freepascal.compiler/docs/crt.tex

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\chapter{The CRT unit.}
\label{ch:crtunit}
This chapter describes the \var{CRT} unit for Free Pascal, both under \dos
and \linux. The unit was first written for \dos by Florian kl\"ampfl. 

The unit was ported to \linux by Mark May\footnote{Current
e-mail address \textsf{[email protected]}}, and enhanced by Micha\"el Van Canneyt
It works on the \linux console, and in xterm and rxvt windows under
X-Windows. The functionality for both is the same, except that under \linux
the use of an early implementation (versions 0.9.1 an earlier of the
compiler) the crt unit automatically cleared the screen at program startup.

This chapter is divided in two sections. 
\begin{itemize}
\item The first section lists the pre-defined constants, types and variables. 
\item The second section describes the functions which appear in the
interface part of the CRT unit.
\end{itemize}

\section{Types, Variables, Constants}
Color definitions :
\begin{verbatim}
  Black = 0;
  Blue = 1;
  Green = 2;
  Cyan = 3;
  Red = 4;
  Magenta = 5;
  Brown = 6;
  LightGray = 7;
  DarkGray = 8;
  LightBlue = 9;
  LightGreen = 10;
  LightCyan = 11;
  LightRed = 12;
  LightMagenta = 13;
  Yellow = 14;
  White = 15;
  Blink = 128;
\end{verbatim}
Miscellaneous constants
\begin{verbatim}
  TextAttr: Byte = $07;
  TextChar: Char = ' ';
  CheckBreak: Boolean = True;
  CheckEOF: Boolean = False;
  CheckSnow: Boolean = False;
  DirectVideo: Boolean = False;
  LastMode: Word = 3;
  WindMin: Word = $0;
  WindMax: Word = $184f;
  ScreenWidth = 80;
  ScreenHeight = 25;
\end{verbatim}
Some variables for compatibility with Turbo Pascal. However, they're not
used by \fpc.
\begin{verbatim}
var
  checkbreak : boolean;
  checkeof : boolean;
  checksnow : boolean;
\end{verbatim}
The following constants define screen modes on a \dos system:
\begin{verbatim}
Const
  bw40 = 0;
  co40 = 1;
  bw80 = 2;
  co80 = 3;
  mono = 7;
\end{verbatim}
The \var{TextAttr} variable controls the attributes with which characters
are written to screen.
\begin{verbatim}
var TextAttr : byte;
\end{verbatim}
The \var{DirectVideo} variable controls the writing to the screen. If it is
\var{True}, the the cursor is set via direct port access. If \var{False},
then the BIOS is used. This is defined under \dos only.
\begin{verbatim}
var DirectVideo : Boolean;
\end{verbatim}
The \var{Lastmode} variable tells you which mode was last selected for the
screen. It is defined on \dos only.
\begin{verbatim}
var lastmode : Word;
\end{verbatim}

\section{Procedures and Functions}
\procedure{AssignCrt}{(Var F: Text)}
{
Assigns a file F to the console. Everything written to the file F goes to
the console instead. If the console contains a window, everything is written
to the window instead.
}
{None.}{\seep{Window}}

\input{crtex/ex1.tex}

\procedure{Delay}{(DTime: Word)}
{Delay waits a specified number of milliseconds. The number of specified
seconds is a approximation, and may be off a lot, if system load is high.}
{None}{\seep{Sound}, \seep{NoSound}}

\input{crtex/ex15.tex}

\procedure {TextColor}{(CL: Byte)}
{
TextColor sets the foreground color to \var{CL}. \var{CL} can be one of the
predefined color constants.
}
{None.}{ \seep{TextBackground}, \seep{HighVideo}, \seep{LowVideo},
\seep{NormVideo}}

\input{crtex/ex12.tex}

\procedure {TextBackground}{(CL: Byte)}
{
TextBackground sets the background color to \var{CL}. \var{CL} can be one of the
predefined color constants.
}
{None.}{ \seep{TextColor}, \seep{HighVideo}, \seep{LowVideo},
\seep{NormVideo}}

\input{crtex/ex13.tex}

\procedure {HighVideo}{}
{ HighVideo switches the output to highlighted text. (It sets the high
intensity bit of the video attribute)
}
{None.}{ \seep{TextColor}, \seep{TextBackground}, \seep{LowVideo},
\seep{NormVideo}}

\input{crtex/ex14.tex}

\Procedure {LowVideo}
{ LowVideo switches the output to non-highlighted text. (It clears the high
intensity bit of the video attribute)
}
{None.}{ \seep{TextColor}, \seep{TextBackground}, \seep{HighVideo},
\seep{NormVideo}}

For an example, see \seep{HighVideo}

\Procedure {NormVideo}
{ NormVideo switches the output to the defaults, read at startup. (The
defaults are read from the cursor position at startup)
}
{None.}{ \seep{TextColor}, \seep{TextBackground}, \seep{LowVideo},
\seep{HighVideo}}

For an example, see \seep{HighVideo}

\Procedure{BigCursor}{Makes the cursor a big rectangle. 

Not implemented on \linux.}
{None.}{\seep{CursorOn}, \seep{CursorOff}}

\Procedure{CursorOn}{Switches the cursor on. 

Not implemented on \linux.}
{None.}{\seep{BigCursor}, \seep{CursorOff}}

\Procedure{CursorOff}{Switches the cursor off (i.e. the cursor is no
longer visible). 

