ACME ...the ACME Crossassembler for Multiple Environments --- pseudo opcodes --- This is a list of all the pseudo opcodes currently implemented. Stuff in square brackets is optional, stuff followed by "*" may be given more than once. This list is not sorted alphabetically, the pseudo opcodes are grouped together according to their usage. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: How to insert values ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !8 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 8-bit values. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. "list" objects will be treated as if all their items were given separately. Aliases: "!08", "!by", "!byte" Examples: !08 127, symbol, -128 ; output some values !by 14, $3d, %0110, &304, <*, 'c' !byte 3 - 4, symbol1 XOR symbol2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*7 !byte [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !16 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 16-bit values in chosen CPU's byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: "!wo", "!word" (and because all currently supported CPUs are little-endian, "!le16" is in fact another alias) Examples: !16 65535, symbol, -32768 ; output some values !wo 14, $4f35, %100101010010110, &36304, *, 'c' !word 3000 - 4, a1 AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !word [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !le16 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 16-bit values in little-endian byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: None (but because all currently supported CPUs are little-endian, "!16/!wo/!word" are in fact aliases) Examples: !le16 65535, symbol, -32768 ; output some values !le16 14, $4f35, %100101010010110, &36304, *, 'c' !le16 3000 - 4, a1 AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !le16 [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !be16 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 16-bit values in big-endian byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: None Examples: !be16 65535, symbol, -32768 ; output some values !be16 14, $4f35, %100101010010110, &36304, *, 'c' !be16 3000 - 4, a1 AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !be16 [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !24 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 24-bit values in chosen CPU's byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: None (but because all currently supported CPUs are little-endian, "!le24" is in fact an alias) Examples: !24 16777215, symbol, -8388608, 14, $6a4f35 !24 %10010110100101010010110, &47336304, *, 'c' !24 300000 - 4, a1 AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !24 [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !le24 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 24-bit values in little-endian byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: None (but because all currently supported CPUs are little-endian, "!24" is in fact an alias) Examples: !le24 16777215, symbol, -8388608, 14, $6a4f35 !le24 %10010110100101010010110, &47336304, *, 'c' !le24 300000 - 4, a1 AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !le24 [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !be24 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 24-bit values in big-endian byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: None Examples: !be24 16777215, symbol, -8388608, 14, $6a4f35 !be24 %10010110100101010010110, &47336304, *, 'c' !be24 300000 - 4, a1 AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !be24 [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !32 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 32-bit values in chosen CPU's byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: None (but because all currently supported CPUs are little-endian, "!le32" is in fact an alias) Examples: !32 $7fffffff, symbol, -$80000000, 14, $46a4f35 !32 %1001011010010101001011010010, &4733630435, *, 'c' !32 300000 - 4, a AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !32 [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !le32 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 32-bit values in little-endian byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: None (but because all currently supported CPUs are little-endian, "!32" is in fact an alias) Examples: !le32 $7fffffff, symbol, -$80000000, 14, $46a4f35 !le32 %1001011010010101001011010010, &4733630435, *, 'c' !le32 300000 - 4, a AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !le32 [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !be32 EXPRESSION [, EXPRESSION]* Purpose: Insert 32-bit values in big-endian byte order. