****************************************************************************** Amiga Disk File ZAPper (ADF-Zap) ****************************************************************************** V1.0d (c) James Hunter E-Mail: KMus@Geocities.Com Introduction ....................................................... Page 1 User Interface ..................................................... Page 2 Opening And Closing ADF Files ..................................... Page 3 Searching for a file ............................................... Page 4 The Future ......................................................... Page 5 Credits ............................................................ Page 6 Legal Crap ......................................................... Page 7 -1- ****************************************************************************** Introduction to ADF-Zap ****************************************************************************** Introduction. Welcome to ADF-Zap (pronounced adif-zap). This program is a hexadecimal editor designed solely for processing amiga disk files used by Ultimate Amiga Emulator (UAE). It has been developed as requested by a number of UAE users. Myself. I have been a programmer for approx. 7 years now (since the age of 13). I have started my programming on the simple ZX-81, and moved to the spectrum+2. For there I got my first amiga which was an A500 (Batman Pack!), with K1.3! I learned to program Amos, and a bit of C but for the last few years have worked completely in assembly. During 1994, I published a number of source codes in the Amiga Coders Club disk magazine, which unfortunately never got published (That was half my summer hols!). Because now the amiga is sadly, a dying machine (though I wish it wasn`t), I has been using IBM PC and programming in Borland Delphi, Visual Basic and `C`. UAE can along at the right time, as I was getting pissed off with the PC and longed to you my amiga again. Until I down loaded UAE for the first time, I was sure it was a hoak. For the PC (or any platform) to emulate an amiga - even simply, would require some remarkable programmed. I was so impressed with UAE, I have myself decided to `support` it with a number of add-on programs for Windows users (3.11 and `95) - Sorry, not DOS work! Currently in development is a DMS-->ADF Converter for directly converting disk masher files to ADF files without the need to enter UAE. I must that all the people who have sent me source on the structure of DMS, but I still need to compression algorithm used by DMS - If anyone can help I will co-credit the person on the converter. Thats enough about me!.... -2- ****************************************************************************** User Interface ****************************************************************************** How it looks. The user interface was designed as a cross between the real amiga ZAP (NOT NEWZAP - I don`t like it), and DiskX utils (both are very old). ZAP because of the way it looked, and DiskX because of the way it could view by tracks , sectors, blocks, etc. The Main Window. The main windows is divided into the following sections, each specialise in using (or viewing) the ADF file a different way. Most options here, and more!, can be accessed from the drop-down menus (explained later). Two main grids -------------- The two main grids display the hexadecimal and ascii values stored in that current 512 block. The left grid is for the hexadecimal, and the right for the ascii values. Amiga Disk File Movement Frame ------------------------------ This is where the `real amiga` position is indicated. This will show you where you are in the current adf file in Tracks, Sectors and Blocks. It will even show the side of the disk you are on. To the best of my knowledge these are correct (and I have looked at loads of books!) Below the labels showing the current position of the file are sliders which allow you to move in those different levels. DOUBLE-CLICK on the block label and it will change from decimal view to hex. I added this to help me find out location of files and blocks when looking at the root block. All the values are in hex and it was too much bother to load `calculator` every time I needed to know the hex value! Byte Position shows the current position in bytes. This is for reference again, incase you need to go to a specific location. ADF-Zap Commands ---------------- <>Forward Button - Moves forward 512 bytes (a block) Goto Position - Displays the goto frame with a number of `move` functions. See Later for more information Find Position - Displays the find frame with a number of `find` functions. This is not implemented (for speed reasons), see later for more info. Menu ---- File -> Open - Displays a dialog box where you selected the .ADF file to want to view. You do not need to close the existing file before you open another, this is automatic. File -> Close - Closes the file. File -> Exit - Exists from ADF-Zap (and closes, if open, the ADF file) Movement -> Goto boot block - Moves to the boot block of the ADF File (Block 0) Movement -> Goto root block - Moves to the root block of the ADF File (usually 880) Help -> Help - Opens Notepad with this README.TXT file Help -> About - Displays information about ADF-ZAP, including build and function information. Goto Frame ---------- This frame allows you to move to different location on the disk. There are currently three `goto` functions. They are... * Goto boot block - This moves to the start of the ADF file where the boot block lives. * Goto root block - The root block is where the file system for the amiga starts, this is usually located at block 880, thought ADF-ZAP supports a `floating` root-block. * Goto start of file - When you click on the option box, ADF-ZAP will start