Not implemented on \linux.}
{None.}{\seep{CursorOn}, \seep{BigCursor}}

\procedure {GotoXY}{(X: Byte; Y: Byte)}
{ Positions the cursor at \var{(X,Y)}, \var{X} in horizontal, \var{Y} in
vertical direction relative to the origin of the current window. The origin
is located at \var{(1,1)}, the upper-left corner of the window.
}
{None.}{ \seef{WhereX}, \seef{WhereY}, \seep{Window} }

\input{crtex/ex6.tex}

\Function  {WhereX}{Byte}
{
WhereX returns the current X-coordinate of the cursor, relative to the
current window. The origin is \var{(1,1)}, in the upper-left corner of the
window.
}
{None.}{ \seep{GotoXY}, \seef{WhereY}, \seep{Window} }


\input{crtex/ex7.tex}

\Function  {WhereY}{Byte}
{
WhereY returns the current Y-coordinate of the cursor, relative to the
current window. The origin is \var{(1,1)}, in the upper-left corner of the
window.
}
{None.}{ \seep{GotoXY}, \seef{WhereX}, \seep{Window} }

\input{crtex/ex7.tex}

\procedure {Window}{(X1, Y1, X2, Y2: Byte)}
{ Window creates a window on the screen, to which output will be sent.
\var{(X1,Y1)} are the coordinates of the upper left corner of the window,
\var{(X2,Y2)} are the coordinates of the bottom right corner of the window.
These coordinates are relative to the entire screen, with the top left
corner equal to \var{(1,1)}

Further coordinate operations, except for the next Window call,
are relative to the window's top left corner.
}
{None.}{\seep{GotoXY}, \seef{WhereX}, \seef{WhereY}, \seep{ClrScr}}

\input{crtex/ex5.tex}


\procedure {ClrScr}{}
{ ClrScr clears the current window (using the current colors), 
and sets the cursor in the top left
corner of the current window.}
{None.}{ \seep{Window} }

\input{crtex/ex8.tex}


%\procedure {ScrollWindow}{(X1,Y1,X2,Y2 : Byte; Count : Longint)}
%{ ScrollWindow scrolls the contents of the window defined by the upper-left
%\var{(X1,Y1)} and lower-right \var{(X2,Y2)} corners \var{count} lines up if
%\var{count} is positive, it scrolls down if \var{count} is negative.
%The new lines are made blank using the current textcolors.
%}
%{None.}{\seep{Window}, \seep{ClrScr}}

%\function {SaveScreenRegion}{(X1,Y1,X2,Y2, var P : pointer)}{Boolean}
%{SaveScreenRegion writes the the contents of the window defined by the upper-left
%\var{(X1,Y1)} and lower-right \var{(X2,Y2)} corners to the location pointed
%to by \var{P}. If \var{P} is \var{nil} then enough memory is allocated to
%contain the contents of the window.
%
%The contents are written as follows : line per line, column per column,
%first the character on screen is written (1 byte), followed by the text 
%attribute (1 byte). The size required is therefore 
%\var{(Y2-Y1+1)*(X2-X1+1)*2} bytes.
%
%The function returns \var{False} if it couldn't allocate the required
%memory, \var{True} if the memory was allocated.}{None.}
%{\seep{RestoreScreenRegion}, \seep{Window} }

%\procedure {RestoreScreenRegion}{(X1,Y1,X2,Y2, var P : pointer)}
%{SaveScreenRegion writes the the contents of the memory location pointed to
%by \var{P}, to the window defined by the upper-left \var{(X1,Y1)} and 
%lower-right \var{(X2,Y2)} corners. 
%
%The contents of \var{P} should be arranged as if they are when written by 
%a call to the SaveScreenRegion () function.
%
%The memory pointed to by \var{P} is NOT freed.}{None}
%{\seef{SaveScreenRegion}, \seep{Window} }


\Procedure {ClrEol}
{ ClrEol clears the current line, starting from the cursor position, to the
end of the window. The cursor doesn't move}
{None.}{\seep{DelLine}, \seep{InsLine}, \seep{ClrScr}}

\input{crtex/ex9.tex}


\Procedure {DelLine}
{ DelLine removes the current line. Lines following the current line are 
scrolled 1 line up, and an empty line is inserted at the bottom of the
current window. The cursor doesn't move.}
{None.}{\seep{ClrEol}, \seep{InsLine}, \seep{ClrScr}}

\input{crtex/ex11.tex}


\procedure {InsLine}{}
{ InsLine inserts an empty line at the current cursor position. 
Lines following the current line are scrolled 1 line down, 
causing the last line to disappear from the window. 
The cursor doesn't move.}
{None.}{\seep{ClrEol}, \seep{DelLine}, \seep{ClrScr}}

\input{crtex/ex10.tex}


\Function {KeyPressed}{Boolean}
{ The Keypressed function scans the keyboard buffer and sees if a key has
been pressed. If this is the case, \var{True} is returned. If not,
\var{False} is returned. The \var{Shift, Alt, Ctrl} are not reported.
The key is not removed from the buffer, and can hence still be read after
the KeyPressed function has been called.
}
{None.}{\seef{ReadKey}}

\input{crtex/ex2.tex}


\Function  {ReadKey}{Char}
{
The ReadKey function reads 1 key from the keyboard buffer, and returns this.
If an extended or function key has been pressed, then the zero ASCII code is 
returned. You can then read the scan code of the key with a second ReadKey
call.

\textbf{Remark.} Key mappings under Linux can cause the wrong key to be
reported by ReadKey, so caution is needed when using ReadKey.  
}
{None.}{\seef{KeyPressed}}

\input{crtex/ex3.tex}


\procedure{Sound}{(hz : word)}
{ Sounds the speaker at a frequency of \var{hz}.

This is not supported in \linux}{None.}{\seep{NoSound}}
\Procedure{NoSound}{
Stops the speaker sound.

This is not supported in \linux}{None.}{\seep{Sound}}

\input{crtex/ex16.tex}