PB internal variables

[Gary Engelgau]

I came across a reference in the User and Reference Manuals about
internal variables; e.g. pbvScrnMode, pbvDefSeg.

What are the other internal PowerBASIC variables that can be read
from the program? I could only find two small areas in the two
manuals which even mentions this. I see from one example within
the files on the site these can be very handy in programming.

Also, are there other undocumented items which are useful to know
about?

Gary

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[Marco Pontello]

After a quick look inside a PB/DOS compiled EXE:

PBVBINBASE
PBVCPU
PBVCURSOR1
PBVCURSOR2
PBVCURSORVIS
PBVDEFSEG
PBVERR
PBVFIXDIGITS
PBVFLEXCHR
PBVHOST
PBVMINUSONE
PBVNPX
PBVONE
PBVREVISION
PBVREVLTR
PBVSCRNAPAGE
PBVSCRNBUFF
PBVSCRNCARD
PBVSCRNCOLS
PBVSCRNMODE
PBVSCRNPXLATTR
PBVSCRNROWS
PBVSCRNTXTATTR
PBVSCRNVPAGE
PBVSWITCH
PBVUSERAREA
PBVUSINGCHRS
PBVVTXTX1
PBVVTXTX2
PBVVTXTY1
PBVVTXTY2
PBVZERO

But if they are undocumented, probably there are good reasons.

Edit:
The var ARE documented, as Jose pointed out.
I stopped using the PB DOS IDE much time ago, but I surely miss the online help!

Bye!

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[This message has been edited by Marco Pontello (edited December 07, 2004).]

[José Roca]

Press F1 for Help. Press F1 again to access to the Table of Contents.
Move the cursor to Internal Variables. Press Return. Voilà.


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[Marco Pontello]

DOH!

Bye!

------------------
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[Gary Engelgau]

Thank you Jose & Marco,

It's nice to learn new things. I did not know there was documentation
within the program which goes beyond the Reference manual.

Gary

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[Criss French]

Quote: ... I did not know there was documentation
within the program which goes beyond the Reference manual.

Too bad too. I wrok in a windows text editor (Editpad Pro)
and compile from the command line. I only use the IDE for
rare debugging when I can't spot the problem somehow else.

My paper PB manuals are very well used, and the fact that
they are actually incomplete is actually a big annoyance.

Maybe to be fixed in the next release? Full docs in HTML or
PDF (assuming an all electronic distro)?

Cheers.

[Buck Huffman]

I agree. Try looking up the ASM statement in the printed reference,
You get half of a page It may as well said "you could use assembly in
your code if you knew how .

But then try looking up ASM in pb's help and you find several pages
of useful info not found in any of the printed texts. I sure wish I'd known
about that a few years sooner, it would have saved me a lot of long nights
of pulling my hair out and screaming incoherently.

Documentation is always a difficult task, and that is even more so when
their maintained in several different formats, as the pbdos docs are, but
synchronizing them would certainly be a worthwile goal to achieve for the
next PBDos version. Perhaps a good wishlist item.

Buck


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