opendoors/historic/ODTJ9305.TXT

The
OPENDOORS  TECH  JOURNAL
Volume 93, Number 5                                          July 20th, 1993

"The Greatest Thing to happen to Journalism Since Real People"
                                                                                                                                      	
This Issue:     A Word from the Editor - Scott Burkett
                The Open Door - Brian Pirie (not!)
                The Fidonet OPENDOORS Echo - Latest FAQ
                Opendoors Tech Corner - ColorToString();       
                In Search Of - The Art of Debugging
                Review: VID v2.01 - The Virus Information Door
                OpenDoors Snippets!
                OpenDoors Tech Journal Information
                                                                                                                                      	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        A Word from the Editor:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally!  After months of long-distance mail polling, the OPENDOORS echo is
now residing on the North American fidonet backbone!  Yep.  Sorry, Ma Bell.
More on this later, and now .... the rest of the story.  Sorry Paul Harvey.

Listen up children, today's editorial survey question is one which is sure to 
draw quite a bit of flak from programmers around the globe.  Which is the 
better stimulant, Jolt Cola or Maxwell House? :-)

DoorNet!  That's right.  Strange things are amiss at the Circle-K!  Look for
an OPENDOORS conference (both mail and file based) to appear soon on the
DoorNet backbone listing.  Thanks go out to Vince Jacobs for his work on
getting this implemented.  This should make ODTJ and OD distribution a bit
easier on all of us.  There has been mention of gating the current fidonet
OPENDOORS echo through to Doornet.  I applaud this idea and welcome it with
much grandiose.  Ahem.

On another wavelength entirely, several hundred netmail messages were lost
from Under the Nile's mail machine a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately, there
were a few requests for product announcements contained therein.  If the
authors would be so kind as to send them back in, we will gladly publish
them in the next edition.  Danke!
                                 
On a serious note, my gerbil died.  Peace, and a bottle of hair grease....

(Scott, it's time for your medication....yes, mother)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     THE OPEN DOOR - By Brian Pirie
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately (I know, I know), Brian was unavailable for this issue.  I
finally tracked him down in Tibet, busily polling the local populace for
new ideas for the 4.20 release.  At any rate, look for him in ODTJ #6, along
with (hopefully) OpenDoors 4.20... :-)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
               OPENDOORS Echo FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
By: Brian Pirie                                                                                                                                 
July 17th, 1993

ABOUT THIS FAQ
--------------

This document is a collection of frequently asked questions and answers.
If you have any questions about OpenDoors or the OPENDOORS echo, please
first refer to this FAQ. Not only will this help to reduce unnecessary
trafic in the echo, but it will also provide you with the answer to many
questions much more quickly than you would have otherwise.

If you have any suggestions for additions or changes to this FAQ, please
direct them to the moderator, Brian Pirie (FidoNet: 1:243/8, Internet:
[email protected]).

Since the OPENDOORS echo and this FAQ are currently under a state of
change, this FAQ will be posted on a very regular basis for the time
being. In the future, the FAQ will probably be automatically posted on a
bi-weekly basis.

CONTENTS
--------

 1.) What are the rules of the OPENDOORS echo?
 2.) What IS OpenDoors?
 3.) Where can I get a copy of OpenDoors?
 4.) What is the newest version of OpenDoors?
 5.) How much does OpenDoors cost?
 6.) Is the OpenDoors source code available?
 7.) Are there beta test versions of OpenDoors?
 8.) How can I contact the author of OpenDoors?
 9.) What IS the OpenDoors echo?
10.) What about the echo archives?
11.) How can I get help with OpenDoors or BBS door/utility programming?
12.) What guidelines are there for posting source code?

