• Z80 @ 3.54Mhz
• 48/128k RAM
• AY-3-891x (128k models only)

• Native console output
• Native console input
• ANSI vt100 engine
• Generic console
  • Redefinable font
  • UDG support
  • Paper colour
  • Ink colour
  • Inverse attribute
  • Bold attribute
  • Underline attribute
• Lores graphics
• Hires graphics
• PSG sound
  • ETracker (SAA tracker)
  • PSG Lib (SN76489)
  • Arkos2 Player (AY)
  • WYZ Player (AY)
  • Vortex tracker (AY)
• One bit sound
• Inkey driver
• Hardware joystick
• File I/O
• Interrupts
• RS232

zcc +zx -lndos -create-app adv_a.c

A .tap file will be produced suitable for use in emulator.

To get an audio file ready for the real hardware use the following command: zcc +zx -clib=ansi -lm -create-app -subtype=wav program.c

Same as above but in turbo tape mode: zcc +zx -clib=ansi -lm -create-app -subtype=turbo program.c

zcc +zx -lndos -create-app adv_a.c -subtype=plus3

This command will create a bootable +3 disc suitable for autoloading from the main menu.

zcc  +zx -subtype=rom -lndos -lm -create-app program.c

This command will compile the program at location '0', inserting a simplified interrupt handler (for the timer) and putting the system and the global variables just after the screen memory, appmake will be invoked to provide a 16K data block, fixed size. The image is suitable for burning onto an cartridge for use with Interface2.

Under some condition, with lots of preset data is provided, an option permits to compress the default values before storing them in the ROM: -pragma-define:CRT_MODEL=2

zcc  +cpm -startup=3 -lzxcpm -lm -create-app program.c

This command will compile the program in CP/M mode permitting the use of some of the ZX Spectrum sound and graphics extensions.

The classic +zx supports using the 128k banks for either code or data. When placing code, there is an assumed split of the memory space. If we take the default configuration where z88dk compiles to address $8000:

8000 - bfff = common page - contains library support routines
c000 - ffff = banks are paged in here

To place functions into banks, you should use the #pragma bank NN directive, where NN is a decimal number between 0 and 7.

Take care when placing data/code into banks - some of the banks are already used in the regular 48k address space.

z88dk supports generating .TAP files containing banked data in addition to +3 disc images.

Due to technical reasons, the loader is always present within the crt0 (even when it is inert), to remove this code if you are tight for space add the option: -pragma-define:CRT_DISABLELOADER=1

By default, z88dk compiles programs to address 32768, a different address can be used with -pragma-define:CRT_ORG_CODE=nnnn. Should nnnn be below 32768 then a section named CONTENDED is made available.

You can place data (for example level data) into these banks by using pragmas to adjust the sections that are populated by the compiler.

The ZX console driver extends the Generic Console and adds the following codes:

1,64	  - Switch to 64 column mode
1,32	  - Switch to 32 column mode
2,hh,ll   - Set the address of the 32 column font. ll is low byte, hh = high
	    byte. By default this points to the ROM font at 15616
18,x	  - Turn flash on/off (x=49/48 ('1'/'0')
19,x	  - Turn on/off bright 

All the commands, except for the font address can be embedded in strings using either octal or hexadecimal representation. Address changes can be sent either using fputc() or using printf with the address as parameters.

Characters greater than 127 are interpreted as udgs in 32 column mode.

It is recommended that the utility functions in <conio.h> are used to change text colours etc. Colours are indexed as per the colours in <conio.h>, to switch to native colour indices you can add the following option to the compile: -pragma-define:CLIB_CONIO_NATIVE_COLOUR=1

The screen scrolls when line 24 is "hit", the routine used is at address 3582 in the 48k ROM. To synchronise the colours between BASIC and a z88dk program, add the option -pragma-export:__zx_console_attr=0x5C8D

By default the screen driver uses the ZX font for 32 column display and a custom one for 64 column display. These can be easily changed at command line using a pragma directive:

-pragma-redirect=CRT_FONT=<some label>

Or for the 64 column font:

-pragma-redirect=CRT_FONT_64=<some label>

Some extra fonts are included within the classic library ZX library and can be activated using the following pragma directives:

-pragma-redirect=CRT_FONT=_font_8x8_bbc_system
-pragma-redirect=CRT_FONT=_font_8x8_clairsys
-pragma-redirect=CRT_FONT=_font_8x8_clairsys_bold

Alternatively, the font can be switched at runtime using the 0x02 escape code detailed earlier - to change the 32 column font, switch to 32 column mode and similarly switch to 64 column mode to change the 64 column font.

