Introduction MTB Statements File System Compiler Applications Reference Guide Index

Language Structure Data Division I/O Format Division Procedure Division Mnemonics

(Blink)

Note: As of Comet version 504, this mnemonic is no longer supported.
Mnemonic: (Blink)
Hex equivalent: "@0E0001@"
Discussion: This mnemonic displays blinking characters on the Comet console. Blinking works only on "bright" characters that are defined as the "background color" of a field (i.e., the first character in the color definition). Blinking works on all of the "bright" characters on the screen, including foreground fields, background fields, invisible fields, and data entry fields.

To blink all "bright" characters on the screen, use the following instruction:

PRINT (0) (Blink)

To display "bright" characters, and stop the blinking, use the following instruction:

PRINT (0) (Bright)

The 16 VGA colors are shown below, with the "bright" characters shown at the right-hand side: 

  Regular colors         Bright colors (blinking works here)
  ==========================================================
  0  black               8    gray
  1  blue                9    light blue
  2  green               A    light green
  3  cyan                B    light cyan
  4  red                 C    light red
  5  magenta             D    light magenta
  6  brown               E    yellow
  7  white               F    bright white

  Examples:

  Color   Definition                              Will it blink?
  ==============================================================
  17      blue background, white characters                 no
  97      light blue background, white characters           yes
  1F      blue background, bright white characters          no
  9F      light blue background, bright white characters    yes
Example: 
a. 100 FORMAT (Blink)
   .
   PRINT (0,100)

b. PRINT (0) (Blink)