1.) WHAT ARE THE RULES OF THE OPENDOORS ECHO?
    ----------------------------------------

The rules of the OPENDOORS echo are few and far between. The most
important rules are those that are standard to all EchoMail conferences
that are distributed as a part of the FidoNet backbone distribution
system. The echo may not be used for illegal purposes, nor is profane
language accepted. Beyond this, your are trusted to use your own
judgement. While it is important to have as high a "signal to noise
ratio" as possible, it is also important to recognize the diverse group
of people you are communicating with though the OPENDOORS echo. There is
a wide range of technical knowledge, knowledge of network etiquette, and
personal background. If you can try to be as understanding and helpful
as possible, your doing so will help to keep friction and flaming to a
minimum.

Since the participants in the OPENDOORS echo are generally all
programmers, it seems natural that they will want to tell the world
about the programs they have written. For this reason, announcements of
new programs - either written with OpenDoors or of interest to the
participants of this echo - is encourage. However, advertising of new
programs is not the primary purpose of the echo. For this reason, we
would ask that you refrain from posting the same advertisment message
more than once within a reasonable length of time (perhaps a month).

If you are having any difficulty with the OPENDOORS echo - technical,
social, or otherwise - please feel more than free to contact the
moderator, Brian Pirie (1:243/8).

2.) WHAT IS OPENDOORS?
    -----------------

OpenDoors is a Turbo C(++) / Borland C++ door programming toolkit used
by well over 100 door programmers around the world. OpenDoors handles
all of the details of door programming, such as communicating with the
modem, interfacing with virtually any BBS package, maintaining status
lines, monitoring carrier detect and user timeouts, handling sysop
function keys such as DOS shell or chat, providing advanced ANSI/AVATAR
graphics support, and much more.

OpenDoors is designed to allow you to write door programs just as you
would write any other C program, without requiring any additional effort
or knowledge. You can easily create fully functional door programs with
just a few lines of code. OpenDoors is so easy to use that many
OpenDoors programmers have begun using it with no programming
experience.

OpenDoors directly interfaces with all of the most popular BBS packages
including RemoteAccess, QuickBBS, Telegard, Wildcat, PC-Board, Maximus,
Renegade, EzyCom, RBBS-PC, Spitfire, SuperBBS, RoboBoard, WWIV and many
others. In addition, OpenDoors allows the sysop to specify custom door
information file formats to permit your doors to run on virtually any
BBS system.

Included with OpenDoors are a number of example doors that you can
compile, alter, or use as a basis for your own doors. Among these
example doors are a voting booth type door and an ANSI music
demonstration door, and dozens of sample doors within the door
programming tutorial manual.

OpenDoors also provides a number of special features that you can
optionally include in your doors, such as transparent configuation file
support, logfile support, FILES.BBS listing, and many advanced
ANSI/AVATAR graphics routines.
 
3.) WHERE CAN I GET A COPY OF OPENDOORS?
    -----------------------------------

Below is a short table listing sites from which the newest version of
OpenDoors is available, as of April 19th, 1993. In addition to the sites
listed below, the newest verion of OpenDoors will likely be available
from any system that carries "Programmer's Distribution Network" files.
Also, if you send a self-addressed envelope, along with either a 3-1/2"
or 5-1/4" (360K) diskette, and $2.00 to cover postage, I would be happy
to mail the newest version of OpenDoors to you. My address is listed in
section 8.

