INPUT Hercules Cursor 2 Pixels High in GWBasic, 1 in QB 4.50 (35716)

SUMMARY

When executing an INPUT or LINE INPUT statement in QuickBasic Version 4.00 or in Microsoft GW-Basic Version 3.20, 3.22, or 3.23 on a machine with a Hercules monochrome adaptor, the prompt (cursor) is 2 pixels high.

However, the cursor is only 1 pixel high on a Hercules monochrome adaptor for the INPUT or LINE INPUT statement in QuickBasic Version 4.00b and 4.50, in Microsoft Basic Compiler Versions 6.00 and 6.00b for MS-DOS, and in Microsoft Basic PDS Version 7.00 for MS-DOS. This is behavior is by design.

On CGA, EGA, VGA, or other nonmonochrome systems, the INPUT and LINE INPUT cursor always defaults to one pixel high in all of the product versions mentioned in this article.

You can use the LOCATE statement to change the cursor height if desired, as shown in the following example:

LOCATE 1,1,,10,12  ' Scan lines 10 through 12 define cursor height.
INPUT a$

MORE INFORMATION

This article assumes that you are in SCREEN 0 (text mode).

Try running the following code on a Hercules adaptor in GW-Basic, and compare the starting (default) cursor height to QuickBasic 4.00b or 4.50. GW-Basic defaults to a 2-pixel cursor height, QuickBasic 4.00b or 4.50 defaults to a 1-pixel cursor height.

Code Example

CLS
INPUT x  ' This first INPUT shows default cursor height.
LOCATE 1, 1, , 10, 10
INPUT x  ' Compare with a one-pixel high cursor.
LOCATE 1, 1, , 10, 11
INPUT x  ' Compare with a two-pixel high cursor.
LOCATE 1, 1, , 10, 12
INPUT x  ' Compare with a three-pixel high cursor.