[Ql-Users] WMAN queries
Morning all, I've written a small demo program to show the things that happen when an application sub-window is hit in a PE program. The program has a window containing a single application sub-window. The hit routine does nothing more than this: ahit0 movem.l d1/d3/d5-d7/a0/a4,-(a7) ; Save the workers moveq #0,d1 ; D1.W = Application sub window number moveq #0,d2 ; D2.W = Ink colour ; A4 already set to Working definition jsr wm_swapp(a2) ; Set channel id (A0) to the subwindow movem.l a1-a2,-(a7) ; A1 gets corrupted lea hit,a1; Text string to print move.w ut_mtext,a2; Print string vector jsr (a2) ; Print the message lea hitter,a1 ; Hit counter location move.w (a1),d1; Hit counter value addq.w #1,d1 ; Increment counter move.w d1,(a1); Save counter move.w ut_mint,a2 ; Print integer vector jsr (a2) ; Print it movem.l (a7)+,a1-a2 ; Restore movem.l (a7)+,d1/d3/d5-d7/a0/a4 ; Restore the workers moveq #0,d0 ; No errors rts ; Strings and things go here hitter dc.w 0; How many times have I been hit? hit dc.w hit_e-hit-2 ; Hit message dc.b 'HIT: ' hit_e equ * Now, when run I notice the following foibles: 1. The hit code is called when the pointer enters the sub-window, and each time it moves within the sub-window. 2. Pressing the TAB key, which activates the sub-window, the counter increases by TWO and not one. 3. Pressing the F1 key also increases the count by two. 4. Other keys, I have not tested everything, increment the counter by one. There are no menus or anything in the sub-window, it is used simply as a display area by the program, aub-window menus come in a later article! Another question, I only have a single sub-window. If I comment out the call to WM_SWAPP in the hit routine, I still see my output in the sub-window, but it is not cleared before hand. (I can live with this) but when I was writing PE stuff using SuperBasic and EasyPTR 3, I always had to set the channel to the sub-window (or info window or whatever) before I could write to it. So, My further queries are: 1. Do I need to call WM_SWAPP if I only have one sub-window or can I assume that the channel id always refers to the sub-window regardless unless I explicitly set it to a loose item or whatever? 2. If I have two or more sub-windows, does the channel id, by default, point at the first - I haven't tested this yet - If I don't call WM_SWAPP? Thanks. PS. The above has been noticed running on QPC under Wine on Linux. I'm attempting to run it under Windows (in an emulator) to see what happens there! -- Norman Dunbar Dunbar IT Consultants Ltd Registered address: Thorpe House 61 Richardshaw Lane Pudsey West Yorkshire United Kingdom LS28 7EL Company Number: 05132767 ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] WMAN queries
On 21 Jan 2011, at 10:14, Norman Dunbar wrote: I've written a small demo program to show the things that happen when an application sub-window is hit in a PE program. The program has a window containing a single application sub-window. The hit routine does nothing more than this: ahit0 movem.l d1/d3/d5-d7/a0/a4,-(a7) ; Save the workers moveq #0,d1 ; D1.W = Application sub window number moveq #0,d2 ; D2.W = Ink colour ; A4 already set to Working definition jsr wm_swapp(a2) ; Set channel id (A0) to the subwindow movem.l a1-a2,-(a7) ; A1 gets corrupted lea hit,a1; Text string to print move.w ut_mtext,a2; Print string vector jsr (a2) ; Print the message lea hitter,a1 ; Hit counter location move.w (a1),d1; Hit counter value addq.w #1,d1 ; Increment counter move.w d1,(a1); Save counter move.w ut_mint,a2 ; Print integer vector jsr (a2) ; Print it movem.l (a7)+,a1-a2 ; Restore movem.l (a7)+,d1/d3/d5-d7/a0/a4 ; Restore the workers moveq #0,d0 ; No errors rts ; Strings and things go here hitter dc.w 0; How many times have I been hit? hit dc.w hit_e-hit-2 ; Hit message dc.b 'HIT: ' hit_e equ * Now, when run I notice the following foibles: 1. The hit code is called when the pointer enters the sub-window, and each time it moves within the sub-window. 2. Pressing the TAB key, which activates the sub-window, the counter increases by TWO and not one. 3. Pressing the F1 key also increases the count by two. 4. Other keys, I have not tested everything, increment the counter by one. There are no menus or anything in the sub-window, it is used simply as a display area by the program, aub-window menus come in a later article! The hit routine is called by PE in many cases. For example the manual says If there is no keystroke, or the keystroke is not the selection keystroke for a loose menu item or an application sub-window, then, if the pointer is within a sub-window, the hit routine is called, or else the loose menu item list is searched to find a new current item. F1 causes an event and so will cause the hit routine to be called. Another question, I only have a single sub-window. If I comment out the call to WM_SWAPP in the hit routine, I still see my output in the sub-window, but it is not cleared before hand. (I can live with this) but