History of SixtyPical

0.15

Symbolic constants can be defined with the const keyword, and can be used in most places where literal values can be used.
Added nop opcode, which compiles to NOP (mainly for timing.)
Accessing zero-page with ld and st generates zero-page opcodes.
A byte or word table can be initialized with a list of constants.
Branching and repeating on the n flag is now supported.
The --optimize-fallthru option causes the program to be analyzed for fallthru optimizations; --dump-fallthru-info option outputs the information from this analysis phase, in JSON format, to stdout.
Specifying multiple SixtyPical source files will produce a single compiled result from their combination.
Rudimentary support for Atari 2600 prelude in a 4K cartridge image, and an example program in eg/atari2600 directory.

0.14

Added the so-called "open-faced for loop", which spans a loop variable over a finite range, the end of which is fixed.
"Tail position" is now more correctly determined for the purposes of insisting that goto only appears in it.
New --origin and --output-format options added to the compiler.
Fixed bug when --prelude option was missing.
Fixed bug when reporting line numbers of scanner-level syntax errors.
Translated the small demo projects Ribos and "The PETulant Cursor" to SixtyPical, and added them to the eg/c64/ section of the repo.
Added a eg/vic20 example directory, with one VIC-20 example program.

0.13

It is a static analysis error if it cannot be proven that a read or write to a table falls within the defined size of that table.
The reference analyzer's ability to prove this is currently fairly weak, but it does exist:
- Loading a constant into a memory location means we know the range is exactly that one constant value.
- ANDing a memory location with a value means the range of the memory location cannot exceed the range of the value.
- Doing arithmetic on a memory location invalidates our knowledge of its range.
- Copying a value from one memory location to another copies the known range as well.
Cleaned up the internals of the reference implementation (incl. the AST) and re-organized the example programs in the eg subdirectory.
Most errors produced by the reference implementation now include a line number.
Compiler supports multiple preludes, specifically both Commodore 64 and Commodore VIC-20; the loadngo.sh script supports both architectures too.

0.12

copy is now understood to trash a, thus it is not valid to use a in copy. To compensate, indirect addressing is supported in ld and st, for example, as ld a, [ptr] + y and st a, [ptr] + y.
Implements the "union rule for trashes" when analyzing if blocks.
Even if we goto another routine, we can't trash an output.
static storage locations local to routines can now be defined within routines.
Small grammar changes that obviate the need for:
- the parentheses in type expressions like vector (routine ...) table[256]
- the forward keyword in forward references in source of copy instruction
Fixed bug where trash was not marking the location as being virtually altered.

0.11

Each table has a specified size now (although, bounds checking is not performed.)
Initialized byte table values need not have all 256 bytes initialized.
Syntax for types has changed. routine (with constraints) is a type, while vector is now a type constructor (taking routines only) and table is also a type constructor. This permits a new vector table type.
Added typedef, allowing the user to define type aliases for readability.
Added define name routine {...} syntax; routine name {...} is now legacy.
Ability to copy vectors and routines into vector tables, and vectors out of same.
Removed the evaluator. The reference implementation only analyzes and compiles.
Fixed bug where index register wasn't required to be initialized before table access.
Fixed bug where trampolines for indirect calls weren't including a final RTS.

0.10

Can call and goto routines that are defined further down in the source code.
The forward modifier can also be used to indicate that the symbol being copied in a copy to a vector is a routine that is defined further down in the source.
Initialized word memory locations.
Can copy a literal word to a word table.
Subtract word (constant or memory location) from word memory location.
trash instruction explicitly indicates a value is no longer considered meaningful.
copy []+y, a can indirectly read a byte value into the a register.
Initialized byte table memory locations.
Fixed bug which was preventing if branches to diverge in what they initialized, if it was already initialized when going into the if.
Fixed a bug which was making it crash when trying to analyze repeat forever loops.

0.9

Add word (constant or memory location) to word memory location.
Add word to pointer (unchecked for now).
Added word table type.
Can copy from word storage location to word table and back.
A vector can name itself in its inputs and outputs or trashes sets.
Implementation: --debug shows some extra info during analysis.
Fixed bug where copying literal word into word storage used wrong endianness.
Fixed bug where every memory location was allocated 2 bytes of storage, regardless of type.
Tests: use https://github.com/tcarmelveilleux/dcc6502 to disassemble code for comparison.

0.8

Explicit word literals prefixed with word token.
Can copy literals into user-defined destinations.
Fixed bug where loop variable wasn't being checked at end of repeat loop.
buffer and pointer types.
copy ^ syntax to load the addr of a buffer into a pointer.
copy []+y syntax to read and write values to and from memory through a pointer.

0.7

User-defined byte locations can be given an initial value.
word type locations which can be defined and copyed between.
Can copy directly from one user-defined byte location to another.

0.6

Added routine and vector types, and copy instruction.
Both routines and vectors can declare inputs, outputs, and trashes, and these must be compatible to assign a routine or vector to a vector.
Added goto (tail call) instruction, jumps to routine or through vector.
call can call a subroutine indirectly, via a vector.
Routine name is now shown in analysis error messages.

0.5

Added byte table type locations and indexed addressing (+ x, + y).
Integer literals may be given in hexadecimal.
Line comments may be included in source code by prefixing them with //.

0.4

Added repeat loops to the language, which can repeat until a flag is set (or not set), or which can repeat forever.
if not inverts the sense of the test.
Added explicitly-addressed memory locations.

0.3

Added external routine declarations.
Added ability to compile to 6502 machine code and output a PRG file.

0.2

A complete reboot of SixtyPical 0.1. The reference implementation was rewritten in Python. The language was much simplified. The aim was to get the analysis completely right before adding more sophisticated and useful features in future versions.

0.1

Initial inspired-but-messy version implemented in Haskell.

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