Article: Q41447
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 4.00 4.00b 4.50
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | B_BasicCom | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 15-JAN-1991
This article discusses three methods to put an MS-DOS disk directory
listing into a string array. This article 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 and MS OS/2.
Example 1 shows a simple method to SHELL to the MS-DOS DIR command,
redirect the output to a file, and input from the file into string
variables.
Example 2 shows how to use the CALL INTERRUPT routine to invoke MS-DOS
function calls (SetDTA, FindFirst, and FindNext) to retrieve a disk
directory into string variables in a compiled BASIC program.
A third method is to use the DIR$ function introduced in Microsoft
BASIC PDS version 7.00/7.10 for MS-DOS and MS OS/2. For an example of
using the DIR$ function (which works both in MS-DOS and MS OS/2),
search for a separate article by querying on the following words:
7.00 and "DIR$" and DIRECTORY and LISTING
For an example of calling the MS-DOS interrupt functions to obtain
disk directory information in QuickBASIC Version 2.00, 2.01, or 3.00,
query on the following words:
INT86.OBJ and FINDFIRST
For a Microsoft BASIC PDS 7.00 or 7.10 or BASIC compiler version 6.00
or 6.00b example that displays directory information in MS OS/2
protected mode, query on the following words:
DosFindFirst or DosFindNext
Example 1 (a technique simpler than the next example)
---------
' Works in QuickBASIC 2.00, 2.01, 3.00, 4.00, 4.00b, 4.50, and
' Microsoft BASIC Compiler 6.00 and 6.00b, and BASIC PDS 7.00, 7.10
nf = 200 ' Handles directory listing up to 200 lines.
DIM buffer$(nf)
INPUT "Enter Search Path: ", path$ ' Enter path such as c:
SHELLSTRING$ = "dir " + path$ + " >dirfile.dat"
SHELL SHELLSTRING$ ' SHELL to the MS-DOS DIRectory command.
OPEN "dirfile.dat" FOR INPUT AS #1
pntr% = 0
WHILE NOT EOF(1) AND pntr% < nf
pntr% = pntr% + 1
INPUT #1, buffer$(pntr%) ' Inputs one directory line at a time.
PRINT buffer$(pntr%)
WEND
CLOSE #1
KILL "dirfile.dat"
END
Example 2
---------
Example 2 below shows how to load an MS-DOS disk directory listing
into a string array, using the CALL INTERRUPT statement to invoke the
MS-DOS operating-system interrupt 21 hex, with functions 1A hex
(SetDTA), 4E hex (FindFirst), and 4F hex (FindNext). Example 2 below
applies to QuickBASIC versions 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50 and Microsoft
BASIC Compiler versions 6.00 and 6.00b running under MS-DOS (or OS/2
real mode, which emulates DOS versions 3.x).
To make this example work in BASIC PDS 7.00, modify the Firstfm
FUNCTION in the example further below as follows:
1. DIM inreg AS RegTypex and outreg AS RegTypex
2. Change CALL INTERRUPT to CALL INTERRUPTX
3. Add the following line in between the assignment for inreg.dx and
the CALL INTERRUPTX: inreg.ds = SSEG(FileName$)
REM DIR.BAS
'$INCLUDE: 'QB.BI' '<-- look at what is in this file
' QB.BI contains the TYPE definitions for "Outreg" and "Inreg"
' and the declarations for both INTERRUPT and INTERRUPTX.
TYPE FileFindBuf
dos AS STRING * 21
Attributes AS STRING * 1
CreateTime AS INTEGER
AccessDate AS INTEGER
FileSize AS LONG
FileName AS STRING * 13
END TYPE
TYPE FileInfo
FileName AS STRING * 13
Size AS STRING * 8
Seconds AS STRING * 4
Minutes AS STRING * 4
Hours AS STRING * 4
Day AS STRING * 4
Month AS STRING * 4
Year AS STRING * 5
END TYPE
DIM BUFFER AS FileFindBuf
DIM FileInfoBlock(100) AS FileInfo
DECLARE SUB intbuf (BUFFER AS FileFindBuf)
DECLARE SUB setdta (BUFFER AS FileFindBuf)
DECLARE FUNCTION firstfm! (path$, fa%)
DECLARE FUNCTION nextfm ()
DECLARE SUB CalculateAssign (FileInfoBlock() AS ANY, BUFFER AS ANY,_
counter!)
DECLARE SUB PrintDirList (FileInfoBlock() AS ANY, i!)
