardware requirement is a PC capable of
-runing cc65. You will however need c64 or c128 emulator and GEOS image disks (.d64) to test your
+running cc65. You will however need c64 or c128 emulator and GEOS image disks (.d64) to test your
programs.
The software needed:
name="http://www.von-bassewitz.de/uz/cc65/">
<item><em/VICE/ This is portable C64, C128 and few other Commodore computers emulator, you
can obtain it from: <htmlurl url="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dsladic/vice/vice.html"
- name="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dsladic/vice/vice.html">
+ name="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dsladic/vice/vice.html">. VICE package contains
+ c1541 program that is able to convert/unconvert GEOS files to disk images.
<item><em/Star Commander/ This tool is only for DOS. You will need it for transferring
object files from PC to 1541. There's also one important ability of this
tool - it automatically un-converts .cvt files into GEOS native format on
disk image files.
<item><em/cbm4linux/ A Linux kernel module that allows for communication with 1541 and
other Commodore IEC bus drives. It can be replacement for Star Commander if
- you want only to transfer files to a disk and uncovert using GEOS program for
+ you want only to transfer files to a disk and unconvert using GEOS program for
this purpose. Check out: <htmlurl url="http://www.lb.shuttle.de/puffin/cbm4linux/"
name="http://www.lb.shuttle.de/puffin/cbm4linux">
</itemize>
VICE and cc65 are portable - they run on variety of platforms - DOS, Win32 and UNIX. GEOSLib only
needs cc65.
<p>
-<em/Update:/ starting from v2.5.0 GEOSLib is a part of cc65 package as its GEOS support.
+<em/Update:/ starting from v2.5.0 GEOSLib is a part of cc65 package as its GEOS support library.
<sect1>Legal
<p>
<p>
This chapter describes some rules you ought to obey, and how to use GEOSLib.
-<sect1>General rules
-<p>
-Think twice before you use standard C library function. In current implementation almost always
-you will get better code using only <tt/geos.h/. This will change in next releases as standard
-functions will become wrappers to native GEOS Kernal.
+<sect1>Usage
<p>
Apart from this file, which merely describes only standard GEOS library functions, you should read
<tt/grc/ (GEOS resource compiler) documentation. There are informations about necessary resource
-files (each GEOS application neeeds at least one) and the building process - what should be done
-and in which order.
-
-<sect1>Usage
+files (each GEOS application needs at least one) and the building process - what should be done
+and in what order. Please also read cc65's documentation on how to compile C, assembler and link
+everything together.
<p>
All in all, you just need to place
<tscreen><verb>
-#include <geos.h>
+#include <geos.h>
</verb></tscreen>
on top of your source.
<p>
-Please read cc65's documentation on how to compile C, assembler and link everything together.
-<p>
-GEOSLib building process isn't yet defined stable. Detailed information how to link everything
-together is in separated file together with resource compiler documentation.
-<p>
As a general rule read the sources of example programs and read the headers. These are the most
reliable sources of knowledge ;). You will also find there many C macros representing various
arguments passed to functions. Please use them. You will find your sources easier to understand,
<sect1>Notes on style
<p>
-All programs start their execution on <tt/main/ function. Unlike plain C exiting from this function
-doesn't mean end of program. GEOS is event-driven environment where applications are only executing
-events, main loop is in kernal. <tt/main/ function should setup the screen, menus etc. and return.
-Real end of the program should be called from event call, e.g. from menu item. You can force end of
-program and return to DeskTop either by standard <tt/exit (0)/ function or by <tt/EnterDeskTop()/.
-Currently they are almost the same (last minute note: don't use <tt/exit/ ever, it's broken right
-now :-).
+Contrary to typical GEOS assembly program which has a main function called after loading that
+setups the screen, menus, icons etc. exiting from <tt/main/ function in C is equivalent to
+calling <tt/exit()/. These two are the only safe methods of terminating applications. DO NOT
+USE <tt/EnterDeskTop/! Your data may be lost as library destructors and functions registered
+with <tt/atexit/ will not be called.
+<p>
+For GEOS GUI applications the recommended program structure is to have everything initialized
+in <tt/main/ function and at the end of it a call to <tt/MainLoop()/ function. WARNING! This
+function never returns, any code between <tt/MainLoop();/ and the end of <tt/main/ will not
+be executed. You have to call <tt/exit()/ explicitly somewhere in your code (e.g. in a menu
+handler or via DialogBox action).
<p>
Whenever possible use definitions from <tt/gsym.h/. The resulting code is translated by cc65 into
series of <tt/lda/ and <tt/sta/, so you can't do it better :-).
Don't hesitate to use library functions. Everything was written with size and speed in mind. In
fact many calls are just redirections to GEOS kernal which results in simple <tt/jsr/.
<p>
-You might wonder why I have chosen sometimes weird order of arguments in functions. It is because
-I wanted to avoid unnecessary pushing and popping arguments from stack. cc65 can pass single <tt/int/
-through CPU registers.