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. Aliases: None Examples: !be32 $7fffffff, symbol, -$80000000, 14, $46a4f35 !be32 %1001011010010101001011010010, &4733630435, *, 'c' !be32 300000 - 4, a AND a2, 2 ^ tz, (3+4)*70, l1 & .j2 !be32 [2, 3, 5, 7], other_list ; iterate over items Call: !hex PAIRS_OF_HEX_DIGITS Purpose: Insert byte values with a minimum of additional syntax. This pseudo opcode was added for easier writing of external source code generator tools. Parameters: PAIRS_OF_HEX_DIGITS: Just hexadecimal digits, without any "0x" or "$" prefix. Spaces and TABs are allowed, but not needed to separate the byte values. Aliases: "!h" Examples: !h f0 f1 f2 f3 f4 f5 f6 f7 ; insert values 0xf0..0xf7 !h f0f1f2f3 f4f5f6f7 ; insert values 0xf0..0xf7 !h f0f1f2f3f4f5f6f7 ; insert values 0xf0..0xf7 !h f0f 1f2 ; ERROR: space inside pair! !h 0x00, $00 ; ERROR: "0x", "," and "$" are forbidden! !h SOME_SYMBOL ; ERROR: symbols are forbidden! !h ABCD ; insert value 0xAB, then 0xCD (CAUTION, big-endian) Call: !fill AMOUNT [, VALUE] Purpose: Fill amount of memory with value. Parameters: AMOUNT: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. VALUE: Any formula the value parser accepts. If omitted, a default value is used (currently zero). Aliases: "!fi" Examples: !fi 256, $ff ; reserve 256 bytes !fill 2 ; reserve two bytes Call: !skip AMOUNT Purpose: Advance in output buffer without starting a new segment. Parameters: AMOUNT: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass (this limitation will hopefully be lifted in a future release). Aliases: None Examples: !skip BUFSIZE ; reserve some bytes !skip 5 ; reserve five bytes Call: !align ANDVALUE, EQUALVALUE [, FILLVALUE] Purpose: Fill memory until a matching address is reached. ACME outputs FILLVALUE until "program counter AND ANDVALUE" equals EQUALVALUE. Parameters: ANDVALUE: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. EQUALVALUE: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. FILLVALUE: Any formula the value parser accepts. If it is omitted, a default value is used (currently 234, that's the opcode of the 6502 CPU's NOP instruction). Examples: !align 255, 0 ; align to page (256 bytes) !align 63, 0 ; align to C64 sprite block (64 bytes) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: How to insert text strings ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !convtab KEYWORD [ { BLOCK } ] or: !convtab FILENAME [ { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Choose text conversion table. Parameters: KEYWORD: Name of conversion table. Valid names are: pet converts to PetSCII raw doesn't convert at all scr converts to C64 screencode FILENAME: File name of conversion table, given in "..." quoting (load from current directory) or in <...> quoting (load from library). The file must hold exactly 256 bytes. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements Before encountering this PO, ACME defaults to "raw". This PO supersedes the now deprecated "!cbm". Aliases: "!ct" Examples: !convtab raw !text "Test" ; outputs $54 $65 $73 $74 !ct pet !tx "Test" ; outputs $d4 $45 $53 $54 !ct scr { !tx "Test" ; outputs $54 $05 $13 $14 !ct "my_own_table_file" !tx "abcdefg" ; whatever... :) } !tx "Test" ; outputs $d4 $45 $53 $54 again Hint: If you don't want to fiddle with a hex editor to create a conversion table file, try using ACME: !to "asc2pet.ct", plain ; no load address * = 0 ; pc = table index ; first create "as-is" table !for i, 0, 255 {!byte i} ; now exchange upper and lower case characters * = 65, overlay !for i, 1, 26 {!byte * + 128} * = 97, overlay !for i, 1, 26 {!byte * - 32} The resulting file can be used as a conversion table to convert to PetSCII (which is useless, because ACME can do so anyway. But you get the idea). Call: !text STRING_VALUE [, STRING_VALUE]* Purpose: Output the given string(s) using the current conversion table. Parameters: STRING_VALUE: Can be either a string given in double quotes or any formula the value parser accepts. Please note that formula results won't be converted, but single characters involved in calculations will. Aliases: "!tx" Examples: !text "Loading...", Char_NewLine, "Filename:", 0 !tx "Offset character is ", offset - 1 + 'a', 0 Call: !pet STRING_VALUE [, STRING_VALUE]* Purpose: Output the given string(s) using the PetSCII conversion table (This means to exchange the upper- and lowercase characters; useful for C64 programs). Parameters: STRING_VALUE: Can be either a string given in double quotes or any formula the value parser accepts. Please note that formula results won't be converted, but single characters involved in calculations will. Examples: !pet "Loading...", Char_NewLine, "Filename:", 0 !pet "Offset character is ", offset - 1 + 'a', 0 Call: !raw STRING_VALUE [, STRING_VALUE]* Purpose: Output the given string(s) without any conversion at all. Parameters: STRING_VALUE: Can be either a string given in double quotes or any formula the value parser accepts. Examples: !raw "Loading...", Char_NewLine, "Filename:", 0 !raw "Offset character is ", offset - 1 + 'a', 0 Call: !scr STRING_VALUE [, STRING_VALUE]* Purpose: Output the given string(s) using the C64 screen code conversion table (useful for C64 programs, as you will have guessed). Parameters: STRING_VALUE: Can be either a string given in double quotes or any formula the value parser accepts. Please note that formula results won't be converted, but single characters involved in calculations will. Examples: !scr "Loading...", Char_NewLine, "Filename:", 0 !scr "Offset character is ", offset - 1 + 'a', 0 Call: !scrxor XOR_VALUE, STRING_VALUE [, STRING_VALUE]* Purpose: Output the given string(s) using the C64 screen code conversion table and exclusive-OR-ing the results with the given value (useful for C64 programs when inverse video is needed, or EBC mode, etc.). Parameters: XOR_VALUE: Any formula the value parser accepts. STRING_VALUE: Can be either a string given in double quotes or any formula the value parser accepts. Please note that formula results will be neither converted nor exclusive-OR-d. Single characters involved in calculations will be converted, but not exclusive-OR-d. Examples: !scrxor $80, "Loading..." !scrxor $a0, "Offset char is ", (offset-1+'a') XOR $a0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: File stuff ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !to FILENAME, FILEFORMAT Purpose: Define the output file name and file type. If this opcode isn't used, ACME still fully processes the source code - as the resulting binary isn't stored, this only serves to check for errors. Instead of using this pseudo opcode, you can also use the command line options "--outfile" and "--format". Parameters: FILENAME: A file name given in "..." quoting. FILEFORMAT: Name of file format. Valid names are: cbm with load address (Commodore format) plain without load address apple with load address and length (Apple II) If FILEFORMAT is omitted, ACME gives a warning and then defaults to "cbm" (this can be changed using the command line option "--format"). Examples: !to "eprom.p", plain ; don't add a load address !to "demo.o", cbm ; add c64-style load address Call: !source FILENAME Purpose: Assemble another source code file. After having processed the new file, ACME continues processing the old one. Parameters: FILENAME: A file name given in "..." quoting (load from current directory) or in <...> quoting (load from library). Aliases: "!src" Examples: !source <6502/std.a> ; Read library file !src "Macros.a" ; Read file from current dir Call: !binary FILENAME [, [SIZE] [, [SKIP]]] Purpose: Insert binary file directly into output file. Parameters: FILENAME: A file name given in "..." quoting (load from current directory) or in <...> quoting (load from library). SIZE: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. If SIZE is given, it is used: If the file is longer, only SIZE bytes are read; if it is shorter, ACME will use padding until SIZE is reached. If SIZE is omitted, ACME will include the file until EOF. SKIP: Any formula the value parser accepts. If SKIP is omitted, it defaults to zero. ACME will start loading the file from file offset SKIP. So C64 coders wanting to include C64 files without their load addresses should use a SKIP value of 2. Aliases: "!bin" Examples: !binary ; insert library file !bin "asc2pet.b", 256, 2 ; insert 256 bytes ; from file offset 2. !bin "table", 2, 9 ; insert 2 bytes from offset 9 !bin "list",, 9 ; insert from offset 9 to EOF ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: Symbols ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !zone [TITLE] [ { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Switch to new zone of local symbols. Zones can either be nested or used sequentially. Parameters: TITLE: May consist of letters and digits. Its only purpose is to be displayed in error messages, so it'll be omitted in most cases. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements If no block is given, the previous zone is terminated and the new zone is started. If a block is given, the old zone continues after the block. Aliases: "!zn" Examples: .backgroundcolor = 0 ; some local symbol !zone File_IO ; new zone begins here, so .backgroundcolor = 1 ; this is a different symbol !zn LinkedList_Init .backgroundcolor = 2 !zone LinkedList { ; start of nested zone ; imagine some code here... !zone LinkedList_Init ; imagine some more code here... !zone LinkedList_Body { ; imagine yet some more code here... !zone LinkedList_SecondPart ; imagine still some more code here... } !zone LinkedList_End ; you know what to imagine here... } .backgroundcolor = 3 ; -> "Symbol already defined." Call: !symbollist FILENAME Purpose: Write a symbol list to the given file after assembly is finished. The list will contain all global symbols. This table could be loaded during