Commander X16

As Ultimate File Manager is now 'ready', I've opened a topic at the software section. All updates etc are via that topic, making this one absolete.

Link to new topic: viewtopic.php?t=7014

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Being a developer from de early 90ths qBasic, QuickBasic and PowerBasic where my 'lowlevel' languages. With the x16 I thought it was time to try Assembler. A bit of a struggle at first, but it's comming along quite well.

As probably the most used software for any system is a good file manager, I thought: recreating my favorite one from last century makes sense. So hereby, I present to you the first testable version of Ultimate File Manager for x16, a Norton Commander clone.


Version 0.2b, whats new:
- Edit file with F4
- Progress bar on copy
- Warning if file exists on filecopy
- Bugfix launch and return tokenized basic file from basload
- Launcher integreated in main program
- Load and run from other directory then root is now supported
- Performance improvement on loading file lists


Instructions:
- download fm.prg
- load fm.prg and run it
- use TAB to switch between windows, arrows to move the pointer, enter on a directory to CD or on a program to execute

Features:
- split window browsing through files and directories
- Basic filemanagement functions: copy, rename, move, delete, create directory
- For coping the DOS"C:..." command is not used as it is currently unsupported in the emulator. So I made my own.
- Support for long file names
- Launch tokenized basic files and assembly files AND return to Ultimate File Manager automaticly when program exited


Current limitations:
Only the first 255 files of a directory are being listed
- Launch and return to UFM only supported for executables less then +-30kb and/or programs that do not use memory region $8000+
- Only 80 columns mode is supported
- Not possible to switch to other partition

Technical details:
- Developed with Visual Studio Code and ca65 assembler
- Using rambanks to store the file lists
- Outputting text directly to vram for fast scrolling/refreshing


Todo (in no particular order):
- typing text searches in files list and moves pointer to correct file
- Type * to filter
- show file size in bytes,kb,mb etc
- file viewer (text and hex)
- copy directory (including files and subdirectories)
- delete directory with all files and subdirectories)
- command shell to execute any DOS-command by typing it
- sorting files list on size and date
- SNES controller support
- support 40 columns
- Save last directories, offset and row position on exit, read on load

Test version:
The current version is still under development. I would like others to test:
- on real hardware (until now it's only been tested in the emulator R45)
- launching (complex) tokenized basic files from UFM: if they run correctly and if UFM is opened after basic file is finished

Questions and Thoughts:
- How many files per directory list should be supported?
- How to overcome the LOAD"/subdir/ufm.prg" not able to find the starting directory problem

Thanks to several forum members for helping me out with novice questions

Very impressive! This should be in ROM one day

TODO:
color highlighting by "extension" name (the HDIR/CDIR conventions I used were white for .txt/.doc files, cyan for ".exe"/".prg", yellow was compressed files (maybe .bin's?), red for "scripts"(.bat), magenta for sub-folders, blue for source files (.bas, .c, .asm) [ understand it's not "foolproof" ]

Instead of a full viewer, a "quick view" to get the first 10-20 characters or so (in petscii or just hex) might be good.

Great stuff!


sry if missed it, but UFM for... Universal File Manager? unartic FM? Yea, can go with that. Just realized Mr. Peter Norton is still around, neat.

Neat. I am working on X Commander which is also an NC clone for X16. So far, I have mostly been working on ensuring ROM-ability and supporting all, officially supported, text modes.

As my progress is slow (life getting in the way) I am happy to see UFM taking form. Maybe I can pick you brain if I run into issues regarding the actual filesystem/cmdr-dos side of things?

unartic wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 5:12 pm

- launching (complex) tokenized basic files from UFM: if they run correctly and if UFM is opened after basic file is finished

i have issue in emulator r46 END command is replaced by goto 63999 .

and i get an undef statement error on exit

Thanks for testing can you post/send the basic file, so I can check and fix?

voidstar wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 3:02 am TODO:
color highlighting by "extension" name (the HDIR/CDIR conventions I used were white for .txt/.doc files, cyan for ".exe"/".prg", yellow was compressed files (maybe .bin's?), red for "scripts"(.bat), magenta for sub-folders, blue for source files (.bas, .c, .asm) [ understand it's not "foolproof" ]

Instead of a full viewer, a "quick view" to get the first 10-20 characters or so (in petscii or just hex) might be good.

Great stuff!


sry if missed it, but UFM for... Universal File Manager? unartic FM? Yea, can go with that. Just realized Mr. Peter Norton is still around, neat.

Thanks for your ideas! About Unartic FM, didn't think about it honestly, but it fits nicely

JimmyDansbo wrote: ↑Fri Nov 17, 2023 6:31 am Neat. I am working on X Commander which is also an NC clone for X16. So far, I have mostly been working on ensuring ROM-ability and supporting all, officially supported, text modes.

As my progress is slow (life getting in the way) I am happy to see UFM taking form. Maybe I can pick you brain if I run into issues regarding the actual filesystem/cmdr-dos side of things?

Nice! Feel free to ask

New version: v0.2b. See main post for download.

Whats new:
- Edit file with F4
- Progress bar on copy
- Warning if file exists on filecopy
- Bugfix launch and return tokenized basic file from basload
- Launcher integreated in main program
- Load and run from other directory then root is now supported
- Performance improvement on loading file lists

Tested this extensively. Very good already! Here is my feedback:
-Speed: quite good, totally practical for traversing directories and files
-user interface: as expected, very close to the good old NC, felt at home immediately. Funny how well muscle memory works after all that time.

Some suggestions:
- offer to use 80x30 text mode
- support crt safe modes like 64x30

I know this makes drawing the UI harder - I have the same pain...