Toolkit for Applesoft BASIC

https://applecommander.github.io/ac/

Put standard input BASIC source code onto disk image as a BASIC file

cat sample.bas | ac -bas test.dsk sample

I found it:  http://virtualbasic.org/

And, all of the source code is on bit bucket:

https://bitbucket.org/andresloz/virtual_basic/src/master/

It is written in Python2, uses tKinter, and includes a gui editor!

Virtual Basic has a command line:

********************************************************

 *** VirtualBasic command line tool ********************

 *** Andres Lozano a.k.a Loz, copyleft, 2011-2015 ******

 1) To convert VirtualBasic => Applesoft Basic

    After choice 1 you can add parameters ex: 1 c remgo

    c) compact code

    e) emulator ready

    u) ultra compact code

    remgo) add goto, gosub information if possible

2) To convert Applesoft Basic => VirtualBasic

3) To compact Applesoft Basic code

4) To merge in one file all inserts VirtualBasic files

I also found MAGIC GOSUB, but it is not a full-featured as Virtual Basic.

http://appleii.ivanx.com/magicgosub/

Thanks for bringing this topic up. Currently, I copy and paste code. It's a bit of a pain. I've been thinking about ideas for how to make this better.

I started creating a command line utility that converts text to Applesoft file format. It got me thinking about how to parse the source code, including automatically generating line numbers. From what I gather, you are trying to make your code more readable. I usually go the other way and make my code less readable to optimize for speed because Applesoft is slow enough already. I compact as many statements onto a single line. I try to store values in single character variables rather than hard-coding the numbers. I order the most frequently used routines to the beginning of the program, for example. I try to avoid using GOTO, and write the code using FOR ... NEXT to avoid line numbers. Virtual Basic looks like it has a "ultra compact code" option that would do some of what I want.

I use a bunch of different Apple II emulators. I've even toyed with and created my own. I like AppleWin and run it even though I run it via Wine on Linux. There is the debugger in AppleWin, and I think there are commands to load files into directly into memory. It would be cool to edit code in a programming editor of our choice, hit F5 (or Command R) and run the code instantly in the emulator. And, I am not talking just about Applesoft, but other languages CC65, 6502 assembly, PLASMA, and many others. I've been thinking about how to run code "hot" and "live" in memory within my own toy emulator.

You might or might not find some of these useful.

https://github.com/softwarejanitor/applesoft_tokenizer

https://github.com/softwarejanitor/applesoft_detokenizer

https://github.com/softwarejanitor/DOS33

https://github.com/softwarejanitor/ProDOS

Thanks for those.

I am testing applesoft_tokenizer.pl with some test files.  I am not a Perl fan, but bonus points that this is written in Perl.

I like this, it simplifies the code:

# Reverse sort the keys to prevent ATN being turned into AT N

my @tokenstrs = reverse sort keys %tokens;

It doesn't parse quite like Applesoft does, but maybe that's also a bonus.

It allows line numbers > 63999

It allows subsequent lines to have the same line number.

It allows line lengths > 239, and even line lengths > 255, although for really long lines, I think Applesoft starts to have problems.

mmphosis wrote:

Thanks for those.

 

I am testing applesoft_tokenizer.pl with some test files.  I am not a Perl fan, but bonus points that this is written in Perl.

I like this, it simplifies the code:

# Reverse sort the keys to prevent ATN being turned into AT

I wrote that for one thing I needed to do and I haven't done much with it in a while.  I hadn't noticed what you mention about it allowing higher line numbers or long lines.  As you say it could be a bonus.  If it was something that shouldn't be allowed, it would be possible to make the behavior be to prohibit those things normally and provide a command line flag to override them if desired.

I write a lot of stuff in Perl.  I know a lot of people hate it, but it gets things done.

In the "Advanced" tab in AppleWin Configuration, there is a Save State section.

Save State (F11 during emulation)

Load State (F12 during emulation)

I am looking into automatically writing tokenized Applesoft binary directly into this file.

So in theory, I write code in an editor of my choice. I press Command+R (or F5) to Run which runs a script which might do all of this...

• Parse the current source code text file, possibly with some features like
  • use labels instead of line numbers (like Virtual BASIC does.)
  • ignore leading tabs (indented code)
  • long variable names get converted to a pool of single character Applesoft variable names
  • save a symbol table (of routtine & variable names), and optionally append the symbol table as comments in the Applesoft program
• Tokenize the output into the Applesoft Basic binary format.
• update savestate.aws.yaml
  • maybe even update the Program Counter (PC) to automatically JuMP to the RUN routine.
• make AppleWin the frontmost window
• send F12 (load save state) and enter key (open default save state file) to AppleWin

Should also be able to go the other way:

Press F11 (save state), and a daemon watching for the save state file to change, runs a script to detokenize, format, and open the source code the editor of my choice.

Hello mmphosis, can you provide an update on whether you went forward with the vision you laid out in your post?  I am especially interested in the part about converting labels and long variable names - I gather virtual BASIC only does the labels, not the variables.  I had some thoughts of implementing this sort of thing myself, and wondered if it already exists or is being worked on.

dfxgordon wrote:

Hello mmphosis, can you provide an update on whether you went forward with the vision you laid out in your post? 

Sorry, the parts you are interested in have not been implemented. Starting from the bottom up, I've implemented a few of the "easier" items. Here's an update:

openfp.sh

When I press F11 in AppleWin, the current AppleSoft BASIC program opens in a text editor. I find this surprisingly useful. It's implemented as a bunch of utiliies using inotifywait, a python script to grab the AppleSoft program in memory from the AppleWin save state file, convert the hex to binary and pipe to fp2txt, and finally use xdg-open to open the text file.

Usage: fp2txt [OPTION]...

Convert Applesoft BASIC binary from standard input to text.

      --address    show address of each line

      --highlight  emphasize non-enterable

      --oneliner   fake the offset and line number

      --skip       skip printing space after DATA and REM

txt2fp

From the bottom up, going the other way, only the bare minimum so far ...

Usage: txt2fp [OPTION]...

Convert text from standard input to Applesoft BASIC binary.

      --skip     skip first space of DATA and REM statements 

It was definitely good to "lay out my vision" and I hope to revisit implementing more of it at some point. I am focused on some other projects, at the moment.

 I like AppleWin and run it even though I run it via Wine on Linux. There is the debugger in AppleWin, and I think there are commands to load files into directly into memory .surveyzop.com tellculvers

Haven't checked this yet, but I just found the following information:

ProDOS renumber feature:

https://www.callapple.org/programming/renumber-pro-source-code-made-available/

DOS 3.3:

https://wiki.apple2.org/index.php?title=Applesoft_BASIC

The DOS 3.3 System Master disk came with a renumber program on it ('RUN RENUMBER' to install it and get some information on how to use it), but unfortunately ProDOS's BASIC.SYSTEM doesn't have that functionality, though the disk bundled with Apple's "BASIC Programming with ProDOS" book has a similar program.