SUMMARY: How to configure vt100/wyse50 in VP/ix for line graphics

Bill Irwin bill at twg.bc.ca
Sun Nov 25 18:29:48 AEST 1990


By  popular  demand  I am re-summarizing and including  the  scan
codes  for mapping to box drawing graphic characters.  I received
several  mail  requests  for these and, if I  had  been  thinking
straight  when  I  first summarized, I would have  included  them
then.   It doesn't add very much to the length of the article.  I
have  included  the  original  problem  and  description  of  the
solution  for the benefit of those who want to tie the scan codes
into the problem.

I originally summarized:

|I originally posted:
|
|>I am trying to configure an Altos III (vt100 compatible, almost) and Wyse
|>60  with an ascii keyboard for use with VP/ix.  I have a front-end script
|>which  changes  the  TERM variable from vt100 to vt100nam,  but  for  the
|>wyse60 it changes to wyse50n.
|>
|>When  I  invoke  the VP/ix menu (ESC SO or ESC s) I  get  bad  characters
|>drawing the box that surrounds the menu.  The vt100 prints "q"s and "x"s,
|>while  the wyse50nam prints all "."s.  I have not been able to locate  in
|>TFM  where the appropriate graphic characters are specified.  In the file
|>"/usr/vpix/term/wyse50n",  the  output  characters mappings  section  has
|>every line being mapped to a ".".
|
|I  received one email providing the VT100 codes for start/stop graphics  mode,
|but  nothing indicating that I didn't have to hand modify the output scan code
|mappings  in the "/usr/vpix/term/[altos3-nam|wyse50n]" files.  I was  prepared
|to  do  this for the Altos terminal because I know it is not completely  VT100
|compatible,  but  I certainly expected the Wyse 60 (running as a Wyse  50)  to
|produce  flawless graphics.  After all, what does a "supported terminal" mean,
|if not that "it works properly"?
|
|Anyone familiar with the scan code mapping tables in these files will know the
|task  I had before me, especially without a table to provide the scan code for
|each  of  the  eleven  line drawing characters used to draw  a  box  which  is
|dissected vertically and horizontally.
|
|The solution came some 4 hours later after substituting all the letters of the
|alphabet  (a-z|A-Z)  for each of a range of scan codes, then running VP/ix  to
|see  how  it  was  drawing  boxes.  Eventually I started  seeing  some  of  my
|substitute  characters  in  the box, which then told me  which  character  was
|supposed to be there and therefore the scan code that needed changing.
|
|Another  trip into the scan code mapping table to find the character I saw and
|to  insert  the  sequence that actually draws the correct  graphic  character.
|After  getting one terminal configured correctly this way, it was an easy task
|to  note  the scan codes that were actually changed, and only deal with  those
|codes for the second terminal.
|
|My  question  remains:  why would SCO put out a mature product like VP/ix  and
|have  a  "supported  terminal"  (Wyse  50)   using  periods  for  box  drawing
|characters?  That doesn't fit my definition of supported.  8^(
|
|If  anyone else is having this problem and would like to know which scan codes
|produce  which position graphic for box drawing, email me and I will give  you
|the numbers.  It will save you about 3 or 4 hours of trial and error.

So here they are:

*       Wyse in native mode configuration
*       Part II: output character mappings

output:         \263            \033-H-6
output:         \272            \033-H-6    |

output:         \273            \033-H-3    -+
                                             |

                                             |
output:         \274            \033-H-5   --+

output:         \277            \033-H-3
output:         \300            \033-H-1
output:         \304            \033-H-:

                                             |
output:         \310            \033-H-1     +--
                                             +--
output:         \311            \033-H-2     |

output:         \315            \033-H-:     --
output:         \331            \033-H-5
output:         \332            \033-H-2


These  include  the  scan codes for both single  line  boxes  and
double  line boxes.  The codes with ascii representations are the
ones  for single line boxes.  The codes without a  representation
are  the  ones  for double line boxes, but I threw out  the  hand
written  notes  I  had on which characters these  codes  actually
produce.   All  you need to do is put a letter next to each  scan
code  and watch where the letters go when a DOS application tries
to  draw a box.  Or you can look up the codes above in a Wyse  50
manual to determine which characters they produce.

Good luck.  Why didn't SCO do this???  8^(
-- 
Bill Irwin    -       The Westrheim Group     -    Vancouver, BC, Canada
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
uunet!van-bc!twg!bill     (604) 431-9600 (voice) |     UNIX Systems
bill at twg.bc.ca            (604) 430-4329 (fax)   |     Integration



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