Also, the most recent list of OpenDoors distribution sites is always
available for download or file request from my system, in the file
OD_SITES.ZIP. If you are interested in becoming an official OpenDoors
distribution site, please see the file included in the OD_SITES.ZIP
archive.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    FIDONET
LOCATION                            ADDRESS       DATA NUMBER     MODEM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sydney, Australia                   3:712/618     +61 2 552 3255  (v.32/PEP)
Sydney, Australia                   3:714/906     +61 2 977 6820  (v.32bis/HST)
Lancaster Park, Alberta, Canada     1:342/49      +1 403 973 3856 (v.32bis/HST)
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada   1:255/7       +1 506 652 7292 (v.32bis)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada             1:243/8       +1 613 526 4466 (v.32)
Mascouche, Quebec, Canada           1:167/235     +1 514 968 1709 (v.32bis)
Trieste, Italy                      2:333/603     +39 40 3783111  (v.32bis/HST)
Paraparaumu, New Zealand            3:771/180     +64 4 298 4194  (v.32bis)
Cambridge, United Kingdom           2:440/34      +44 223 301487  (v.32bis)
Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom    2:440/107     +44 473 692882  (v.32bis)
Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom    2:440/112     +44 473 87450   (v.32bis)
Mildenhall, Suffolk, United Kingdom 2:440/37      +44 638 718623  (v.32bis/HST)
San Jose, California, USA           1:143/324     +1 408 265 4660 (v.32)
San Ramon, California, USA          1:161/610     +1 510 830 4616 (v.32bis/HST)
Fort Myers, Florida, USA            1:371/26      +1 813 939 3009 (v.32bis/HST)
Columbus, Georgia, USA              1:3613/12     +1 706 596 8126 (v.32)
Chicago, Illinois, USA              1:115/743     +1 312 587 8756 (v.32bis/HST)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA            1:261/1062    +1 410 256 1979 (v.32bis)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA         1:282/1016    +1 612 378 7783 (v.32bis)
Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA             1:3813/309    +1 918 687 1612 (v.32bis)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
4.) WHAT IS THE NEWEST VERSION OF OPENDOORS?
    ---------------------------------------

Version 4.10 is the most recently released version of OpenDoors. There
is a more recent beta-test version of OpenDoors. For information on this
beta-test version, see section 7.
 
5.) HOW MUCH DOES OPENDOORS COST?
    ----------------------------

OpenDoors is distributed on a try-before-you-buy basis. You can pickup a
copy of OpenDoors from any of the OpenDoors distribution sites, listed
above, to have a closer look at the package. However, if you wish to
continue using OpenDoors after the three week trial period, you must
purchase an OpenDoors registration. Full details on registering
OpenDoors is included in the OpenDoors manual. However, a brief table
listing the prices within a number of countries is listed below:

        -----------------------------------------------
                                 REGISTRATION
        REGISTRATION ONLY        AND SOURCE CODE
        -----------------------------------------------
        34 Canadian Dollars      68 Canadian Dollars
        28 US Dollars            56 US Dollars
        18 British Pounds        36 British Pounds
        150 French Francs        300 French Francs
        44 German Marks          88 German Marks
        50 Netherland Gilders    100 Netherland Gilders
        39 Australian Dollars    78 Australian Dollars
        -----------------------------------------------
 
6.) IS THE OPENDOORS SOURCE CODE AVAILABLE?
    --------------------------------------

Yes, the OpenDoors source code is available, at a cost equal to the
registration, to registered users. Both the regisration and source code
may also be purchased at the same time, for a cost equal to twice the
normal registration fee. When you purchase the OpenDoors source code,
the most recent version of the source code is sent to directly. Also,
you will be entitled to free upgrades to all future versions of the
source code. Whenever you wish to pick up a new version of the source
code, you may download it from the OpenDoors support BBS, arrange to
pick it up via a FidoNet-compatible mailer (simply send me a message
asking me to place the source code package "on hold" for you to poll and
pick up), or by sending a diskette and self-addressed diskette mailer.
 
7.) ARE THERE BETA TEST VERSIONS OF OPENDOORS?
    -----------------------------------------

Yes. The beta test versions of OpenDoors are available to registered
OpenDoors users. However, keep in mind that the beta test version has
some new features that are still under development, and has not yet been
thoroughly tested. To save space, the documentation is not included with
the beta test version. As such, it is assumed that you also have the
most recent non-beta version of OpenDoors. The most recent beta version
may be file-requested from 1:243/8 as OD_BETA
  
