 
 
 
 
Borland PowerPack for DOS 
Version 1.0 
Evaluator's Guide 
 
 
 
 
      
 
 
PART 1 
Introduction 
 
About this guide 
Welcome to the Borland PowerPack for DOS evaluator's guide.  The Borland 
PowerPack for DOS is a complete suite of DOS development tools and 
libraries designed to work with Borland C+ 4.0.  The purpose of this 
guide is to provide an understanding of the features and benefits found 
in this powerful new product.   
 
Part 2, Introducing Borland PowerPack for DOS, provides a capsule 
summary of the features and benefits of the product. 
 
Part 3, Borland PowerPack for DOS In Depth, provides greater detail 
about  product features and components.  
 
Part 4 provides information on hardware and software requirements, as 
well as installation and storage requirements. 
 
 
 
PART 2 
Introducing Borland PowerPack for DOS 
 
The Borland PowerPack for DOS provides several important features for 
DOS developers: 
      
+     royalty free 16 and 32-bit DOS Extenders 
+     more application memory 
+     faster application performance 
+     code reuse through DOS DLLs 
+     16- and 32-bit Borland Graphics Interface libraries 
+     support for the newest super vga video cards 
+     16- and 32-bit Turbo Vision libraries 
+     data validation classes 
+     outline viewer object 
 
In addition to developing for graphical environments such as Windows and 
OS/2, most programmers continue to develop and maintain DOS applications 
as well.  The reason is simple.  DOS has by far the largest installed 
base of any operating system, and will continue to sell well into the 
foreseeable future.  In fact, recent surveys have indicated that one out 
of every five personal computers sold this year will be installed with 
DOS only.  Clearly, DOS will continue to represent a substantial market 
opportunity for some time to come. 
 
Despite its tremendous success, DOS has some serious limitations.  Most 
notable is the fact that DOS relies on the 16-bit segmented memory 
architecture used by the Intel 8086 microprocessor.  Newer 
microprocessors such as the 80386 and 80486 must emulate this 
architecture to run DOS.  The 8086 architecture limits the range of 
addressable memory to 1MB.  Even worse, by default DOS applications can 
access only the first 640K bytes of this memory.  The remaining 384K is 
used by the system for video memory, the BIOS, and as ROM for expansion 
cards.  Although the majority of personal computers sold today contain 
four or more megabytes of RAM memory, this additional memory is unable 
to be addressed without substantial effort.  As DOS applications 
increase in complexity, developers are finding the memory limitations of 
DOS to be unacceptable. 
 
The best solution to this problem is a DOS Extender.  A DOS Extender 
utilizes the advanced features of 80286 and newer microprocessors to 
allow transparent access to all machine memory.  An application that 
manipulates a pointer to memory need not worry whether this memory was 
allocated above the 1MB limit or below it.  Further, a DOS Extender 
still allows access to DOS and BIOS calls, interrupt handlers, and other 
low-level techniques common in today's software. 
 
The Borland PowerPack for DOS contains a powerful set of development 
tools and libraries for the DOS developer.  Included are both a 16-bit 
and a 32-bit DOS Extender which allow programmers to break through the 
640K barrier.  The 32-bit extender is for use with 80386 or better 
microprocessors and allows access of up to 4GB of machine memory.  The 
16-bit extender is for use the 80286 or better microprocessors and 
allows access of up to 16MB of machine memory.  As an added benefit, 
both extenders enable dynamic link libraries (DLL's) to be shared 
between DOS and Windows.  Applications written using the DOS Extenders 
included in the PowerPack will work with any DPMI server that provides 
.9 DPMI services or better. Also included in the product are 16 and 32-
bit versions of the popular Borland Graphics Interface (BGI) library.  
This library provides a complete set of functions for creating high 
performance graphics applications.  In addition, the Borland PowerPack 
for DOS includes 16 and 32-bit versions of the Turbo Vision 2.0 
application framework for creating event-driven text mode interfaces for 
DOS applications. 
 
