1;33m***************************************************************************** * * * * * EasyExpress V1.0 * * Compiler Tool * * * * (C) Copyright Juha Lindfors 1991 * * All rights reserved * * * * * ***************************************************************************** 0;33m DISCLAIMER: 0;31m The author is NOT responsible for the suitability or accuracy of this documentation or program. Any damage sustained by this program is the responsibility of the user himself. 0;33m COPYRIGHT: 0;31m Anyone may FREELY distribute this program, providing that the program, documentation and EasyExpress.o file remain in their original state. You may not charge any money for this programs distribution, except for a nominal media fee. For commercial use you MUST have permission from the author in writing. This program is 'FREEWARE', so no donation is necessary, but 1;31mVERY0;31m welcome. 0;33m CONTENTS OF THIS FILE: 0;31m - REQUIREMENTS - OVERVIEW - HOW TO START EASYEXPRESS - EASYEXPRESS STRINGS - GADGETS - SETTING DEFAULTS - NOTES 0;33m REQUIREMENTS: 0;31m EasyExpress was programmed in Charlie Gibbs' A68k V2.42 on an Amiga 500 Kickstart 1.3 with 3 Meg memory and 20 Meg Hard Disk but it should run on standard Amiga 500. EasyExpress is made to use with Charlie Gibbs' A68k assembler and The Software Distillery's BLink. You need both of these programs and Run command in your C directory to get EasyExpress work. 0;33m OVERVIEW: 0;31m EasyExpress is a program which makes compiling and linking easier to the users of Charlie Gibbs' A68k assembler. I created this program, because I was sick and tired of typing those long command lines for compiling and linking my programs. It's especially tiring, when you have to compile several files and then link them all together. I tried to make the use of EasyExpress as simple and easy as possible. You can select many options by gadgets, but you still have to type the names of files to compile and link. You can make it easier by setting defaults in EasyExpress.defs file so that EasyExpress always writes directory path automaticly to point to the directory where you usually keep your source and object files. Maybe I'll add a filerequester in my program sometime in future, so you don't have to write anything at all! But that's only if you let me know that you like this program and it's useful to you. (So, send lots of mail to me, please. My address is at the end of this file.) 0;33m HOW TO START EASYEXPRESS: 0;31m EasyExpress V1.0 runs under CLI only. You just have to type 'EasyExpress', or 'Run EasyExpress' if you want to use same CLI after you have started EasyExpress. When you start EasyExpress, it opens a window which contains some strings and gadgets. If you look strings, you can see that they are set to compile EasyExpress.o and EasyExpress.defs files. That's for setting your own defaults to EasyExpress. How to set defaults is explained below in section 'Setting defaults'. 0;33m EASYEXPRESS STRINGS: 0;31m EasyExpress have 8 strings where you can type text. Depending on how you have set defaults, these strings can contain text already when you start EasyExpress. How to set defaults is descripted below. First two strings are paths to compiler and linker. You should definitely set deafults to these two paths, because your compiler and linker will probably be always in same place. If you don't put defaults to these strings, you have to always type paths for linker and compiler when you start EasyExpress. Next string contains the header file for your program. If you keep your sources in same directory, you can write it to EasyExpress.defs file and you'll save your fingers from typing same directory path all the time. Next five strings contains the object files. Actually, this is the part where EasyExpress' advantage comes forward. It's easy to make batch file which compiles and links one file, but if you use object files often, and sometimes they are ready to link and sometimes you have to compile them first, you'll find out that program like EasyExpress becomes very handy. 1;31m 'Compiler Path' String 0;31m This string contains path where EasyExpress searches compiler. After you have typed compiler's path, you can write options to assembler. These can be, for example, options which tells where assembler can find include files or where it should create a list file. Ex. AmigaLibDisk314:a68k/a68k -iIncludes -q100 Read A68k documentation to get more specific instructions to A68k assembler and it's options. 1:31m 'Linker Path' String 0;31m Here is path to linker. It's used same way as Compiler path and it also can have options to linker. Ex. BLink SMALLCODE NODEBUG You should also read BLink's documentation to get more information about BLink's options. EasyExpress creates executable file to ram disk for same name as source file. If you don't want this file to ram disk or you want it to be in a different name, you can write following line to 'Linker Path': BLink to DF0:C/MyFile This way your program goes to DF0:C directory and it's name is changed to MyFile 1;31m 'Header File Path' String 0;31m In here you can type path to your source code. Only option you can write in this string is '-o' which is used by A68k. When EasyExpress compiles your source code, it creates object file to ram disk for same name as source file and adds '.o' at the end. If you want this file to be in another directory with different name, you can use '-o' option. Ex. Source/Myfile.asm -oDF0:Objects/MyObject.o Next five strings are paths for object files which are linked to header file. If you have to use more than five objects, you can write two object files in one string. You can do this only if gadget at left is set to 'OBJ'. Gadgets are explained in next section. Ex. Object1.o+Object2.o If OBJ/ASM gadget in left of object string is set to 'ASM' you can use '-o' option same way as in 'Header File Path' string which is descripted above. 0;33m GADGETS: 0;31m There are four different kind of gadgets in EasyExpress. First is Window size gadget at the left top corner of window. I did this gadget myself, because the usual window size gadget left an ugly blue box to window's right border. Under window sizing gagdet is FAST/CHIP gadget, next are ASM/OBJ gadgets and finally at the bottom of window is START gadget. FAST/CHIP gadget tells to BLink either link your program to FAST memory or CHIP memory. I added this gagdet to EasyExpress because I use CHIP option often. ASM/OBJ toggle gadget let's you select source or object file. If this gadget is set to 'ASM' position, EasyExpress tries to compile file first and then link it with other object files. If the gadget is in 'OBJ' position, EasyExpress skips compiling part and links file. So just put the gadget to 'ASM' position if you have source file and to 'OBJ' position if your file is already compiled to object file. 0;33m SETTING DEFAULTS: 0;31m When you start EasyExpress you can see that the defaults are set to compile EasyExpress.o and EasyExpress.defs files. But before you press 'START' gadget, you should edit EasyExpress.defs file. In this file are all default paths you can set. You can put your own deafults to compiler, linker, header file (main program) and five different object defaults. If you don't want to use all defaults just put zero in default path. After you have written your own defaults, save the file and start EasyExpress. Click once on 'FAST' gadget so that text changes to 'CHIP'. That's one of BLink's options. You have to do that, because all EasyExpress' image data MUST be in CHIP memory. Then press once 'ASM' gadget, which is on the left side of 'Header File Path'. Text should change to 'OBJ'. After that press 'OBJ' gadget which belongs to first object file and text changes to 'ASM'. When all this has been done just press the 'START' gadget, and wait. After a while you should have new EasyExpress with your defaults in it. 0;33m NOTES: 0;31m First I'd like to thanks Charlie Gibbs for his A68k assembler and The Software Distillery for their BLink. Notice that latest versions of BLink are commercial, NOT Public Domain. If you have any bug reports, flames, ideas, etc. or you just want to write to me, send all mail to following address: Juha Lindfors Jyratie 6 B 24 13500 Hameenlinna FINLAND A68k (C) Brian R. Anderson, Amiga version by Charlie Gibbs BLink (C) The Software Distillery