modified EXE's

 BBS: Inland Empire Archive
Date: 09-09-92 (08:28)             Number: 218
From: LUIS ESPINOZA                Refer#: NONE
  To: SUNNY HUGHES                  Recvd: NO  
Subj: modified EXE's                 Conf: (2) Quik_Bas

On (07 Sep 92) Sunny Hughes wrote to All...

 SH> If I was to modify an exe in the manner that everyone has been talking
 SH> about..(merging 2 EXE files) what has to be done to get the second to
 SH> run
 SH> once the first one has finished? Is there any extra coding needed to
 SH> command the second to run? Can different languages be merged?  if so
 SH> what or which ones?

        Now listen here Sunny,

                You don't need a second EXE file to modify your program.
  I posted a program a while back that demonstarted how to do this (buy
  displaying how many times it has been executed). From this it would be
  rather easy to add other variables, such as screen colors, User Name,
  etc etc etc. I will use the same program but throw in a very good
  example of how to store other variables (and make them into SUBS so
  you can call them).

                                                Luis

TYPE ExeData
      Foreground as INTEGER                     'You can stick other
      Background as INTEGER                     'variables here
      Counter AS LONG
      Signature AS STRING * 9                   'Don't add any variables
END TYPE                                        'After Signature

CONST MySig$ = "LVE123168"                      'Change this signature
                                                'to suit your needs, try
                                                'to use characters that
                                                'are unque. But keep the
                                                'length the same unless
                                                'you know how to modify
                                                'the code.

CONST ProgramName$="TEST.EXE"                   'This is the name of the
                                                'program itself. I know
                                                'there are otherwayz of
                                                'getting the Filename
                                                'from the PSP, but this
                                                'is a simple example,
                                                'so why make it bigger?


DIM ModData AS ExeData                          'make space for us
DIM SHARED Frg%,Bkg%,Cntr&                      'These are the variables
                                                'to hold the modified
                                                'variables

GetModVariables                                 'Get our variables from
                                                'the file

COLOR Frg%,Bkg%
Cntr&=Cntr&+1                                     'Change of counter

? ProgramName$;" has been executed ";Cntr&       'self explanatory

RANDOMIZE TIMER

Frg%=int(rnd*16 )                                'Change our other
Bkg%=int(rnd*8)                                  'variables.

PutModvariables

END

SUB GetModVariables                             'Yes, the MEAT of it all
  SHARED ModData

  Fn = FREEFILE
  OPEN ProgramName$ FOR BINARY AS fn
  a& = LOF(1) - LEN(ModData) + 1
  SEEK Fn, a&
  GET Fn, , ModData
  IF ModData.Signature = MySig$ THEN            'Is my signature there?
        Frg% = ModData.ForeGround                'Yes, then read the data
        Bkg% = ModData.BackGround                '     into the variables
        Cntr& = ModData.Counter
  ELSE
        Frg% = 7                                 'No, Then set the
        Bkg% = 1                                 'variables to defaults
        Cntr&= 0
  ENDIF
  CLOSE Fn
END SUB

SUB PutModVariables
  SHARE ModData

  Fn = FREEFILE
  OPEN ProgramName$ FOR BINARY AS fn
  a& = LOF(1) - LEN(ModData) + 1
  SEEK Fn, a&
  PUT Fn,,ModData
  CLOSE Fn
END SUB






--- PPoint 1.33
 * Origin: The Rubber Room (1:207/213.5)