Conference hydra::amiga_v1

    Well sofar I haven't got the DateStamp( v ) working, but I have found
    two source codes for Clock programs wich uses DateStamp( v ) function, 
    but because I don't have knowledge of C I wanna know what does '&'
    standfor in an function call before an variable ie. DateStamp( &now );
    
    - Kari
    

    
    & means supply the address of the variable.  so if you have
    
    	int num;
    
    	incr( &num);
    
    then incr might do something like:
    
    	void incr ( val)
    	int *val;
    	{
    	*val += 1;
    	}
    
    Notice that this actually increments the value in num.
    
    - steve

    Thanks !!
    
    Now I've an change getting the DateStamp(v) work in the MCC Pascal.
                                                        
    -Kari

    Nope, I didn't get it work... I getting quite desperate with this
    program....
    
    Well here is my Pascal listing for it:
    
    ---
    PROGRAM date(input,output);
    
    INCLUDE 'libraries/dos.h';
    INLCUDE 'libraries/dosextens.h';
    
    VAR
    	now : Datestamp;
    	hours, minutes : REAL;
    
    INCLUDE 'libraries/dos';
    
    BEGIN
    	DateStamp ( now );  <--- here compiler tells SYNTAX ERROR ....
    	hours := now.ds_Minute / 60;
    	minute := now.ds_Minute MOD 60;
    	WRITELN ( hours, minutes, now.ds_Tick / TICKS_PER_SECOND );
    END.
    ---
    
    And the MCC Pascal has declared the DateStamp and it's variables :
    
    In 'libraries/dos.h':
    
        ---
    	TYPE
    		DatestampPtrType �Datestamp;
    
    		Datestamp =
    			PACKED RECORD
    			 ds_Days, ds_Minute, ds_Tick : INTEGER;
    			END;
         ---
    
    and in 'libraries/dos':
    
        ---
    	FUNCTION DateStamp(v:DatestampPtrType) : DatestampPtrType; EXTERNAL;
        ---
    
    So I'm still stuck on the same problem as in the first note.
    
    - Kari
    

    I believe the problem is that you declared:
    
    now : Datestamp;
    
    I thing what you want is:
    
    now : DatestampPtrType; 
    
    This is because the argument to the function must be a pointer to the
    Datestamp record.  Pascal/M2 are strongly typed and will give you errors
    when you supply the wrong type of argument.  You will probably want to do a
    new( now);  before you call Datestamp.  This will allocate the space
    for the record.  Also somewhere before you exit you should do a
    dispose( now); to free up this memory.
    
    regards,
    
    steve

    I think that I've already tried that, but I'll check it out !
    This problem has bugged me almost three weeks for now...so I'm getting
    quite desperate..8+) Well maybe it just feels too hard to overcome...
    
    Anyway thanks again for the help!!!
    
    - Kari
     

    The big fight against the DateStamp problem is over and I did solve the 
    problem wich I had in it.
    
    Thank You very much Steve for the last help you gave me, it helped lot,
    although it wasn't the straight answer.
    
    Here the final working Pascal listing for the problem, hopefully it is
    usefull if someone else is having problems with system function on
    the MCC Pascal.
    
    This ain't the cleanest code that I can generate because this is just
    an test to get DateStamp workable and the final version will used in
    port of an PC Benchmark program written in Turbo Pascal, that should be
    ready for this weekend, so I might then reveal some benchmark test
    results with AMY at 7 and 14 Mhz speeds against some PC's.
    
    ---
    PROGRAM time(output);
    
    INCLUDE 'libraries/dos.h';
    INCLUDE 'libraries/dosextens.h';
    
    VAR
    	now : DatestampPtrType;
    	hours, minutes : REAL;
    	h, m : INTEGER;
    
    INCLUDE 'libraries/dos';
    
    BEGIN
    
    	NEW ( now ); (* make space available to the pointer *)
    	now := DateStamp ( now ); (* read time to pointer *)
    	hours := now�.ds_Minute / 60; (* calculate hours *)
    	minutes := now�.ds_Minute MOD 60; (* calculate minutes *)
    	h := TRUNC ( hours ); (* make hours as integer *)
    	m := TRUNC ( minutes ); (* make minutes as integer *)
    	WRITELN ( 'Time is : ',h:2,' : ',m:2,' : ',now�ds_Tick / TICKS_PER_
    		SECOND:5:2 );
    	DISPOSE ( now ); (* free the memory for pointer *)
    
    END.
    ---
    
    - Kari