+The <tt/main/ function receives the standard <tt/argc/ and <tt/argv/ parameters. There are
+always either 1 or 3 parameters. DOS application name is always set as <tt/argv[0]/.
+If present, <tt/argv[1]/ and <tt/argv[2]/ will be set to data filename and data diskname (it only
+works if user double-clicks on data file associated with your application). Note that it is up
+to your application to determine which of the available (up to four) disk drives has the disk
+with given diskname inside. If this fails your program should ask to insert the proper disk into
+one of available drives.
+<p>
+You might wonder why I have chosen sometimes weird order of arguments in functions. I just
+wanted to avoid unnecessary pushing and popping arguments from stack because cc65 can pass single
+<tt/unsigned int/ through CPU registers.
<p>
-Do not try to compile in strict ANSI mode. I'm using some cc65 extensions which are not available in
+Do not try to compile in strict ANSI mode. Library uses cc65 extensions which are not available in
ANSI.
+<p>
+It is possible to use dynamically loaded modules, three such modules are provided:
+GEOS TGI driver, GEOS EMD driver (for VDC extended memory) and GEOS JOY driver.
+Just make sure that their filenames appear UPPERCASE in DeskTop. There are no more special
+recommendations, read cc65 documentation about modules and demo programs source code.
<sect>Library Functions
<p>
<p>
<tt/void FrameRectangle (char pattern)/
<p>
-This one draws frame with given line pattern.
+This one draws frame with given bit pattern (not a pattern from GEOS palette).
<sect3>InvertRectangle
<p>
<sect3>HorizontalLine
<p>
-<tt/void HorizontalLine (char pattern, char y, int xStart, int xEnd)/
+<tt/void HorizontalLine (char pattern, char y, unsigned xStart, unsigned xEnd)/
<p>
This function draws horizontal line using given pattern - here it is a true bit pattern, not
pattern set by <tt/SetPattern/.
<sect3>InvertLine
<p>
-<tt/void InvertLine (char y, int xStart, int xEnd)/
+<tt/void InvertLine (char y, unsigned xStart, unsigned xEnd)/
<p>
There is only horizontal version.
<sect3>RecoverLine
<p>
-<tt/void RecoverLine (char y, int xStart, int xEnd)/
+<tt/void RecoverLine (char y, unsigned xStart, unsigned xEnd)/
<p>
This function recovers only one line. It is utilized by <tt/RecoverRectangle/. See its description
for more details.
<sect3>VerticalLine
<p>
-<tt/void VerticalLine (char pattern, char yStart, char yEnd, int x)/
+<tt/void VerticalLine (char pattern, char yStart, char yEnd, unsigned x)/
<p>
This function draws vertical line using given pattern. Note that <tt/pattern/ is not a pattern
number as set in <tt/SetPattern/ but a true bit pattern.
<sect3>DrawLine
<p>
-<tt/void DrawLine (struct window *myWindow)/
+<tt/void DrawLine (char mode, struct window *myWindow)/
<p>
<tt/top/ parameters of <tt/struct window/ describe the starting point of the line, while
-<tt/bottom/ are for the ending point. Current pattern is used for drawing.
+<tt/bottom/ are for the ending point. If <tt/mode/ is <tt/DRAW_DRAW/ then current pattern from
+<tt/SetPattern/ is used for drawing. If <tt/mode/ is <tt/DRAW_ERASE/ then line is erased from the
+screen. If <tt/mode/ is <tt/DRAW_COPY/ then line is copied from/to back/frontbuffer, according to
+<tt/dispBufferOn/ setting.
<sect2>Point Functions
<p>
<sect3>DrawPoint
<p>
-<tt/void DrawPoint (struct pixel *myPixel)/
+<tt/void DrawPoint (char mode, struct pixel *myPixel)/
<p>
-Draws single point on the screen, no matter what the current pattern is.
+Depending on <tt/mode/ (see <tt/DrawLine/) draws/erases/copies a single point
+on the screen.
<sect3>TestPoint
<p>
<tt/char TestPoint (struct pixel *myPixel)/
<p>
-This function tests if given pixel is set and returns true or false.
+This function tests if given pixel is set and returns <tt/true/ (non-zero) or <tt/false/ (zero).
<sect2>Character and string output
+<sect3>cpputs
+<p>
+<tt/cpputsxy (char x, char y, char *myString)/
+<p>
+<tt/cpputs (char *myString)/
+<p>
+Actually this is a part of <tt/conio/, but this function is non-standard. It is
+a variety of <tt/cputs/ that will output string with proportional spacing, not
+fixed like <tt/cputs/.
+
<sect3>PutChar
<p>
-<tt/void PutChar (char character, char y, char x)/
+<tt/void PutChar (char character, char y, unsigned x)/
<p>
This function outputs single character using current style and font to screen.
<sect3>PutString
<p>
-<tt/void PutString (char *myString, char y, int x)/
+<tt/void PutString (char *myString, char y, unsigned x)/
<p>
Same as <tt/PutChar/ except the fact that you can output whole <tt/NULL/-terminated string.
