Apple2BuildPipeline

A build pipeline for making Apple ][ software on OS X.

Features:

This project was built based on the one created by Quinn Dunki but it has been expanded to add the following features:

• Attempts to hide all of the infrastructure which you don't need to modify in a make directory.
• Supports linking together multiple C and assembly files. To add a new file to the project, just create a new *.c or *.s file in the project directory.
• If you change a header file, the right source files will rebuild automatically. Header file dependencies are generated during the build.
• Supports all cc65 Apple configurations. So, if you want to target enhanced Apple //e's running DOS 3.3, knock yourself out. Just set the configuration you want in the Makefile and the build will do the right thing to create a disk image for that configuration.
• On Mac OS X, Virtual ][ will start when you build and the emulator with execute your program. This works for all supported cc65 Apple configurations. Also, it uses a machine configuration which is stored in the make directory in your project. That way, you can modify the machine configuration to be exactly the config you want to test under.
• The Mac OS X deliverable is now an installer which will create an Xcode project template. So, to start a new Apple ][ project in Xcode, select File->New->Project. Among the iOS and OS X project templates, you will find the "Apple ][ Project" option. Select that and you will have a new Apple ][ project ready to go.

Mac OS X Installation:

In order to use this infrastructure from Mac OS X, follow these instructions:

1. Install Xcode from Apple. Xcode is generally the most popular app in the Mac App Store in the "Developer Tools" category. Xcode is free and you do not need to be a registered Apple developer to download and use it, especially if you are building Apple ][ programs. I have only tested with Xcode 6 which is the latest version. It appears as though project templates are a feature introduced in Xcode 4 so the Apple // project template may work with Xcode 4 or 5 but I have not tested them.
2. Install the cc65 v2.13.3 package.
3. Install the Apple // project template.
4. Install Virtual ][.

Your First Project:

Everything you need is now installed. To create a new Apple ][ project in Xcode:

1. Start Xcode and create a new project by using File->New->Project...
2. In the dialog, you will see an Apple ][ option below the OS X section. Select that and select "Apple ][ Project". Click "Next".
3. A dialog box with a few text fields will appear. In product name, put in the name of the Apple ][ executable you want to build. Organization Name and Organization Identifier can be anything you want it to be. Leave Build Tool set to "/usr/bin/make". Click "Next".
4. Xcode now prompts you where you want to save your project. The name of the project will be the product name you already gave. Pick a good directory for your project. Your Documents foler is a reasonable option. Click "Create".
5. Your project is now ready for you. If you select Product->Build, it will build and execute the template code in Virtual ][. On your first build, you may be prompted by Mac OS X to install a Java runtime. Java is required so if you get this prompt, you should install it. Once Java is installed, go back to Xcode and select Product->Clean and then Product->Build. Virtual ][ should launch this time.
6. The build environmnt includes a template Virtual ][ machine configuration, but it is possible that the configuration will not be able to find your ROM file. If so, select Setup from the toolbar and set the folder with your ROM file. You can also change any attributes of the machine on which you want to execute your program here. When you are done, be sure to select File->Save Configuration. Try your build again from Xcode now that you have your machine configuration set.
7. At this point everything should work and you should see "HELLO, WORLD!" in the emulator. Press any key in the emulator to quit the executable and go back to the BASIC prompt.
8. Review the Makefile and set any options you want. The file has lots of comments to help you understand the configuration options.
9. Change main.c and write more code in new C or assembly files until you have the program you always wanted to build...

UNIX Installation:

This build infrastructure can be used in a non-Mac environment. You need cc65 2.13.3 from ftp://ftp.musoftware.de/pub/uz/cc65/cc65-sources-2.13.3.tar.bz2 and then these commands should work to build the sources:

$ tar xvjf cc65-sources-2.13.3.tar.bz2
$ cd cc65-2.13.3
$ make -f make/gcc.mak
$ sudo make -f make/gcc.mak install

Once that is done, you can edit the Makefile from the Apple ][ build pipeline and add new source files as described above. Be sure to set PGM to the name of your executable in the Makefile. When you build the project in a non-Mac environment, you should end up with a .dsk file but it will not try to execute that like it would on a Mac. In theory, other emulators on the Mac or on other host systems could be added to the build infrastructure and feel free to add support for your favourite.

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to Quinn Dunki and Carrington Vanston who were instrumental in getting this working. Carrington's presentation at KansasFest 2014 is where the basic concepts of a better Apple ][ build environment were demonstrated. Quinn built on that and included support for automatically starting the program in Virtual ][ using Applescript. Without their work, I wouldn't have been able to create this. Thanks!