CLS : CALL setdta(BUFFER)
INPUT "Enter the files spec: "; path$
fa% = 0 ' A value of 16 includes directory names.
counter = 0
IF (firstfm(path$, fa%) = 0) THEN
DO
counter = counter + 1
CalculateAssign FileInfoBlock(), BUFFER, counter
CALL setdta(BUFFER)
LOOP WHILE (nextfm = 0)
END IF
CLS
FOR i = 1 TO counter
PrintDirList FileInfoBlock(), i
NEXT i
END
SUB CalculateAssign (FileInfoBlock() AS FileInfo, _
BUFFER AS FileFindBuf, counter)
FileInfoBlock(counter).FileName = BUFFER.FileName
FileInfoBlock(counter).Size = STR$(BUFFER.FileSize)
FileInfoBlock(counter).Seconds = STR$(BUFFER.CreateTime AND &H1F)
FileInfoBlock(counter).Minutes = _
STR$((BUFFER.CreateTime AND &H7E0) \ 32)
'If BUFFER.CreateTime is negative add 64K to make unsigned integer:
IF BUFFER.CreateTime < 0 THEN
FileInfoBlock(counter).Hours = _
STR$(((BUFFER.CreateTime + 2 ^ 16) AND &HF800) \ 2048)
ELSE
FileInfoBlock(counter).Hours = _
STR$((BUFFER.CreateTime AND &HF800) \ 2048)
END IF
FileInfoBlock(counter).Day = STR$(BUFFER.AccessDate AND &H1F)
FileInfoBlock(counter).Month = _
STR$((BUFFER.AccessDate \ 32) AND &HF)
FileInfoBlock(counter).Year = _
STR$((BUFFER.AccessDate \ 512) + 1980)
END SUB
FUNCTION firstfm (path$, fa%)
DIM inreg AS regtype, outreg AS regtype '1. Use regtypex for BASIC 7.00
inreg.ax = &H4E00
inreg.cx = fa%
FileName$ = path$ + CHR$(0)
inreg.dx = SADD(FileName$)
' 2. Add this here for BASIC 7.00: inreg.ds=SSEG(FileName$)
CALL INTERRUPT (&H21, inreg, outreg) '3. Use INTERRUPTX in BASIC 7.00
firstfm = (outreg.ax AND &HF)
END FUNCTION
SUB intbuf (BUFFER AS FileFindBuf) STATIC
' The first 20 bytes are reserved for DOS and are unchanged
BUFFER.CreateTime = 0
BUFFER.Attributes = " "
BUFFER.AccessDate = 0
BUFFER.FileSize = 0
BUFFER.FileName = STRING$(13, 32)
END SUB
FUNCTION nextfm
DIM inreg AS regtype, outreg AS regtype
inreg.ax = &H4F00
CALL interrupt(&H21, inreg, outreg)
nextfm = outreg.ax AND &HF
END FUNCTION
SUB PrintDirList (FileInfoBlock() AS FileInfo, i)
PRINT FileInfoBlock(i).FileName;
PRINT TAB(15); FileInfoBlock(i).Size;
PRINT TAB(25); RTRIM$(LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Month)) + "-";
IF LEN(RTRIM$(LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Day))) = 1 THEN
FileInfoBlock(i).Day = "0" + LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Day)
END IF
PRINT RTRIM$(LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Day)) + "-";
PRINT RTRIM$(LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Year));
IF VAL(FileInfoBlock(i).Hours) = 0 THEN
FileInfoBlock(i).Hours = STR$(12) 'Change midnight from 0 to 12.
END IF
IF VAL(FileInfoBlock(i).Hours) > 12 THEN
x% = VAL(FileInfoBlock(i).Hours) - 12
FileInfoBlock(i).Hours = STR$(x%)
suffix$ = "p"
ELSE
suffix$ = "a"
END IF
IF VAL(FileInfoBlock(i).Hours) = 12 AND _
VAL(FileInfoBlock(i).Minutes) > 0 THEN suffix$ = "p"
IF LEN(RTRIM$(LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Hours))) = 1 THEN
t% = 39
ELSE
t% = 38
END IF
PRINT TAB(t%); RTRIM$(LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Hours)) + ":";
IF LEN(RTRIM$(LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Minutes))) = 1 THEN
FileInfoBlock(i).Minutes = "0" + LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Minutes)
END IF
PRINT RTRIM$(LTRIM$(FileInfoBlock(i).Minutes));
PRINT suffix$
END SUB
SUB setdta (BUFFER AS FileFindBuf) STATIC
DIM inreg AS regtypex, outreg AS regtypex
CALL intbuf(BUFFER)
inreg.ax = &H1A00
inreg.ds = VARSEG(BUFFER)
inreg.dx = VARPTR(BUFFER)
CALL interruptx(&H21, inreg, outreg)
END SUB