another assembly session using the "!source" pseudo opcode. Parameters: FILENAME: A file name given in "..." quoting. Aliases: "!sl" Examples: !sl "Symbols.a" ; produce symbol list after assembly !sl "global" ; produce symbol list after assembly ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: Flow control ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !if CONDITION { BLOCK } [ else { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Conditional assembly. If the given condition is true, the matching block of statements will be parsed; if no condition is true, the ELSE block (if present) will be parsed. Parameters: CONDITION: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. Examples: ; Choose word according to "country" symbol: !if country == uk { !text "Grey" } else if country == fr { !text "Gris" } else if country == de { !text "Grau" } else { !text "Gray" } ; Insert debug code depending on symbol "debug": !if debug { lda #'z':jsr char_output } Call: !ifdef SYMBOL { BLOCK } [ else { BLOCK } ] or: !ifdef SYMBOL STATEMENT Call: !ifndef SYMBOL { BLOCK } [ else { BLOCK } ] or: !ifndef SYMBOL STATEMENT Purpose: Conditional assembly, depending on whether a symbol is already defined or not. With "ifdef", if the symbol is defined, the first block of statements will be parsed; if it isn't, the second block will be parsed instead (if present). With "ifndef", it's the other way around: If the symbol isn't defined, the first block of statements will be parsed; if it is defined, the second block will be parsed instead (if present). CAUTION: These opcodes were added to speed up parsing of library files (see example below). They can be used to tell passes apart, therefore only use them in your own files if you're sure you *really* know what you are doing - using them in the wrong way will result in loads of error messages. Parameters: SYMBOL: Any valid symbol name. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. STATEMENT: Any assembler statement. Examples: ; this was taken from <6502/std.a>: !ifdef Lib_6502_std_a !eof ; in later passes, Lib_6502_std_a = 1 ; skip this file. ; During the first pass, the symbol is not defined, ; therefore the file will get parsed. During all ; further passes, the symbol is already defined, ; therefore the file will be skipped. ; if the following code gets included several times, ; only assemble it at the first location: !ifndef my_label {my_label} ; only define if undefined !if * == my_label { ; imagine some code here... ; this block will only be assembled at the ; first location where it is included. all ; further instances will be skipped. } ; include at most one driver source code: !ifdef RAM_REU { !src "driver_reu.a" } else ifdef RAM_GEORAM { !src "driver_georam.a" } else ifdef RAM_VDCRAM { !src "driver_vdcram.a" } else ifdef RAM_SUPERRAM { !src "driver_superram.a" } else { !src "driver_noram.a" } Call: !for SYMBOL, START, END { BLOCK } or: !for SYMBOL in ITERABLE { BLOCK } Purpose: Looping assembly. The block of statements will be parsed a fixed number of times, as specified by the arguments: When using the first syntax, SYMBOL will simply count from START to END. When using the second syntax, SYMBOL will iterate over the contents of the ITERABLE, which must be a string or a list. For more flexible loop constructs, have a look at "!do" and "!while" below. Parameters: SYMBOL: Any valid symbol name. START: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. SYMBOL will have this value during the first loop cycle. END: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. SYMBOL will have this value during the last loop cycle. ITERABLE: This must be a string or a list, but its length must be defined even in the first pass (and of course it should stay the same during all subsequent passes). If ITERABLE is a list, its _items_ are allowed to be undefined. If ITERABLE is a string, SYMBOL will be set to each of its character codes in turn, using the currently chosen conversion table. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. If START or END are floats, they will be converted to integers (never use floats for loop counters). If START is less than or equal to END, SYMBOL will get incremented at the end of each cycle; if START is greater than END, SYMBOL will get decremented at the end of each cycle. So after leaving the loop, SYMBOL will have an "illegal" value (END + 1 if counting up, END - 1 if counting down). Please note that it is impossible to change the number of loop cycles "inside" the loop by fiddling with the counter using the "!set" pseudo opcode: The "!for" routine keeps its own copy of the counter value and only sets the symbol value, it never reads it back. This was done to eliminate a possibility to hang ACME. Examples: int2BCD ; conversion table: integer to BCD !for Outer, 0, 9 { !for Inner, 0, 9 { !byte (Outer << 4) OR Inner } } !fill 156, $ff ; values above 99 give 255 (invalid) BCD2int ; conversion table: BCD to integer !for Outer, 0, 9 { !for Inner, 0, 9 { !byte 10 * Outer + Inner } !fill 6, $ff ; invalid BCD values give 255 } !fill 96, $ff ; invalid BCD values give 255 quickclear ; generate speedcode to clear C64 screen lda #' ' !for i, 0, 999 { sta $0400 + i } split_table_lo ; generate two tables from one list !for h in my_handler_list { !by h } hidden_string ; "encrypt" a string by XORing with address !ct scr { ; use screen codes !for c in "very secret message" { !by c XOR <* } } Miscellaneous: The old syntax !for SYMBOL, END { BLOCK } where START was always implied to be 1 is still fully supported, but gives a warning to get people to change to the new syntax. You can disable this warning using the "--dialect" or the "-Wno-old-for" switches, but then you will get warnings for using the *new* syntax. When migrating your sources to the current syntax, bear in mind that it is no longer possible to skip the block completely by specifying a loop count of zero. Also note that with the new algorithm, SYMBOL has a different value after the block than during the last loop cycle, while the old algorithm kept that last value. Call: !set SYMBOL = VALUE Purpose: Assign given value to symbol even if the symbol already has a different value. Needed for loop counters when using "!do"or "!while", for example. Only use this opcode for something else if you're sure you *really* know what you are doing... :) Parameters: SYMBOL: Any valid symbol name. VALUE: Any formula the value parser accepts. Example: see "!do" below Call: !do [KEYWORD CONDITION] { BLOCK } [KEYWORD CONDITION] Purpose: Looping assembly. The block of statements can be parsed several times, depending on the given condition(s). Conditions may be placed before or after the block (or even at both places), they are then parsed in every repetition before or after the block respectively. If there is a condition before the block and it isn't met when first checked, the block will be skipped. Parameters: KEYWORD: Either "until" or "while" (without quotes). CONDITION: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. Examples: ; a loop with conditions at both start and end !set a = 0 ; init loop counter !do while loop_flag == TRUE { lda #a sta label + a !set a = a + 1 } until a > 6 ; a loop with a condition at the start !do while * < $c000 { nop } ; a loop with a condition at the end !do { !wo * + base } while * < base + 345 ; a never ending loop - this will cause an error !do while 3 < 4 { nop } until 3 == 4 ; an empty loop - this will hang ACME !do until 3 == 4 { } while 3 < 4 Call: !while [CONDITION] { BLOCK } Purpose: Looping assembly. The block of statements can be parsed several times, depending on the given condition. The condition is parsed in every repetition before the actual block. If it isn't met when first checked, the block will be skipped. Parameters: CONDITION: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. Examples: ; a loop with a counter !set a = 0 ; init loop counter !while a < 6 { lda #a sta label + a !set a = a + 1 } ; a loop depending on program counter !while * < $c000 { nop } ; a never ending loop - this will cause an error !while 3 < 4 { nop } ; an empty loop - this will hang ACME !while 3 != 4 { } Call: !endoffile Purpose: Stop processing the current source file. Using this pseudo opcode you can add explanatory text inside your source file without having to comment out every single line of it. Aliases: "!eof" Example: rts ; some assembler mnemonic !eof Though this text isn't preceded by a semicolon, it is treated as if it were a comment. In fact, ACME doesn't even parse this anymore - the file gets closed when "!eof" is reached. Call: !warn VALUE [, VALUE]* Purpose: Show a warning during assembly. Parameters: VALUE: Can be either a string given in double quotes or any formula the value parser accepts. Integer numbers will be output in both decimal _and_ hex formats. Example: !if * > $a000 { !warn "Program reached ROM: ", * - $a000, " bytes overlap." } Call: !error VALUE [, VALUE]* Purpose: Generate an error during assembly (therefore, no output file will be generated). Parameters: VALUE: Can be either a string given in double quotes or any formula the value parser accepts. Integer numbers will be output in both decimal _and_ hex formats. Example: rts ; end of some function start !source "colors.a" end !if end - start > 256 { !error "Color strings are ", end - start - 256, " bytes too long." } Call: !serious VALUE [, VALUE]* Purpose: Generate a serious error, immediately stopping assembly. Parameters: VALUE: Can be either a string given in double quotes or any formula the value parser accepts. Integer numbers will be output in both decimal _and_ hex formats. Example: !source "part1.a" ; sets part1_version !source "part2.a" ; sets part2_version !if part1_version != part2_version { !serious "part1.a and part2.a don't match!" } ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: Macro usage ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !macro TITLE [[~]SYMBOL [, [~]SYMBOL]*] { BLOCK } Purpose: Define a macro. Parameters: TITLE: The macro's desired name (same rules as for symbol names). If the title's first character is a dot ("."), the macro will be local (though why anyone could want this is beyond me). SYMBOL: The desired name for the parameter value at call time. Normally, these parameter symbols should be local (first character a '.' or a '@'), as different macro calls will almost for sure have different parameter values. If you prefix SYMBOL with a '~' character, it will be called by reference, not by value: Changing the value inside the macro will result in the "outer" symbol to be changed as well. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. Examples: ; far branch, as defined in <6502/std.a> !macro bne .target { beq * + 5 jmp .target } ; increase 16-bit counters !macro dinc .target { inc .target bne + ; "bne * + 5" would not work in zp inc .target + 1 + } ; Yes, anonymous label references can be used with ; macros (unlike several other assemblers). That's ; because ACME's macros are implemented more like ; real functions. ; load A and X !macro ldax .target { lda .target ldx .target + 1 } ; store A and X !macro stax .target { sta .target stx .target + 1 } ; use call-by-reference for return value !macro reserve ~.address, .amount { .address = external_pc !set external_pc = external_pc + .amount } ; define a pixel row of a C64 hardware sprite !macro SpriteLine .v { !by .v >> 16, (.v >> 8) & 255, .v & 255 } Call: +TITLE [ARGUMENT [, ARGUMENT]*] Purpose: Call a macro, using the given parameter values. Parameters: TITLE: The macro's name as given in its definition. ARGUMENT: This is either any formula the value parser accepts, or (new in release 0.86) a '~' character followed by a symbol name. The '~'-prefix indicates call-by-reference semantics, which means that when the macro changes the symbol's value, the caller's symbol's value will change as well. Examples: inc label bne mark ; "near" branch inc label2 +bne mark2 ; "far" branch inc $fa ; increase 8-bit counter +dinc $fb ; increase 16-bit counter ldy label ; get byte +ldax label2 ; get two bytes ; using macro calls in a macro definition !macro cp16 .source, .target { +ldax .source +stax .target } ; use call-by-reference for return value !set external_pc = $0400 +reserve ~.line_buffer, 80 +reserve ~.in_buffer, 256 +reserve ~.out_buffer, 256 +reserve ~.byte_var, 1 ; define a C64 hardware sprite ; 765432107654321076543210 +SpriteLine %........................ +SpriteLine %.#...................... +SpriteLine %.##..................... +SpriteLine %.###.................... +SpriteLine %.####................... +SpriteLine %.#####.................. +SpriteLine %.######................. +SpriteLine %.#######................ +SpriteLine %.########............... +SpriteLine %.#########.............. +SpriteLine %.########............... +SpriteLine %.######................. +SpriteLine %.######................. +SpriteLine %.##..##................. +SpriteLine %.#....##................ +SpriteLine %......##................ +SpriteLine %.......##............... +SpriteLine %.......##............... +SpriteLine %........##.............. +SpriteLine %........##.............. +SpriteLine %........................ !byte 0 ; pad to 64-byte block Since release 0.86, different macros are allowed to have the same name as long as their parameter lists differ in size (number of arguments) or type (call-by-value vs. call-by-reference). So !macro process_bytes b1, b2 {...whatever...} !macro process_bytes b1, b2, b3 {...whatever...} !macro process_bytes b1, b2, ~b3 {...whatever...} can *all* be used at the same time without any name clash. Since release 0.97, lists are supported. This is useful for macros if you want an arbitrary number of arguments: Just pass a list or string as one of the arguments and have the macro iterate over its contents. Examples: ; a macro to store any number of arguments as 16-bit values: !macro iter_example @iterable { !for @item in @iterable { !16 @item } } +iter_example [2, 3, 5, 7] ; iterate over list items +iter_example "string" ; iterate over characters ; a macro to "encrypt" each argument with its index: !macro scramble @iterable { @length = len(@iterable) !for @index, 0, @length - 1 { !byte @iterable[@index] xor @index } } +scramble [2, 3, 5, 7] ; iterate over list items +scramble "string" ; iterate over characters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: Segment assembly ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: * = EXPRESSION [, MODIFIER]* Purpose: Set program counter to given value and start new segment. This opcode must be given at least once (or the command line option "--setpc" must be used). If segments overlap each other, warnings will be issued. Because some people do this overlapping on purpose, the warnings can be suppressed using modifier keywords. Using the "--strict-segments" CLI switch, these warnings can be turned onto errors. Future versions of ACME may do that by default - so if needed, use the modifier keywords. