A86: Re: New Shell/Differences between ROM versions
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A86: Re: New Shell/Differences between ROM versions
To get the list of programs on your calculator, you must search through the
VAT (Variable Allocation Table, where all of the variable names are stored)
to find each program. It's a kind of complicated process, because the VAT is
written backwards. Go to james.acz.org, and you will find some good
information about searching the VAT for programs and strings.
>From what I've heard, for 85 emulation, you need to write your own ROM calls
at the address the 85 program calls. Like if it were to call $4800, you
would have to write that ROM call at that address on the TI-86.
As for to actually find a name in the .db inside the program, you must do
some more complicated stuff. You have to find what RAM page the program is
on, swap it in, and read the program. First, you have to find if the first
byte of the program is a 'nop' ($00). If it is, you have to skip to where it
points to the description. Then, you have to find out how far away that
would be from _asm_exec_ram ($D748), and add that to the beginning of the
program in memory. Then, once you are at the description, keep reading until
you reach the 0 at the end of the string.
Hope that helped,
Brent
PS- If you need some source, you can email me at brent@calc.org and I'll
send you some from my shell.
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm new to this list and relatively new to ASM, but for a few years now I
> have been wishing there was a shell with all the features I wanted that
also
> looked nice, didn't hog a lot of space, and didn't crash all the time.
After
> trying all of them, YAS is the best I found, but it still doesn't fit my
> needs perfectly. I decided I should make my own.
>
> My shell (tentatively titled ACIDshell, for Advanced Calculator
> Interface/Directory) is well underway, but still has enough bugs and
missing
> features that I don't feel comfortable releasing a beta yet. My question
is
> this: Where can I find a complete list of the differences between every
ROM
> version of the 86?
>
> Please email me any answers or workarounds to the version differences, any
> features you would like to see in a new shell, or any other advice or
> assistance you think would be helpful to someone relatively new to ASM
doing
> something relatively complex.
> I am also having problems in the following areas: 85 emulation; support
for
> icons and longnames*; getting a list of programs and strings installed;
and
> testing the battery level. Please email me any suggestions you have in
these
> areas.
> *A longname is a format I am considering where, instead of listing
programs
> by their variable name, showing a string similar to the title string but
> shorter. After the lines ".dw title" and the less common ".dw icon" a
> programmer would add ".dw longname" and then declare the string longname:
> title: .db "My Program v4.2 (c)2000 by Me",0
> icon: .db "11100010", etc.
> longname: .db "My Program",0
> Thus the title string, containing name/author/version/copyright, need not
be
> displayed except on request, freeing up more screen real estate to list
more
> programs simultaneously. I welcome programmers of games and shells to
support
> this new format, unless you think it's a bad idea. Please email me and
tell
> me what you think of it so I can decide whether to keep it or dump it.
>
> -- Jonathan Marcus
> Appelkore@aol.com
> irc: appelkore
>
>
>
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