 
 
Features and Benefits 
 
The Borland PowerPack for DOS makes it easy to unlock the power of 
today's microprocessors.  With both 16 and 32-bit DOS Extenders, the 
lightning fast BGI graphics library, and the Turbo Vision application 
framework, the Borland PowerPack for DOS provides all of the necessary 
tools for creating sophisticated DOS applications. 
 
 
16 and 32-bit DOS Extenders       
 
More DOS memory.  Applications built using the Borland PowerPack for DOS 
break through the 640K memory barrier.  The 32-bit DOS Extender not only 
increases the amount of addressable memory to 4GB, but makes 
applications easier to develop by providing a flat address space.  
Applications written with the 32-bit DOS Extender also show a dramatic 
increase in performance since they run in a native 32-bit environment. 
The 16-bit DOS Extender allows applications to access up to 16MB of 
machine memory. 
 
Royalty free distribution.  The extenders included in the Borland 
PowerPack for DOS are completely royalty free.  There are no licensing 
or distribution fees.  Now every developer can take advantage of DOS 
Extender technology. 
 
Increased code reuse through DOS DLLs.  The DLL technology found in the 
Borland PowerPack for DOS allows developers to share DLLs between DOS 
and Windows without recompiling.  DLL's written using the 16-bit DOS 
Extender can be shared with Windows 3.1, while DLLs written using the 
32-bit DOS Extender can be shared with Windows NT and Chicago. 
 
Seamless integration into the Borland C++ 4.0 IDE.  The Borland 
PowerPack for DOS integrates directly into the Borland C++ 4.0 
environment, so there's no switching between different tools.  Using the 
TargetExpert, a developer can select from between Windows, Windows NT, 
DOS real mode, and DOS 16- or DOS 32-bit protected mode development with 
a click of the mouse.  
 
 
 
Borland Graphics Interface       
 
16 and 32-bit libraries.   The Borland PowerPack for DOS includes 16 and 
32-bit graphics libraries.  This allows programmers to add charts, 
graphics, and animation to their protected mode applications. 
 
Extended graphics driver support.  The new 32-bit BGI library supports  
more video cards and resolutions.  Supported video cards include TSENG, 
PARADISE, VIDEO7, TRIDENT, and all S3 cards.  The 32-bit BGI library can 
operate in resolutions as high as 1280x1024. 
 
High Performance.  The BGI libraries included in the Borland PowerPack 
for DOS were written in assembly language to provide superior 
performance.  Applications that use the 32-bit graphics libraries will 
typically perform twice as fast as those that use the 16-bit graphics 
libraries. 
 
 
Turbo Vision 2.0 Framework       
 
16- and 32-bit libraries. Turbo Vision 2.0 works in real mode and both 
16- and 32-bit protected mode.  This gives Turbo Vision 2.0 applications 
megabytes of memory to work with. 
 
Data validation classes.  Using the validator objects makes it easy to 
add data validation to any existing or new Turbo Vision applications.  
Validator objects are connected to edit control objects to validate the 
information a user types into an edit control.  For example, you can add 
a use a validator to create an edit control that will only accept 
numeric input. 
 
Outline viewer object.  The new outline viewer object presents data in a 
hierarchical format, allowing users to incorporate sophisticated outline 
displays in their applications. 
 
 
 
 
PART 3 
Borland PowerPack for DOS in Depth 
 
 
 
16 and 32-bit DOS Extenders 
 
By allowing programmers to break through the 640K barrier, DOS Extenders 
help unlock the power of todays microprocessors.  And with the flat 
memory model provided by Borland's 32-bit extender, DOS programming 
becomes easier than ever before. No longer do programmers have to worry 
about near and far pointers or segment arithmetic.  Plus, developers get 
the benefit of true 32-bit performance.   
 
