GET STRING utility RP AUTOMATION INC. DEC 1988

Preliminary Documentation

1.0 Introduction

The programs included in this file allow inputs which are not

just decimal numbers. In the current VAL II system, only

decimal numbers are allowed to be inputs. With this package

of programs, many other types of input are available. The types

of input that are possible are:

Single ASCII character

ASCII character string

ASCII character string converted to UPPERCASE

ASCII character string converted to lowercase

Octal number

Hexadecimal number

2.0 Subroutine Description

Name Description

rp.get.char This program waits until any key is pressed

on the keyboard, and then returns the value

of that key using the variable "inchar".

Sample Call:

CALL get.char ;Get a character

IF inchar==13 THEN ;Do if a <RETURN> key

<code>

END

rp.get.string This program saves all characters that are

input through the keyboard until a <RETURN>

key is typed. The data is saved in the

array "inbuf[]", which is returned to the

calling routine when the string is finished.

Sample Call:

CALL get.string ;Get a filename

tmp=0

DO ;Loop until end of filename

<copy name to different array>

UNTIL inbuf[tmp]==0

Name Description

rp.get.string.upper This program saves all characters that are

input through the keyboard until a <RETURN>

key is typed. The data is saved in the

array "inbuf[]", which is returned to the

calling routine when the string is finished.

Although the characters are all displayed

on the CRT screen in whatever case they are

input, all alpha-characters are converted to

UPPERCASE before the array is returned.

Sample Call:

CALL get.string.upper ;Get a password

tmp=0

WHILE inbuf[tmp]<>0 DO ;Check password as valid

<check password - HALT if error>

END

rp.get.string.lower This program saves all characters that are

input through the keyboard until a <RETURN>

key is typed. The data is saved in the

array "inbuf[]", which is returned to the

calling routine when the string is finished.

Although the characters are all displayed

on the CRT screen in whatever case they are

input, all alpha-characters are converted to

lowercase before the array is returned.

Sample Call:

CALL get.string.lower ;Get a password

tmp=0

WHILE inbuf[tmp]<>0 DO ;Check password as valid

<check password - HALT if error>

END

rp.get.octal.num This program gathers all characters that

are input through the keyboard until a

<RETURN> key is typed. The data is then

converted from ASCII into an octal number.

This number will be returned to the calling

routine in "inbuf[0]". An error message

will be displayed if an illegal octal number

is entered. A "^" key can be entered as the

first character, but it is not necessary.

Sample Call:

CALL get.octal.num ;Get an octal number

address = inbuf[0] ;Set address to value

Name Description

rp.get.hex.num This program gathers all characters that

are input through the keyboard until a

<RETURN> key is typed. The data is then

converted from ASCII to a hexadecimal

number. This number will then be returned

to the calling routine in "inbuf[0]". An

error message will be displayed if an

illegal hexadecimal number is entered.

Sample Call:

CALL get.hex.num ;Get a hexadecimal number

data = inbuf[0] ;Set data to value

rp.demo This program is simply a demonstration of

how the rest of these programs work. It

CALLs each of them, showing how the CALLing

sequence should be used.

3.0 Software Installation

1) Load the RP_GET.STRING file from floppy by typing:

LOAD RP_GET.STRING

2) Make changes to existing programs to CALL the appropriate

subroutines, as per the "sample calls" shown with each

program.

4.0 Notes

1) In all cases except the "get.char" program, <BS> and

<DEL> keypresses work like a BACKSPACE should (I.E. the

last typed character will be deleted from the buffer and

from the CRT screen).

2) All returned strings are terminated with a zero "0" character

in the "inbuf[]" array.

3) A <CONTROL>-C keypress flushes the buffer, as if nothing had

been typed at all.

4) All other <CONTROL>-key data is ignored. This means that

all other characters typed with values less than ^40 (SPACE)

are not put into the buffer.

5.0 Variable names used

The following list of real variable names are used within

this set of programs:

rp.bs.sp.bs[] rp.cr.lf[] rp.get.i

rp.inbuf[] rp.inchar rp.outchr[]

rp.tmp rp.type.i rp.z.factor

rp.z.i rp.z.temp1 rp.z.temp2

rp.z.temp3