Parallel Port Interfacing (''roll-your-own'')

Parallel port interfacing in Win32

In the newer versions of Windows^(R) I was left wondering how, if at all, I could read and write my parallel port. Even Borland had dropped support for direct I/O to the hardware.

But now there's inpout32.dll -- which works on Win98SE, Win2K and WinXP. This DLL provides hardware I/O to your computer's parallel port.

Using Borland's Free C++ Command-line Compiler, I wrote a test program which demostrates I/O to a printer port using inpout32.DLL -- Now you can do port I/O directly from a C program, and compile everything in a DOS console.

The test program builds with Borland's Command-line C Compiler, which is free for public download from Borland.com, at http://www.borland.com/bcppbuilder/freecompiler
Download the Inpout32 package at http://www.logix4u.net/inpout32.htm
Download the source code for TEST.C, and you'll be up-and-running quickly.
Also, get the book, ''Parallel Port Complete,'' all about parallel port interfacing, and program examples that work with Inpout32.dll from Jan Axelson's Lakeview Research.

Please let me know what you discover, and if it also works with other I/O devices too (I haven't checked if it does yet...)

Don't forget to visit My Home Page for other things of interest!

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