Calling DOS!@#$%^
39 messages in this thread
I am trying to find out if there is any sneaky way to have VB communicated
with a DOS program. Any ideas out there in VB Land? I have considered:
DDE; can't use it since it only works with Windows
Using a protected area of memory; can't do this since VB has no PEEK.
Files; this will work but its a less than perfect solution.
3rd party tool; don't know of any from MicroHelp or Crescent.
Thanks to anyone who has any ideas on this.
Mitch
Mitch,
MicroHelp Muscle has both PEEK and POKE and lets you access DOS memory.
Mark
P.S. Did I not send you a copy? If not, please holler and I'll do so.
There are 2 Replies.
Oh! I didn't know Muscle had PEEK and POKE. No you sent me VBTOOLS, not
Muscle. I'd love a copy.
There is 1 Reply.
Mitch,
One copy of MicroHelp Muscle for VB is on the way!
Mark
Hi Mark,
Don't want to be rude or interrupt but I have similiar needs and wouldn't
mind if you can send me a copy of MicroHelp Muscle and VBTOOLS … It would
be very helpful for what I am trying to do …. Thanks in advance … By
the way if you can't send … can you tell me a little bit more about these
products … I need the info …
Regards
John
There is 1 Reply.
John,
I'll be happy to send you a demo disk that shows off the features of our
products (along with detailed info). Can you leave me your address in a
MAIL message?
Mark
P.S. You may not be familiar with Mitch Waite and thus don't understand my
offer to send him the actual product. Mitch is the founder of Waite Group
Press – they publish a large variety of "how to" books, notable for the
blue covers.
There are 2 Replies.
>
P.S. You may not be familiar with Mitch Waite and thus don't understand my
offer to send him the actual product. Mitch is the founder of Waite Group
Press – they publish a large variety of "how to" books, notable for the
blue covers.
>
Blue covers? Are books come in all colors of the rainbow but we like black
the most. You must be thinking of the QB Bible covers. 🙂
There are 2 Replies.
Mitch,
Sorry about that! I'm used to the blue ones and had never noticed the
others. Shame on me….
Mark
Mitchell:
Actually, I have a couple of your books on Assembler that are blue, and
one's even titled "Bluebook of Assembly Routines". <g>
There is 1 Reply.
I have that same blue Assembler book!
Chris
There is 1 Reply.
Chris:
Hope you got it cheap too! I got mine for $2.98 at the U Bookstore sale.
There is 1 Reply.
What was I getting cheap?
Chris
Oh Yes please send me the DEMO DISK it would be great my address is
Software Sculptors
417 East 83rd Street Apartment 2B
New York, NY 10028
My full name by the way is John Sirabella … Thanks for your help and I
look forward to receive it in the mail … Regards John
There is 1 Reply.
John,
Consider it on the way — thanks for asking.
Mark
P.S. I think your company name is very clever.
There is 1 Reply.
Thanks … Ofcourse when it comes to the clever things … I am not
responsible for … it is my soon to be wife Syl
Regards … JFS2
Mitch,
What is your specific need here? To send data, keystrokes, what?
You know, of course, that you *can* access the clipboard from DOS apps.
-=Jonathan
There is 1 Reply.
>
What is your specific need here? To send data, keystrokes, what? You know,
of course, that you *can* access the clipboard from DOS apps. -=Jonathan
>
I had no idea that you can access the clipboard from DOS. The VB manuals
don't even have the word DOS in the index and there is no mention of
communications with DOS apps.
Thanks for the help Jonathan. What I am doing is writing a Windows
interface for a program called Persistance of Vision (POV) Ray Tracer,
available here on CSN. Its a wonderful program that does ray tracing from
simple data files defining objects in 3D. The final output is a Targa file
and that works great. As the program is running it constantly displays on
the DOS screen the line number it is tracing, and when its done it displays
statistics of the ray tracing. I want to get the line numbers into the VB
program so the user never has to look at the DOS interface. The creators of
the POV Ray Tracer can do whatever I ask with the output; put it in a file
or whatever.
Is there a way that the DOS app can put its output on a clipboard object so
I can read it from VB? That would be great.
There is 1 Reply.
