tad@killer.UUCP (Tad Marko) (11/12/87)
I need a little help...how in the world, using BIOS interrupts, do I turn off the cursor? Thanks, Tad ..!ihnp4!killer!tad
creps@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (11/16/87)
People have been writing about changing the cursor, and I wrote a program a few weeks ago (as a test) to do just that. I'll post it below, since it's very small. - - - - - - - - - Steve Creps on the VAX 8650 running Ultrix 2.0-1 at Indiana University. creps@silver.bacs.indiana.edu "F-14 Tomcat! There IS no substitute." (this is the Pascal calling program. the actual routine is below in assembly. input data are the top and bottom pixel rows of the cursor.) program curs(input, output); var l, h: byte; procedure scurs_size(h, l: byte); extern; begin write(output, 'l, h ? '); readln(input, l, h); scurs_size(h, l); writeln(output, 'done.') end. (and here is the assembly code) cursor segment 'CODE' assume cs:cursor ; set cursor size: scurs_size(bottom, top: byte) ; bottom = bottom line (0-7) ; top = top line (0-7) public scurs_size scurs_size proc far push bp mov bp,sp mov ch,[bp+6] mov cl,[bp+8] mov ah,1 int 16 pop bp ret 0 scurs_size endp cursor ends end
kevino@hpccc.HP.COM (Kevin Owen) (11/18/87)
/ hpccc:comp.sys.ibm.pc / tad@killer.UUCP (Tad Marko) / 8:24 pm Nov 11, 1987 / I need a little help...how in the world, using BIOS interrupts, do I turn off the cursor? Thanks, Tad ..!ihnp4!killer!tad ---------- In text mode there is no way of turning the cursor off but you can place the cursor off screen (which effectively turns it off). A code fragment that I have used in the past follows : mov ah,2 ; function 2 = position cursor mov bh,0 ; select page 0 mov dl,0 ; X position mov dh,25 ; Y position - which is off screen int 10h ; invoke software interupt Enjoy, Kevin ..!hpccc!kevino
marty@uw-june.UUCP (Marty Sirkin) (11/18/87)
In article <5060014@hpccc.HP.COM>, kevino@hpccc.HP.COM (Kevin Owen) writes: >> I need a little help...how in the world, using BIOS interrupts, do I turn >> off the cursor? > In text mode there is no way of turning the cursor off. Actually you can. Check out pg. 92 (and the related pages) in Norton. You can do it in both Monochrome and color text. Marty Sirkin
crs@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com (Chris (The Home of the Killer Smiley) Seaman) (11/19/87)
In article <3639@uw-june.UUCP>, marty@uw-june.UUCP (Marty Sirkin) writes: < In article <5060014@hpccc.HP.COM>, kevino@hpccc.HP.COM (Kevin Owen) writes: < >> I need a little help...how in the world, using BIOS interrupts, do I turn < >> off the cursor? < < Actually you can. Check out pg. 92 (and the related pages) in Norton. You < can do it in both Monochrome and color text. < < Marty Sirkin I don't know what Norton says, but it seems to me that there is an easy way: 1) Set register ah to 1 (The 'set cursor attributes' function) 2) Set register cl to some value (The 'cursor end line' value) Note: it is assumed that you will set it to a logical value. 3) Set register ch to a LARGER value than cl (The 'cursor start line' value) 4) Call int 10h (The video interrupt). This should effectively 'turn off' the cursor. It might be advisable to use the 'get cursor attributes' function (ah = 3) of int 10h before using the above steps. That way you can remember the previous start and end lines of the cursor (they will be returned in ch and cl, respectively). Hope this is of some help. -- Chris Seaman | o\ /o crs@cpsc6a.att.com <or> | || See "Attack of the Killer Smiley"! ..!ihnp4!cpsc6a!crs | \vvvvvv/ Coming Soon to a newsgroup near you! | \____/
marty@uw-june.UUCP (11/20/87)
In article <428@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com>, crs@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com (Chris (The Home of the Killer Smiley) Seaman) writes: > ... but it seems to me that there is an easy way: > 1) Set register ah to 1 (The 'set cursor attributes' function) > 2) Set register cl to some value (The 'cursor end line' value) > Note: it is assumed that you will set it to a logical value. > 3) Set register ch to a LARGER value than cl > (The 'cursor start line' value) > 4) Call int 10h (The video interrupt). > > This should effectively 'turn off' the cursor. Well it doesn't (really you should have tried it before you posted it as a "solution"!). What this does is to give you a "split" cursor, with the scan lines at the top and bottom lit, and the stuff between blank!! Marty Sirkin
