KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q35665: INPUT, INKEY$, or INPUT$(n) Don’t Accept All ASCII Characters

Article: Q35665
Product(s): See article
Version(s): 4.00 4.00b 4.50
Operating System(s): MS-DOS
Keyword(s): ENDUSER | buglist4.00 buglist4.00b buglist4.50 B_BasicCom | mspl13_basic
Last Modified: 11-DEC-1989

Extended ASCII characters have values from 128 through 255, and can be
typed by holding down the ALT key and pressing three digits on the
numeric keypad. However, there are some extended ASCII characters that
the INKEY$, INPUT$(1), and INPUT statements/functions cannot accept.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft QuickBASIC
Versions 4.00, 4.00b, and 4.50 and in 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 Microsoft BASIC Compiler
Version 7.00 (fixlist7.00).

The only three ALT+KEY combinations that don't display are ALT+244,
ALT+240 and ALT+253.

The following is a code example:

'This program will trap some of the ASCII characters entered with the
'ALT+xxx method, but not all. For example: ALT+205 will print a '═' on
'the screen, but ALT+253 will not print a superscript 2 on the screen.

CLS
CASA:
  a$=INKEY$
  IF a$ <> "" THEN PRINT a$;
  GOTO CASA
END

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.