Keyboards

 BBS: The MOONFLOWER
Date: 07-25-93 (22:22)             Number: 101
From: ADAM LUSSIER #42 @1619074    Refer#: NONE
  To: TIGER #68 @1310007*1          Recvd: YES 
Subj: Keyboards                      Conf: (125) The Progra

Re: Reading keyboard.

>      I need a way to read a 101 key keyboard using interrupts.  I have used
> the functions &H0 and &H10 of interrupt 16, but I have problems reading F11
> and F12.  Are there any other functions I can use to read the keystroke's
> ASCII code and scan code?  Thanks!

Yes, there is an easier way.  Depeding on the language you are using, you
just have to read a key without echo(getch() in C, ReadKey in Pascal, and
INKEY$ in BASIC).  Now, make a program that has a while loop(usually use ESC
to end the loop ASCII code 27).  Press the keys away, and you will get
output.  The output will have a blank space, then a character.  The blank
space is nul(ASCII code 0).  All you have to do is check for both characters,
and you can read the keys.

Sample in BASIC:

Done$ = "f"
While Done$ = "f"
     a$ = inkey$
     If a$ = Chr$(27) then Done$ = "t"
     Print a$
Wend

This will give you the output.

Example: run the program and press the Up Arrow Key.
The output will look like this.

 H

Notice the space...  This is the nul character, and it also returns 'H'.
Just check for both, and you have uparrow.

This is one of the standard ways of doing things.  It goes through BIOS, so
you may run into some problems if alot of graphics are involved.  But for the
general application, it works pretty good.


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