Alsys Ada Compiler DOS/DOSE Packages

Alsys Ada Compiler DOS/DOSE Packages

[Debs Wisbey]

Dear All,

I currently have a software program that is written in Ada and built
using the Alsys Ada 286/DOS compiler v4.3 and I am trying to port it
to the GNAT 3.10p Ada compiler for MS-DOS.  Unfortunately, my current
software contains numerous calls to the DOS and DOSE packages that, I
think, are specific to the Alsys Ada compiler.

Does anyone know where I can find equivalent functions/procedures or a
more detailed explanation of the package contents (other than the
specs) so that I can create some packages that in effect do similar
things?

Also, does anyone know if you can draw a table/grid and then populate
it with values?  This entails positioning the cursor on the screen at
a given co-ordinate and as of yet I cannot find a way of doing it.  My
only solution is to redraw the screen each time values change, which
is not very efficient.

Thank you for any help that you can give me,
Debs.

Re: Alsys Ada Compiler DOS/DOSE Packages

[tmoran]

>Also, does anyone know if you can draw a table/grid and then populate
>it with values?  This entails positioning the cursor on the screen at
  Your DOS system should have support for ANSI control codes (you may
have to boot with ANSI.SYS in config.sys, IIRC), and Mike Feldman has
an ANSI cursor control package (search www.adaic.com).  Alternatively,
you can define a 24x80 array of byte pairs, where one of the bytes
is the character and the other is the color, "use at" to put it at
16#B800#,0 (IIRC), then do your own string write and cursor control.

>software contains numerous calls to the DOS and DOSE packages that,
>...
>more detailed explanation of the package contents (other than the
>specs) so that I can create some packages that in effect do similar
  How many different procedures are in those specs?  It probably
has a simple INT21h call with and without full register sets, and
BIOS calls with specifiable INT number.  Those should be pretty
simple to recreate or use the not-very-different versions in your
current DOS targetted compiler.

Re: Alsys Ada Compiler DOS/DOSE Packages

[Jeffrey Carter]

Debs Wisbey wrote:
> 
> I currently have a software program that is written in Ada and built
> using the Alsys Ada 286/DOS compiler v4.3 and I am trying to port it
> to the GNAT 3.10p Ada compiler for MS-DOS.  Unfortunately, my current
> software contains numerous calls to the DOS and DOSE packages that, I
> think, are specific to the Alsys Ada compiler.

Depends on what they do. Does 3.10 come with GNAT.OS_Lib?

> Also, does anyone know if you can draw a table/grid and then populate
> it with values?  This entails positioning the cursor on the screen at
> a given co-ordinate and as of yet I cannot find a way of doing it.  My
> only solution is to redraw the screen each time values change, which
> is not very efficient.

There are a number of ways to do that for DOS. One of the more portable 
(except to Win NT/2k/XP) is with the ansi.sys driver loaded, using ANSI 
escape sequences. You can use PragmARC.ANSI_TTY_Control for many of them:

http://home.earthlink.net/~jrcarter010/pragmarc.htm

-- 
Jeff Carter
"I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK."
Monty Python's Flying Circus

Re: Alsys Ada Compiler DOS/DOSE Packages

[Gautier Write-only]

Debs Wisbey:

> I currently have a software program that is written in Ada and built
> using the Alsys Ada 286/DOS compiler v4.3 and I am trying to port it
> to the GNAT 3.10p Ada compiler for MS-DOS.  Unfortunately, my current
> software contains numerous calls to the DOS and DOSE packages that, I
> think, are specific to the Alsys Ada compiler.

A few Alsys functions (EXEC,...) are implemented in my DOS package for
GNAT, see dos_paqs.zip below. Feel free to complete it and contact me...

[...]

> Also, does anyone know if you can draw a table/grid and then populate
> it with values?  This entails positioning the cursor on the screen at
> a given co-ordinate and as of yet I cannot find a way of doing it.  My
> only solution is to redraw the screen each time values change, which
> is not very efficient.

See PC_TextScreen in the same archive :-).
________________________________________________________
Gautier  --  http://www.mysunrise.ch/users/gdm/gsoft.htm

NB: For a direct answer, e-mail address on the Web site!