8.) HOW CAN I CONTACT THE AUTHOR OF OPENDOORS?
    -----------------------------------------

If you wish to contact the author of OpenDoors, Brian Pirie, please feel
free to do so. I may be reached by any of the following means:

        FidoNet NetMail   : 1:243/8

        Internet EMail    : [email protected]

        Modem (BBS)       : +1 613 526 4466

        Conventional Mail : Brian Pirie
                            Apt. #1416 - 2201 Riverside Drive
                            Ottawa, Ontario
                            K1H 8K9
                            Canada
 
9.) WHAT IS THE OPENDOORS ECHO?
    --------------------------

The OPENDOORS echomail conference is devoted to OpenDoors and BBS door /
utility programming in general. The OPENDOORS echo serves as a place
where people working with OpenDoors can share ideas, source code
examples, and other tricks and techniques. Through the OPENDOORS echo
you can receive help with OpenDoors and programming in general. Also
available through the OPENDOORS echo is information on future versions
of OpenDoors and recent developments of concern to BBS door and utility
programmers. The OPENDOORS echo is also place for suggestions for future
versions of OpenDoors, OpenDoors bug reports, a place to announce the
availablility of your programs, and much more information of interest to
OpenDoors programmers. There are participants in the OpenDoors echo from
throughout Canada and the U.S., as well as people in Europe and
Australia.

10.) WHAT ABOUT THE ECHO ARCHIVES?
     ----------------------------

Although we attempt to answer the most commonly asked questions in this
FAQ, there is so much discussed in the OPENDOORS echo that it is
impossible to address every possible question. As such, you may be
interested in referring to the OPENDOORS echo archives, in order to
learn more about OpenDoors and BBS door/utility programming in general.

The OPENDOORS echo archives are prepared on a monthly basis, and
are available from the moderators system. Currently, the following
archives are available for request from 1:243/8 or download from the BBS
at +1 613 526 4466:

ODJUL92.ZIP    42776  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, July '92
ODAUG92.ZIP    35432  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, August '92
ODSEP92.ZIP    36308  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, September '92
ODOCT92.ZIP    30922  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, October '92
ODNOV92.ZIP    34844  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, November '92
ODDEC92.ZIP    53647  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, December '92
ODJAN93.ZIP    24683  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, January '93
ODFEB93.ZIP    41562  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, February '93
ODMAR93.ZIP    24080  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, March '93
ODAPR93.ZIP    30027  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, April '93
ODMAY93.ZIP    39440  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, May '93
ODJUN93.ZIP    56615  Discussion from the OpenDoors echo, June '93

11.) HOW CAN I GET HELP WITH OPENDOORS OR BBS DOOR/UTILITY PROGRAMMING?
     -----------------------------------------------------------------

If you have any problems with a program, please feel more than free to
post a message here, asking for help. Afterall, that is one of the
central purposes of this echo. However, try to keep the following points
in mind when asking a question. Doing so will help others to better
understand your problem, and as such will help them help you.

          A.) If you are having a problem with a program, try to
              describe as much about the problem as possible. If you
              can, precisely how to reproduce the problem. If you wish
              to do so, posting source code can also be of great
              advantage. For more information on posting source code in
              the echo, please see section 12.

          B.) Explain what steps you have already taken in trying to
              solve your problem. This will allow others to pick up from
              where you have become "stuck", and not suggest solutions
              that you have already tried yourself.



12.) WHAT GUIDELINES ARE THERE FOR POSTING SOURCE CODE?
     -------------------------------------------------

You are more than welcome to post source code in this echo. If you do
so, please keep the following guidelines in mind.

          A.) Unless you explicitly say otherwise, any source code
              posted in this echo will be considered to be released to
              the public domain. If you have some source code that you
              do not wish others to copy, don't post it here!

          B.) For your source code to be useful to others, it has to be
              understandable. Adding comments can be of great benifit to
              someoone trying to understand your code.