mjs@ernie.Berkeley.EDU (Marc J. Sabatella) (11/20/87)
Having grappled with this problem before, I can tell you several things about the bloody cursor: First, setting the start line below the end line has the interesting effect of creating a two-part cursor (top and bottom) not of turning it off. Setting both the start and end line to a ridiculous value (only 5 bits are used, if I remember correctly, so it has to be ridiculous mod 32) works on some machines, but fails on others (all genuine IBM equipment). Moving the cursor off the screen is specifically warned against in several sources, but seems to work in most cases (certain graphics clone cards used on some brand name clones don't seem to like it). An annoying bug in most BIOSes - presumably the cloners decided to clone IBM's bugs as well - is that the BIOS record of current cursor start line and end line is *NOT* accurate unless you happen to be in CGA text mode. In one application I was writing, I wished to provide a block cursor, and then restore it to whatever it was before when the program was through, but the BIOS data area always said the cursor was orignally on lines 6-7 when I went to save it; even on a monchrome system in which the cursor was actually on lines 11-12 (or somewhere around there). Looking at the BIOS startup routine listings, the BIOS data area for the cursor is unconditionally initialized to 6,7. Turbo Editor Toolbox (and some TP version) users may already have noticed that the cursor is an annoying overstrike on monochrome systems, and leaves the cursor in that state upon exit. Moral: if you change the cursor shape, be careful to consider the curren video mode both when setting up the cursor, and when restoring it (you DO restore it, don't you???). Marc Sabatella mjs@ernie.Berkeley.EDU
Zatar_Braxana@milehi (Zatar Braxana) (11/22/87)
Useing BIOS interrupts to change the cursor, you set the starting
and ending scan lines, so if tou want to turn it off just set the starting
and ending points to 0. I hope this works for you, I've never tried
it, but I read about it somewhere.
Z.
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uucp: ...!{hao|isis}!scicom!milehi!oscarcrs@cpsc6b.UUCP (11/23/87)
In article <3653@uw-june.UUCP>, marty@uw-june.UUCP (Marty Sirkin) writes: < In article <428@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com>, (Chris Seaman) writes: < < > This should effectively 'turn off' the cursor. < < Well it doesn't (really you should have tried it before you posted it < as a "solution"!). What this does is to give you a "split" cursor, with < the scan lines at the top and bottom lit, and the stuff between blank!! < < Marty Sirkin Sorry this didn't work for you, but I *DID* try it, and it works on my 6300. I have since been told that it doesn't work the same on all PC/CLONE/BIOS combinations, but I was unaware of this. As far as I know, it should work on "real" IBM PC's. -- Chris Seaman | o\ /o crs@cpsc6a.att.com <or> | || See "Attack of the Killer Smiley"! ..!ihnp4!cpsc6a!crs | \vvvvvv/ Coming Soon to a newsgroup near you! | \____/
marty@uw-june.UUCP (Marty Sirkin) (11/25/87)
In article <429@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com>, crs@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com (Chris (I'm Outta Here!) Seaman) writes: > Sorry this didn't work for you, but I *DID* try it, and it works on my 6300. I am sorry for flaming you on the previous posting, and it may well work on your 6300, but if you try it on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 (or on Phoenix BIOS, or other "standard" BIOS), or look it up in Norton (or one of several other books) you will see that it *shouldn't* work. The fact that it does on your 6300 is an exception, not the rule. As I mentioned in my previous posting, there are several ways to do this which should work on all 100% compatibles. Marty Sirkin
mjg@ecsvax.UUCP (Michael Gingell) (11/25/87)
