"Subprogram Not Defined" GetCopyBox, AttrBox Using GENERAL.BAS (57365)

SUMMARY

GetCopyBox, PutCopyBox, and AttrBox (which are all invoked in GENERAL.BAS) are assembly language procedures located in the UIASM.ASM assembler source file, in the UIASM.OBJ object file, and in the UITBEFR.QLB Quick library. This fact needs to be added on Pages 499, 585-586, 589, and 591 of the "Microsoft Basic 7.0: Language Reference" manual for Microsoft Basic Professional Development System (PDS) versions 7.00 and 7.10. You will need to know this when using GENERAL.BAS from the User Interface (UI) Toolbox as described below.

If you are using GENERAL.BAS in QBX.EXE and get a "Subprogram not defined" error on a call to GetCopyBox, PutCopyBox, or AttrBox, then you must invoke QBX with a Quick library containing these routines, for example:

QBX /L UITBEFR.QLB.

[Also, if you are using GENERAL.BAS in QBX.EXE and get a "Subprogram not defined" error on a call to MouseHide (in the Box subprogram), then you must Load (choose Load from the File menu) the MOUSE.BAS source file, which contains MouseHide and the other mouse UI Toolbox routines.]

This information applies to the UI Toolbox in Microsoft Basic PDS versions 7.00 and 7.10 for MS-DOS.

MORE INFORMATION

If you chose to have Quick libraries created when you ran SETUP.EXE for Basic 7.00 or 7.10, you already have the UITBEFR.QLB Quick library that contains all the UI Toolbox routines. SETUP.EXE places UITBEFR.QLB by default in the directory where you chose to place .LIB files.

Pages 534 and 535 "Microsoft Basic 7.0: Language Reference" for versions 7.00 and 7.10 describe how to build UITBEFR.QLB (or subsets) yourself. (You can use LINK /Q to build UIASM.OBJ into a Quick library and use LIB.EXE to build the parallel .LIB library.)

The three routines in UIASM.OBJ (PutCopyBox, GetCopyBox, and AttrBox) must always be present when using the UI Toolbox.

Page 586 correctly describes how to make calls to AttrBox SUB. Since the code for AttrBox is not in the GENERAL.BAS source-code file, if you want to alter the code for AttrBox, you must edit the UIASM.ASM source file and reassemble it with Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM).

Documentation Correction

Pages 499 and 585-586 of the "Microsoft Basic 7.0: Language Reference" manual incorrectly imply that AttrBox SUB is a procedure found in the GENERAL.BAS source-code file for the User Interface (UI) Toolbox.

The AttrBox is actually an assembly language procedure located in the UI Toolbox object file, UIASM.OBJ (and in the UIASM.ASM source file). The UI Toolbox procedures require that UIASM.OBJ be included either in a Quick library when running inside the QBX.EXE editor or in a library (.LIB) that is linked to your program when running outside the environment (in a compiled executable .EXE form).