          C.) If you are posting a program written with OpenDoors,
              please be sure that you do NOT include your registration
              key in the source code!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
               OpenDoors Tech Corner: ColorToString()        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
             
             Authored by: Brian Pirie, OpenDoors author

/* Function to convert an integer color attribute to an OpenDoors */
/* style color description string, in the format:                 */
/*                                                                */
/*         [Flashing] [Bright] [Foreground] on [Background]       */
/*                                                                */
/* The function takes two parameters, an unsigned integer         */
/* representing the input color, and a pointer to a string where  */
/* the colour description should be output. Be sure that this     */
/* string is large enough to hold the largest possible color      */
/* description string. (If the code is not altered, the largest   */
/* possible string will be 35 characters, including the null      */
/* terminator                                                     */

void ColorToString(unsigned int color, char *outString)
{
   /* Array containing names of various colors */
   static char colorString[8][33]={"Black",
                                   "Blue",
                                   "Green",
                                   "Cyan",
                                   "Red",
                                   "Magenta",
                                   "Yellow",
                                   "White"};

   /* Initialize string */
   outString[0]='\0';

   /* If flashing bit is set, output "Flashing" string + space */
   if(color & 0x80) {
      strcat(outString, "Flashing ");
   }

   /* If bright bit is set, output "Bright" string + space */
   if(color & 0x08) {
      strcat(outString, "Bright ");
   }

   /* Output foreground color */
   strcat(outString, colorString[color & 0x07]);

   /* Output the word "on" with a space before & after */
   strcat(outString, " on ");

   /* Output background color */
   strcat(outString, colorString[(color & 0x70) >> 4]);
}

Editor's Note:  Brian was kind enough to put this function together for us
upon request for a function to perform the reverse of the od_color_config()
function.  I had to add a bracket or two that was left out (he did mention
that it was untested code!), but it works like a champ.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 In Search Of - The Art of Debugging
                        By Mark Williamson
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It happens.  The inevitable.  You have spent so many hours trying to
write the most optimized, cleanest code possible.  But your best efforts
are laid to rest when some verocious little creature pops up, seemingly
at random, and wreaks havoc on all your efforts.

What causes these bugs to appear?  Can it be programming style?  Or a
forgotten temporary variable?  Where, or where, is that bug!

If this has happened to you, don't feel bad.  50 percent of your time
programming will be devoted to the debugging cycle.  Many books have
been written that are devoted to the art of programming style, debugging
and the development cycle.  I will only touch on a couple of pointers to
get you started in the right direction in locating that invisible target
called so affectionately, the "bug."

Case scenario:  I was working on a program that would shell to DOS using
one of the OD_SPAWN... functions.  OPENDOOR.DOC discusses in
good detail how to use either of these functions.  But, being the eager
programmer that I am, I happily went about my way after I read what I
thought I needed to know.  The program in question uses a temporary
directory to store files extracted from .ZIP/.ARJ/etc.. archive files.
As the program was running, it worked just great.  Unpacked the files
using PKZIP.  Repacked them using ARJ.

Then I tried it again.  That's when it all fell apart for me.
Unwillingly, I just started a four-day straight debugging session,
lasting until the wee hours of the night.

Point one:  Always read the docs...thoroughly!

During this four day debugging frenzy I removed 20 or more variables I
didn't need, rewrote five functions to be more independent and portable
(ie modular programming) and greatly optimized the program overall.

But I still couldn't find the bug.

Here's a sample of the code:

    od_set_cursor(15,20);
	od_printf("`bright cyan`Unpacking");
    error=run_it(progname,unpackcommand);     // see the run_it function
                                              // below.
    if(error==0){
	    od_set_cursor(15,33);
        od_printf("`bright green`ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ `bright cyan` Ok    ");
	}

The above code did not do as it appears it should.  In fact, as soon as
the trace feature of Turbo C++ 3.0 hit the line that prints out the bar
and the word "Ok", what actually was printed out was something like
this:


           Unpacking :\BBSFILES\BBSUPLOADS\CHKZIP.ZIP

but not:

           Unpacking ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ  Ok

Now remember, I hadn't read the section on the od_swapping_path variable
yet.

