🚀 go-pugleaf

RetroBBS NetNews Server

Inspired by RockSolid Light RIP Retro Guy

Article View: net.micro.atari16
Article #497

Re: Graphics escapes in ROM VT52?

#497
From: George Robbins
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1986 22:35
72 lines
3710 bytes
In article <736@isrnix.UUCP> apratt@isrnix.UUCP (Allan Pratt) writes:
>I read in a recent posting about The Club that there were escape codes you
>could send to the built-in VT52 emulator to get graphics on the ST.  I already
>figured out the foreground/background codes, but are there more?  The poster
>said he'd started referring to the emulator as an ST52.  Can anybody post
>a list of escape codes on the ST52?  If this is included with the Developer's
>Kit, could somebody like Landon Dyer post it, so we know it's not proprietary?
>
>	-- Allan Pratt 	...ihnp4!inuxc!iubugs!isrnix!apratt

The Abacus Atari ST Internals book lists the following codes:

ESC A -	Cursor UP
ESC B -	Cursor Down
ESC C -	Cursor Right
ESC D - Cursor Left
ESC E -	Clear/Home
ESC H -	Cursor Home
ESC I -	Reverse Line Feed
ESC J -	Clear to End of Screen
ESC K -	Clear to End of Line
ESC L -	Insert Line (really H19 - not implemented on VT52)
ESC M -	Delete Line           "              "
ESC Y -	Direct Cursor Addressing

I'm not sure which of the following are from the VT52, which are from the H19
and which are out of the blue...

ESC b -	Select Character Color
ESC c -	Select Background Color
ESC d - Clear Screen to Cursor position
ESC e -	Enable Cursor
ESC f -	Disable Cursor
ESC j - Save cursor position
ESC k -	Restore Cursor Position
ESC l -	Clear Line
ESC o - Clear Line to Cursor position
ESC p - Set Reverse Video Mode
ESC q -	Reset Reverse Video Mode
ESC v - Enable Auto Line Feed (power up default - opposite of VT52!)
ESC w -	Disable Auto Line Feed

The following are not mentioned, and don't seem to work, but are standard
VT52 fare:

ESC F -	Select Graphics Character Set (for line drawing, etc)
ESC G - Select Ascii Character Set
ESC = - Select Keypad Applications mode (keypad sends escape sequences)
ESC > -	Select Ascii Keypad Mode
ESC [ - Enable Hold Screen Mode (a turkey for sure...)
ESC / - Disable Hold Screen Mode
ESC Z - Identify Terminal Type
..... -	A few others for printer control (pretty rare option on VT52's)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As has been pointed out before, there is no emulation of the arrow keys and
functions keys on the VT52 keypad, keypad applications mode isn't implemented,
and the default setting of Auto Line feed is backwards.  Since this code
has been burned into the ROM's, it isn't likely to be corrected.

If you want more complete terminal emulation, you will have to get one of
the third party terminal emulators.  Since the keyboard is derived from the
DEC VT220 layout, a VT100 emulator shoud have fewer strange key mappings.

Somebody just posted a rumor about a cartridge providing BLIT terminal
emulation - now that *would* be fun - maybe there's a tie-in to the story
about AT&T buying ST's for use as terminals...  Anybody got any facts?
-- 
George Robbins - now working with,	uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|caip}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@seismo.css.GOV
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)
Technical Details
Message-ID: <121@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!orsvax1!pyrnj!caip!cbmvax!grr
References: <736@isrnix.UUCP>

Show Full Headers
Complete Article Headers
Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!orsvax1!pyrnj!caip!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.cbm.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari16
Subject: Re: Graphics escapes in ROM VT52?
Message-ID: <121@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 21-Apr-86 17:35:59 EST
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.121
Posted: Mon Apr 21 17:35:59 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 23-Apr-86 22:28:09 EST
References: <736@isrnix.UUCP>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 72