TweetFollow Us on Twitter

Jun 98 Tips

Volume Number: 14 (1998)
Issue Number: 6
Column Tag: Tips & Tidbits

June 1998 Tips & Tidbits

by Steve Sisak

Over the past few months we've had a few tips submitted on how to open a serial port or detect if it is in use. Unfortunately, we haven't received one that was sufficiently correct or complete to publish as a winner. Since this seems like an interesting topic (and one that lots of people get wrong), I'm going to try a new format: a terse mini-article with enough information to get you started and pointers to more information.

If you like this format, have a good idea for a topic but don't know the answer, or have other ideas how to make this space more useful, please send mail to tips@mactech.com. I'll be glad to pay the standard reward and give you credit for a really good question (assuming I can find the answer and it's generally useful).

Serial Port TidBits

If you've ever tried to write an application which uses the serial port on a Macintosh, you've probably discovered that (1) it didn't work on the first try, (2) the information on what to do was scattered all over the place and (3) it still didn't work in all cases.

In case you haven't, the information for how to correctly open and use the serial drivers is scattered across Inside Macintosh, the Communication Toolbox documentation, the ARA SDK and various tech notes. There are also several misleading and obsolete descriptions in Inside Macintosh Vols. I-VI.

The most authoritative sources are Inside Macintosh: Devices and Tech note 1119, by Quinn (The Eskimo!) which pulls most of the relevant information together in one place.

Listing the Serial Ports

In the beginning, every Macintosh had exactly 2 serial ports named "Modem Port" and "Printer Port" and the names of their drivers were hard coded -- these days PowerBooks often have only one port and/or a built-in modem, NuBus and PCI cards make it possible for the user to add ports, and software creates "virtual" ports to make it possible for multiple programs to share the same physical port.

To determine how many ports a machine has and what their human-readable name are, you need to use the Communications Resource Manager (CRM), which is part of the Communications Toolbox (one of those managers that Apple has declared obsolete, but hasn't gotten around to replacing yet).

For each port, the CRM maintains a CRMSerialRecord containing the following information:

typedef struct CRMSerialRecord {
  short         version;
  StringHandle   inputDriverName;
  StringHandle   outputDriverName;
  StringHandle   name;
  CRMIconHandle  deviceIcon;
  long           ratedSpeed;
  long           maxSpeed;
  long           reserved;
} CRMSerialRecord, *CRMSerialPtr;

To iterate over the available ports, you use the function CRMSearch(). The following code fragment finds a port by name -- you can easily adapt it to build a menu, etc.:

CRMSerialPtr FindPortInfo(ConstStr255Param name)
{
  CRMRec      crmRec;
  CRMRecPtr    crm   = &crmRec;

  // Get the search started
  crmRec.crmDeviceType = crmSerialDevice;  crmRec.crmDeviceID   = 0;

  while ((crm = CRMSearch(crm)) != nil)
  {
    CRMSerialPtr portInfo = 
      (CRMSerialPtr) crm->crmAttributes;
    
    if (EqualString(*portInfo->name, name, false, true))
    {
      return portInfo;
    }
  }
  
  return nil;
}

Opening, Initializing and Closing a Serial port

There is a specific sequence of calls you must use to open, configure and close a serial port. It is listed in Inside Macintosh: Devices on page 7-11. If you do not make the calls in this order, strange things will happen.

The sequence is:

  1. Open the output driver, then the input driver; always open both.
  2. (optional) allocate a buffer larger than the default 64-byte buffer and call SerSetBuf.
  3. Set the handshaking mode.
  4. Set the baud rate and data format.
  5. Read and/or write the desired data.
  6. Call KillIO on both drivers to terminate any pending IO.
  7. Restore the default input buffers.
  8. Close the input driver, then the output driver.

Determining If a Serial Driver is Open

Determining if a serial driver is open in use is a little bit tricky and a lot of software gets it wrong. The problem is twofold: first, OpenDriver() doesn't bother to check if a driver is already open -- it just returns noErr and the reference number of the already-open driver. If you use it (or worse, close it when you're done) Bad Things(tm) will happen.

To get around this you must walk the device list in low memory to see if a driver is already open before trying to open it again.