See <tt/ggraph.h/ for list of tokens that you can also place in the string - like <tt/CBOLDON/ or
<sect3>PutDecimal
<p>
-<tt/void PutDecimal (char parameter, int value, char y, int x)/
+<tt/void PutDecimal (char parameter, unsigned value, char y, unsigned x)/
<p>
This function converts <tt/value/ to its decimal representation and outputs it to the screen.
-Depending on given <tt/parameter/ the string can be filled with zeroes (string always 5 characters
-long) or not, to be left or right justified to given pixel. See <tt/ggraph.h/ for predefined
-values for <tt/parameter/.
+The <tt/parameter/ is the field width in pixels (range 1-31) and mode bits. Depending on them
+the string can be filled with zeroes (string always 5 characters long) or not and left or right
+justified to given pixel. See <tt/ggraph.h/ for predefined values for <tt/parameter/.
<sect2>Font Handling
<sect3>BitmapClip
<p>
-<tt/void BitmapClip (char skipLeft, char skipRight, int skipTop, struct iconpic *myPic)/
+<tt/void BitmapClip (char skipLeft, char skipRight, unsigned skipTop, struct iconpic *myPic)/
<p>
This function acts similar to <tt/BitmapUp/ but you can also define which parts of the bitmap are
to be drawn - you give the number of columns (8-pixel) to skip on the right and left of the bitmap,
<sect3>BitOtherClip
<p>
-<tt/void BitOtherClip (void *proc1, void *proc2, char skipLeft, char skip Right, int skipTop,
+<tt/void BitOtherClip (void *proc1, void *proc2, char skipLeft, char skip Right, unsigned skipTop,
struct iconpic *myPic)/
<p>
Similar to the previous one with some extension. <tt/proc1/ is called before reading a byte (it
<sect2>Menus
<p>
-Menus are essencial for GUI. GEOS can handle only one menu at a time, but each menu can call
+Menus are essential for GUI. GEOS can handle only one menu at a time, but each menu can call
another one, which results in submenu tree. There can be up to 8 menu levels, each one with up
to 32 items.
<p>
This one jumps back to the topmost menu. If there is only menu and submenu it works the
same as <tt/DoPreviousMenu/.
-<sect2>Icons
+<sect2>Icon Functions
<p>
Icons are working similar to menus except the fact that there is only one level. Icons are
defined as a screen area filled with a bitmap, but if you would setup icons and erase the
screen they are still active and clicking in the place where formerly an icon was will cause
-an effect. Similary if you would setup icons and then turn them off with <tt/ClearMouseMode/
+an effect. Similarly if you would setup icons and then turn them off with <tt/ClearMouseMode/
the bitmap will be still on the screen but clicking on it would not cause any action.
There is only one, but powerful icon function.
<p>
These function show two lines of text in standard-sized DialogBox. You can read the code of
pressed icon from return value. E.g. for <tt/DlgBoxYesNo/ it can only be <tt/YES/ or <tt/NO/.
+You can pass an empty string or NULL to get a blank line.
<sect3>DlgBoxGetString
<p>
At present this file selector handles only first 16 files of given type and supports only one
(current) drive.
+<sect3>MessageBox
+<p>
+<tt/char MessageBox (char mode, const char *format, ...)/
+<p>
+This function is a more general one. It works very much like <tt/printf/ in a
+box. The only difference is <tt/mode/ parameter which allows for placing
+default icons (see <tt/gdlgbox.h/ for list of possible <tt/MB_/ values).
+Any too wide text will be clipped to the size of the default window. If mode
+parameter is invalid or equal to <tt/MB_EMPTY/ then the window will be closed
+after a click. Otherwise the user must choose an icon.
+<p>
+Note: use it if you really need (or if you will use it in many places) as
+it adds quite amount of code to your program.
+<p>
+Note: the formatted text <em/cannot exceed/ 255 bytes in length, there is no check
+for that.
+
<sect1>Mouse, Sprites and Cursors
<p>
You will find here functions related to sprite and mouse drawing and handling.
<p>
<tt/void ClearMouseMode (void)/
<p>
-This function disables all mouse actitivies - icons and menus stop to respond to mouse events,
+This function disables all mouse activities - icons and menus stop to respond to mouse events,
but they are not cleared from the screen.
<sect3>MouseUp and MouseOff
<sect2>Sprites
<p>
You are free to use any of the eight sprites, but keep in mind that sprite 0 is actually the mouse
-pointer and sprite 1 can be overwritten when using text prompt.
+pointer and sprite 1 can be overwritten when using text prompt. You don't have to worry about
+40/80 column issues because GEOS128 has pretty good sprite emulator for VDC.
<sect3>DrawSprite
<p>
<p>
<tt/void PromptOff (void)/
<p>
-The first function places text prompt in given place and enables its blinking
+The first function places text prompt in given place and enables blinking.
The second one is pretty self-explanatory.
