KEYBIT Lite
			 Application Program Interface



      *** What is KEYBIT Lite?

	 It's  a  keyboard  driver for Italian	keyboards  only.   It  is
      cardware and distributed with full source code.
	 KEYBIT  Lite  supplies some special features that have  made  it
      well  known  and appreciated here in Italy.  Among  these  features
      there is "e-mail support".


      *** What is e-mail support?

	 On italian keyboards, some keystrokes generate letters that  are
      not allowed in e-mail messages.  Italian people were used to  avoid
      these  keystrokes and to substitute the corresponding chars with	a
      couple  of  allowed  chars.  KEYBIT Lite is able	to  perform  this
      conversion  automatically: one keystroke gives two chars.  This  is
      called e-mail support.
	 Note  that existing programs need NO change to allow the use  of
      e-mail  support because these unusual couples of chars are  handled
      by the driver just like all other chars: they go directly into  the
      keyboard buffer so they can be read using standard BIOS calls.


      *** Enabling e-mail support

	 Many  users  keep e-mail support off unless they are  running	a
      message  editor.	 They  can enable e-mail  support  by  hotkey  or
      calling a special program from a batch file.
	 Beginning from v.5 of KEYBIT Lite, message editors are given the
      ability to active e-mail support by themselves (it seems to be  the
      best solution).  This is possible thanks to a small API.	Here is a
      full description of it.



--------K-2D--10-----------------------------
INT 2D - KEYBIT Lite v5+ - GET POINTER TO STATUS BYTE
	AL = 10h
	AH = AMIS multiplex number for KEYBIT Lite
Return: DX:BX -> status byte (see below)
Program: KEYBIT Lite is an enhanced Italian keyboard driver by Pino Navato.
SeeAlso: INT 2D"AMIS"

Bitfields for KEYBIT Lite status byte:
Bit(s)	Description
 7	KEYBIT Lite active
 6	E-mail support active
 5-0	reserved
Notes:	E-mail support is one of the original features of KEYBIT Lite.	It is
	  the automatic conversion of the 8-bits ASCII chars produced by some
	  keys available on Italian keyboards to couples of 7-bits chars.
	Message editors should always enable e-mail support, they should also
	  restore its original status before exiting.
	The user can change both status bits by hotkeys.

--------t-2D---------------------------------
INT 2D - ALTERNATE MULTIPLEX INTERRUPT SPECIFICATION (AMIS) [v3.5.1]
	AH = multiplex number
	AL = function
	    00h installation check
		Return: AL = 00h if free
			AL = FFh if multiplex number in use
			    CX = binary version number (CH = major, CL = minor)
			    DX:DI -> signature string (see #1357) identifying
				    the program using the multiplex number
	    [* other functions omitted *]

Notes:	programs should not use fixed multiplex numbers; rather, a program
	  should scan all multiplex numbers from 00h to FFh, remembering the
	  first unused multiplex in case the program is not yet installed.
	  For multiplex numbers which are in use, the program should compare
	  the first 16 bytes of the signature string to determine whether it
	  is already installed on that multiplex number.  If not previously
	  installed, it should use the first free multiplex number.
	functions other than 00h are not valid unless a program is installed
	  on the selected multiplex number

Format of AMIS signature string:
Offset	Size	Description	(Table 1357)
 00h  8 BYTEs	blank-padded manufacturer's name (possibly abbreviated)
 08h  8 BYTEs	blank-padded product name
 10h 64 BYTEs	ASCIZ product description (optional, may be a single 00h)
Note:	it is not necessary to reserve a full 64 bytes for the description,
	  just enough to store the actual ASCIZ string	[* no description in
	  KEYBIT Lite *]
SeeAlso: #1364

(Table 1364)
Values of AMIS signatures known to be in use:
 'Pino Nav' 'Keybit  '	Pino Navato's KEYBIT Lite Italian keyboard driver v4+
 [* other signatures omitted *]
SeeAlso: #1357