Tools to convert text Atari BASIC to a runnable format

[Fabrizio Caruso]

I am looking for a fully automatic tool (script/command line) to convert a text file containing an Atari BASIC program into a format that can be loaded by an emulator. Any format better than plain text would do for me.

I suppose I need to tokenize the file and them insert it into some xex or atr container.

Anyone has a suggestion?

[Wrathchild]

Have you used Altirra's copy and paste feature? You should be able to paste the text directly.

 

The other suggestion is to use H: mapping to a folder where you hold the text file.

 

If you edit the file on the PC and so it doesn't use Atari's End-of-Line character ($9B) then you can load the file using ENTER "H6:FILE.LST"

 

[Rybags]

The H: devices with Ascii translation IMO is the best way.  Copy/paste direct is real handy but best left for short snippets of several lines or less.

And note of course that translation usually doesn't work well when there's embedded control characters in strings etc.

[baktra]

Fandal also created a command-line tool for PCs that takes a tokenized BAS file and wraps it in a .xex file.

The program runs under Windows and allows to customize the load address.

 

http://a8.fandal.cz/files/bas2xex_32bit.zip

Blog post (in Czech, use google translate): http://a8.fandal.cz/blog_2013.php

 

It appears that the resulting .xex files work only with Atari BASIC, but do not work with e.g. Altirra BASIC.

This is core of the wrapper routine

L0700:      ldx #$0D
L0702:      lda L07F2,X
            sta LOMEM,X
            dex
            bpl L0702
            ldx #$FF
            txs
            lda #$A9
            pha
            lda #$79
            pha
            lda #$0A
            sta L00C9
            lda #$00
            sta BOOT
            sta BASICF
            lda #$FD
            sta PORTB
            lda #$B7
            pha
            lda #$54
            pha
            lda RAMTOP
            bpl L072F
            lda #$A0
L072F:      sta RAMTOP
            jmp LEF94

 

[Fabrizio Caruso]

I do use copy and paste but I want to make a release of my game into a standard format that is loaded immediately by the emulator such as xex, atr, etc.

How can I convert the text file into a tokenized basic file to be converted into xex?

 

[xxl]

maybe the solution would be to compile the Basic program and link to the runtime library? you'll get a regular binary file.

[dmsc]

Hi!

26 minutes ago, Fabrizio Caruso said:

I do use copy and paste but I want to make a release of my game into a standard format that is loaded immediately by the emulator such as xex, atr, etc.

How can I convert the text file into a tokenized basic file to be converted into xex?

You need two steps:

1. Tokenizing the source text to the Atari format (.BAS).
   
   You can do this step using my tool: https://github.com/dmsc/tbxl-parser/releases, it supports TurboBASIC but if you only use statements valid in Atari BASIC it will work. But, as TurboBasicXL is a lot faster, you could take advantage of the extra speed.
    
2. Storing the BAS inside an ATR with an auto-run stub.
   
   - If using TurboBasicXL, this is easy as you simply need an ATR with DOS and the interpreter (named "AUTORUN.SYS" so it auto loads) and your program file named "AUTORUN.BAS".
   
   - If using Atari BASIC, you need a stub that does the same, I have used this: https://www.atarimax.com/jindroush.atari.org/asoft.html , attached is an AUTORUN.SYS that you can copy which runs AUTORUN.BAS on start, also attached is an ATR with DOS25 and the tool, just copy your BAS file inside and it will run at boot.

But, if you are writing a new program, you could use my FastBasic that produces Atari executables directly  

 

Have Fun!

 

autobasic.atr autorbas.asm AUTORUN.SYS

[Fabrizio Caruso]

@dmsc Thanks!
I don't understand how to create the ATR file that runs my .BAS program.

What do I need from https://www.atarimax.com/jindroush.atari.org/asoft.html ? 
I see a list of tools.

How do I use the ATR and SYS and my tokenized .bas BASIC file?
I suppose ATR is a disk image and SYS is a program that I have to store inside the ATR file.
I then need a tool to store the .bas and .sys inside ATR. Which tool and how?
I would like to create an automatic procedure (a script that runs the necessary tools with the right parameters).

