DAC

  DAC stands for the QBASIC Digital to Analog Converter color attributes used in screens 0, 7 and 9.

IMPORTANT: QB64 screens do not use the DAC index!

• DAC colors are preset and cannot be changed in Qbasic easily(see example).
• DAC color attribute settings cannot be changed using PALETTE or OUT RGB statements.
• Screen 0 and 9 can use up to 64 DAC color hues. Only attributes 0 to 5 and 7 can have RGB values altered using OUT.
• PALETTE swap statements can assign one attribute's DAC color setting to another attribute color in SCREENs 0 to 9.
• Screen attributes 0 to 5 and 7 can have their RGB settings altered using OUT as shown in Bold below:

           SCREEN 0 or 9                     SCREEN 7
       Attribute = DAC setting         Attribute = DAC setting

  0 to 5 = 0 to 5  0 to 5 = 0 to 5    6 = 20 6 = 6

               7 = 7                           7 = 7
               8 = 56                          8 = 16

   9 = 57 9 = 17

              10 = 58                         10 = 18
              11 = 59                         11 = 19
              12 = 60                         12 = 20
              13 = 61                         13 = 21
              14 = 62                         14 = 22
              15 = 63                         15 = 23

   OUT can change RGB intensities where the DAC value matches the attribute value.

Example 1: Changing the DAC attributes to use OUT for custom colors.

SCREEN 9 'use 0, 7 or 9 only" InitDAC% = INP(&H3DA) ' prepare DAC port for access FOR attribute% = 6 TO 15 ' attributes 0 to 5 are already non-DAC OUT &H3C0, attribute% ' send attribute to change OUT &H3C0, attribute% ' change DAC value to normal number NEXT attribute%" OUT &H3C0, 32 ' close port access

Explanation: The procedure is a MUST to import 4 BPP bitmap colors in SCREEN 7 or 9. The InitDAC% value is not used, but that code line opens the DAC color port. Now all color attributes 0 to 15 can be used for custom or imported bitmap RGB color settings.

Example 2: Disabling blinking colors in fullscreen SCREEN 0 mode enabling high intensity only. (DAC)

D = INP(&H3DA) 'prepares port for access OUT &H3C0, &H30 OUT &H3C0, 4

Explanation: Make attributes 8-15 available to both foreground AND background colors. In other words it will make fullscreen behave like windowed mode. For the same effect in QB64, use _BLINK OFF.

Enabling: The following code disables above code and returns SCREEN 0 blinking to normal.

D = INP(&H3DA) 'prepares port for access OUT &H3C0, &H30 OUT &H3C0, 12

NOTE: QB64 allows blinking mode in both fullscreen and windowed modes without using the code above. To reenable blinking in QB64 after using _BLINK OFF, use _BLINK ON.

See also:

• SCREEN, COLOR
• PALETTE

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