 
Compiling for protected mode      
 
Whether compiling from the command line, or using the Borland C++ 4.0 
Integrated Development Environment (IDE), creating DOS extended 
applications is easy.  You can easily recompile most existing real mode 
applications to take advantage of Borland's DOS Extenders. 
 
When using the IDE, simply use the TargetExpert to select DOS 16-bit or 
32-bit DPMI targeting.  With a click of the mouse you can choose between 
building a DOS extended application or a DOS DLL. 
 
Borland's command line compilers feature new switches to target DOS 
extended applications.  For BCC.EXE these switches are: 
 
          -WX             DPMI16 EXE 
          -WXD           DPMI16 DLL, all functions exported 
          -WXDE          DPMI16 DLL, explicit functions exported 
 
and for BCC32.EXE these switches are: 
 
          -WX            DPMI32 EXE, all functions exported 
          -WXD           DPMI32 DLL, all functions exported 
          -WXDE          DPMI32 DLL, explicit functions exported 
 
 
 
Breaking the 640K barrier           
      
Programmers will exerience a dramatic increase in the memory available 
for code and data when using DOS Extenders.   
 
The following program helps illustrate the additional memory available 
to a DOS Extended application: 
 
#include <iostream.h> 
#include <except.h> 
 
const BLOCK_SIZE = 4096; 
 
#pragma warn -aus 
int main( void ) 
{ 
     long totalRam = 0; 
     char* p; 
     try 
     { 
          for( ;; ) 
          { 
               p = new char[BLOCK_SIZE]; 
               totalRam += BLOCK_SIZE; 
          } 
     } 
     catch( xalloc) 
     { 
          cout << "Total memory allocated is " << totalRam <<  end; 
     } 
     return( 0 ); 
} 
 
When compiled for real mode, the above program displays the following: 
 
     Total memory allocated is 417792  
 
This occurs even though the computer contains over 12 MB of RAM memory.  
When running in real mode, applications must work within the 640K memory 
barrier. 
 
When compiled for extended mode, the same program displays the 
following: 
 
     Total memory allocated is 13012992 
 
If run from a DOS box in Windows, this program would be able to make use 
of virtual memory allowing access to more memory that is physically 
available.  
 
 
 
Compatibility           
 
Applications created using Borland's DOS Extenders are compatible with a 
number of operating environments. Programs written using the 16-bit DOS 
Extender run unmodified under DOS, Windows NT, Windows 3.1 DOS boxes, 
Windows 3.11 DOS boxes and OS/2 2.x DOS boxes.  Programs written using 
the 32-bit DOS Extender in general run under DOS, Windows NT, Windows 
3.1 DOS boxes, and OS/2 2.x DOS boxes.  Applications which use 
interrupts or IO instructions, or expect to have direct access to 
video/DOS memory will generally fail to run under NT. 
 
The 16- and 32-bit extenders support emulation of the non visual Windows 
and 
Win32 APIs, respectively. An import record is provided for those APIs 
which are emulated, so use of unimplemented functions will result in 
link time errors.  If you need to use an API function which is not 
implemented by the extenders, you can hook unresolved APIs and provide 
resolution for them at run time.  To do this, you need to implement and 
export a hook function as follows: 
 
FARPROC WINAPI _export  
BorlandUnresolvedEntryHook (LPCSTR modName, 
                      BOOL     byOrdinal, 
                      LPCSTR entry); 
 
 The first parameter is the name of the module for the function, for  
example, "KERNEL".  The second parameter tells whether the third 
parameter is a string or an ordinal value.  If it is FALSE, then the 
third parameter is a string naming the unresolved entry, for example, 
"GETATOMNAME".  Your hook function should determine if it is has an 
implementation for this entry.  If it does, it should hand back a 
pointer to the function.  This will be used by the loader to resolve the 
references in the image. 
 