Mitch,
Frankly, for your problem, I would recommend piping the DOS output
to a file and then reading the file from VB. In this case, there is no
need for communication between VB and the DOS app. Interacting with the
cliboard will probably win you nothing. However, it can certainly be done
although it will be some work. -=- Jonathan
There are 2 Replies.
Jonathan,
I can only think of one DOS product that had direct access to the
Clipboard, and that is Word 5.5. I found it less than satisfactory, to
say the least.
Of course, if you're windowing DOS apps, you can use Windows to cut and
paste from any of them.
George
There are 2 Replies.
George,
What do you mean <<less than satisfactory>>? If you are just
transferring text to and from the Clipboard, it should function identically
to two Widows apps. -=- Jonathan
There is 1 Reply.
Jonathan,
Well, I haven't used the feature in the DOS Word 5.5 for a long time, but
the last time I tried it I ended up locking the system to the hardware
reset stage.
George
There is 1 Reply.
George,
That's interesting because if it is happening in an MS product, it
could mean that the functionality is not stable. It couldn't be a bug in
Word, could it?!<g> -=- Jonathan
There is 1 Reply.
Jonathan,
Gee, I wouldn't know about that. I do know that I avoid it.
George (always seeking bugs)
I am windowing a DOS app and I have NO idea of how to do it.
There are 2 Replies.
Mitch,
Well, I think we have our lines crossed here. George is talking
about a *user* using the clipboard between DOS and Windows app, not the
apps themselves. I don't think that is what you are after. If it is, then
it *is* easy. Just use the mouse to select a block of text in a Windowed
DOS app, and you can then go to the system menu and copy it to the
clipboard. Easy as cake. However, again, I think you are after something
transparent to the user. -=- Jonathan
There is 1 Reply.
Your right; I want to access the DOS clipboard from C or some other
language.
Mitchell,
OK, doing cut and paste from Windowed DOS apps is easy, if confusing. First
you press Alt-Spacebar, then in the control menu, choose Mark. You can
then use Shift-cursor keys to select. Select Edit, then copy to move the
info to the Clipboard.
You can also just drag the mousie, then use the control bar for the DOS
app.
Confusing in application, but it works.
Just be careful with apps like Word, which use Alt-Space for other
functions. Could be a lockup lurking there.
George
There are 2 Replies.
George:
Ummm, why not just select the stuff you want in the Windowed DOS app, and
click on the right mouse button to put it in the Clipboard?
There is 1 Reply.
Keith,
Why not indeed? A better idea yet. I don't really use the feature much.
I was just trying to answer a question….I actually looked in the Windows
manual…what a shocker!
George
This is what makes Windows crummy compared to the Mac where is just
command-C to copy, command-X to cut, and command-V to paste. All keys can
be reached by one hand as XCV are all next to each other on the keyboard.
Its too bad Gates left out the step of user testing that Apple did on the
interface.
There is 1 Reply.
Mitchell,
Well, I don't know. In Windows apps at least, it's just as easy, really.
Ctrl-Ins copies, Shift-Del cuts, and Shift-Ins inserts. That's not really
too tough.
George
Gee John that is a bit of a tease…we got the log file approach to work
but I thought from your comments about the clipboard that you could give me
some info on how its done. Is there someplace I could learn how to use the
clipboard from DOS. All I want the DOS program to do is put some pure text
on it and not that much text either.
Mitch
There are 2 Replies.
Mitch,
I didn't mean to tease you!<g> I was just saying that I don't think
that the clipboard approach would give you anything new, that's all. Give
me a day or so and I'll find the code to access the clipboard from DOS.
It's arou
There is 1 Reply.
I'll be awaiting your comments on how to program access to the clipboard
from a DOS program.
Mitch
There is 1 Reply.
Mitch,
Well, don't hold your breath. My first level search didn't turn
anything up and going to second level usually involves a chain saw!<g>
I'll find it though! -= Jonathan
Mitch,
Oh and by the way, don't call me John. If either my mother or my
wife see, your life may be in danger. Consider this fair warning.
-=Jonathan
There is 1 Reply.
Sorry. I'll be more careful in the future.
Hi Mitchell,
I have heard that Bridge from SoftBridge does some communication to DOS
from Windows. There phone number is 617-577-2257 out of Cambridge.
Don FUnk
There is 1 Reply.
I need to do this communication without using any 3rd party solutions.
Thanks anyway.