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Q28786: "Illegal Function Call" on Graphics GET in Subprograms

Article: Q28786
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 4.00 4.00b
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | B_BasicCom buglist4.00 buglist4.00b fixlist4.50 | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 31-JAN-1990

While inside the QuickBASIC editor, use of the graphics GET statement
in a separately compiled subprogram can produce an "Illegal Function
Call" error message. This error message occurs only if the array
referenced in the GET has not been previously used in that subprogram.
Three workarounds are provided below.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in QuickBASIC Versions
4.00 and 4.00b, and in the version of QuickBASIC released with
Microsoft BASIC Compiler Versions 6.00 and 6.00b for MS-DOS and MS
OS/2 (buglist6.00, buglist6.00b). This problem was corrected in
QuickBASIC Version 4.50 and in Microsoft BASIC Professional
Development System (PDS) Version 7.00 for MS-DOS and MS OS/2
(fixlist7.00).

When the program below is run inside the QuickBASIC editor, the error
message "Illegal Function Call" is generated. The compiler is unable
to recognize that the a% used in the GET statement is an array. The
compiler is assuming that a% is a scalar variable.

The error message does not occur when the program is compiled, linked,
and run from a .EXE file.

The following are three workarounds for this problem:

1. Explicitly reference the array variable in the GET statement as an
   array, as follows:

      GET (0,0)-(100,100), a%(0)

2. Prior to the GET statement, identify the array variable as an array
   by using the array in any other executable statement, as follows:

      temp = a%(1000)
      GET (0, 0)-(100, 100), a%

3. Place the array in COMMON as follows:

      DIM SHARED a%(1000)
      COMMON SHARED a%()

The following code demonstrates the problem:

' Program MAIN.BAS - main module
DECLARE SUB test ()
SCREEN 2
CALL test
END

' Program SUB.BAS - separate subprogram module
DIM SHARED a%(1000)

SUB test STATIC
   'temp = a%(1000)                'workaround: execute this statement
   GET (0, 0)-(100, 100), a%       'illegal function call on this line
   PRINT "All done"
END SUB

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