Disk No: 2234 Disk Title: VPT, VFONT, READ, SEL, SNOOP, V7CURS PC-SIG Version: S1 Program Title: VPT Author Version: 3.50 Author Registration: $20.00 Special Requirements: VGA. Anyone who wants to improve their color VGA system's look by setting their own VGA color shades should try out VPT. This program allows VGA or MCGA users to view the quarter-million (262,144) available VGA colors. It's interactive and easy to use. It has a graphical-type display, there are no "magic numbers" to type. Users can also set any text-mode attribute to any color out of the quarter-million; control the overscan (a.k.a. border) color (not available on MCGA systems); have the colors "stick" with almost all programs; load and save their favorite settings in color files, and use the program in a command-line mode (for batch files). VPT operates in text mode and allows setting of any or all of the sixteen attributes available in text mode. Program Title: VFONT Author Version: 4.35 Author Registration: None. Special Requirements: VGA. This program is for anyone tired of the default VGA text-mode font. VFONT contains and loads replacement fonts for VGA systems; it includes two variations of a "modern" font, and a handwritten "scrawl" font. The DOS version is a "terminate-and-stay-resident" program that takes up approximately 4.5K of RAM, and works only in text modes. The OS/2 version calls the OS to request a new font. OS/2 version only works in full-screen sessions. The four fonts are modern solid-line, modern double-line, scrawl-straight-line, and scrawl-scrawled-line. Modern is a pleasing, san-serif font. Scrawl is a handwritten-looking "scrawled" font. VFONT remains in place even if your software sets the video mode. This means the font won't "go away" like with some other font programs. The OS/2 version is saved and restored by the OS when switching between screen groups. Program Title: Read Author Registration: None. Special Requirements: DOS 3.3 or 4.0 If you are a batch file writer who needs interaction and the use of DOS' environment variables, here are a couple of utilities to make your life easier. Most batch file utilities return results in the ERRORLEVEL. These utilities set an environment variable, which means direct character results can be communicated between programs. If you ask for a Y or N, you can test for a Y or N. READLN and READKEY are programs that get input from the keyboard and place it in environment variables. They're perfect for making interactive batch files and much easier to use than utilities that use ERRORLEVEL to communicate the results. READLN displays the prompt (which must be in double quotes) and waits for input. All input up to an ENTER is placed in specified environment variables. If the first letter of var is capitalized, so will the input. READKEY displays the prompt (again in double quotes) and waits for input. ONE character is read (no ENTER is needed) and it is placed in the environment variable var. If the first letter of var is capitalized, so will the input character. If an extended key (function key, arrow keys, etc.) is pressed, the ASCII representation of the hexadecimal scan code for the key is placed in the variable. If a Carriage Return, Escape, BEL, or TAB is pressed, the ASCII representation of the character's ASCII code is placed in the variable. Program Title: SEL Author Version: 6.05 Author Registration: None. Special Requirements: CGA, and ANSI driver. SEL is an ANSI color selector for DOS or OS/2 for those who use any ANSI screen driver (ANSI.SYS, NANSI.SYS, &c. under DOS; ANSI ON for OS/2). SEL allows easy color selection using mnemonics instead of numbers; has a random color selection mode; and sets the prompt to a contrasting color. Program Title: Snoop Author Version: 3.93 Author Registration: None. Special Requirements: EGA, or VGA. This isn't an end-user program; rather, it's for programmers and advanced users who wish to snoop around a part of the VGA BIOS. SNOOP is a program to show various EGA and VGA pointers maintained by BIOS, and display the contents of the tables these pointers point to. These tables include the user palette override table, the alpha character override table, and the SAVE_PTR table. The program also displays the current contents of the VGA color registers. Program Title: V7CURS Author Version: 1.01 Author Registration: None. Special Requirements: VGA with the V7VGA chip set. For anyone who hates blinking cursors and owns a VGA card based on the V7VGA chipset, such as the FastWrite VGA and VRAM VGA. V7CURS exploits the non-blinking hardware cursor built into the V7VGA chipset by Video-7/Headland Technologies. It is a small TSR that turns off the blinking attribute, leaving you with an "XOR" cursor; this mode shows what's underneath the cursor. PC-SIG 1030D East Duane Avenue Sunnyvale Ca. 94086 (408) 730-9291 (c) Copyright 1989 PC-SIG, Inc.