Complete Listing of SCREEN Modes for Compiled Basic (51858)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0, when used with:
    • the operating system: MS-DOS
  • Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.0b, when used with:
    • the operating system: MS-DOS
  • Microsoft QuickBASIC 4.5, when used with:
    • the operating system: MS-DOS
  • Microsoft BASIC Compiler for MS-DOS and OS/2 6.0
  • Microsoft BASIC Compiler for MS-DOS and OS/2 6.0b
  • Microsoft Basic Professional Development System for MS-DOS 7.0
This article was previously published under Q51858

SUMMARY

Below is a complete listing of the modes of the SCREEN statement for Microsoft QuickBasic Versions 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50 for MS-DOS, Microsoft Basic Compiler Versions 6.00 and 6.00b for MS-DOS, and Microsoft Basic PDS Version 7.00 for MS-DOS.

MORE INFORMATION

This information can also be found in the Basic language reference manuals for the above products, in the QB.EXE 4.50 (but not 4.00 or 4.00b) on-line Help screen, and in the QBX.EXE 7.00 on-line Help screen.

The color adapter acronyms are defined as follows. 
   MDPA = IBM Monochrome Display and Printer Adapter
   MCGA = IBM Multicolor Graphics Array
   HGC  = Hercules Graphics Card
   CGA  = IBM Color Graphics Adapter
   EGA  = IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter
   VGA  = IBM Video Graphics Array
Note: See the WIDTH statement documentation for more information about changing the number of rows and columns on the display

The PALETTE statement works only on systems equipped with the EGA, VGA, or MCGA adapters. The PALETTE statement is not supported in screen modes 3 or 4.

The following information briefly summarizes each of the screen modes.

MDPA, CGA, MCGA, EGA, Hercules, Olivetti, or VGA Adapter Boards

SCREEN 0
  • Text Mode only.
  • Either 40 x 25, 40 x 43, 40 x 50, 80 x 25, 80 x 50 text format with character-box size of 8 x 8 (8 x 14, 9 x 14, or 9 x 16 with EGA or VGA).
  • Assignment of 16 colors to either of 2 attributes.
  • Assignment of 16 colors to any of 16 attributes (CGA and EGA).
  • Assignment of 64 colors to any of 16 attributes (EGA and VGA).

CGA, EGA, VGA, or MCGA Adapter Boards

SCREEN 1
  • 20 x 200 pixel medium-resolution graphics.
  • 40 x 25 text format with character-size of 8 x 8.
  • Assignment of 16 background colors and one of two sets of 3 foreground colors assigned using COLOR statement with CGA.
  • Assignment of 16 colors to 4 attributes with EGA, VGA, or MCGA.
  • Note: If you want to have a choice of color for text on the CGA adapter you can use BIOS interrupt 10 Hex, with function 9 (write character and attribute at cursor), to output text characters in various colors.
SCREEN 2
  • 640 x 200 pixel high-resolution graphics.
  • 80 x 25 text format with character-box size of 8 x 8.
  • Two colors (black and white) with CGA.
  • Assignment of 16 colors to 2 color attributes with EGA or VGA.

Hercules Graphics Card (HGC)

SCREEN 3
  • Hercules adapter required, monochrome monitor only.
  • 720 x 348 graphics.
  • 80 x 25 text format, 9 x 14 character box.
  • Two screen pages (only one, if a second display adapter is installed).
  • PALETTE statement not supported

Olivetti and AT&T Graphics

SCREEN 4 (Supported in QuickBasic 4.00b and 4.50, but not in 4.00.)

(Supported in Basic PDS 7.00 and the Basic compiler 6.00b, but not in 6.00.)
  • Supports Olivetti (R) Personal Computers models M24, M240, M28, M280, M380, M380/C, M380/T.
  • Supports AT&T (R) Personal Computer 6300 series.
  • 640 x 400 graphics.
  • 80 x 25 text format, 8 x 16 character box.
  • One of 16 colors assigned as the foreground color (selected by the COLOR statement); background is fixed at black.
  • WARNING: Olivetti computers running in real mode (DOS 3.x box) under OS/2 must avoid SCREEN 4.

EGA and VGA Adapter Boards

SCREEN 7
  • 320 x 200 pixel medium-resolution graphics.
  • 40 x 25 text format, character box 8 x 8.
  • 32K page size. Page ranges are 0 to 1 (64K adapter memory), 0 to 3 (128K adapter memory), or 0 to 7 (256K adapter memory).
  • Assignment of 16 colors to any of 16 color attributes.
SCREEN 8
  • 640 x 200 pixel high-resolution graphics.
  • 80 x 25 text format with character-box size 8 x 8.
  • 64K page size. Page ranges are 0 (64K adapter memory), 0 to 1 (128K), or 0 to 3 (256K).
  • Assignment of 16 colors to any 16 color attributes
SCREEN 9
  • 640 x 350 pixel enhanced-resolution graphics.
  • 80 x 25 or 80 x 43 text format with character-box size of 8 x 14 or 8 x 8.
  • For 64K page size, page range is 0 (64K).
  • For 128K page size, page range is 0 for 128K adapter memory or 0 to 1 for 256K adapter memory.
  • Assignment of 16 colors to 4 attributes (64K adapter memory), or 64 colors assigned to 16 attributes (more than 64K of adapter memory).

EGA and VGA Adapter Boards with Monochrome Display Only

SCREEN 10
  • 640 x 350 enhanced-resolution graphics.
  • 80 x 25 or 80 x 43 text format with character-box size of 8 X 14 or 8 x 8.
  • 128K page size, page range 0 (128K adapter memory) or 0 to 1 (256K).
  • Up to 9 shades of gray (pseudocolors) assigned to 4 attributes.

VGA and MCGA Adapter Boards

SCREEN 11
  • 640 x 480 pixel very high-resolution graphics.
  • 80 x 30 or 80 x 60 text format with character-box size of 8 x 16 or 8 x 8.
  • Assignment of up to 256K colors to 2 attributes.
SCREEN 13
  • 320 x 200 pixel medium-resolution graphics.
  • 40 x 25 text format with character-box size of 8 x 8.
  • Assignment of up to 256K colors to up to 256 attributes.
  • Note: This mode offers the best color range available on the VGA.

VGA Only

SCREEN 12
  • 640 x 480 pixel very high-resolution graphics.
  • 80 x 30, 80 x 60 text format with character-box size of 8 x 16 or 8 x 8.
  • Assignment of up to 256K colors to up to 16 attributes.
  • Note: This mode offers the best resolution with most colors available at that resolution.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/16/2005
Keywords:KB51858
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.