DiskImagery64

A drag & drop Disk Image Editor for Commodore 64 D64 Images

Written by Christian Vogelgsang ([email protected]) under the GNU Public License V2

Currently maintained and developed by Carson Herrington ([email protected])

Introduction

If you are a C64-addict then you usually like to setup own disk images with new software or with new arrangements of existing collections. I often use the great "c1541" command line tool of VICE (www.viceteam.org) to create and modify disk images on my Mac. Working this way gets cumbersome if you arrange new images from a large collection of other images or if you want to hand-craft an image with many files from different sources. For this task I wrote DiskImagery64...

DiskImagery64 is a GUI application that allows to quickly view and edit a large set of disk images and allows to copy or move files by simple dragging them from one image to the other. Furthermore, a file browser allows access to your local file system and from there you can also drag files to an image and vice versa.

This repository is a fork of the original DiskImager64 source code at SourceForge.net. The original author has allowed me to adopt maintainership of this project and to continue releasing new updates under the same name. The inherited codebase has been updated to use version 5 of the Qt Toolkit, and has been fixed to compile on modern versions of QMake.

Installation

DiskImagery64 is written with the portable Qt-library (www.trolltech.com) and is open source under the GNU Public License V2. You can either download the source code or a compiled binary. The source compiles on all Qt-platforms: Mac, Linux/Unix with X11, and Windows. Simply call "qmake" and "make" in the source tree to build it. Make sure to use at least Version 5.0 of Qt.

For the low-level disk image I/O DiskImagery64 uses the "diskimage" library written by Per Olofsson. For your convenience the source code is included in this source distribution, but you can also find the source with documentation on Per's official "diskimage"-Page:

http://www.paradroid.net/diskimage/

diskimage - D64/D71/D81 library Copyright (c) 2003-2006, Per Olofsson All rights reserved.

Fonts

For authentic reproduction of file names in disk images, DiskImagery64 uses two fonts: CBM and CBMShift for the unshifted and shifted commodore char set. In this distribution you find both of them as scalable TrueType fonts. Install them on your system before running DiskImagery64.

Mac users simply double-click on the CBM.dfont and CBMShift.dfont files and select "Install" in the Font Manager to install them on their systems. Windows and Linux users can use the provided CBM.ttf and CBMShift.ttf files.

The fonts were not created totally by myself. I had a scalable commodore TrueType font lying around on on my hard disk and I used it as a starting point. The existing font told me its origins in the header: based on a font by Devin D. Cook with fixes from Chris McBride.

I loaded this font in the great free font editor FontForge (http://fontforge.sf.net/) and started fixing it again: I wanted a one-to-one petscii mapping and that was not present. Furthermore, this requires to have two fonts: one for unshifted and one for the shifted commodore char set. I created the two new fonts CBM and CBMShift with a "Unicode" TrueType mapping but with each petscii character at the correct hex position. The characters were copied from the other TrueType font and missing characters were drawn by myself.

I hope the mapping of all petscii characters is correct now. For reference I have provided the editable FontForge font (*.sfd) files in the "fonts" directory. If you find any errors then please send me your fixes!

The fonts are NOT suitable to use them as a replacement for any other unicode font as the embedded mapping is called unicode but petscii actually. Nevertheless, they are perfectly suited to directly print petscii strings.

Usage

Startup

There are several ways to launch DiskImagery64:

• Double-click on the application icon
• Double-click on a *.d64 image file (on Macs)
• Drag a *.d64 image file onto the application icon

If DiskImagery64 is launched with a disk image then an Image Browser window opens and shows the directory of the image. If no image is given then the File Browser window opens.

Image Browser

An Image Browser windows shows the contents of a disk images. You can open as many image browsers as you like.

You can create a new disk image with the "File/New Image" menu command. A new and empty image browser is opened. The new disk image is empty and has a default disk name and id.

"File/Open Image" opens a new image browser with an already existing image.

You can change the disk name and id by formatting the image with the "Tools/Format Disk" command. Enter a new disk name and id in the dialog. This will also erase all files on the disk.

A disk image is altered by copying files from and to the directory shown in the corresponding image browser. Simply select one or more files in one disk image and drag-and-drop them to another image. It is also possible to drag files from the File Browser to the image. Then a local file is copied onto the image.

Files on a disk image can be altered with the common "Cut", "Copy", "Paste" and "Delete" commands found in the "Edit" menu. First select one or more of them and issue a command.

If a disk image is modified the changes are at first only performed in memory. You need to save your image to disk to make the changes permanently. Either select "File/Save" to save the image with the already given name or use "File/Save as..." to save a copy or a currently unsaved image.

"File/Close" closes the current image browser. The image is not automatically saved onto disk in this case. The applications warns you if you want to close an unsaved image. If the last browser in DiskImagery64 is closed then the application quits.

File Browser

The File Browser shows you a directory of your machine's file system. The browser is used as a drag source or a drop target if you want to move local files to or from a disk image.