<sect3>GetNextChar
location. If it is nonzero - an error occured. See <tt/gdisk.h/ for the list of possible errorcodes.
You need to include <tt/errno.h/ to get <tt/__oserror/, together with standard <tt/errno/. The
latter gives less verbose, but still usable information and can be used with <tt/strerror/.
+Probably you will get more information using <tt/_stroserror/ in similar way.
<p>
For passing parameters use almost always pointer to your data e.g. <tt/ReadBuff (&myTrSe)/.
<p>
<tt/char WriteBuff (struct tr_se *myTrSe)/
<p>
-These functions are reading and writting sector placed at <tt/diskBlkBuf/.
+These functions read and write sector placed at <tt/diskBlkBuf/.
<sect3>GetBlock and ReadBlock
<p>
<p>
<tt/char VerWriteBlock (struct tr_se *myTrSe, char *buffer)/
<p>
-Similar to previous but needed for writting the disk. <tt/VerWriteBlock/ verifies the data after
-writting. In case of error five tries are attempted before error code is returned.
+Similar to previous but needed for writing the disk. <tt/VerWriteBlock/ verifies the data after
+writing. In case of error five tries are attempted before error code is returned.
<sect2>Directory header
<p>
<p>
<tt/char PutDirHead (void)/
<p>
-These functions are reading and writting the directory header. You should use <tt/GetDirHead/ before
+These functions are reading and writing the directory header. You should use <tt/GetDirHead/ before
using any functions described below, and you should use <tt/PutDirHead/ to save the changes on the
disk. Otherwise they will be lost. Operating area is the <tt/curDirHead/.
<sect3>CalcBlksFree
<p>
-<tt/int CalcBlksFree (void)/
+<tt/unsigned CalcBlksFree (void)/
<p>
This function returns the number of free blocks on current disk. It is counted using data in
<tt/curDirHead/ so you must initialize the disk before calling it.
<tscreen><verb>
#define BlockInUse FindBAMBit
...
-if (!SectInUse(&myTrSe)) {
+if (!BlockInUse(&myTrSe)) {
... block not allocated ...
}
</verb></tscreen>
<sect3>BlkAlloc and NxtBlkAlloc
<p>
-<tt/char BlkAlloc (struct tr_se output[&rsqb, int length)/
+<tt/char BlkAlloc (struct tr_se output[&rsqb, unsigned length)/
<p>
-<tt/char NxtBlkAlloc (struct tr_se *myTrSe, struct tr_se output[&rsqb, int length)/
+<tt/char NxtBlkAlloc (struct tr_se *myTrSe, struct tr_se output[&rsqb, unsigned length)/
<p>
Both functions are allocating enough disk sectors to fit the number of <tt/length/ in them. You
will find output in <tt/output/ which is table of <tt/struct tr_se/. The last entry will have the
-number of track equal to 0 and sector equal to 255. The simpliest way of using them is to use
+number of track equal to 0 and sector equal to 255. The simplest way of using them is to use
predefined space in GEOS data space and pass <tt/fileTrScTab/, which is a predefined table.
<p>
The difference between those two is that <tt/NextBlkAlloc/ will start allocating from given sector,
This function finds the first free sector starting from given track and sector and allocates it.
It might return the same argument if the given block is not allocated. I wanted it to be type
clean, but it made usage a bit tricky. To assign a value to own <tt/struct tr_se/ you have to
-cast both variables to <tt/int/. E.g.
+cast both variables to <tt/unsigned/. E.g.
<tscreen><verb>
struct tr_se myTrSe;
...
-(int)myTrSe=(int)SetNextFree(&otherTrSe);
+(unsigned)myTrSe=(unsigned)SetNextFree(&otherTrSe);
</verb></tscreen>
<p>
In this example <tt/otherTrSe/ can be replaced by <tt/myTrSe/.
<p>
-NOTE that you <em/must/ use casting to have correct values.
+Note: you <em/must/ use casting to have correct values.
<sect2>Low-level disk IO
<p>
<sect2>Disk Initialization
<p>
-GEOS has two functions for initialization ('logging' as they say on CP\M) the disk.
+GEOS has two functions for initialization ('logging in' as they say on CP\M) the disk.
<sect3>OpenDisk
<p>
<tt/char OpenDisk (void)/
<p>
These two functions are best suited for scanning whole directory for particular files. Note that
returned filehandles describes all file slots in the directory - even those with deleted files.
-The return value can be obtained by casting both sides to <tt/int/ - as in <tt/SetNextFree/
+The return value can be obtained by casting both sides to <tt/unsigned/ - as in <tt/SetNextFree/
function or read directly after call to those two functions from <tt/r5/. Current sector number
is in <tt/r1/ and sector data itself is in <tt/diskBlkBuf/.
Functions described here are common for SEQ and VLIR structures because arguments passed are
starting track and sector which may point either to start of a chain for VLIR or data for SEQ.