 
 
DOS DLLs           
 
The DLL technology found in the Borland PowerPack for DOS allows 
developers to share DLLs between DOS and Windows without recompiling. 
Developers can create DOS DLL's callable from both DOS and Windows, or 
can take advantage of using Windows DLLs from DOS.  This includes many 
of the commercially available Windows DLLs, such as the Borland Paradox 
Engine.  As long as a Windows DLL doesn't make calls to Windows user 
interface or graphics functions, it can be used from DOS.  DLL's written 
using the 16-bit DOS Extender can be shared with Windows 3.x, while DLLs 
written using the 32-bit DOS Extender can be shared with Windows NT and 
Chicago. 
 
 
 
Borland Graphics Interface 
 
The Borland PowerPack for DOS includes high performance 16- and 32-bit 
versions of the Borland Graphics Interface (BGI) library.  The BGI 
library provides over 70 graphics functions, ranging from high-level 
calls (such as setviewport, bar3d, and drawpoly) to bit-oriented 
functions (such as getimage and putimage).  The graphics library 
supports numerous fill and line styles, and provides several text fonts 
that you can size, justify, and orient horizontally or vertically.      
 
BGI DLLs      
 
Protected mode BGI support follows a slightly different model from 
the real mode graphics library included in Borland C++ 4.0.  The 16 and 
32-bit graphics libraries included in the Borland PowerPack are 
implemented as DOS DLLs.   The 16- and 32-bit BGI DLLs are called 
BGI16.DLL and BGI32.DLL, respectively.  Instead of linking with 
GRAPHICS.LIB, you  must link with BGI16.LIB or BGI32.LIB, the import 
libraries for 16bit and 32bit applications. 
 
 
Performance      
 
The performance of the BGI libraries included in the Borland PowerPack 
for DOS has been greatly enhanced.  Each of the routines is written in 
hand optimized assembly language to provide fast execution.  In 
particular, the performance of the 32-bit graphics library is 
particularly fast. 
 
The following program demonstrates the speed of the 32-bit graphics 
library. This program draws 1000 random polygons on the screen, and then 
displays the number of seconds required to perform that task.  The real 
mode version takes 7 seconds on a 80486 66MHz machine, while the 32-bit 
version takes only 3 seconds on the same machine.  While this program 
tests only a small portion of the graphics support in the drivers and 
graphics engine, the results are indicative of the overall speed 
provided by the 32-bit library. 
 
#include <dos.h> 
#include <stdio.h> 
#include <stdlib.h> 
#include <time.h> 
#include <graphics.h> 
#include <_defs.h> 
 
struct PTS { 
  int x, y; 
};     
 
int    GraphDriver;          
int    GraphMode;             
int    MaxX, MaxY;            
int    MaxColors;           
int    ErrorCode;             
 
void Initialize(void); 
void PolyDemo(void); 
 
//      Begin main function                              
 
int main() 
{ 
  time_t t1, t2; 
 
  Initialize();          
  t1 = time(NULL); 
  PolyDemo(); 
  t2 = time(NULL); 
  closegraph();  
  printf( "Time is %ld seconds", t2-t1); 
  return(0); 
} 
 
//      INITIALIZE: Initializes the graphics system                      
 
void Initialize(void) 
{ 
      //  GraphDriver = DETECT;            
        GraphDriver = VGA; 
    initgraph( &GraphDriver, &GraphMode, "d:\\bc4.0\\bgi" ); 
    ErrorCode = graphresult();            
    if( ErrorCode != grOk )  
    {                      
       printf("Graphics Error: %s\n",grapherrormsg(ErrorCode)); 
       exit( 1 ); 
     } 
  } 
  MaxColors = getmaxcolor( ) + 1; 
  MaxX = getmaxx(); 
  MaxY = getmaxy();                    
}  
 