You can browse your file system by opening and closing the tree hierarchy shown in the browser. Furthermore, the root of the shown file tree can be entered in the top line edit field. Simply enter a valid path there and press enter. Additionally, a click on the directory icon lets you select the root directory in a file dialog.

Select a single or multiple files in the file browser and drag them onto a disk image to copy them there. The file names are automatically converted from Unicode to Petscii. Additionally, known extensions like ".prg", ".del", ... are automatically stripped for the Petscii name and converted into the corresponding CBM file type.

The transfer of files from a disk image to the local file system works similar: Simply select one or more files in the image browser and drag them onto a directory in the file browser. Again, the file names are converted automatically and the CBM file type is added as a file extension. Invalid characters (":","/","") are automatically stripped from the name.

Tools

The Tools Menu offers some tools while working with a disk image. "Format Image" allows to completely format the virtual disk. Enter the new name and disk id.

"Add Separator" is used to add a separator special file to the current disk image. A separator file is usually empty and only used in the directory listing to separate entries or to group application files. The Add Separator command has already some predefined separator styles available, but you can design your own separator (see Preferences).

Emulator

DiskImagery64 allows to call your favorite C64 Emulator to mount an opened image. Use the preferences to setup your emulator. The "Mount Image" command mounts/attaches the disk image to a virtual drive in your emulator and launches the program.

"Run Program" allows to run the selected disk entry inside your emulator. Make sure to have a single program selected. The emulator is run and the disk image name and file name on the disk image is passed as arguments.

Networking

DiskImagery64 can directly work with a real Commodore 64 if its connected via ethernet. For the C64 a popular network adapter is the RR-Net, a 10 MBit NIC mounted on the Retro-Replay cartidge (available from Individual Computers http://ami.ga) which is an Action Replay clone.

To set up your network, I suggest to use a cross-cable to directly connect the C=64 to your Mac. This avoids traffic from other sources that can disturb the good old 8-bitter. Furthermore, The Final Replay ROM (short: TFR) image is required to use CodeNet or NetDrive features described below. The ROM is suitable for the Retro-Replay and available at http://www.oxyron.de/html/freplay.html. Setup the correct IP addresses for the C64 and your Mac in the ROM with the deliverd tool and flash the image on your cartidge. Finally store both IP addresses in DiskImagery64's preferences and you are ready to go!

The following network services are available in DiskImagery64:

• CodeNet: Press F6 on the C64 with TFR running to enter CodeNet mode. In this mode the C64 waits for instructions from the network. You can fill memory, download data directly to C64 memory, jump to memory or run a program. This is all implemented in DiskImagery64 but currently only used to download a PRG and run it.

  In DiskImager64 simply select a program file in a disk image or a local file and select "Network/Run Program". The file is downloaded in a second and run on the real machine. This works only for one-filers as loading other files is not supported in this mode.

• NetDrive: TFR allows to access a "virtual" IEC network drive on device id 6. So a "LOAD "$",6" on your C64 will load the directory from the network drive. In DiskImagery64 you can create a network drive from every disk image or selection of files (also local ones) by selecting "Network/Share Files in NetDrive".

  The NetDrive allows to use multi-file-programs as a program can load data files from the virtual device later on. The program must only use the kernal load routines (no fastloader, custom load routines...) as the NetDrive works on kernal level and is bypassed by custom routines. Kernal loading is often required nowadays (e.g. on IDE64, Dreamload on MMC64,...), so many multi-file progs are already available in patched versions.

• WarpCopy64: WC64 is a server program running on the C64 and a client on a host (PC/Mac). Now you can control your C64-attached real disk drives (e.g. 1541) directly via network from your Mac. You can format a disk, verify a disk, send direct DOS commands to the drive and of course copy disk images in both directions. You can then directly transfer a real disk into a disk image in DiskImagery64 or a disk image back onto a real disk. A slow (most IEC compatible) mode taking several minutes per side and a warp mode only taking tens of seconds is available.

  First of all enter CodeNet by pressing F6 in TFR. "Network/WarpCopy64/Start WarpCopy" now transfers the WC64 server program to your C64 and launches it. Make sure to have the correct IP adresses selected in preferences! You can pick "Network/WarpCopy64/Read Disk" to transfer a real disk into a disk image of DiskImagery64. If you have a disk image opened then the "Network/WarpCopy64/Write Disk" command is available and transfers the image directly onto a real disk.