The available fonts can be seen in the screenshots below:

The classic library can alternatively use the rst 16 routine within the ZX ROM. This is a compile time option and can be selected by adding the following to the command line:

-pragma-redirect:fputc_cons=fputc_cons_rom_rst

The routine disables the scroll? feature and naturally supports all of the standard ZX control codes. ASCII value 0x0a (10) is mapped through to 0x0d (13) for line return compatibility. In this mode, only the standard 24/26 UDGs are supported.

Alternatively FZX fonts can be used as the console output, to enable them compile with the flag:

-pragma-need=fzxterminal

The font can be configured with the following pragma:

-pragma-redirect:CRT_FONT_FZX=_ff..

Where the font name is the same as defined by newlib.

Scrolling is handled by the screen routine in ROM3 once more.

The ANSI driver provides a VT100 emulation, accepting escape codes that are compatible across the platforms that support the ANSI driver and of course unix terminals. It can be enabled by supply the option -clib=ansi to your compilation line.

The conio.h variant provided by z88dk is tightly interconnected to this driver and provides useful extra features like cursor positioning and detection of the current txt resolution.

The number of columns used by the ansi driver can be configured at completive using the option -pragma-define:ansicolumns=XX, where XX is one the following values:

 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 42, 51, 64, 80, 85, 128, ROM24, ROM28, ROM32 and ROM36.

For example, the following command will compile the ansitest program with 64 columns:

zcc +zx ansitest.c -create-app -lndos -clib=ansi -pragma-define:ansicolumns=64

You can switch to using the ROM font by specifying the following options to the compile line:

-pragma-define:ansifont=15616 -pragma-define:ansifont_is_packed=0

The ROM calculator is supported by use of the -lmzx library. A more compact version of the library is available with -lmzx_tiny however this version lacks support for conversion to and from long variable types and parsing of scientific notation.

It should be noted that the ZX Maths libraries are of a lower precision than both genmath (-lm) and math48 (-lmath48) and are also less performant. As a trade off, the amount of memory used is much reduced.

You can choose to link with a single library that implements file I/O functionality, such as fopen, fread, etc.

For plus3dos support use:

zcc +zx -lp3 file.c

or for Residos support define RESIDOS as well:

zcc +zx -DRESIDOS -lp3 file.c

Link with the esxdos library instead of ndos like so:

zcc +zx -lesxdos file.c

The Interface 1 is supported by both a low-level library that talks to the hardware directly and also the generic basic driver. To use the low-level library, add -lzxmdv to the command line, like so:

zcc +zx -lzxmdv -DAMALLOC file.c 

The zxmdv.lib library is particularly powerful as it permits true random file access and the number of files that can potentially be opened simultaneously is limited only by the cartridge's capacity and the available system memory. However, by default z88dk limits the number of open files to 10, see 'FOPEN_MAX' in stdio.h. To achieve all this the malloc() function is used internally, but the rename() function does not need any dynamically allocated memory.

The files created with the open function are of the "PRINT" type, which means you can also use them with the BASIC OPEN command.

To support the many other disc systems that are available for the Spectrum, a generic basic driver can also be linked in. To adapt this library for the target disc system a BASIC program will need to be written.

Provides functionality to interact with ZX Basic as well as to detect or interact with add-on hardware devices. This includes Kempston and AMX mice.

However, some more complex add-on devices have their own separate header files (see the sections below)

Full details of this header are at arch/zx/spectrum.h

Provides functionality to interact with the capabilities of the Interface 1.

Full details of this header are at zxinterface1.h

Provides functionality to interact with the capabilities of the Opus discovery.

Full details of this header are at zxopus.h

Provides functionality to interact with the Currah uSpeech.

Full details of this header are at zxcurrah.h

Provides low resolution (32x48 or 64x48) colour graphics capabilities in the header zxlowgfx.h.

Unfortunately, this feature is implemented directly in the header file rather than as a linkable library.

Provides facilities to use software sprites while using the classic library.

Full details of this header are at sp1.h

The appmake tool can be run in “dumb” mode to generate the corresponding audio track of some external program.

In example:

z88dk-appmake +zx -b cassette.tap --audio --fast --dumb

Builds the audio track for the given '.tap' file. The optional ”fast” flag will produce a non-standard audio track which, even if faster, should be still loadable by the real computer.

An advanced feature can glue together binary blocks to get a ready made package; in example:

z88dk-appmake +zx -b program.bin --org 32752 --screen screen.scr --fast --extreme -o program.tap

The screen can be passed in 'tap' or 'tzx' format too.

Death Star game, ZX Interface 2 ROM version

Black Star game, a Space Invaders clone + sources

Introducción a Z88DK (Spanish)

ZXVGS is an operating system for ZX Spectrum compatible computers.