+<sect3>GetFile
+<p>
+<tt/char __fastcall__ GetFile(char flag, const char *fname, const char *loadaddr, const char *datadname, const char *datafname)/
+<p>
+This routine loads and runs a given file <tt/fname/. The file must be one of following types:
+<tt/SYSTEM, DESK_ACC, APPLICATION, APPL_DATA, PRINTER,/ or <tt/INPUT_DEVICE/. The execution
+address is taken from file header. If it is zero, then file is only loaded. Only the first chain
+from VLIR files is loaded. If <tt/flag/ has bit 0 set then load address is taken from <tt/loadaddr/
+and not from file header. In this case <tt/APPLICATION/ files will be only loaded, not executed.
+This does not apply to <tt/DESK_ACC/. If either bit 6 or 7 of <tt/flag/ are set, then 16 bytes from
+<tt/datadname/ is copied to <tt/dataDiskName/ and 16 bytes from <tt/datafname/ goes to <tt/dataFileName/
+thus becoming parameters for the new application. Pass <tt/NULL/ as any unused parameter.
+
<sect3>ReadFile
<p>
-<tt/char ReadFile (struct tr_se *myTrSe, char *buffer, int fLength)/
+<tt/char ReadFile (struct tr_se *myTrSe, char *buffer, unsigned fLength)/
<p>
This function reads at most <tt/fLength/ bytes into <tt/buffer/ from chained sectors starting at
<tt/myTrSe/.
<sect3>SaveFile
<p>
-<tt/char SaveFile (struct fileheader *myHeader)/
+<tt/char SaveFile (char skip, struct fileheader *myHeader)/
<p>
<tt/SaveFile/ will take care of everything needed to create a GEOS file, no matter VLIR of SEQ
structure. All you need to do is to place data in proper place and prepare a header which will
-contain all information about a file.
-
+contain all information about a file. The <tt/skip/ parameter says how many directory pages you
+want to skip before searching for a free slot for directory entry. In most cases you will put
+<tt/0/ there.
+<p>
You have to declare a <tt/struct fileheader/ and fill it with proper values. There is only one
-difference - the first two bytes which are link to nonexistant next sector are replaced by a
+difference - the first two bytes which are link to nonexistent next sector are replaced by a
pointer to the DOS filename of the file.
-
-When saving files two most important fields in <tt/struct fileheader/ are <tt/fileheader.load_address/
+<p>
+When saving sequential files two most important fields in <tt/struct fileheader/ are <tt/fileheader.load_address/
and <tt/fileheader.end_address/.
<sect3>FreeFile
<p>
<tt/char OpenRecordFile (char *fName)/
<p>
-This function finds and opens given file. An error is returned if file is not found or it is not
+This function finds and opens given file. An error is returned if file is not found or if it is not
in VLIR format. Information in <tt/VLIRInfo/ is initialized. VLIR track and sector table is
loaded at <tt/fileTrScTab/ and will be valid until call to <tt/CloseRecordFile/ so don't modify it.
You should <tt/PointRecord/ before trying to do something with file.
<p>
<tt/char UpdateRecordFile (void)/
<p>
-This function fill check <tt/VLIRInfo.fileWritten/ flag and if it is set, then <tt/curDirHead/ will
-be updated along with size and date stamps in directory entry.
+This function will check <tt/VLIRInfo.fileWritten/ flag and if it is set, then <tt/curDirHead/ is
+updated along with size and date stamps in directory entry.
<sect3>PointRecord
<p>
<sect3>ReadRecord and WriteRecord
<p>
-<tt/char ReadRecord (char *buffer, int fLength)/
+<tt/char ReadRecord (char *buffer, unsigned fLength)/
<p>
-<tt/char WriteRecord (char *buffer, int fLength)/
+<tt/char WriteRecord (char *buffer, unsigned fLength)/
<p>
This function will load or save at most <tt/fLength/ bytes from currently pointed record into or from
<tt/buffer/.
Functions covered in this section are common for whole C world - copying memory parts and
strings is one of the main computer tasks. GEOS also has interface to do this. These functions
are replacement for those like <tt/memset, memcpy, strcpy/ etc. from standard libraries.
-
-However some of them have slighty different calling convention (order of arguments to be specific),
+If you are dealing with short strings (up to 255 characters) you should use these functions
+instead of standard ones. E.g. <tt/CopyString/ instead of <tt/strcpy/. It will work faster.
+<p>
+However some of them have slightly different calling convention (order of arguments to be specific),
so please check their syntax here before direct replacing.
-
-Please note that the memory described as <em/strings/ are up to 255 characters (without
-counting the terminating <tt/NULL/), and <em/regions/ cover whole 64K of memory.
+<p>
+Please note that the memory areas described here as <em/strings/ are up to 255 characters (without
+counting the terminating <tt/NULL/), and <em/regions/ can cover whole 64K of memory.
<sect2>CopyString
<p>
<tt/char CmpString (char *s1, char *s2)/
<p>
This function compares string <tt/s1/ to <tt/s2/ for equality - this is case sensitive, and both
-strings have to have the same length. It returns either <tt/true/ or <tt/false/.
