Files
gw-basic-2026/docs/development.md
Eremey Valetov 0bacfcef6c Implement VIEW/WINDOW/PALETTE, PMAP, fix MBF float format, update to v0.13.0
Graphics viewport and coordinate mapping:
- VIEW [[SCREEN] (x1,y1)-(x2,y2) [,[fill][,border]]] with clipping
- WINDOW [[SCREEN] (x1,y1)-(x2,y2)] with Cartesian/screen modes
- PALETTE [attribute, color] with CGA 16-color remapping
- PMAP(coord, func) for logical/physical coordinate conversion
- All graphics statements (PSET, LINE, CIRCLE, PAINT, GET/PUT) respect
  viewport clipping and WINDOW coordinate mapping

MBF (Microsoft Binary Format) float support:
- CVS/CVD now interpret bytes as MBF format (compatible with real GW-BASIC)
- MKS$/MKD$ now produce MBF-encoded bytes
- Fixed shift errors in MBF↔IEEE conversion routines (single: 1→0, double: 4→3)
- Random-access file I/O now byte-compatible with original GWBASIC.EXE

66 tests (2 new), 61 compat matches (up from 58).
2026-03-10 22:20:58 -04:00

2.4 KiB

Development

Development History

Version Commit Description
0.1.0 d8e8375 Expression calculator with direct mode
0.2.0 6162595 Variables, arrays, program storage, control flow
0.3.0 c2d73e9 File I/O, PRINT USING, SAVE/LOAD, MID$ assignment, graphics stubs
0.4.0 df5c308 CHAIN, RUN "file", random-access I/O (FIELD/PUT/GET), CVI/CVS/CVD/MKI$/MKS$/MKD$
0.5.0 ad21350 Full-screen TUI editor, KEY statement, Ctrl+Break, Sixel graphics, SOUND/BEEP/PLAY, DOSBox-X compat testing, project rename
0.6.0 ece018d DATE$/TIME$/TIMER, FILES, SHELL, CHDIR, MKDIR, RMDIR
0.7.0 da6b513 AUTO, RENUM (with GOTO/GOSUB patching), DELETE, COMMON, LIST range fix
0.8.0 c68167c Dynamic TUI screen buffer, --full flag, LPRINT/LLIST with --lpt
0.9.0 2a8f98b EDIT statement, ON TIMER/ON KEY event trapping, F-key escape parser fixes
0.10.0 Binary tokenized SAVE/LOAD, INKEY$ extended key sequences, golden-file regression tests, classic BASIC programs
0.11.0 DEF SEG / PEEK / POKE virtual memory, GET/PUT graphics sprites, PRINT USING fixes
0.12.0 BSAVE/BLOAD, TUI ANSI 16-color rendering, CGA graphics framebuffer PEEK/POKE, keyboard shift flags
0.13.0 VIEW/WINDOW/PALETTE graphics, PMAP function, MBF float format for CVS/CVD/MKS$/MKD$

Tests

66 test programs in tests/programs/, plus 4 classic interactive programs in tests/classic/ (Hamurabi, Lunar Lander, Gunner, Diamond from David Ahl's BASIC Computer Games).

Run the full automated suite:

bash tests/run_tests.sh

Each test has a 5-second timeout. 62 tests have .expected golden files for output regression detection. Three timing-dependent tests (datetime, on_timer, timer_stop) and one visual test (color_test) run without golden comparison.

Compatibility Testing

Compare output against real GWBASIC.EXE running under DOSBox-X:

# Generate .expected files from GWBASIC.EXE (requires DOSBox-X Flatpak)
bash tests/run_compat.sh --generate

# Compare gwbasic output against .expected
bash tests/run_compat.sh

CI

GitHub Actions runs on every push to main and on pull requests. The workflow builds the project with PulseAudio support and runs all 64 test programs.

See .github/workflows/ci.yml.