Reference Manual

Menus

Menu item	Description
File/New Image	Create a new disk image in a new Image Browser Window
File/New Browser	Create a new File Browser Window
File/Open Image	Open an existing disk image in a new Image Browser Window
File/Save Image	Save the current image to disk if it was changed.
File/Save Image as...	Save the current disk image with a new name to disk
File/Save File as...	Save the currently selected file to the disk
File/Close	Close the current Image or File Browser window.
Edit/Cut	Cut the selected files from the current disk image into the Clipboard
Edit/Copy	Copy the selected files from the current disk image into the Clipboard
Edit/Paste	Paste the files in the clipboard into the current disk image
Edit/Delete	Remove the selected files from the current disk image.
View/Shift Charset	Toggle the CBM Font between shifted and unshifted chars.
View/Fixed Font Size	If enabled, the CBM Font is fixed to 8 Points (i.e. its Original Size).
View/Show Charset	A new tool window shows all printable PETSCII characters in the current charset
Tools/Format Disk	Format the current disk image. Give the disk title and the id.
Tools/Add Separator	Add a separator to the current disk image. Edit an own separator or picked one of the predefined ones.
Emulator/Run Program	Saves the current image and runs your favorite C64 emulator and loads the currently selected entry from your Image Browser.
Emulator/Mount Image	Saves the current image and runs your favorite C64 emulator with the current image attached.
Network/Run Program	Requires TFR and CodeNet started! Transfer the selected file in a disk image or a local file directly to a real C64 and launch it there.
Network/Share Files in NetDrive	Requires TFR! The selected files in a disk image or on the local file system are grouped together into a virtual disk drive for the C64. Use device id 6 on the C64 to access the files.
Network/Show Log Window	All Network commands are logged in the Log Window. Have a look there to troubleshoot your network problems. The Abort button allows to stop all running network services.
Network/WarpCopy64/Start WarpCopy	Requires TFR and CodeNet started! The WAPRCOPY06.PRG server program is transferred to your C64 and launched. Make sure to setup the location of the binary in the preferences of DiskImagery64. The binary is in the official Windows server distribution available here: http://www.oxyron.de/html/wc64.html
Network/WarpCopy64/Read Disk (Warp/Slow)	Requires WC64 server running! Transfer the real disk residing in drive 8 of your C64 to a disk image in DiskImagery64. Tested currently only with a 1541. On read errors the defective blocks are read again. Error handling is done, but may be improved ;) Use the slow mode if the warp mode does not work for you.
Network/WarpCopy64/Write Disk (Warp/Slow)	Requires WC64 server running! Transfer the current disk image directly to a disk residing in drive 8 of your connected C64. Use the slow mode if the warp mode does not work for you.
Network/WarpCopy64/Format Disk	Requires WC64 server running! Enter name (and id) of the disk to be formatted in the attached drive. If only a name is given a quick format is performed otherwise a full format.
Network/WarpCopy64/Verify Disk	Requires WC64 server running! Issue 'V' CBM DOS Command to verify the inserted disk.
Network/WarpCopy64/Send DOS Command	The entered string is transferred to the attached drive as a CBM Dos command.
Network/WarpCopy64/Get Drive Status	Return the drive status of the attached disk drive and print it in the network log window.

Preferences

Image Section:

Menu item	Description
File/Title/Id	Define the naming of newly created images and their default file name. You can either set a static name here or use the auto naming scheme of DiskImagery64. By adding a special tag %c or %C to your name, title or id the tag is replaced by the current image counter before creating a new image. The syntax %c allows to use 0-padding of the counter, e.g. %3c pads all numbers to three digits.
Counter	The value of the current disk image counter. After creating a new disk image the counter is incremented automatically. Use this entry here to manually reset or preset the counter.

Font Section:

Menu item	Description
Use shifted CBM Font	Sets the default state of the View/Shift Charset menu entry.
Use fixed 8 Pixel Font Size	Sets the default state of the View/Fixed Font Size menu entry.

Separator Section:

Menu item	Description
Plus Button	A new seperator template entry is added to the list of available templates. Double-click on the new entry to alter the default appearance.
Minus Button	Remove the selected separator template from the list of available templates.

Emulator Section:

Menu item	Description
Application	Enter (or copy & paste) the full path to your favorite Emulator. This binary is launched for the "Mount Image" and "Run Program" commands.
Mount Image Arguments	A space separated list of command line arguments. The argument list is appended to the application name to execute the "Mount Image" command. The placeholder "%i" is replaced by the full path of the current disk image.
Run Program Arguments	A space separated list of command line arguments. The argument list is appended to the application name to execute the "Run Program" command. The placeholder "%i" is replaced by the full path of the current disk image. The placeholder "%p" is replaced by the unicode string of the currently selected file in the disk image. Use "%P" if you need the raw PETSCII name of the program.

Network Section:

Menu item	Description
My Address	Enter the IP address of your Mac. Make sure to use the same address in your system's network adapter where the C64 is connected. Also the TFR ROM needs this address.
C64 Address	Enter the IP address of you C64. Same as defined in TFR ROM.
WarpCopy PRG File	The location of the WarpCopy06.PRG server program on your local file system. The binary is in the official Windows server distribution here: http://www.oxyron.de/html/wc64.html
Patch WarpCopy Ips	This is enabled by default and adjusts the C64 address hard-coded inside the WarpCopy server program to match the values given here.

Feedback

The program is still very young and certainly contains bugs. If you find them then I'd appreciate your feedback.

If you have other suggestions, ideas or general feedback then feel free to drop me a mail, too!

Enjoy! -Chris