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. MODIFIER: "overlay" or "invisible" (without quotes): "overlay" suppresses the warning "Segment starts inside another one, overwriting it". "invisible" makes the new segment invisible, so that _other_ segments will never raise the warning "Segment reached another one, overwriting it". Examples: !to "TinyDemo", cbm ; define output file + format * = $0801 ; start at C64 BASIC start !src "basicmacros.a" ; include macro definitions +basic_header ; call program header macro !src "main.a" ; include main program * = $1000 ; jump to new segment !bin "music.b" ; load music to $1000 * = $8000 ; jump to new segment !bin "pic.b" ; load graphics to $8000 * = $8010, overlay, invisible ; go back and patch ; the graphics, suppressing warnings ; After assembly, ACME will save everything from $0801 ; up to the highest address written to. The resulting ; file will contain some big unused areas (zero'd), ; but demos will get compressed anyway... :) Call: !initmem EXPRESSION Purpose: Define "unchanged" memory. ACME will fill its output buffer completely with the given value before storing the assembled code. So gaps between segments will contain the desired byte when writing the output file. Instead of using this pseudo opcode, you can also use the "--initmem" command line option. If neither is used, the buffer is cleared. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass (because this opcode will be ignored in all later passes). Examples: !to "TinyDemo", cbm ; define output file + format !initmem $ea ; default memory content $ea. * = $0801 ; start at C64 BASIC start !src "basicmacros.a" ; include macro definitions +basic_header ; call program header macro !src "main.a" ; include main program * = $1000 ; jump to new segment !bin "music.b" ; load music to $1000 * = $8000 ; jump to new segment !bin "pic.b" ; load graphics to $8000 * = $8010, overlay, invisible ; go back and patch ; the graphics, suppressing warnings ; This is the same example as before, but now the big ; unused areas will contain the value $ea instead of ; zero. !initmem $ff ; Default memory content is now $ff. ; Useful if you want to store your code in an EPROM. Call: !xor EXPRESSION [ { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Change the value to XOR all output bytes with (the value defaults to zero on startup). This "encryption" facility was added to compensate for the shortcomings of the "!scrxor" pseudo opcode, which only XORs strings and characters, but not numbers. When used with block syntax, the previously chosen value is restored afterwards. Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. Examples: ; first as normal screencodes: !scr "Hello everybody...", GROUPLOGOCHAR ; and now as inverted screencodes: !xor $80 { !scr "Hello everybody...", GROUPLOGOCHAR } ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: Offset assembly ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !pseudopc EXPRESSION { BLOCK } Purpose: Assemble code as if the program counter had the given value, effectively producing a program that has to be copied to a different address space before being run. After having processed the block of statements with the new program counter, the updated (!) old program counter is used again. Thanks to the block syntax, offset assembly can now be nested. Then the old program counter would not necessarily be the *real* program counter, but could be a pseudopc as well. ;) Parameters: EXPRESSION: Any formula the value parser accepts, but it must be solvable even in the first pass. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. Examples: ldx #.shifted_end - .shifted_start - lda .shifted_start - 1, x sta .target - 1, x dex bne - jmp .target .shifted_start !pseudopc $0400 { .target ; imagine some code here... ; it should be copied to $0400 and executed *there* } .shifted_end Miscellaneous: If you need to convert a label or the program counter from its "pseudopc" to its "real" value, you can do that using the "&" operator. Given the example above, the symbol ".target" will evaluate to the value $0400, but "&.target" will evaluate to the same value as ".shifted_start" will. