Hello everybody,

I was wondering if anybody knew if there was a simple way to output
text to screen when in full graphical mode (1024x768x24bit) or if we
simply have to draw the characters on screen.

Thanks
Regards
Jeff

Jean-Fran�ois Michaud schrieb:

> Hello everybody,
> 
> I was wondering if anybody knew if there was a simple way to output
> text to screen when in full graphical mode (1024x768x24bit) or if we
> simply have to draw the characters on screen.
> 
> Thanks
> Regards
> Jeff

If the used videocard don�t provide ascii letter in every graphic mode,
it is easy to get the chars from the video-rom
and set every pixel of an ascii by yourself.

;------------------------------------------------------------------
RBIL->Inter61a.zip->Interrup.a

INT 10 - VIDEO - GET FONT INFORMATION (EGA, MCGA, VGA)
	AX = 1130h
	BH = pointer specifier
   00h INT 1Fh pointer
   01h INT 43h pointer
   02h ROM 8x14 character font pointer
   03h ROM 8x8 double dot font pointer
   04h ROM 8x8 double dot font (high 128 characters)
   05h ROM alpha alternate (9 by 14) pointer (EGA,VGA)
   06h ROM 8x16 font (MCGA, VGA)
   07h ROM alternate 9x16 font (VGA only) (see #00021)
   11h (UltraVision v2+) 8x20 font(VGA) or 8x19 font(autosync EGA)
   12h (UltraVision v2+) 8x10 font(VGA) or 8x11 font(autosync EGA)
Return: ES:BP = specified pointer
        CX = bytes/character of on-screen font
             (not the requested font!)
        DL = highest character row on screen

Note: for UltraVision v2+,
      the 9xN alternate fonts follow the corresponding
      8xN font at ES:BP+256N
BUG:  the IBM EGA and some other EGA cards
      return in DL the number of rows on
      screen rather than the highest row number (which is one less).
SeeAlso: AX=1100h,AX=1103h,AX=1120h,INT 1F"SYSTEM DATA",
         INT 43"VIDEO DATA"

Format of alternate font table [array]:
Offset	Size	Description	(Table 00021)
 00h	BYTE	character to be replaced (00h = end of table)
 01h  N BYTEs	graphics data for character, one byte per scan line
;------------------------------------------------------------------

Dirk

"Dirk Wolfgang Glomp" <spamtrap@crayne.org> wrote in message 
news:48i37e.2h.ln@news.home.freecrac.dyndns.org...
> Jean-Fran�ois Michaud schrieb:
>
>> Hello everybody,
>>
>> I was wondering if anybody knew if there was a simple way to output
>> text to screen when in full graphical mode (1024x768x24bit) or if we
>> simply have to draw the characters on screen.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Regards
>> Jeff
>
> If the used videocard don�t provide ascii letter in every graphic mode,
> it is easy to get the chars from the video-rom
> and set every pixel of an ascii by yourself.

I second that.
There are a number of excellent reasons to do the character drawing 
yourself, as opposed to relying on the BIOS. While *your* card may display 
something, other videocards may not support BIOS text in this mode.
Another very good reason is: speed! The BIOS routines are notorious for 
their lack of it, a very lazy written assembly routine beats them hands 
down. Plus you get to draw your own characters. While it may not seem a 
bonus to the artistically challenged (I used to read the old 8x8 
characters), you can alter them in a variety of ways: bold, underline, 
outline, thin, italics, shadow, double width, double height -- all with 
minute adjustments to your drawing routine.

[Jongware]