QB 2.x and 3.00 INT86 Requires VARPTR, but Not 4.00 INT86OLD (37309)

SUMMARY

The interrupt routines INT86OLD and INT86XOLD are meant to emulate the INT86 and INT86X routines found in earlier versions, but they are invoked differently, as described in this article.

INT86 and INT86X routines are found only in QuickBasic versions 2.00, 2.01, and 3.00. The INT86OLD and INT86XOLD are included in Microsoft QuickBasic versions 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50; in Microsoft Basic Compiler versions 6.00 and 6.00b for MS-DOS; and in Microsoft Basic PDS versions 7.00 and 7.10 for MS-DOS.

In QuickBasic versions 2.x and 3.00, the offset of the register arrays must be passed to INT86 and INT86X using the VARPTR function. For INT86OLD and INT86XOLD (found in later versions), VARPTR is not required. [This difference is noted on Page 87 in the "Microsoft QuickBasic 4.0: Basic Language Reference" manual for versions 4.00 and 4.00b, and on Page 87 in the Microsoft Basic Compiler 6.0: Basic Language Reference" manual for versions 6.00 and 6.00b.]

This information applies to Microsoft QuickBasic versions 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50 for MS-DOS; to Microsoft Basic Compiler versions 6.00 and 6.00b for MS-DOS; and to Microsoft Basic Professional Development System (PDS) versions 7.00 and 7.10 for MS-DOS.

MORE INFORMATION

The newer versions of Basic listed above have replaced the INT86 and INT86X statements with the following easier-to-use routines: CALL INTERRUPT and CALL INTERRUPTX. For more information about these newer routines, query in this Knowledge Base on the following word:

QB4INT

The syntax for INT86 and INT86X (used in QuickBasic versions 2.00, 2.01, and 3.00) is as follows:

   CALL INT86 (int_no, VARPTR(in_array(x)), VARPTR(out_array(y)))
   CALL INT86X (int_no, VARPTR(in_array(x)), VARPTR(out_array(y)))

The syntax for INT86OLD and INT86XOLD (used in later versions for backwards statement-compatibility) is as follows:

   CALL INT86OLD (int_no, in_array(), out_array())
   CALL INT86XOLD (int_no, in_array(), out_array())