Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!uupsi!sunic!dkuug!imada!micro
From: micro@imada.ou.dk (Klaus Pedersen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st.tech
Subject: Re: How to intercept TOS vectores
Keywords: XBRA
Message-ID: <1991May23.170948.12410@imada.ou.dk>
Date: 23 May 91 17:09:48 GMT
References: <1991May19.185424.18475@imada.ou.dk> <3394@quepasa.cs.tu-berlin.de> <1991May21.185858.2974@imada.ou.dk>
Sender: news@imada.ou.dk (USENET News System)
Organization: Dept. of Math. & Computer Science, Odense University, Denmark
Lines: 32

I just want to continue my list of bad programming pratice, but without
examples.

  - Don't use ScanCodes to check for any key on the main keyboard, use them
    only to check for HELP, UNDO, Fx, ESC ...
    Don't use it for 'Z', 'Y', '[', or any other. If you use ALT+key, then
    use the KeyBoardTable to convert the scancode to ASCII, then check that.
    Don't replace the buildin Keyboardtable ('cept if that is what your program
    is supposed to do).

  - Remember to use wind_update(BEG_UPDATE)/wind_update(END_UNDATE), when
    you are drawing on the screen. To avoid an other process smears the screen
    (eg ScreenMgr)

  - Don't assume that because you only have one window, that you then don't 
    have to process WM_REDRAW or VM_TOP/WM_NEWTOP messages.

  - When you Allocate memory, then remember to leave some (8Kb+) for AES,
    VDI, GEMDOS, and accessorys. On a related subject, don't : 
          p = Malloc( (long) int_var);
    This will work if int_var is less than 32Kb, else it will fail big!
    The strange thing is that if replace it with a 'malloc-stdio' then
    it will probaly work, because it often is suppost to take int vars.

  - Don't mix BIOS/GEMDOS screen output (input?) with a Gem program. There 
    might come graphics cards that jump into textmode when it is told to 
    output text like (PC's).
  
  - Stop using the LineA routines. (I need help on this - also Init?).


-Klaus, micro@imada.ou.dk