a comprehensive search of the ADF file to locate files and directories. This may take some time depending on the number of files and directories and the speed of your machine. Use the left list box to select the Directory (Or `<-Top->` to move to the root directory). You can go down sub-dirs until you find your file, then simply double-click on the filename (or highlight the name and select `Go Find It`). If you double-click on it, ADF-ZAP will search and find the file without removing the goto frame. Find Frame ---------- Sorry, but this has not been implemented yet. The main reason is that its just too slow for visual basic to search a file (it will search 10,000 bytes in 5 seconds, so 900,000 bytes = 450 seconds). So until I manage to get a nice fast algorithm there will be no search.. (SORRY) -3- ****************************************************************************** Opening And Closing ADF Files ****************************************************************************** Opening ADF Files ----------------- To open a ADF File you must move to the File menu and select `Open ADF File`. The program will try and open the ADF file and present you at the start of the ADF file. If there is a problem with accessing the file, then ADF-Zap will return an error and you can reselect another file. Closing ADF Files ----------------- To close an ADF file (Ie. to use it again with UAE, and still keep ADF-ZAP open), simply selected `Close ADF File` from the file menu. Automatic Closing ----------------- This occurs when you either open a new ADF file (without first closing it) or when you close the program down. Problems with Opening Or Using An ADF File ------------------------------------------ `Normal` DOS 1.x 2.x 3.x OFS and FFS formatted disk will work (well, as far as tested) and I would recommend that you try to stay clear of games and demo disks when look for files and root blocks (as they probably don`t exist) If you do try and search for files on a games/demo disk, ADF-ZAP has a built-in error handler which will trap all the illegal block entries. A normal disk with 50 odd files and 20 directories will be listed in 10 seconds on a P133. If you have an non-dos disk and you do a file search then ADF-ZAP will go looking for all files/dir and try to decode the disk. It will fail because there is no `real` valid data for it to look at, you will probably receive one or two `Warning - Invalid block value, etc...` Don`t worry this is to tell you that it can`t decode a root or file header block. If you get this error when doing a file list on a normal DOS disk which works 100% under dos (without any checksum errors) then please let me know!! -4- ****************************************************************************** Searching for a file. ****************************************************************************** This is also decribed `briefly` in the interface section (Page 2) To search for a file you must open an ADF file which is a normal DOS disk. Now click on the Goto Position button at the bottom right, and a frame box will appear showing you a number of options. Click on the `Goto start of file` option and ADF will report `Searching ADF file...` When ADF has returned with its list of files, it will place you in the root where you can move along sub-directories by double-clicking on the specified directory. To move back to the root selected `<-TOP->` in the list box and this will return you to the root (Sorry, no moving up sub-directories :( ) Once you ahve found the correct file, double-click on it to move directly to it without removing the goto frame box, or selected the `Go Find It` button to move to it and remove the goto frame box. -5- ****************************************************************************** The Future ****************************************************************************** The Future ---------- The future of ADF-ZAP is pretty limited. If you can think of any ideas to improve it then place send me them, but remember this is a hex-ascii viewer and I don`t want to expand this beyond that (Ie. Don`t suggest it could do DMS->ADF conversion, I`m working on another application for that). The only real option left is to allow users to directly modify the ADF file, itself not hard (I even have the grids done so that they will only access hexadecimal number's only!!) The Future ---------- Currently being made is ADF-DM (Amiga Disk File - Disk Manager). This allows loads of interesting things to be done with ADF files. It should be available late Feb/ Early March. Watch out in a UAE Page near you! -6- ****************************************************************************** Contacts and thanks. ****************************************************************************** Contacting myself. ------------------ You can contact me via E-Mail at the following address... KMus@Geocties.Com *OR* Post a messages on the UAE discussion board.. Thanks goes to.. ---------------- Euro-Software-Systems Ltd. (Northern Ireland) : Thanks for the P133's! Dallas McNally : Thanks goes to Dallas as he gave me the idea behing a windows ADF `specific` hex/ascii editor. All other contributors to ADF-Zap that I has forgotten (E-Mail me your name!) Things Of Interest ------------------ There are a number of .TXT files supplied with ADF-ZAP most of them will mean nothing and some may be helpful. Read and enjoy.. -7- ****************************************************************************** Legal Crap ****************************************************************************** I know, it always spoils the fun but where it is (or well, part of it).. By using ADF-ZAP you agree to the following contract AND all of the other imformation contained in the disclaimer file that comes it ADF-ZAP.