The OD_SPAWN.. functions will swap to either EMS memory or DISK.  The
variable od_control.od_swapping_path is empty by default, which equates
to the CURRENT DIRECTORY!.  Thus, when my utility unpacked/repacked the
files, it packed up the swap file also.  Then, when I ran it the second
and future times on the same archive file, I was overwriting the swap
file!  Effectively overwriting the program's data and code segments.

Lesson learned:  Read the docs..first.  Don't use the old tried and
untrue "If all else fails, read the docs."  Read them first.  Read them
several times.

How to debug:

If your compiler has a trace feature, use it.

Put all the variables in the watch window that could possibly have any
bearing on the function your are testing.  Look for suspicious changes
in values when the variable has not been 'touched'.

Minimize global variable useage.  This makes portability difficult.  If
you write functions that do not rely on any outside information except
that which is passed as an parameter, then it will be much easier to use
the same functions over and over, throughout many of your projects.

Use descriptive variables.  C gives you much luxury in the length of
your variable names.  Use this to the max.  How many times have you
scratched your head and wondered "what does this one do?"

Use descriptive function names.  See above

Read other programmer's source for ideas.  Many times you will probably
be reinventing the wheel.  Read the C snippets for ideas.  Check out
some other source code to see how it's done elsewhere.  This may give
you much needed insight into the art of programming style.

And last but not least.. Use comment lines!  Don't be vague.  Commenting
your source code will most likely help only one person.  You.  But, you
are the only one that matters anyway right?

Good luck and press on!

Mark Williamson
Software Solutions
Fido 1:214/54

Home of Labtest 2.00 - The Definitive Upload Processor
Written entirely in Turbo C++ 3.0 using Brian Pirie's Open Doors 4.1


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          REVIEW: VID v2.01
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

VID v2.01, the BBS Virus Information Door from Cairo Research Labs, is now
available!

The original VID was designed to provide a quick online virus reference for 
BBS users, but has quickly evolved into quite a bit more!  Thanks to a 
tremendous response from Sysops around the world, VID has provided BBS users 
with quick, accurate viral assessments while online on their favorite BBS 
system.

What's New in This Release?

  o Over 100 new viruses added, bringing the total up to 1,557 entries.

  o Cleaned up display in several of the search and list options,
    including multi-column virus listings (Thanks to Chris Koziol).

  o Provided an option for online documentation for end-users.

  * Due to an internal problem in the original 2.00 release, you must
    use v2.01+ to use any new enhancement modules.  The database
    structures have changed a bit.

  * The periodic VID integrity check has been enhanced.  VID now
    stores its integrity information in a file called SANITY.CHK.
    Ensure that this file resides in the VID directory!
          
  * In the 2.00 release, the VIDDEF.TBL file had to reside in the
    path.  This was causing a message subsystem initialization error
    if VID could not locate this file in the path!  VID now looks in
    the current directory first. (Thanks to Steve Pepin)

  ! In the Behavior search, although the default answer is "Ignore",
    the prompt showed the default as "No".  Fixed! (Steve Pepin).

  ! If VID was typed alone with no arguments, the old switches from
    the 1.10 release were displayed! Fixed! (Steve Pepin, again!).
                  
  ! VID now handles extraneous spaces in registration keys.  This 
    occurred when clipping a key from a netmail message.  Squashed! 
    (Thanks to Bart Holiman).

  ! In the 2.0 datafiles, the "Stealth" flag on several viruses was
    not set properly.  Squashed!

FREQ:     VID - This will get you the VID engine, documentation, Lite-level
                database, and any release notes.  165K in size (VID201.ZIP).