The following routine finds the index of a driver in the unit table (or -1 if it doesn't exist):

short FindDriverIndex(ConstStr255Param name)
{
  StringPtr    driverName;
  short      index;
  AuxDCEHandle  entry;
  AuxDCEHandle*  table = (AuxDCEHandle*) LMGetUTableBase();
  short      count = LMGetUnitNtryCount();
  
  for (index = 0; index < count; index++)
  {
    if ((entry = table[index]) != nil)
    {
      if ((**entry).dCtlFlags & dRAMBasedMask)
      {
        driverName = (**((DRVRHeaderHandle)((**entry).dCtlDriver))).drvrName;
      }
      else
      {
        driverName = (*((DRVRHeaderPtr)((**entry).dCtlDriver))).drvrName;
      }
      
      if (EqualString(driverName, name, false, true))
      {
        return index;
      }
    }
  }
  
  return -1;
}

To check if a port is open, we can write:

Boolean  IsDriverOpen(ConstStr255Param name)
{
  short index = FindDriverIndex(name);
  
  if (index >= 0)
  {
    AuxDCEHandle dce = 
      ((AuxDCEHandle*) LMGetUTableBase())[index];
    
    if ((**dce).dCtlFlags & dOpenedMask)
    {
      return true;
    }
  }
  
  return false;
}

NOTE: LMGetUTableBase() is missing from some versions of the Universal Headers you may have to implement it yourself (or use newer headers).

Now for the second half of the problem -- the Serial Port Arbitrator, included with the Appletalk Remote Access server and other software allows a port to be opened "passively" meaning that a server may have a the port open to look for an incoming call, but will relinquish it if another application wants to use it.

In this case OpenDriver will return portInUse (-97) if the driver is open or noErr if it is not. (in either case, it will return a valid refNum). However, software which walks the device table will incorrectly think that the driver is open and report an error.

The correct procedure here is to use Gestalt to determine if the Serial Port Arbitrator is present and, if it is, then just call OpenDriver(), otherwise, walk the Unit Table:

Boolean  HaveSerialPortArbitration(void)
{
  long  result;
  OSErr  err;
  
  err = Gestalt(gestaltArbitorAttr, &result);
  
  return (err == noErr) && (result & (1 << gestaltSerialArbitrationExists));
}

OSErr OpenSerialDriver(ConstStr255Param name, short* refNum)
{
  if (!HaveSerialPortArbitration())
  {
    short index = FindDriverIndex(name);

    if (index >= 0)  // Driver is already open
    {
      *refNum = ~index;
      return portInUse;
    }
  }
  
  return OpenDriver(name, refNum);
}

Reading from a Serial Port

You can read from a serial port just like a file by using PBRead or FSRead, however you can't seek and if you try to read more bytes are actually available, you will hang the machine in SyncWait() until the number of bytes you requested is actually available.

To avoid this, you can make a status call to the input driver with csCode = 2 to find out how many bytes are available in the drivers buffer and then only request that many bytes.

Correction to May Tip -- Wrapper for ParamText

The tip "Wrapper for ParamText" incorrectly states that one cannot pass nil arguments to ParamText(). In fact, ParamText() has always accepted nil arguments, and leaves the corresponding parameters unchanged.

I use this feature frequently in order to conserve stack space. I can set all 4 parameters using only one Str255, as long as I do it one at a time.

Actually, this example only sets 3 params:

  void
ReportError( short doingIx, const char *what )
{
Str255          str;

  if( spareMem )
    DisposeHandle( spareMem );
  spareMem = NULL;

  CtoPstrcpy( str, (const unsigned char *)what, sizeof str );
  ParamText( str, NULL, NULL, NULL );

  GetErrString( doingIx, str );
  ParamText( NULL, str, NULL, NULL );

  /* Eww. But I don't have to ParamText menu item text every command,
    which might slow things down if we're being scripted.
  */

  if( doingIx == doingMenuCmd ) {
    str[0] = 0;
  if( tg.doingItem )
      GetID( tg.doingItem, str );
    ParamText( NULL, NULL, NULL, str );
  }

  else if( doingIx == doingMenuAct ) {
    str[0] = 0;
    if( tg.doingItem && tg.doingMenu )
    GetMenuItemText( GetMenu(tg.doingMenu), tg.doingItem, str );
    ParamText( NULL, NULL, NULL, str );
  }

