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Knowledge Base

Program That Prints a Hex Dump of a File to LPT1

Article ID: 43569

Article Last Modified on 11/21/2006

This article was previously published under Q43569

SUMMARY

The following is QuickBasic or Basic compiler code that will print a HEX dump of a given file to a standard out or IBM or Epson printer connected to LPT1. This program is also a good example of how to get arguments from the command line and how to check if a file exists.

This program will execute correctly with Microsoft QuickBasic Versions 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50, with Microsoft Basic Compiler Versions 6.00 and 6.00b, and with Microsoft Basic PDS Version 7.00.

The code example is as follows:

DECLARE SUB banner ()
DECLARE SUB filter (byte%)
'======================= HEXDUMP.BAS ===============================
' Program to print a Hexadecimal dump of a file to a standard out or
' IBM or Epson printer connected to the LPT1: port.
'===================================================================
DEFINT A-Z
CONST TRUE = -1
CONST FALSE = NOT TRUE

ON ERROR GOTO handler
CLS
datafile$ = COMMAND$                'Get filename from command line

  IF datafile$ = "" THEN            'Check for no filename input
     LOCATE 12
     PRINT "Usage  c:>hexdump [filename]   Output goes to LPT1:"
     END
  END IF

OPEN datafile$ FOR INPUT AS #1      'Easy way to check for file exit
CLOSE #1                            'IF NOT ERROR will force jump to

OPEN datafile$ FOR BINARY AS #1
CALL banner
DO UNTIL EOF(1) = TRUE              'Read the file 2 bytes at a time
   ascii$ = ""
   offset$ = HEX$(LOC(1))
   offlen = LEN(offset$)

   out$ = STRING$(8 - offlen, 48) + offset$ + ":  "
   FOR i% = 1 TO 8
      GET #1, , dataword
      IF EOF(1) = TRUE THEN
         fudge = 47 - (3 * (LOF(1) MOD 16) - 1)
         ascii$ = SPACE$(fudge + 3) + ascii$
         EXIT FOR
      END IF

      IF dataword < 0 THEN
         highbyte = (dataword + 2 ^ 16) \ 256
      ELSE
         highbyte = dataword \ 256  'Integer divide off low byte
      END IF

      lowbyte = dataword AND 255    'AND off the top byte
      CALL filter(highbyte)
      CALL filter(lowbyte)
      lowbyte$ = RIGHT$("0" + HEX$(lowbyte), 2)
      highbyte$ = RIGHT$("0" + HEX$(highbyte), 2)
      out$ = out$ + " " + lowbyte$ + " " + highbyte$

      ascii$ = ascii$ + CHR$(lowbyte) + CHR$(highbyte)
   NEXT i%
'  LPRINT out$ + "   " + ascii$    'Remove comment for printed output
   PRINT out$ + "   " + ascii$
LOOP
END

handler:
   PRINT "An ERROR has occurred: ERROR "; ERR
 END

'=================================================================
'                        Prints the heading banner
'=================================================================
SUB banner
  PRINT "__________________________ HEXDUMP ________________________"
  PRINT
  PRINT "Length of"; COMMAND$; " ["; HEX$(LOF(1)); "] Hex Bytes";
  PRINT "    "; LOF(1); " Decimal Bytes"
  PRINT "___________________________________________________________"
  PRINT
  VIEW PRINT 5 TO 25
END SUB

SUB filter (byte%)
SELECT CASE byte%
  CASE 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 27
     byte% = 32
  END SELECT
END SUB

Additional query words: QuickBas BasicCom

Keywords: KB43569

Microsoft KB Archive/43569

Program That Prints a Hex Dump of a File to LPT1

SUMMARY