+strings have to have the same length. It returns either <tt/true/ (non-zero) or <tt/false/ (zero).
<sect2>CopyFString and CmpFString
<p>
<sect2>CRC
<p>
-<tt/int CRC (char *src, int length)/
+<tt/unsigned CRC (char *src, unsigned length)/
<p>
This function calculates the CRC checksum for given memory range. I don't know if it is
compatible with standard CRC routines.
<sect2>FillRam and ClearRam
<p>
-<tt/void FillRam (char *dest, char value, int length)/
+<tt/void *FillRam (char *dest, char value, unsigned length)/
<p>
-<tt/void ClearRam (char *dest, int length)/
+<tt/void *ClearRam (char *dest, unsigned length)/
<p>
-Both functions are filling given memory range. <tt/ClearRam/ fills with <tt/NULLs/, while
+Both functions are filling given memory range. <tt/ClearRam/ fills with <tt/0s/, while
<tt/FillRam/ uses given <tt/value/. Be warned that these functions destroy <tt/r0, r1 and
-r2L/ registers. <tt/FillRam/ is an alias for <tt/memset/.
+r2L/ registers. These are aliases for <tt/memset/ and <tt/bzero/, respectively.
<sect2>MoveData
<p>
-<tt/void MoveData (char *dest, char *src, int length)/
+<tt/void *MoveData (char *dest, char *src, unsigned length)/
<p>
This functions copies one memory region to another. There are checks for overlap and the
non-destructive method is chosen. Be warned that this function destroys contents of
<sect2>Stash, Fetch, Swap, and VerifyRAM
<p>
-<tt/void StashRAM (char bank, int length, char *reuAddress, char *cpuAddress)/
+<tt/void StashRAM (char bank, unsigned length, char *reuAddress, char *cpuAddress)/
<p>
-<tt/void FetchRAM (char bank, int length, char *reuAddress, char *cpuAddress)/
+<tt/void FetchRAM (char bank, unsigned length, char *reuAddress, char *cpuAddress)/
<p>
-<tt/void SwapRAM (char bank, int length, char *reuAddress, char *cpuAddress)/
+<tt/void SwapRAM (char bank, unsigned length, char *reuAddress, char *cpuAddress)/
<p>
-<tt/ char VerifyRAM (char bank, int length, char *reuAddress, char *cpuAddress)/
+<tt/ char VerifyRAM (char bank, unsigned length, char *reuAddress, char *cpuAddress)/
<p>
These functions are interface to REU - Ram Expansion Unit. I think that they are self-explanatory.
-You can check for REU presence by taking value of <tt/ramExpSize/.
+You can check for REU presence by taking value of <tt/ramExpSize/. You have to do it before
+using any of these functions.
<sect1>Processes and Multitasking
<p>
<tt/void UnBlockProcess (char processNumber)/
<p>
<tt/BlockProcess/ disables the execution of given process, but this does not disable the timers.
+It means that if you call <tt/UnBlockProcess/ before timer runs out, the process will be executed.
<p>
<tt/UnBlockProcess/ does the opposite.
<tt/void UnFreezeProcess (char processNumber)/
<p>
<tt/FreezeProcess/ disables timer for given process. <tt/UnFreezeProcess/ does the opposite.
-This is not equal to <tt/RestartProcess/ as timers are not filled with initial value.
+This is not equal to <tt/RestartProcess/ as timers are not reloaded with initial value.
<sect2>Sleep
<p>
-<tt/void Sleep (int jiffies)/
+<tt/void Sleep (unsigned jiffies)/
<p>
-This function is multitasking sleep - the program is halted, but it doesn't block other functions.
-The only argument here is the number of jiffies to wait until app will wake up.
-<p>
-You can force to sleep not only the main application routine, but also processes-tasks. Be warned
-that the maximum number of sleeping functions is 20. If it would be larger it will overwrite
-parameters of already sleeping functions in GEOS kernal data space, leading to crash.
+This function is multitasking sleep - the program is halted, but it doesn't block other functions
+e.g. callbacks from menus and icons.
+The only argument here is the number of jiffies to wait until app will wake up. It depends on
+video mode (PAL or NTSC) how many jiffies there are per second (50 or 60, respectively).
+If you don't want to worry about it and need only full second resolution, call standard
+<tt/sleep/ function from <tt/unistd.h/.
-<sect1>System
+<sect1>System Functions
<sect2>FirstInit
<p>
<tt/void DoneWithIO (void)/
<p>
These functions are called by some disk routines. You should call them only if you want to
-do something with IO registers or call one of Kernal's routines.
+do something with IO registers or call one of Kernal ROM routines. Note that this is rather an
+expensive way of turning off IRQs and enabling IO.
<sect2>MainLoop
<p>
<tt/void MainLoop (void)/
<p>
-Your programs exits to MainLoop upon exiting from <tt/main/, but you might need this function in
-menu and icon code. When in <tt/MainLoop/ systems waits for your action - using icons, keyboard
-or menus to force some specific action from program.