In article <3678@uw-june.UUCP>, marty@uw-june.UUCP (Marty Sirkin) writes: > In article <429@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com>, crs@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com (Chris (I'm Outta Here!) Seaman) writes: > > > Sorry this didn't work for you, but I *DID* try it, and it works on my 6300. > > I am sorry for flaming you on the previous posting, and it may well work on > your 6300, but if you try it on any IBM PC/XT/AT/PS2 (or on Phoenix BIOS, or > other "standard" BIOS), or look it up in Norton (or one of several other > books) you will see that it *shouldn't* work. The fact that it does on your > 6300 is an exception, not the rule. > I agree, I wrote a routine to turn the cursor off which works on PCs, Ats PS/2s, clones, MDA, CGA, EGA, EGA clones but apparently NOT the 6300. Using the standard call to set the cursor size you simply define the line line within the character block at which the logic turns the cursor on and the line where it it is turned off. If you define it to be turned off at any line within the normal display box for one character then it gets turned off every time the cursor cell is scanned. If you also define it to be turned on at a line outside the range that is ever scanned (e.g. 8 or higher for MDA, 12 or higher for CGA, more for EGA) then the scan counters never reach a point where they detect coincidence and thus the cursor is never started. It seems to me this is primarily a function of hardware on the MDA and CGA but certain BIOSs may mask the numbers you try and send to the hardware. In the EGA, emulating the CGA, the hardware function is partially emulated by the EGA BIOS and it works just fine. Are ther any other 6300 experts out there that can shed light on why the cursor on/off routine doesn't work. For the record, here is my cursor routine: ; set cursor start in ch, end in cl ; to set cursor off mov cx,0f0eh mov ah,1 int 10h ; to set cursor on mov cx,0107h mov ah,1 int 10h Im sorry, I dont have the exact numbers in front of me now for the start/end for turning the cursor off. This is from memory. Thats it, ..... Mike Gingell ..ecsvax!mjg
winters@jacobs.cs.orst.edu (stafford winters) (11/28/87)
I wish I could remember the exact numbers I used, but I do remember that I read and later tested a series of initializations for the cursor. Included was a setting for turning it off. The trick was in setting some combination of bits 5 and 6 of register CH along with start scan line, and the end scan line in register CL, and AH set to 1. Follow this up with INT 10H and no more cursor. I'll try to get back with verification. Tad WBrBrBWa
winters@jacobs.cs.orst.edu (stafford winters) (11/28/87)
I found this in a file called interrup.arc on one of the BBS's in PDX. I
believe it was originally posted in one of the newsgroups some time back.
So, credit goes to someone else.
-----------------------------------------------------------
INT 10 - VIDEO - SET VIDEO MODE
AH = 0
AL =
0 = 40x25 B&W
1 = 40x25 COLOR
2 = 80x25 BW
3 = 80x25 COLOR
4 = 320x200 GRAPHICS, 4 COLOR
5 = 320x200 GRAPHICS, 4 GREY
6 = 640x200 GRAPHICS, B&W
7 = MONOCHROME
8 = 160x200 GRAPHICS, 16 COLOR (PCjr/Tandy 1000)
9 = 320x200 GRAPHICS, 16 COLOR (PCjr/Tandy 1000)
A = 640x200 GRAPHICS, 4 COLOR (PCjr/Tandy 1000)
D = 320x200 graphics, 16 color (EGA)
E = 640x200 graphics, 16 color (EGA)
F = 640x350 graphics, monochrome (EGA)
10 = 640x350 graphics, 4 or 16 color (EGA)
-----------------------------------------------------------
INT 10 - VIDEO - SET CURSOR CHARACTERISTICS
AH = 1
CH =
bits 5-6 = blink attribute
(00=normal, 01=invis., 10 = slow, 11=fast)
bits 0-4 = start line for cursor in char. cell
CL =
bits 0-4 = end line for cursor in char. cell
-----------------------------------------------------------
INT 10 - VIDEO - SET CURSOR POSITION
AH = 2
DH,DL = ROW,COLUMN - 0,0 = UPPER LEFT
BH = PAGE NO. - 0 = GRAPHICS
-----------------------------------------------------------
INT 10 - VIDEO - READ CURSOR POSITION
AH = 3
BH = PAGE NO. - 0 = GRAPHICS
Return: DH,DL = ROW,COLUMN
CH,CL = CURSOR MODE,CURRENT SET
-----------------------------------------------------------
INT 10 - VIDEO - READ LIGHT PEN POSITION
AH = 4
Return: AH = 0: light pen switch not activated
AH = 1: light pen values in registers
DH = row of current position
DL = column of current position
CH = raster line (0-199)
BX = pixel column (0-319 or 0-639)
-----------------------------------------------------------