Graphics extension GSX for turbo pascal for pcw 8512

Started by funkheld, 10:02, 09 September 20

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funkheld


Hi good afternoon.

where can you find the Graphics extension GSX on the dsk or where can you find it for the pcw?

i would like to try something with turbo pascal in graphics for pcw 8512.

thank you
greeting

GeoffB17

Hello,

Did I ask you a while back if you had the manuals for the PCW (8256/8512)?  I'm not sure if you replied.

Checking my CP/M manual pages 60 etc I note the following.

The GSX system is on side 4 of the system disks, and comprises:

GSX.SYS, ASSIGN.SYS, GENGRAF.COM, DDSCREEN,PRL, DDFXLR8.PRL, DDFXR8.PRL, DDHP7470.PRL (this last one may be on Side 3).   GSX needs to access them all to run fully, but some of the .PRL files are more to do with printers.

I'm sure we can find some info on the web for the actuality of installing/setup.   Incl something re Turbo Pascal.   There may be something in the HiSoft C I have, also I have the Digital Research DR Draw package here which certainly uses GSX, and I had that all working fine a LONG time ago.

I'll remind you that I mentioned the WalBASIC system which installs a graphics extension onto Mallard Basic which covers dots/points, lines, but GSX has facilities for solid fills as well, it all depends on just what you want to do.

Geoff

funkheld


thank you I found the walbasic.
it's not what i'm looking for in graphics.


thanks for the info for the gsx.
let's see if I can get it to work with pascal.


the graphics for the pcw are always without source code.
i want to do some things myself.


greeting

GeoffB17

There's a package here (attached) for a game for the PCW using Turbo Pascal and GSX.   You may find this useful?

The .zip file contains the files for the game, and GSX, but does not include the files for Turbo Pascal (I think there is a CP/M version 3 about, I may even have a copy somewhere here but I've not used it).   The .zip also includes a .DSK file with most of the same stuff in.

All done by someone in Germany?

Any help?

Geoff

GeoffB17

I've checked now, and I do have a copy of CP/M Turbo Pascal 3.  I think that the version I have is already configured for the PCW, but the files include TINST which is the installation process.

I referred above to GSX including fill patterns, I'm not sure that this is the case.  I think that the original screen driver DDSCREEN.PRL as supplied with the early PCWs did NOT support this, it was a VERY cut down version.   However, the subsequent release of the DR DRAW package included another version of this driver, and this version maybe DID support fill patterns?   I'm sure I remember references to using the version supplied with DR-DRAW rather than the version originally supplied by Amstrad.  Over the years, this later version has become widely available and may be the one included on later PCW disks.  Or is my memory playing tricks on me again??

Geoff

funkheld


thanks for the information.

This game cheese box is specially adapted and cannot be used for normal use.

my turbo pascal also has errors when compiling.
I have the TP_301A.ZIP

somehow the TP_301A does not fit the pcw.
what kind of TP do you have?


greeting

GeoffB17

No, my memory seems OK.

I've still got my original 1986 1.4 system disks, and when I check them the DDSCREEN.PRL file is only 4k.   The later version is now 6k, and using DUMP there is clearly more code in the file.

So if you're doing anything with GSX make sure you use the later (bigger) version of this file.

Geoff

GeoffB17

#7
Regarding the TP system, I've got the same version, so it may be the same.

I got this as a zipped .DSK image file.   The .zip file was 68,914 bytes.  The .DSK image file was 204,544 bytes.   I then loaded the image into the Joyce emulator and copied all the files off, and transferred to my (real) PCW, but I still have the original files downloaded.   This version I remember was pre-installed for a MicroBee computer, and I reinstalled for a PCW.

When you say it produces errors, what do you mean.   Does the program actually 'crash', or is the compile process giving errors (which may mean that the code is faulty.   What do the wrrors actually say?

Whan you say that the game 'cannot be used for normal use' what do you mean?

Geoff

GeoffB17

Regarding the game, I've just loaded the image into Joyce and it seems to play perfectly OK, well, computer vs computer.   Not much idea what's happening, but the computer beats the computer OK!!

Maybe you've not run BOTH the install routines.   You need to do them BOTH, the one for the PCW and the one for GSX on the PCW.   The latter in particular copies the overlays and other files (?) to M: where they are expected at run-time.   The second one also starts the game prog.   If you do the second one first, then the game prog will start without the GSX assign.sys being correct?

The game uses the later (larger) DDSCREEN.PRL, and the fill function certainly works here.