      VIDPLUS - This will get you the VID+ modules.  You must have the VID
                engine (above) for this to be functional!  This expands
                to around 1.5MB or so.  323K in size (VP0793.ZIP).

         FROM - Under the Nile BBS, 1:3613/12, 14.4 USR
                (706) 596-8126

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       OPENDOORS SNIPPPPPPPPPETS!!!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
By : Mark Williamson			 

The previous post of this code had a little error.  In the fill_box()
function, remove the od_clr_scr().  I had put that in for test purposes.  Sorry
bout that!

/********************************************************************/

I would like to submit this code for the next issue of ODTJ.  Please
post my name and bbs info in the ODTJ with this code:

/******************************************************
* fill_box() by Mark Williamson, Software Solutions BBS
*               Fidonet 1:214/54, (209)997-0224
*
* This code will paint a box in the
* specified color using the specified
* character using ansi/avatar graphics.
* Note that this does not make a border!
* Only 'fills' a block on the screen.
* Can be used to clear just parts of a screen.
*
* Call the function with the following parameters:
*
*   int srow,scol:  Starting row,col of the box
*   int erow,ecol:  Ending row,col of the box
*   int attrib:     od_set_attrib() style color code
*   char fill_char: The character to use to paint the
*                   block.  Use ' ' to clear a block.
*
*   This code is placed in the public domain.
******************************************************/

#include <stdio.h>
#include "opendoor.h"

void fill_box(int srow, int scol, int erow, int ecol,
              int attrib, char fill_char);

void main(void)
{
    fill_box(3,10,13,40,0x1f,'°');
}

void fill_box(int srow, int scol, int erow, int ecol,
              int attrib,char fill_char)
{
   int line_len,x;
   if(srow<1) srow=1;
   if(erow>24) erow=24;
   if(scol<1) scol=1;
   if(ecol>80) ecol=80;
   line_len=ecol-scol;
/*   od_clr_scr();                     OOPS!  TAKE THIS LINE OUT */
   od_set_attrib(attrib);
   for(x=srow;x<erow+1;x++) {
      od_set_cursor(x,scol);
      od_repeat(fill_char,line_len);
      }
}

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

// The following function provided by Brian Pirie
// during a telephone conversation with Brian and myself
//
// Arguments:  Prog - the path/filename of the program to run
//             command_line - path/filename of the program and any
//             command line arguments the program needs.
//
// Example:    prog = "PKUNZIP"
//             command_line = "PKUNZIP TESTFILE.ZIP"
//
// Return value:  errorlevel of child process
int run_it(char *prog,char *command_line)
{
    char *arg[3];
    arg[0]=prog;
    arg[1]=command_line;
    arg[2]=NULL;
    strcpy(arg[1],strshl(arg[1],strlen(prog)));
    return(od_spawnvpe(P_WAIT,prog,arg,NULL));
}

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                 OpenDoors Tech Journal Information
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Editors: Scott Burkett
         Under the Nile BBS
         1:3613/[email protected]
	 [email protected] (Internet EMail)
	 (706) 596-8126 14.4 USR 
         1113 29th Street
         Columbus, GA 31902

         Brian Pirie
         BP ECOMM Systems
         1:243/[email protected]
         [email protected] (Internet EMail)
         (613) 526-4466 14.4
         1416 - 2201 Riverside Drive
         Ottawa, Ontario
         Canada
         K1H 8K9

Published by and for programmers and users of the OpenDoors C Communications
Library and BBS Interface Kit by Pirie Enterprises.  It is a compilation of
tips, reviews, and tidbits pertaining to BBS programming and general usage.
The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those
of its editors, the OpenDoors author, or other contributors.

OBTAINING COPIES:  The latest copy of the OpenDoors Tech Journal will always
be available under the magic name of TECHD (for the DOS version), and TECHW
(for the Windows .WRI version) at both of the systems listed above.

SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in the
journal.  Please send all items to one of the afore-mentioned systems via BBS
upload or mailer file/attach.

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