Thanks

[Irgendwer]

48 minutes ago, Fabrizio Caruso said:

I would like to create an automatic procedure (a script that runs the necessary tools with the right parameters).

 

[baktra]

39 minutes ago, Fabrizio Caruso said:

@dmsc Thanks!
I don't understand how to create the ATR file that runs my .BAS program.

 

If you want to create the disk on PC, you can use the DIR2ATR tool.

 

Extracting DOS.SYS

1. Get an .ATR file with DOS 2.5

2. Create a new PC folder, let us say "c:\atari\my_disk"

3. Setup emulator's H1: device to use "my_disk" and let H1 be read write

4. Using emulator, boot from the .ATR file

5. Use DOS's function for copying files to copy DOS.SYS to the H1: device.

 

Then, you will be able to automatically create your own disk from the my_disk folder with the DIR2ATR utility.

1. Place AUTORUN.SYS from the previous posts to the my_disk folder.

2. Place AUTORUN.BAS to the my_disk folder (this is the tokenized version of your basic program)

3. Place any other files needed by your BASIC program to the my_disk folder

 

Run DIR2ATR:

dir2atr.exe -b DOS25 720 "newdisk.atr" c:\atari\my_disk

 

Then when you boot from newdisk.atr, your BASIC program will be executed.

[+CharlieChaplin]

Well, you can try a BAS 2 COM (XEX) conversion with BCOM:

 

a) save your Basic listing in tokenized format (Enter"D:*.LST then Save"D:*.BAS).

b) load BCOM by Raster: http://www.atarionline.pl/v01/index.php?ct=utils&sub=4. Programowanie&tg=BCOM#BCOM

c) when done, type in source filename of your Basic program (D:Filename.BAS)

d) next type in destination filename of your program (D:Filename.XEX)

e) choose either "1" to keep the program in its original (listable) form or choose "2" for list protection

f) BCOM loads and saves source + destination file to the same disk, so make sure there is enough room for both on the diskette...

 

Your Basic program should have a clear screen and Gr. command (e.g. Gr.0) at the beginning, since the BCOM program does not do that for you. The BCOM program can convert Basic files with a max. size of 28kbytes into a pseudo COM/XEX file, but as always, not all files will work. You can load the program from DOS or gamedos then and afaik, it will enable Basic automatically (on XL/XE with standard Atari OS). If you do not choose list protection, then a simple Break or Reset will stop the program and it can be listed then...

 

Last not least, there is also BAS2XEX (by Fandal, if I remember correctly) which works for me under WIN XP command prompt (there is a 16Bit and 32bit version)...

 

 

BAS2XEX.zip

Edited September 18, 2019 by CharlieChaplin

[Wrathchild]

20 hours ago, baktra said:

jmp LEF94

From: https://atariwiki.org/wiki/Wiki.jsp?page=DiffOldOs2XL

 

Vector	Label	800	XL/XE	1200XL

E400

E:OPEN

F3FC

EF94

EEF8

 

So that could be made a bit more generic

Edited September 18, 2019 by Wrathchild
added table header

[Fabrizio Caruso]

@CharlieChaplin I don't want to type anything. I need an automatic solution, i.e., only command line commands that I can put into a script. I do not want to open tools nor emulator or click on buttons any single time I want to test a change in a single line.
Your solution does what I need but not how I need it: I am coding on the PC and I only use the emulator to test.
I need a solution to both easily and quickly load my Basic program and to publish it in a standard format such as xex and/or atr and/or anything standard.

[Fabrizio Caruso]

@Irgendwer How do I use your tool to convert a pain text file with plain Atari BASIC into a standard format such as XEX or ATR?

It looks like your tool is something else. I do not want to use a special editor.

[Wrathchild]

Once you've pasted or ENTER'd the code into Altirra then try just save this using:

SAVE "H1:FILENAME.BAS"

Then pick that file from the mapped folder and distribute that?