when I was writing PE stuff using SuperBasic and EasyPTR 3, I always had to set the channel to the sub-window (or info window or whatever) before I could write to it. Commenting out WM_SWAPP is not a good idea. When I tried this program, or something very like it, HIT appeared in the main window. However, accessing the application window by a selection key caused HIT to appear in the application window. Obviously, the PE redefines the window area depending on where it finds the pointer. So, My further queries are: 1. Do I need to call WM_SWAPP if I only have one sub-window or can I assume that the channel id always refers to the sub-window regardless unless I explicitly set it to a loose item or whatever? You have to use WM_SWAPP 2. If I have two or more sub-windows, does the channel id, by default, point at the first - I haven't tested this yet - If I don't call WM_SWAPP? No George ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] WMAN queries
On 21 Jan 2011, at 12:58, Norman Dunbar wrote: Commenting out WM_SWAPP is not a good idea. When I tried this program, or something very like it, HIT appeared in the main window. However, accessing the application window by a selection key caused HIT to appear in the application window. Obviously, the PE redefines the window area depending on where it finds the pointer. Well, in my example, if the pointer is outside of the sub-window, nothing happens to call the HIT code regardless. It's only a HIT when the pointer is within the sub-window area, or I press TAB to activate the sub-window. In my window definition I set A to select the application window. So, pressing A when the pointer is outside the application window first sets the focus to the application window and then the hit routine is called. George ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] OT - Proposed cut to BT broadband charges in rural areas
Hi, This will be of interest to some of you in the UK, in rural areas ... including the most rural Wales. From ZN News: Ofcom proposes BT wholesale rural price cuts BT should cut its wholesale costs by between 10 and 14 percent in rural areas, where there is no wholesale broadband competition, according to the regulator http://nl.zdnet.co.uk/matBcBDaic/ihBhH -- Malcolm Cadman ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] Programming project request...
Hi all. So, I recently had a head injury that gave me some concentration and short term memory problems. From my past experience with this type of injury in 1994, I know the best therapy is to work my brain, stretch it, make demands. I have use of a QL software emulator. It can emulate the basic QL with many memory configurations, QDOS, Minerva, etc, and save/load to disk. So. The exercise I have given myself is to write some SuperBASIC software that benefits the community. On completion, the code would be released free for all. I was only an average programmer in my heyday and have an idea what my limitations where then, and am sure they're less now. For this reason, I am putting some artificial limits on what I do. It could be anything - a game, utility, whatever. However, it can't rely on special hardware. It should be able to run on a 640K QL. It would be in SuperBASIC, not assembly, but as an option (if I can find the Lightning I have in a box SOMEWHERE) it could be compiled. So TCP/IP based apps are out... for now. No pointers (I don't have one.) I'm open to games or simulations that don't require advanced math... So far I have considered: An Air Traffic Control game/simulator (depending on realism achieved.) A graphical tower defense game - but not really a desire to develop some game toolkit or learn a complicated one - something meeting 80s standards, not today's! Blocks games. Many ideas to choose from. Not so convinced on this. Board games? Meh? Trading game/stocks/... simulation? An election/govt game? (Like the BBC GB Ltd. game, but more playabe?) A fantasy sport league game? A catalog/library app? (for books, dvds, etc?) I'm quite taken by doing a QL version of Plants vs Zombies. I also have a to do list. I am rereading my original QL manual - don't have the Care TK2 manual any more so need to go find a copy of that. Also, need to check out this Minerva thing. I've always stuck to JS roms and tk2. I'm not a big POKE/PEEKer so OS differences don't affect me so much. What I'd like from the list is ideas within or outside this list to give me something to work on. The brain took a good thump and it truly isn't working so well - it feels like I have a permanent stinking head cold. *So, ideas/suggestions/discussion would help me, and may act as a bunch of ideas for others interested in doing something similar in the future... * Ok. I went and took a look, and my Lightning is on microdrive. Is there a pd or shareware compiler anyone would recommend, depending on how the conversation develops, that can work on an emulator? Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Programming project request...
