how to capture the text of Text Window into a clipboard

[Tim Lakinir]

Hi All, I just started to use the Text Window for debugging my programs and find that it gives very good data and values
things like branching around the program to the various SUBs and FUNCTIONs . It can be used to display the program flows etc

Only problem is that I can't capture the stuff on this window and save it into a clipboard and later on transfer the stuff to a text file,
which I can check and verify.

Currently I can only print screen to capture this text window. Any suggestion please on how to capture the stuff into a text file?

[Stuart McLachlan]

SImplest (?) way:
'

#COMPILE EXE
#DIM ALL

FUNCTION PBMAIN() AS LONG
    LOCAL lDebug AS LONG: TXT.WINDOW EXE.FULL$, 200,50,40,85 TO lDebug
    DebugPrint "This is some display text"
    DebugPrint "This is some more display text"
    DebugPrint "Yet more display text"
    DebugPrint "Last display text
'Finalise
    TXT.COLOR = %RGB_BLUE
    TXT.PRINT
    TXT.PRINT "  ....Press any key to exit": TXT.WAITKEY$: TXT.END
END FUNCTION

FUNCTION DebugPrint(s AS WSTRING) AS LONG
   'Prints  to both the TXT WIndow and a text file.
   LOCAL ff AS LONG
   ff = FREEFILE
  OPEN "debug.txt" FOR APPEND AS #ff
  PRINT #ff, s
  CLOSE #ff
  TXT.PRINT s
END FUNCTION
'

[Rod Macia]

You can also look a TRACE in help, Also PROFILE

TRACE NEW fname$
TRACE ON
TRACE PRINT string_expr
TRACE OFF
TRACE CLOSE

and there is also Patrice Terrier's zTrace that work somewhat as TXT but also has the option to Trace to file. https://forum.powerbasic.com/forum/u...e-version-1-90

[Dave Biggs]

Ditto - keep a log of what you TXT.PRINT as you go..
'

#DIM ALL
#COMPILE EXE
 
GLOBAL gsLog AS STRING
 
SUB TxtPrint(sText AS STRING)
  TXT.PRINT sText                 ' 1024 ~ Txt.Print text len limit
  gsLog += sText + $CRLF
END SUB
'------------------/
 
FUNCTION PBMAIN()
 LOCAL hTxt  AS DWORD : TXT.WINDOW("Keys", 10, 10, 20, 40) TO hTxt
 LOCAL sTest AS STRING
 LOCAL lNum  AS LONG   : lNum = 43
  sTest = "Something"
  TxtPrint sTest
  TxtPrint "more"
  TxtPrint USING$("Numeric variable_! #", lNum)
 
  CLIPBOARD RESET : CLIPBOARD SET TEXT gsLog
  MSGBOX gsLog,,"On Clipboard"
END FUNCTION
'------------------/PBMain

[Tim Lakinir]

Thanks All

[Stuart McLachlan]

Combination of posts 2 and 4 plus automatic display of log file with your default text editor on close.
Note use of WSTRINGs and "CHR= WIDE" to allow use of characters such as the Greek alphabet in the TXT window and the debug text file.

Also note that TXT.PRINT allows printing of numerics. DebugPrint requires text, so you need to wrap any numbers in FORMAT$() or another conversion function


'

#COMPILE EXE
#DIM ALL
%Unicode = 1
#INCLUDE "win32api.inc"
GLOBAL gwsDebug AS WSTRING

FUNCTION PBMAIN() AS LONG
    LOCAL lDebug AS LONG: TXT.WINDOW EXE.FULL$, 200,50,40,85 TO lDebug
    DebugPrint "This is some display text"
    DebugPrint "This is text with Greek (Unicode) letters Alpha to Theta " & CHR$$(913,32, 914,32,915,32,916,32,917,32,918,32,919,32,920)
    DebugPrint "Yet more display text"
    DebugPrint FORMAT$(2*4)
    DebugPrint "Last display text
'Finalise
    TXT.COLOR = %RGB_BLUE
    TXT.PRINT
    TXT.PRINT "  ....Press any key to exit": TXT.WAITKEY$: TXT.END
    ViewDebugFile
END FUNCTION

FUNCTION DebugPrint(s AS WSTRING) AS LONG
   gwsDebug &= s & $CRLF
   TXT.PRINT s
END FUNCTION

FUNCTION ViewDebugFile () AS LONG
    LOCAL ff AS LONG
    LOCAL retval , hkey AS DWORD
    LOCAL wszFileType,wszOpenCmd AS WSTRINGZ * 256
    ff = FREEFILE
    OPEN "debug.txt" FOR OUTPUT AS #ff CHR = WIDE
    PRINT #ff , gwsDebug
    CLOSE #ff

   'Get file type for extension
    retval = RegOpenKeyEx(%HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,".txt",0,%key_query_value,hkey)
    retval = regqueryvalueex(hkey,"",0,%reg_sz,wszFileType,256)
    retval = regclosekey(hkey)
    'Get default open command
    retval = RegOpenKeyEx(%HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,wszFileType & "\SHELL\Open\command" ,0,%key_query_value,hkey)
    retval = regqueryvalueex(hkey,"",0,%reg_sz,wszOpenCmd,256)
    retval = regclosekey(hkey)
    REPLACE "%1" WITH  "Debug.txt"  IN wszOpenCmd
    SHELL wszOpenCmd
END FUNCTION
'

[Dave Biggs]

Also note that TXT.PRINT allows printing of numerics.