 

.BAS files are associated with the emulator and if not can be dragged dropped or opened (to auto run)?

[dmsc]

Hi!

Quote

@CharlieChaplin I don't want to type anything. I need an automatic solution, i.e., only command line commands that I can put into a script. I do not want to open tools nor emulator or click on buttons any single time I want to test a change in a single line.
Your solution does what I need but not how I need it: I am coding on the PC and I only use the emulator to test.
I need a solution to both easily and quickly load my Basic program and to publish it in a standard format such as xex and/or atr and/or anything standard.

You just need to join all the tools presented above

 

You need:

1. My parser tool: https://github.com/dmsc/tbxl-parser/releases
   This tools converts a TEXT file (in Atari or PC format) to a BAS file. It also supports a lot of extensions to the language, for example you can include control characters inside strings by giving the hex code, and you can make the program "unlistable".
2. The DOS files of your choice. Recommended are Atari DOS 2.5 (for maximum retro-compatibility), MyDOS (if you need folders), XDOS 2.43 (a simple command line DOS) or BW-DOS (a small advanced, command line DOS). DOS25, MyDOS and XDOS are compatible with DOS2.0 format, so they can inter-operate. BW-DOS is compatible with SpartaDOS-X format, this is an advanced cartridge based DOS.
   Attached are DOS2.5 files - I will use that as an example.
3. A basic loader, for DOS2.5 it should be named "AUTORUN.SYS" to be loaded at startup.
4. A program to create ATR disks in the format of your choice of DOS. For DOS2.0 and DOS2.5 formats I recommend "dir2atr" tool, download from https://www.horus.com/~hias/atari/ , there you can download versions for Linux and Windows (you did not said which OS you are using).

Now, suppose you have my tool ( basicParser ) and the ATR creation tool ( dir2atr ) in the path, you need:

 

1. Copy DOS.SYS, DUP.SYS and AUTORUN.SYS to an empty folder.
2. Run my tool to output the AUTORUN.BAS file:
      basicParse myprogram.txt -o path/to/folder/AUTORUN.BAS
3. Run dir2atr to generate ATR image:
      dir2atr -b dos25 myimage.atr path/to/folder/

 

Note that in the Atari 8-bit, BASIC is only included in the newer XL/XE models, and there you need to boot without any key pressed to actually load the interpreter. Most emulators boot with the OPTION key pressed to deactivate BASIC, you need to inhibit that - it is an option.

 

And last - the BAS tokenized format *is* (was?) the standard for distributing basic program in the Atari world, people that used the Atari in the eighties will know how to load it. Making a bootable ATR is only a little simpler to the user.

 

Have Fun!

 

autorunbas.zip

Edited September 18, 2019 by dmsc
Forgot attachment.

[dmsc]

Hi!

2 hours ago, Fabrizio Caruso said:

@Irgendwer How do I use your tool to convert a pain text file with plain Atari BASIC into a standard format such as XEX or ATR?

It looks like your tool is something else. I do not want to use a special editor.

Irgendwer tool is just a script ("turban" for Linux/OSX , "turban.bat" for Windows) using my parser tool to automatically create a bootable disk with TurboBasicXL or Atari Basic and your program. It also uses DOS2.5 and dir2atr to create the image.

 

So, it is exactly what you need - but you must read the manual !!

 

 

 

[sanny]

Just to add to the options to create tokenized BASIC programs from ASCII input... ?

 

You could also use the atari800 emulator in "basic" mode. In this mode it doesn't open an UI and just uses stdin and stdout. AFAIK no precompiled binaries are available for the "basic" version, so you will need to compile it yourself.

Configure the build process like this:

./configure --with-sound=no --with-video=no --disable-riodevice

Then create a small text file (script.txt) with the inputs to the emulator,

ENTER "H1:INPUT.ASC"
SAVE "H2:OUTPUT.BAS"

and run the emulator with something like

atari800 -basic <path_to>/dos25.atr < script.txt

What host dirs are referred to by "H1:" and "H2:" is configured in the atari800 config file.

 

regards,

chris