0660103030566
9[....................................................]
€
GFA takes parameters
---------------------
Many programmers know how to read the command line passed to a .TTP program, or
the document name of an installed GEM application is when it double clicked on.
However, few people know how to do it in GFA BASIC - this month, Leighton
Cathcart from Bangor, Co. Down in Northern Ireland comes to the rescue.
    "Accessing the command line is very easy as GFA BASIC contains a built-in
variable called BASEPAGE, which holds the address of the basepage of your
program. The command line string is stored 128 bytes further on from this
address.
    The length of the command line string is stored at BASEPAGE+128 and the
string starts at BASEPAGE+129, terminated by a zero. The folowing program is an
example in which the command line is placed in the string ARG$. You should
compile it and give it a .TTP extension".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             A:\LISTINGS\GFA_TTP.BAS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rem Read command line in GFA
Rem By Leighton Cathcart

Length%=Peek(Basepage+128)
If Length%=0
  Print"No command line"
  End
Else
  For Count%=129 To (129+Length%)
    Char%=Peek(Basepage+Count%)
    Arg$=Arg$+Chr$(Char%)
  Next Count%
Endif
Print"Command line:";Arg$
Repeat
Until Inkey$=Chr$(13)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "This will work not only for .TTP programs, but also for GEM .PRG programs
as well. When you select Install Application from the desktop, the name of the
file you opened to run your application is also placed at this location in
memory."


What a GFA dump!
----------------
    Another GFA user is Giulio Marchesi from Bergamo in Italy. Giulio has
provided a program in GFA BASIC V2 to produce better proportioned screen dumps
for Degas Elite .PI3 pictures. The program was written for an Epson FX-800
9-pin printer, but it should work on all compatibles.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             A:\LISTINGS\GFA_DUMP.BAS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rem Degas PI3 screen dump
Rem By Giulio Marchesi

' print Degas .PI3
INPUT "Filename: ";file$
BLOAD file$,XBIOS(2)-34
GOSUB print_degas
'
PROCEDURE print_degas
  a$=SPACE$(800)        ! buffer for line data
  g$=CHR$(27)+"*"+CHR$(1)+CHR$(800)+CHR$(800/256)
  ' FX 800 graphics mode, double density)
  OPEN "",#99,"LST:"    ! open printer channel
  FOR s%=XBIOS(3) TO s%+79 ! reads screen data
    x%=VARPTR(a$)
    FOR q%=s%+399*80 TO s% STEP -80
      FOR i%=0 TO 1    ! double data for double density
        POKE x%,PEEK(q%)
        INC x%
      NEXT i%
    NEXT q%
    PRINT #99,g$;a$;CHR$(13);       ! one line and CR
    PRINT #99,CHR$(27);"J";CHR$(1); ! 1/216 line feed
    PRINT #99,g$;a$;CHR$(13);       ! print line again
    PRINT #99,CHR$(27);"J";CHR$(23);        ! 23/216 feed
  NEXT s%
  CLOSE #99
RETURN
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STOS tip
---------
Kevin Ware-Lane of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, has found an undocumented
feature in STOS BASIC:
    "Create any file, and save it in the root directory of your working copy of
the STOS Basic disk. It must be saved under the file name AUTOEXEC.BAS. Now,
whenever you boot your working copy of STOS, that BASIC program will be loaded
and run."