Adjusted post#4 eg to show one way to handle numeric printing.

Not quite so easy with the other Txt.Print method parts - [SPC(n)] [TAB(n)] [,] [;]...)

[Stuart McLachlan]

Adjusted post#4 eg to show one way to handle numeric printing.

Not quite so easy with the other Txt.Print method parts - [SPC(n)] [TAB(n)] [,] [;]...)

Since the objective is printing data and messages for debugging, I doubt that that would be a major issue. Just make sure that the debug output is simple strings
Actually, you could easily have two functions:
TxtPrintS and TxtPrintN to handle strings or numeric values.

'

...
    TxtPrintS "This is some display text"
    TxtPrintS "This is Greek (Unicode) letters Alpha to Theta " & CHR$$(913,32, 914,32,915,32,916,32,917,32,918,32,919,32,920)
    TxtPrintN 2*4+3/5
    TxtPrintS "Last display text
...
END FUNCTION

FUNCTION TxtPrintS(s AS WSTRING) AS LONG
   gwsDebug &= s & $CRLF
   TXT.PRINT s
END FUNCTION

FUNCTION TxtPrintN(e AS EXT) AS LONG
   gwsDebug &= FORMAT$(e) & $CRLF
   TXT.PRINT e
END FUNCTION
.
'

[Tim Lakinir]

Thank you Sir Stuart, in your post# 4 there is a block of codes which I don't really understand whats' its purpose?

'Get file type for extension
retval = RegOpenKeyEx(%HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,".txt",0,%key_query_value,hkey)
retval = regqueryvalueex(hkey,"",0,%reg_sz,wszFileType,256)
retval = regclosekey(hkey)
'Get default open command
retval = RegOpenKeyEx(%HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,wszFileType & "\SHELL\Open\command" ,0,%key_query_value,hkey)
retval = regqueryvalueex(hkey,"",0,%reg_sz,wszOpenCmd,256)
retval = regclosekey(hkey)
REPLACE "%1" WITH "Debug.txt" IN wszOpenCmd
SHELL wszOpenCmd

[Stuart McLachlan]

Thank you Sir Stuart, in your post# 4 there is a block of codes which I don't really understand whats' its purpose?

It's pretty straighfroward, but good on you for actually trying to understand rather than blindly copying and pasting

It uses the standard API functions for getting information from the Registry.
Basically, you open a Registry key, read a value and then close the key.

In this case, it looks up how to open a .txt file


'Get file type for extension
'OPEN THE REGISTRY KEY FOR THE EXTENSION.TXT and get the handle to that entry (in hkey)
retval = RegOpenKeyEx(%HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,".txt",0,%key_query_value,hkey)

'USE hkey TO FIND THE NAME OF THE APPLICATION USED for ".txt" FILES (the Default value for that key)
retval = regqueryvalueex(hkey,"",0,%reg_sz,wszFileType,256)
'In my case, this returns Notepad++_file in wszFileType

'CLOSE THE REGISTRY KEY WE JUST USED
retval = regclosekey(hkey)

'OPEN THE REGISTRY KEY FOR THE APPLICATION'S COMMAND TO OPEN A FILE (in the key "Notepad++_file\SHELL\Open\command")
retval = RegOpenKeyEx(%HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,wszFileType & "\SHELL\Open\command" ,0,%key_query_value,hkey)

'GET THE COMMAND TO OPEN A FILE (WHICH INCLUDES A PLACEHOLDER)
retval = regqueryvalueex(hkey,"",0,%reg_sz,wszOpenCmd,256)
'In my case, thsi returns "C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" "%1" in wszOpenCmd

'CLOSE THE REGISTRY KEY
retval = regclosekey(hkey)

'REPLACE THE PLACEHOLDER WITH THE NAME OF THE FILE
REPLACE "%1" WITH "Debug.txt" IN wszOpenCmd
'so now wszCmd contains "C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" "debig.txt"

'PASS THE COMMAND TO OPEN THE FILE (wszCmd) TO A SHELL
SHELL wszOpenCmd
'this opened the file debug.txt in Notepad++

[Steve Hutchesson]

I did read the first post and it appears that the response is much simpler than suggested, straight from WIN32.HLP.

An application sends the WM_COPY message to an edit control or combo box to copy the current selection to the clipboard in CF_TEXT format.

WM_COPY
wParam = 0; // not used; must be zero
lParam = 0; // not used; must be zero

Code like this.

SendMessage hEdit,WM_COPY,0,0

[Stuart McLachlan]

A Text Window (TXT pseudo-object) is not an edit control or combobox. has no "current selection" and doesn't respond to a %WM_COPY message.

[Stuart McLachlan]

FUNCTION TxtPrintN(e AS EXT) AS LONG
gwsDebug &= FORMAT$(e) & $CRLF
TXT.PRINT e
END FUNCTION
'

This needs to be BYVAL so that you can pass any numeric data including integral type variables

FUNCTION TxtPrintN(BYVAL e AS EXT) AS LONG
gwsDebug &= FORMAT$(e) & $CRLF
TXT.PRINT e
END FUNCTION
'

[Tim Lakinir]

Thank You Stuart for your explanations, but I won't be using registry functions

[Stuart McLachlan]

Thank You Stuart for your explanations, but I won't be using registry functions

Probably a good idea.