On 22/01/2011 06:03, Plastic wrote: Hi all. So, I recently had a head injury that gave me some concentration and short term memory problems. From my past experience with this type of injury in 1994, I know the best therapy is to work my brain, stretch it, make demands. I have use of a QL software emulator. It can emulate the basic QL with many memory configurations, QDOS, Minerva, etc, and save/load to disk. So. The exercise I have given myself is to write some SuperBASIC software that benefits the community. On completion, the code would be released free for all. I was only an average programmer in my heyday and have an idea what my limitations where then, and am sure they're less now. For this reason, I am putting some artificial limits on what I do. It could be anything - a game, utility, whatever. However, it can't rely on special hardware. It should be able to run on a 640K QL. It would be in SuperBASIC, not assembly, but as an option (if I can find the Lightning I have in a box SOMEWHERE) it could be compiled. So TCP/IP based apps are out... for now. No pointers (I don't have one.) I'm open to games or simulations that don't require advanced math... So far I have considered: An Air Traffic Control game/simulator (depending on realism achieved.) A graphical tower defense game - but not really a desire to develop some game toolkit or learn a complicated one - something meeting 80s standards, not today's! Blocks games. Many ideas to choose from. Not so convinced on this. Board games? Meh? Trading game/stocks/... simulation? An election/govt game? (Like the BBC GB Ltd. game, but more playabe?) A fantasy sport league game? A catalog/library app? (for books, dvds, etc?) I'm quite taken by doing a QL version of Plants vs Zombies. I also have a to do list. I am rereading my original QL manual - don't have the Care TK2 manual any more so need to go find a copy of that. Also, need to check out this Minerva thing. I've always stuck to JS roms and tk2. I'm not a big POKE/PEEKer so OS differences don't affect me so much. What I'd like from the list is ideas within or outside this list to give me something to work on. The brain took a good thump and it truly isn't working so well - it feels like I have a permanent stinking head cold. *So, ideas/suggestions/discussion would help me, and may act as a bunch of ideas for others interested in doing something similar in the future... * Ok. I went and took a look, and my Lightning is on microdrive. Is there a pd or shareware compiler anyone would recommend, depending on how the conversation develops, that can work on an emulator? Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm Good morning Dave, It would also be a good idea for you to post this on the QL Forum (where there are more new users than on this list) - see www.qlforum.co.uk Manuals - see the QL homepage for replacement manuals which can be downloaded - http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/docs/manuals/index.html As for a SuperBASIC compiler... Lightning is a utility which increase the speed of graphics and text routines in any program which uses the standard QDOS routines, it is not a SuperBASIC compiler. You can purchase Q-Liberator which is a good all round compiler, but not highly optimised for speed. Otherwise there is the public domain Turbo compiler which includes a massive toolkit and can produce much faster code than Q-Liberator, so it is better for games. The downside with Turbo is that it does not cope well with sloppy programming, so you need to concentrate on structured programming (procedures, functions, FOR... END FOR (not simply FOR.. NEXT) etc. Turbo can be obtained from http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/turbo/index.html -- Rich Mellor RWAP Services http://www.rwapsoftware.co.uk http://www.rwapservices.co.uk -- Try out our new site: http://sellmyretro.com ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Programming project request...
Dave, The Turbo compiler (and Turbo Toolkit) are now freeware and available, and can be found on this page: http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/turbo/index.html You'll also find a large number of programming tools at the main index for Dilywn's side: http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/downloads.html You can find TK2 and the Pointer Environment there too. Tim Swenson ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Programming project request...
On Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 12:23 AM, Rich Mellor r...@rwapservices.co.ukwrote: On 22/01/2011 06:03, Plastic wrote: As for a SuperBASIC compiler... Lightning is a utility which increase the speed of graphics and text routines in any program which uses the standard QDOS routines, it is not a SuperBASIC compiler. See, that's what I have to deal with. As soon as I'm told that I remember it very clearly. Lightning was this really need tool that transformed my QL by replacing the commonly used display routines (which were as general purpose as possible and slow) with custom, up to 30x faster specific routines. I know that! But I didn't until you said it. This kind of thing happens to me a few times every day right now. I have the Turbo Toolkit - but that is also on microdrive. Timothy Swenson's email addresses that. Good links all... Following, reading and printing. Can't scribble pencil notes in the margin of a PDF. Dave ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
