A-code source

Logically, an A-code source is a single file, usually with the .acd suffix. (The suffix is optional; if present, it can be omitted when nominating to acdc the A-code file to be processed.

In practice, A-code source can be split into a number files, which are incorporated in the "main" one by means of the A-code include major directive. Again, such include files are conventionally suffixed with .acd, which suffix may be omitted in include statements.

Obtaining and building the acdc translator

Running acdc

The acdc translator takes the following command line arguments (in any order):

<sourcefile>

The name or pathname of the main A-code source file; if omitted, it is prompted for. Any include statements are taken to be relative to the directory in which the main source file is located.

-plain abbreviable to -p

Causes the game text data not to be encrypted.

-preload abbreviable to -pr

Causes the game text data to be preloaded into the executable. This results in a large executable, but avoids having a separate .dat file.

-file-page [<npage>] abbreviable to -fp

Requests a separate .dat text data file to be created and to be accessed by the game using its own internal paging mechanism. The optional <npage> argument defaults to 32 and specifies the number of 1KB paging buffers. Only useful for really small, slow machines.

-file-read abbreviable to -fr

Requests a separate .dat text data file to be created and to be accessed by the game by direct file reads as required. Only useful for really small, slow machines.

-file-memory abbreviable to -fm

Requests a separate .dat text data file to be created and to be read in full into the games memory on startup. Useful only if the OS objects to large executables.

-xref abbreviable to -x

Requests that a cross-reference file of the A-code source be created. For technical reasons (meaning I am being lazy), this file is called game.xrf It is not sorted and can be processed further with the sortref Perl utility, supplied as a part of the acode package.

-no-warnings abbreviable to -nw

Suppresses warnings about unused symbols in the A-code source.

-quiet abbreviable to -q

Suppresses most of the standard info messages generated by acdc in translating the A-code source.

-debug abbreviable to -d

Causes A-code source to be added as comment lines to the translated C source files. Also adds trace message showing individual A-code code chunks being entered during play. Also causes the DEBUG symbol to be defined in the kernel source.

-help abbreviable to -h

Lists available command line arguments.

Derived ANSI C sources are created in the directory from which acdc is run, except that if a sub-directory called C is found in in the directory in which the A-code source is located, the derived sources are placed there.

Adding kernel source files

The A-code kernel consists of source files adv00.c, adv01.h and adv0.h. All three can be found in the above linked A-code tarball. Copy them alongside the C sources created by acdc, and you will have the complete C source required to build an executable.

NB: The kernel sources as supplied are equivalent to, but not compatible with the "uglified" sources which I distribute as A-code game C sources. Do not mix them!

Building an executable