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 Complete VB Program to BLOAD/BSAVE Four Plane PICEM Images - Q76729
 
 This article contains a sample program that combines information from
 several Microsoft Knowledge Base articles for a more complete example
 of using the BLOAD and BSAVE statements with graphics images. It
 incorporates information on how to shell to PICEM210 (a shareware
 utility) to display a graphics image, how to BLOAD/BSAVE the graphics
 file with four color planes, and how to save the video card palette
 registers associated with the image.
 
 PICEM.EXE is available in the IBM Forum on CompuServe, or in the
 Microsoft Software/Data Library on CompuServe, as described below.
 (For more information on CompuServe, call 800-848-8199.) Since
 PICEM.EXE is freeware, it is also widely available on local bulletin
 board services around the country.
 
 More Information:
 
 The program below, PIC.BAS, shows one method of using PICEM210 to
 display a .GIF, .PCX, or .PIC graphics image file and BSAVE the image
 to disk. This program is intended to save and load images in screen
 modes with more than one bit plane. Screen modes 9 (640-by-350-by-16)
 and 12 (640-by-480-by-16) fall into this category (they each have four
 bit planes). This program can also save screen mode 13
 (320-by-200-by-256) graphics images, but PICEM210 already has the
 ability to save one bit plane images in the Basic BSAVE format without
 using a separate Basic program.
 
 To find PICEM on the IBM Forum on CompuServe, type "GO IBMFF" to
 invoke IBM File Finder, and then follow the prompts to find PICEM.ARC
 or PICEM.EXE. Because you may find several older versions of PICEM,
 use only version 2.0b or 2.1 to support saving in Basic BLOAD format
 (or any later versions that support Basic BLOAD format). The following
 is the header information for PICEM in CompuServe:
 
    PICEM  - Picture view utility
             Version 2.1 - July 25, 1990
             Written by John Bridges,  Copyright(C) 1987,88,89,90
 
 PICEM can also be found in the Microsoft Software/Data Library on
 Compuserve by searching on the word PICEM or S12734. (PICEM was
 archived using the PKware file-conversion utility.)
 
 For any questions or problems regarding PICEM, contact John Bridges on
 CIS (CompuServe) ID:73307,606 in the PICS Forum. To enter the PICS
 forum on CompuServe, type "GO PICS" (without the quotation marks) from
 any prompt. (Since PICEM is not a Microsoft product, Microsoft does
 not support questions about PICEM.)
 
 If PICEM.EXE doesn't work properly on your card, you need to tell it
 what mode to use via the PICEM /V: switch. See the /V: modes listed
 below and in PICEM.DOC.
 
 PICEM210 has the ability to set most of its viewing options from the
 command line in addition to leaving the image on the screen when it
 ends. The options used in this program are as follows:
 
   /e    - leaves image on screen after displaying
   /k    - tells PICEM to not wait for a keypress after displaying image
   /v:x  - which mode to display the image
 
         Values for x used are:
 
           i    - Screen mode 9, change to "g" for EGA cards
           m    - Screen mode 12
           l    - Screen mode 13
 
 In addition to BSAVEing the graphics image, the program below also
 saves the palette registers used by the picture. It does so because
 when you shell to another process then return to Basic, Basic does not
 know that the screen mode and palette have changed during the shell.
 If this step is not performed, the next time the image is loaded,
 Basic's default palette is used rather than the palette needed for the
 image, so the picture will not display in the correct colors.
 
 Information About the Program
 -----------------------------
 
 The program first finds if it is loading a previously BSAVEd file or
 if it is BSAVEing a graphics file. It then gets information about the
 file to load or save, and which screen mode the file is to be
 displayed in (valid values are 9, 12, and 13). It then either shells
 to PICEM or BLOADs the image to the screen.
 
 When an image is saved, there are four image files (saved as
 "<file>.B_X") and one register file (saved as "<file>.REG") saved. The
 image files each contain one bit plane of the image, and the register
 file contains the values of the palette registers for the image.
 
 When an image is loaded, the program looks for the "<file>.REG" to
 make sure that the image has been previously BSAVED (where <file> is
 the filename of the image BSAVEd). The DIR$ function checks to see if
 a specified file exists; if the file does not exist, DIR$ returns a
 null string.
 
 PIC.BAS will also accept command line parameters. The format is as
 follows:
 
    pic [<save/load> /mode [<GIF-file>] <bsave-name>]
 
 where
 
    <Save/Load>:   /S = Save a GIF, /L = Load a BSAVE file
    /mode:         /9 = 640x350x16, /12 = 640x480x16, /13 = 320x200x256
    <GIF-file>:    Filename of .GIF, .PCX, .PIC file to BSAVE, extension
                   required. (Not used when loading a BSAVE file.)
    <bsave-file>:  Eight character filename to BLOAD or BSAVE GIF
 
 An example of loading the 640-by-480-by-16 GIF file COLORS.GIF and
 BSAVEing it as COLORS is as follows (where COLORS.GIF is in the
 current directory):
 
    pic /s /12 colors.gif colors
 
 The above command will create five files: COLORS.B_0, COLORS.B_1,
 COLORS.B_2, COLORS.B_3, and COLORS.REG. To load the BSAVE files back
 into video memory, use the following command:
 
    pic /l /12 colors
 
 The steps used to compile the program are as follows:
 
     bc /o pic;
 
     link pic,,,vbdos.lib;
 
 Disclaimer
 ----------
 
 This program is NOT a retail product of Microsoft Corporation.
 It was developed by a private technician as a utility to be used by
 programmers using Microsoft Visual Basic version 1.0 for MS-DOS. This
 program is provided AS IS, without warranty of any kind, either
 expressed or implied. The entire risk as to the quality and
 performance of this program is with the user. Neither Microsoft or the
 programmer of the application shall be responsible for any problems,
 including, but not limited to, any lost profits, lost savings, or
 other incidental or consequential damages arising from the use or
 inability to use this program.
 
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