//   POLYDEMO: Display a random pattern of polygons on the screen     
 
#define MaxPts          6               
 
void PolyDemo(void) 
{ 
    struct PTS poly[ MaxPts ];            
    int color;                            
    int i, nTimes; 
 
    for(nTimes = 0; nTimes < 1000; nTimes++) 
    { 
       color = 1 + random( MaxColors-1 ); 
       setfillstyle( random(10), color );  
       setcolor( color );                 
       for( i=0 ; i<(MaxPts-1) ; i++ ){     
          poly[i].x = random( MaxX );       
          poly[i].y = random( MaxY );       
       } 
       poly[i].x = poly[0].x;            
       poly[i].y = poly[1].y; 
       fillpoly( MaxPts, (int FAR *)poly );    
    }  
} 
 
 
 
Turbo Vision 2.0 
 
Turbo Vision is Borland's application framework for DOS.  It 
encapsulates the behavior of a text-mode application that conforms to 
the IBM Common User Access (CUA) user interface specification.  With 
Turbo Vision, you can inherit an application that has pull-down menus, 
overlapping windows, dialog boxes, and mouse support.  Turbo Vision 
gives the DOS developer a head start in creating great looking text-mode 
applications. 
 
Turbo Vision includes a class hierarchy that supports event handling, 
user interface management, and data management.  Turbo Vision includes 
over 100 classes, including classes that allow developers to easily 
incorporate objects such as calculators, calendars, edit windows, file 
open and directory navigation dialog boxes, and a clock in their 
applications. 
 
Turbo Vision 2.0 now includes classes for data validation, a multi-state 
checkbox, and an outline viewer that presents a hierarchical view of 
data. 
 
 
Extensible Architecture      
 
Turbo Vision classes define a CUA application as a set of abstract 
classes that provide a general structure for implementing an interface.  
The result is a large body of ready-to-use, high-quality code that can 
be inherited directly by your application. 
 
Windowing  User Interface      
 
Turbo Vision provides support for windows and mouse operations, in an 
event-driven environment.  The user is relieved of the task of writing 
code to define window behavior, manage windowing objects such as menus 
and dialog boxes, and read user input. 
 
High-level Objects      
 
Objects such as an editor, a calendar, a calculator, a clock, as well as 
standard dialog boxes for opening files and browsing directories, and a 
color palette are included in Turbo Vision.  This allows users to 
incorporate these features easily in application programs. 
 
Hypertext-help      
 
Programmers can build applications with context-sensitive, hypertext-
based help. 
 
 
 
 
PART 4 
Appendix 
 
Hardware/software requirements 
A complete installation of the current version of Borland PowerPack for 
DOS requires 5 Mb of hard disk space.   The Borland PowerPack for DOS 
requires a minimal installation of Borland C++ 4.0. 
 
Installation 
Borland PowerPack for DOS installs automatically.  Insert the first disk 
of the install set in your A: drive and type install. 
 
 
 
 
PART 5 
Conclusion 
 
The Borland PowerPack for DOS solidifies Borland's leadership in C++ and 
demonstrates Borland's commitment to bringing the best development tools 
to a wide range of environments and operating systems.  This product 
provides a series of features important to the DOS developer, such as: 
      
+     royalty free 16 and 32-bit DOS Extenders 
+     more application memory 
+     faster application performance 
+     code reuse through DOS DLLs 
+     16 and 32-bit Borland Graphics Interface libraries 
+     support for the newest super vga video cards 
+     16 and 32-bit Turbo Vision libraries 
+     data validation classes 
+     outline viewer object 
 
We are confident you will share our enthusiasm for this new suite of 
tools for the Borland C++ 4.0 compiler.  
 
 
 
 
 
BORLAND INTERNATIONAL, INC.   1 BORLAND WAY 
P.O. BOX 660001, SCOTTS VALLEY, CA 95067-0001 
Copyright 1994 by Borland International, Inc.  All rights reserved.  All 
Borland products are trademarks or registered trademarks of Borland 
International, Inc.  Other brand and product names are trademarks or 
registered trademarks of their respective holders. 
April 1994
