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Conference noted::hackers_v1

Title:	-={ H A C K E R S }=-
Notice:	Write locked - see NOTED::HACKERS
Moderator:	DIEHRD::MORRIS

Created:	Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:	Mon Aug 03 1992
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	680
Total number of notes:	5456

220.0. "Help Someone Escape College!" by SUBA::WALL (Formerly {DRZEUS,INANNA}::WALL) Wed Mar 19 1986 09:09

    I am posting this request for help for some friends of mine who
    do not have the constant network access I do.  They are college
    students developing an application for a non-technical group
    within Digital as part of their B.S. Degree Requirements.  For all
    you WPI escapees, they're doing their MQP.
    
    They'd like to jazz up their application by using the numeric keypad
    a la umpepty-ump other things Digital makes.  However, they are
    writing the program in PASCAL, and are having trouble getting the
    program to recognize escape sequences.  Apparently, PASCAL's standard
    I/O routines do weird things with <ESC>.
    
    If there's a better place to post this, then please point away,
    but I suspect I'm accessing the most responsive body of knowledge
    for this kind of thing in this conference.  Quick and dirty
    explanations or short code segments are really what I'm soliciting.
    Please stick to PASCAL -- it's far too late to think about using
    another language.  References to documentation are appreciated,
    but I don't know how much of it they can get at.
    
    Thanks much in advance,
    Dave Wall

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
220.1		ERIS::CALLAS	Jon Callas	`Wed Mar 19 1986 12:03`	3
	Use SMG, it will parse the escape sequences for you. Jon
220.2	Didn't We Leave A C Compiler There Somewhere?	VAXUUM::DYER	Brewer - Patriot	`Wed Mar 19 1986 12:45`	3
	If they're using the -20, they're in big trouble. -20 Pascal has weird ideas about I/O. <_Jym_>
220.3	Excuse me, but...	SUBA::WALL	Formerly {DRZEUS,INANNA}::WALL	`Wed Mar 19 1986 12:49`	11
	re: .1 That sounds like a usable suggestion, but what's SMG? A library? A routine? A piece of PASCAL? Clarify, please. re: .2 They are not using the -20. Just a little old VAX in MRO2. Thanks, and keep those cards and letters coming. Dave W.
220.4		2LITTL::RASPUZZI	Michael Raspuzzi	`Wed Mar 19 1986 13:53`	5
	I believe that SMG is some kind of runtime library. If memory serves, I thought I had seen lots of routines that do neat things with terminal graphics or escape sequences. SMG sounds like that's it. Mike
220.5	Screen Management Package	TLE::FAIMAN	Neil Faiman	`Wed Mar 19 1986 14:00`	10
	SMG is the Screen Management package. It is part of the RTL, and is documented in Volume 5 of the VMS documentation. (Volume 5, Chapter 3 is all about SMG). Although its primary purpose is device-independent screen management (windows, pasteboards, etc.), it also includes some very simple routines for reading from the terminal and automatically parsing escape sequences, so that you can find out "the user typed PF2". -Neil
220.6	SMG is impressive	MANANA::COLGATE	Wim Colgate	`Wed Mar 19 1986 14:57`	5
	SMG is what you want to use, especially if they are on a tight schedule (College students are almost always on tight schedules!). SMG can make the dullest program look very impressive. Wim
220.7		ERIS::CALLAS	Jon Callas	`Wed Mar 19 1986 17:23`	6
	SMG can also give you (under V4.4) DCL-style command recall for practically free. You only have to use (I think) SMG$READ_COMPOSED_STRING. It will also let you make keypad definitions and parse them for you. Jon
220.8	Everything but a PASCAL example ...	HARE::COWAN	Ken Cowan, 381-2198	`Wed Mar 19 1986 21:20`	6
	To make a long story short, call SMG$CREATE_VIRTUAL_KEYBOARD, SMG$READ_LINE and when done SMG$DELETE_VIRTUAL_KEYBOARD. I'm home and don't have a doc set, but these are in the RTL ref. KC (RTLer)