Geoff

funkheld

#9


I cannot read and divide the 204,544 with managedsk.
there are 2 dsk of the cheese box, a version with a finished com file and one with the source code.
I still don't know which files belong together so that everything works together.


the GSX is specially designed for the cheese box and cannot be used for other programs.
i would also like to use the GSX for my own program.


the finished cheese box game doesn't work if I want to recompile the source code.

greeting

-------------------------------
Basically the game should also run with other CP/M machines, if a suitable
GSX-screen-driver is available. The ASSIGN,SYS file must be adapted.
Perhaps the keys must be changed with SETKEYS.
-------------------------------

funkheld

#10

hello, can you please put together a normal dsk for me with tp and a functional GSX and a source program?


with which program can you please generate a cf2dd with read and write?


thank you.
greeting

GeoffB17

Hello,

The .DSK that you have is an 'extended' image format, and it's of a CPC disk format type (not a normal PCW format) although the PCW should know about this format and normally reads it OK.   I have regularly done so with my PCW, and I know that the Joyce emulator will do so, although it helps for it to be told so explicitly as sometimes it can struggle.

I would use Joyce to create the .DSK file you request.   I have blank CF2DD images.  I would collect the files required onto my PC into a directory that Joyce can see, go into Joyce, load the blank image as B:, then copy the files from (for example) E: to B: using the NSWP utility which allows for tag select of files for bulk copying.  I cannot create a CF2DD image on my PCW as I don't have such a B: drive, I can create a CF2 image using John Elliotts DU54 software.

I'll need to use the version of Turbo Pascal that I have.   I have no idea why the version you have is giving problems, but this could easily be something OTHER than the actual files being faulty.

Geoff

funkheld


thanks for the information.


can you then please generate a cf2 image?


greeting

GeoffB17

#13
Hello,

Why now requesting a CF2 image?  What's the problem with the CF2DD image?

I'm not sure yet, I'm still checking all the bits, but I think you'll need the space on a CF2DD image for all the files you requested.  Doing it that way is no problem for me.

Depending on what you want to do, there's a MUCH bigger problem.   I know nothing about Turbo Pascal, or Pascal generally, but it seems to me that the GSXKK.PAS source file provided is only a tiny bit of what you'd need to regenerate the program.   The actual code does not cover very much of the function of the game.   The .PAS file seems to have a set of includes (or whatever Pascal calls them) including a GSXTURBO.LIB which we do not have and a number of .PAS files which we do not have that may be overlays.  I suspect that if you try to compile the .PAS file we have you will get errors regarding the missing files - is this the sort of error that you reported?  These missing files will then lead on to all sorts of other error messages including unresolved links etc (I'm using terms that would apply to other compilers I use which might use a different wording in TP).   I'm not sure what the point of giving the .PAS file that IS there will be.   As well as this, there should be some sort of directive file (a 'MAKE' file or whatever) to define how the overlays should be created (i.e. which source module etc goes into which overlay file) as there are more overlay files noted than there are overlays   I'd guess that the bulk of the code in the .LIB file needs to be in the root (.COM) file but this assumes the overlays are overlay modules rather than CHAIN modules that REPLACE the root module.

I'm pretty sure that the source of the game is on this forum, the game has been offered here directly a year or more ago, maybe you should try and contact him directly to see if he can help further?

See this link:
https://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/nc100-nc200-pcw-pda600/kasekastchen-preview-on-another-gift-to-joyce-for-thirtieth-birthday/

Geoff

GeoffB17

Further to other remarks, please try the attached image (zipped).

This .DSK file is a standard PCW image, and is not 'extended', so this may work better on your setup.

When the disk is active, first do

SUBMIT PCWINST

then

SUBMIT GSXKKPCW

This latter involves some copy of files to M:, ensure you have some drive M: (RAM-disk) available, even if just 200k or so

This may at least tell us where your problems are coming from.

Geoff

funkheld


Thanks for your help.


it is probably not that easy to play with the roller-ram.


greeting

GeoffB17

Hello,

You said:

"It's probably not that easy to play with the roller-ram"

Er, what's that got to do with anything that we've been discussing up to now?   This is the first time that roller ram has been mentioned, I think.  A strange thing to say so 'out of the blue'!!

As I understand it, the roller ram makes it quite easy to achieve certain effects, and do certain things with the screen.   If you need to do those certain things, then great.  But it's not any sort of 'magic bullet', and could well be no help at all for other things.

Has that .DSK file I sent been any help re getting the game to work?

Some time ago, I sent you the big print BASIC program, have you tried that?   Did I say that I did a disassembly of the assm code used there, I think I've got it as a file somewhere, if you want to see it.   That's all about manipulating the screen ram.

Geoff

funkheld

#17
thanks for your dsk.

but I didn't manage to compile the source code.
please refer : GSXKK_code.zip

maybe you can do it.