+Returns control to the system. Any code between call to <tt/MainLoop/ and the end of current
+function will never be executed. When in <tt/MainLoop/ systems waits for your action - using
+icons, keyboard or menus to force some specific action from program. You have to define
+proper handlers before that.
<sect2>EnterDeskTop
<p>
<tt/void EnterDeskTop (void)/
<p>
-This is default exit code of your application. It is finish of <tt/exit()/, but you may need it
-in other places of application.
+This is an alias for <tt/exit(0)/ so you will never burn yourself. Anyway, you should not
+use it. Always use <tt/exit()/ instead. Library destructors and functions registered with
+<tt/atexit()/ are called.
<sect2>ToBASIC
<p>
<p>
This one is another way of finishing application - forcing GEOS to shutdown and exit to BASIC.
I was considering whether to include it or not, but maybe someone will need it. Which is I doubt.
+<p>
+<em/WARNING:/ library destructors and functions registered with <tt/atexit()/ will not be called
+so it is quite unsafe way to finish your program.
<sect2>Panic
<p>
System error at:xxxx
</verb></tscreen>
where <tt/xxxx/ is last known execution address (caller). By default this is bound to <tt/BRK/
-instruction, but it might be usable in debugging as kind of <tt/assert/.
+instruction, but it might be usable in debugging as kind of <tt/assert/. (Note that <tt/assert/
+is available as a separate function and will give you more information than that).
<p>
-System is halted after call to <tt/Panic/.
+System is halted after call to <tt/Panic/ which means that library destructors will not be
+called and some data may be lost (no wonder you're panicking).
<sect2>CallRoutine
<p>
<p>
This is system caller routine. You need to provide pointer to a function and it will be immediately
called, unless the pointer is equal to <tt/NULL/. This is the main functionality of this function -
-you need not to worry if the pointer is valid.
+you don't need to check if the pointer is valid.
<sect2>GetSerialNumber
<p>
-<tt/int GetSerialNumber (void)/
+<tt/unsigned GetSerialNumber (void)/
<p>
-This function returns the serial number of system. It might be used for copy-protection, but you
-shouldn't do this. Please remember that the Free Software is a true power.
+This function returns the serial number of system. It might be used for copy-protection.
+However, please remember that the Free Software is a true power and you are using it
+right now.
<sect2>GetRandom
<p>
a=random;
</verb></tscreen>
but by calling this function you are sure that the results will be always different.
-<tt/random/ is updated once a frame (50Hz PAL) and on every call to <tt/GetRandom/
+<tt/random/ is updated once a frame (50Hz PAL) and on every call to <tt/GetRandom/.
+<p>
+Note that it is not the same as <tt/rand/ function from the standard library. <tt/GetRandom/
+will give you unpredictable results (if IRQs would occur between calls to it) while
+<tt/rand/ conforms to the standard and for given seed (<tt/srand/) it always returns with the
+same sequence of values.
<sect2>SetDevice
<p>
<tt/DoneWithIO/ and some Kernal routines. Unless new device is a disk drive this only sets
new value in <tt/curDevice/, in other case new disk driver is loaded from REU or internal RAM.
+<sect2>get_ostype
+<p>
+<tt/char get_ostype (void)/
+<p>
+This function returns GEOS Kernal version combined (by logical OR) with machine type. Read
+<tt/gsys.h/ for definitions of returned values.
+
+<sect2>get_tv
+<p>
+<tt/char get_tv (void)/
+<p>
+This function returns PAL/NTSC flag combined (by logical OR) with 40/80 columns flag. This is
+not the best way to check if screen has 40 or 80 columns since PAL/NTSC check is always
+performed and it can take as long as full raster frame. If you just want to know if
+screen has 40 or 80 columns use expression <tt/graphMode & 0x80/ which returns <tt/0/ for
+40 columns and <tt/0x80/ for 80 columns. Remember that this parameter can be changed during
+runtime. It is unclear if this will work for GEOS 64 so you probably do not want to test
+anything if not running under GEOS128. Use <tt/get_ostype/ to check it. Read <tt/gsys.h/ for
+definitions of returned values.
+
<sect>Library Structures
<p>
To simplify usage and optimize passing parameters to functions I have declared several structures
which describe most common objects. Some of these structures are bound to static addresses in
-GEOS data space ($8000-$8fff), so you can use their fields directly in optimized way.
+GEOS data space (<tt/$8000-$8fff/), so you can use their fields directly in optimized way.
Please see <tt/gsym.h/ and find them. All structures are defined in <tt/gstruct.h/ and you may
find also some comments there.
