far address:A memory location specified by using a segment (location of a 64K block) and an offset from the beginning of the segment. Far addresses require four bytes—two for the segment and two for the offset. Also called a segmented address. See also “address” and “near address.”
FAT (file allocation table):The standard file system for MS-DOS.
fatal error:An error that causes a program to terminate immediately.
.FD:The extension for a declaration file (a type of include file) in FORTRAN.
.FI:The extension for an interface file (a type of include file) in FORTRAN.
file handle:A value returned by the operating system when a file is opened and used by a program to refer to the file when communicating to the system. Under MS-DOS, COMMAND.COM opens the first five file handles as stdin, stdout, stderr, stdaux, and stdprn.
filename:A string of characters identifying a file on disk, composed of a base name optionally followed by a period (.) and an extension. A filename may be preceded by a path. For example, in the filename README.TXT, .TXT is the extension and README is the base name.
fixup:The linking process that resolves a reference to a relocatable or external address.
flags register:A register that contains individual bits, each of which signals a condition that can be tested by a machine-level instruction. In other registers, the contents of the register are considered as a whole, while in the flags register only the individual bits have meaning. In CodeView, the current values of the most commonly used bits of the flags register are shown at the bottom of the Register window.
flat memory model:A nonsegmented memory model that can address up to four gigabytes of memory.
flipping:A screen-exchange method that uses the video pages of the CGA or EGA to store both the debugging and output screens. When you request the other screen, the two video pages are exchanged. See also “screen exchange” and “swapping.”
.FOR:The extension for a FORTRAN source file.
formal parameter:See “parameter.”
frame:The segment, group, or segment register that specifies the segment part of an address.
full-screen application:A program that runs under Windows but cannot run in a window.
function:A routine that returns a value.
function call:An expression that invokes a function and passes arguments (if any) to the function.