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: CPU support pseudo opcodes (especially 65816 support) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !cpu KEYWORD [ { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Select the processor to produce code for. If this PO isn't used, ACME defaults to the 6502 CPU (or to the one selected by the "--cpu" command line option). ACME will give errors if you try to assemble instructions the chosen CPU does not support. You can change the chosen CPU at any time. When used with block syntax, the previously chosen CPU value is restored afterwards. Parameters: KEYWORD: Currently valid keywords are: 6502 for the original MOS 6502 nmos6502 6502 plus undocumented opcodes 6510 (alias for "nmos6502") 65c02 6502 plus BRA,PHX/Y,PLX/Y,STZ,TRB/TSB r65c02 65c02 plus BBRx, BBSx, RMBx, SMBx w65c02 r65c02 plus STP/WAI 65816 65c02 plus 16/24-bit extensions 65ce02 r65c02 plus Z reg, long branches, ... 4502 65ce02 with MAP instead of AUG m65 4502 plus 32-bit extensions c64dtv2 6502 plus BRA/SAC/SIR plus some of the undocumented opcodes See "docs/cputypes/all.txt" for more info. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. Examples: !if cputype == $65c02 { !cpu 65c02 { ; temporarily allow 65c02 stuff stz .todelete } } else { pha lda #0 sta .todelete pla } rts !cpu 65816 ; now allow instructions of 65816 cpu Call: !al [ { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Assume long (16 bits) accumulator. Only allowed when producing code for the 65816 CPU. When used with block syntax, the previous configuration is restored afterwards. Call: !as [ { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Assume short (8 bits) accumulator. Only needed when producing code for the 65816 CPU. When used with block syntax, the previous configuration is restored afterwards. Short accumulator is the default in every pass. Call: !rl [ { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Assume long (16 bits) index registers. Only allowed when producing code for the 65816 CPU. When used with block syntax, the previous configuration is restored afterwards. Call: !rs [ { BLOCK } ] Purpose: Assume short (8 bits) index registers. Only needed when producing code for the 65816 CPU. When used with block syntax, the previous configuration is restored afterwards. Short registers are the default in every pass. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: Type system ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !address [ { BLOCK } ] or: !address SYMBOL = VALUE Purpose: Mark a block or a statement as "explicitly defined symbols are holding addresses". Parameters: BLOCK: A block of assembler statements Everything inside the block will be parsed as usual, but explicitly defined symbols will be marked as referencing memory. If no block is given, only the current statement will be affected, which should then be an explicit symbol definition. To make use of this feature, you need to use the "-Wtype-mismatch" CLI switch. Aliases: "!addr" Examples: !addr k_chrout = $ffd2 ; this is an address CLEAR = 147 ; but this is not !addr { ; these are addresses: sid_v1_control = $d404 sid_v2_control = $d40b sid_v3_control = $d412 } ; these are not: sid_VOICECONTROL_NOISE = %#....... sid_VOICECONTROL_RECTANGLE = %.#...... sid_VOICECONTROL_SAWTOOTH = %..#..... sid_VOICECONTROL_TRIANGLE = %...#.... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Section: Obsolete pseudo opcodes (they will throw errors if used) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call: !cbm Purpose: Use PetSCII as the text conversion table. Now superseded by the "!convtab" pseudo opcode. Old usage: !cbm ; gives "use !ct pet instead" error Now use: !convtab pet ; does the same without error If you just want to assemble an old source code without touching it, use the "--dialect" CLI switch: Using "--dialect 0.94.6" or earlier will assemble this pseudo opcode without throwing an error. Call: !subzone [TITLE] { BLOCK } Purpose: Allows nesting of zones. Now superseded by "!zone" because that allows nesting as well. Parameters: TITLE: May consist of letters and digits. BLOCK: A block of assembler statements. Aliases: "!sz" Old usage: !subzone graphics { !source "graphics.a" } Now use: !zone graphics { !source "graphics.a" } If you just want to assemble an old source code without touching it, use the "--dialect" CLI switch: Using "--dialect 0.94.6" or earlier will assemble this pseudo opcode without throwing an error. Call: !realpc Purpose: Restore the program counter to its real value, therefore finishing offset assembly. Because "!pseudopc" now knows block syntax and can be nested, there's no reason to use "!realpc" any more. Old usage: !pseudopc $0400 ; imagine some code here... !realpc Now use: !pseudopc $0400 { ; imagine some code here... } If you just want to assemble an old source code without touching it, use the "--dialect" CLI switch: Using "--dialect 0.94.6" or earlier will assemble this pseudo opcode without throwing an error. Using "--dialect 0.85", not even a warning is thrown.