  VerifyAlert( 144 );
  InitCursor();
  StopAlert( 144, DefaultFilter );
}

Tony Nelson
tonyn@tiac.net

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Six fantastic ways to spend National Vid...
As if anyone needed an excuse to play games today, I am about to give you one: it is National Video Games Day. A day for us to play games, like we no doubt do every day. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, feast your eyes on this... | Read more »
Old School RuneScape players turn out in...
The sheer leap in technological advancements in our lifetime has been mind-blowing. We went from Commodore 64s to VR glasses in what feels like a heartbeat, but more importantly, the internet. It can be a dark mess, but it also brought hundreds of... | Read more »
Today's Best Mobile Game Discounts...
Every day, we pick out a curated list of the best mobile discounts on the App Store and post them here. This list won't be comprehensive, but it every game on it is recommended. Feel free to check out the coverage we did on them in the links below... | Read more »
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's...
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Nintendo has been locked in an epic battle with Pocketpair, creator of the obvious Pokémon rip-off Palworld. Nintendo often resorts to legal retaliation at the drop of a hat, but it seems this... | Read more »
Apple exclusive mobile games don’t make...
If you are a gamer on phones, no doubt you have been as distressed as I am on one huge sticking point: exclusivity. For years, Xbox and PlayStation have done battle, and before this was the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo NES. On console, it makes... | Read more »
Regionally exclusive events make no sens...
Last week, over on our sister site AppSpy, I babbled excitedly about the Pokémon GO Safari Days event. You can get nine Eevees with an explorer hat per day. Or, can you? Specifically, you, reader. Do you have the time or funds to possibly fly for... | Read more »
As Jon Bellamy defends his choice to can...
Back in March, Jagex announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jon Bellamy. Mr Bellamy then decided to almost immediately paint a huge target on his back by cancelling the Runescapes Pride event. This led to widespread condemnation about his perceived... | Read more »
Marvel Contest of Champions adds two mor...
When I saw the latest two Marvel Contest of Champions characters, I scoffed. Mr Knight and Silver Samurai, thought I, they are running out of good choices. Then I realised no, I was being far too cynical. This is one of the things that games do best... | Read more »
Grass is green, and water is wet: Pokémo...
It must be a day that ends in Y, because Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has kicked off its Zoroark Drop Event. Here you can get a promo version of another card, and look forward to the next Wonder Pick Event and the next Mass Outbreak that will be... | Read more »
Enter the Gungeon review
It took me a minute to get around to reviewing this game for a couple of very good reasons. The first is that Enter the Gungeon's style of roguelike bullet-hell action is teetering on the edge of being straight-up malicious, which made getting... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Take $150 off every Apple 11-inch M3 iPad Air
Amazon is offering a $150 discount on 11-inch M3 WiFi iPad Airs right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 128GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $449, $150 off – 11″ 256GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $549, $150 off – 11″ 512GB M3... Read more
Apple iPad minis back on sale for $100 off MS...
Amazon is offering $100 discounts (up to 20% off) on Apple’s newest 2024 WiFi iPad minis, each with free shipping. These are the lowest prices available for new minis among the Apple retailers we... Read more
Apple’s 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros are on sa...
Amazon has 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $410 off Apple’s MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather than a third-party... Read more
Red Pocket Mobile is offering a $150 rebate o...
Red Pocket Mobile has new Apple iPhone 17’s on sale for $150 off MSRP when you switch and open up a new line of service. Red Pocket Mobile is a nationwide MVNO using all the major wireless carrier... Read more
Switch to Verizon, and get any iPhone 16 for...
With yesterday’s introduction of the new iPhone 17 models, Verizon responded by running “on us” promos across much of the iPhone 16 lineup: iPhone 16 and 16 Plus show as $0/mo for 36 months with bill... Read more
Here is a summary of the new features in Appl...
Apple’s September 2025 event introduced major updates across its most popular product lines, focusing on health, performance, and design breakthroughs. The AirPods Pro 3 now feature best-in-class... Read more
Apple’s Smartphone Lineup Could Use A Touch o...
COMMENTARY – Whatever happened to the old adage, “less is more”? Apple’s smartphone lineup. — which is due for its annual refresh either this month or next (possibly at an Apple Event on September 9... Read more
Take $50 off every 11th-generation A16 WiFi i...
Amazon has Apple’s 11th-generation A16 WiFi iPads in stock on sale for $50 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 11th-generation 128GB WiFi iPads: $299 $50 off MSRP – 11″ 11th-generation 256GB... Read more
Sunday Sale: 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros for up t...
Don’t pay full price! Amazon has Apple’s 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $220 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather... Read more
Mac mini with M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $12...
B&H Photo has Apple’s Mac mini with the M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $1259, $140 off MSRP. B&H offers free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses: – Mac mini M4 Pro CPU (24GB/512GB): $1259, $... Read more

Jobs Board

All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.