-<sect1>Graphics
+<sect1>Graphics Structures
<sect2>pixel
<p>
<p>
This structure describes a font in one pointsize. There is current font - <tt/struct fontdesc/
bound to <tt/curFontDesc/. You can also force GEOS to use your own fonts by calling
-<tt/LoadCharSet/. You just need to open a VLIR font file and load one record - one pointsize
+<tt/LoadCharSet/. You just need to open a VLIR font file and load one record - one pointsize -
somewhere. At the start of this area you already have all data for <tt/fontdesc/ so you can
-pass a pointer to the load adress of that pointsize to <tt/LoadCharSet/.
+pass a pointer to the load address of that pointsize to <tt/LoadCharSet/. (Note that although
+it has 'Load' in the name, that function loads only GEOS internal data structures, not data
+from disk).
<sect2>window
<p>
<tt/fileheader/ is a structure).
You will also need own fileheader for <tt/SaveFile/.
-<sect1>System
+<sect1>System Structures
<sect2>s_date
<p>
You should declare a table of that type to prepare data for <tt/InitProcesses/. The maximum number
of processes is 20, and the last entry has to be equal to <tt/{NULL,NULL}/, so this table may hold
only 21 entries. The first member of this structure (<tt/pointer/) holds the pointer to called
-function (void returning void), you will probably have to cast that pointer into int. The second
-field <tt/jiffies/ holds the amount of time between calls to that function. On PAL systems there
-are 50 jiffies per second, while NTSC have 60 of them.
+function (void returning void), you will probably have to cast that pointer into <tt/unsigned int/.
+The second field <tt/jiffies/ holds the amount of time between calls to that function.
+On PAL systems there are 50 jiffies per second, while NTSC have 60 of them.
<sect1>Few thing in detail...
<p>
Here is how single descriptor looks like:
<tscreen><verb>
void myMenu = {
- (char)top, (char)botom, // this is the size of the menubox
- (unsigned)left, (unsigned)right, // counting all items in current descriptor
- (char)number_of_items | type_of_menu, // number of following items ORed with
- // type of this menu, it can be either
+ (char)top, (char)bottom, // this is the size of the menubox
+ (unsigned)left, (unsigned)right, // counting all items in current descriptor
+ (char)number_of_items | type_of_menu, // number of following items ORed with
+ // type of this menu, it can be either
// HORIZONTAL or VERTICAL if you will have also bit 6 set then menu won't be closed
// after moving mouse pointer outside the menubox. You can have at most 31 items.
</verb></tscreen>
<tscreen><verb>
char text = "foo";
...
- r15=(int)text; // in code just before call to DoDlgBox
+ r15=(unsigned)text; // in code just before call to DoDlgBox
...
DB_VARSTR (TXT_LN_X, TXT_LN_1_Y, &r15),
...
(unsigned)address_to_store_values_at,
(char)number_of_bytes_that_follow,
(char)data,(char)data (...)
- (...) - more such definitions
- (unsigned)NULL - address of 0 ends the table
+ // more such definitions
+ (unsigned)NULL // address of 0 ends the table
};
</verb></tscreen>
+<sect2>Intercepting system vectors
+<p>
+It is possible to intercept and hook in the GEOS Kernal using vectors. Here is a little example:
+<tscreen><verb>
+void_func oldVector;
+
+void NewVectorHandler(void) {
+ // do something and at the end call the old vector routine
+ oldVector();
+}
+
+void hook_into_system(void) {
+ oldVector = mouseVector;
+ mouseVector = NewVectorHandler;
+}
+
+void remove_hook(void) {
+ mouseVector = oldVector;
+}
+</verb></tscreen>
+<p>
+In your <tt/main/ function you should call <tt/hook_into_system()/ but <em/after/ all calls to GEOS
+kernal (like <tt/DoMenu/, <tt/DoIcons/, etc.) - right before passing control to the <tt/MainLoop()/.
+Be warned that vectors are most likely to be changed by GEOS kernal also by other functions (like
+<tt/GotoFirstMenu/, <tt/DoDlgBox/ and its derivatives etc.). It depends on what kernal functions
+you use and which vectors you altered. Unfortunately there is no exact list for GEOS 2.0, a complete
+list for GEOS 1.x can be found in A. Boyce's Programmers' Reference Guide mentioned before. Most of
+information contained there should be still valid for GEOS 2.0. When calling a function that restores
+the vector you should add a <tt/hook_into_system()/ call right after it.
+<p>
+It is critical to restore old vector values before exiting the program. If you have more than one
+place where you call <tt/exit()/ then it might be worth to register <tt/remove_hook/ function to
+be called upon exiting with <tt/atexit(&remove_hook);/ call. This way you will ensure that
+such destructor will be always called.
+<p>
+That little example above intercepts <tt/mouseVector/. The <tt/NewVectorHandler/ function will be
+called every time the mouse button changes status. Other important vectors you should know about
+are:
+<itemize>
+ <item><tt/appMain/ - this is called from within <tt/MainLoop/ system loop
+ <item><tt/keyVector/ - called whenever a keypress occurs
+ <item><tt/intTopVector/ - called at the start of IRQ routine
+ <item><tt/intBotVector/ - called at the end of IRQ routine
+</itemize>
+
</article>