I got the basic program from you.
i can't decipher the inline code for the asm

greeting

GeoffB17

#18
Hello,

Please refer to Reply #13 in this thread, a day or two ago, where I said that the .PAS file was NOT the complete code, so I'm not surprised you could not compile it.  Check the link there, and maybe contact the guy in Germany who wrote the game.

I'll not be able to do anything myself, there's so much missing.

If you want to make sense of the asm for Big Print I need to find the files I had from YEARS ago.   I still have the printout of the disassembly of the loaded code (it's not 'inline') but I can't find the file of that yet.   I may need to do it again?   I do have a copy of the original magazine article, I may be able to copy you that, or find you a link to it, it may be on the web already.

Found it.  The published article, 1987, is here:

https://paulclewssite.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/computing-with-the-amstrad-vol-3-no-4-april-1987.pdf

Page 27/28 in the PDF

The article includes asm listings for the machine code.  Is this a help?

I'm still not sure if your problems are due to you doing something not quite right, or problems with the environment you're using (CP/M Box ?) or something else.

Geoff

funkheld


Hi good afternoon.

it won't work with the pascal I'm looking for a healthy solution with the :
CBASIC Compiler  (CB80) .

who knows, please, where there is a help for compiling. where can I get help for the program?
the content of the dsk makes a good impression.

I just don't know how it works: complieren-link etc.

maybe someone of you has a pdf or text description?


thank you.
greeting

GeoffB17

Hello,

If it's any use for you, I have the CBASIC compiler, and I've used it a lot.  Business type systems, CP/M utilities, games.  It's not always as fast as one might like, but with a bit of care, i.e. using as many INT type numbers as possible, it works pretty well.  A few years back, I was even using the PC version (CB86) to maintain some serious business systems for someone in the US (Baltimore), the CB80 manual I've got was fine.

The compile/link process is fairly standard re a lot of other compilers.

I've never had need to do so, but should be possible to create machine code add-ins and link that in, incl do something with GSX if need be.  The only thing I'm not so sure about would be loading something at a specific place in RAM so that you can do the Bank Switch, I'd need to read up on that.

Why did you decide that Pascal (or just TP?) is not going to work.   I've tended to find that you can do pretty much anything you like with whichever language you choose, it's just that some languages are more helpful for specific tasks, and less helpful for others.  As you get more familiar with the quirks of a specific language, the more you can achieve with it.

I've got the full manual for GSX, I'll see if it says anything about linking with CBASIC?

Geoff

funkheld

#21


thanks for the information.
it would be nice if you could give me a few tips where you can find something to read for the cbasic and the cbasic itself. I'm looking for compilers and links, etc. for it. maybe you can please write something about it if there is nothing to read. small demo programs to learn are always important to me.


i always noticed with the turbo pascal that it doesn't work here and there. for example the cheese box. the program in pascal is programmed so mysteriously that there is no straight way to go. it is the same with other pascal programs for the pcw.




greeting

GeoffB17

Hello,

Not sure what you mean.   CBASIC Compiler (CB80) _is_ the compiler, which creates a free standing .COM file.   However, there is a CBASIC (sort of) interpreter as well, which creates a tokenised semi compiled prog that requires a 'run-time' module to run, but this I think is NOT CB80.   If you have a .DSK image for CB80, then you should have the 'compiler', and the files on the disk should include CB80 and it's overlays (it's a multi-pass compile process) and also LK80 which is the linker and some other things.   I take it that you do NOT have the manuals?

I was looking last night at my manuals, and CB80 will be a problem if you're hoping to do the sort of things you were asking about before.   CB80 will need to use ALL the RAM available on the computer, there is no facility as in MALLARD to place a barrier to reserve/protect a block of RAM above a certain point for loading any code to, say, swap banks.  You can create Assembly modules, and use RMAC to compile them to REL files (compatible with .REL files created by CB80) but it's not easy (and may not be practical) to create such modules go load to specific places in RAM (as needed for Bank switching).   This may however be possible using .RSX programs, but these may be a lot more complex.   The GSX.SYS file loads as a RSX I believe.

Anyway, I'm not sure that CB80 will help you, it's certainly NOT aimed at graphics progs, or games, much more towards business applics and databases.

But then, I still don't know exactly what you're trying to do.   If I understood more then I could help more.

Geoff

funkheld


where can I find a complete dsk from cb80?


thank you.
greeting

GeoffB17

Hello,

I don't know where you can get a complete CB80, but you'd really need the manual to make proper use of it.

Where did you get what you have from, I'll have a look at that and see what it actually is/what's missing?

Geoff

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