Long Filename Browser for ZX-UNO / esxDOS

[desUBIKado]

New test version available here.

This adds support for Sound Tracker Pro (.stp) music files. Debugging this new plugin also uncovered a bug introduced during the assembly rewrite which stopped the browser navigation keys moving to next, previous, first and last songs correctly during playback. This has been fixed.

Hi Bob, thanks for your great work on this application. I have detected that the ZX-Uno custom options are not being recorded in the slots.

[bob_fossil]

Hi Bob, thanks for your great work on this application. I have detected that the ZX-Uno custom options are not being recorded in the slots.

Does changing options from the main window still work - can you change the video timings, CPU speed etc? I don't suppose you know which version this stopped working in do you? Was is broken in the v0.24 release?

[desUBIKado]

Does changing options from the main window still work - can you change the video timings, CPU speed etc? I don't suppose you know which version this stopped working in do you? Was is broken in the v0.24 release?

In the v0.24 release works fine.

[bob_fossil]

In the v0.24 release works fine.

Does it work again in v0.99a4 if you replace the _UNO file in the BPLUGINS folder with the _UNO file from the v0.24 release?

[desUBIKado]

Does it work again in v0.99a4 if you replace the _UNO file in the BPLUGINS folder with the _UNO file from the v0.24 release?

Dont work very well. System freezzy when i save configuration in slot 3 (maybe 3 minutes or more with red led on). Finally operation ends well. Works, but spent much time to save or create slot.

[Pegaz]

Does it work again in v0.99a4 if you replace the _UNO file in the BPLUGINS folder with the _UNO file from the v0.24 release?

Yes, it works that way.
I didn't notice the issue, Desubikado describing...

[Pegaz]

Dont work very well. System freezzy when i save configuration in slot 3 (maybe 3 minutes or more with red led on). Finally operation ends well. Works, but spent much time to save or create slot.

I tried saving and loading from the first four slots, there were no problems.
Maybe some sd card issue.
Try a clean install (esxdos+LFN browser), it might help.

[bob_fossil]

Dont work very well. System freezzy when i save configuration in slot 3 (maybe 3 minutes or more with red led on). Finally operation ends well. Works, but spent much time to save or create slot.

I've just tried saving and loading slots with v0.99a4 on my ZX-UNO and didn't find any issues. Loading an existing slot (I have one for a Pentagon timings) set the correct video timings and contention. I also created a new slot which had x8 CPU turbo enabled and loaded it back in without issue. One thing I did notice was that you need to press ENTER after loading a slot to confirm the settings - otherwise they don't get applied.

[desUBIKado]

I've just tried saving and loading slots with v0.99a4 on my ZX-UNO and didn't find any issues. Loading an existing slot (I have one for a Pentagon timings) set the correct video timings and contention. I also created a new slot which had x8 CPU turbo enabled and loaded it back in without issue. One thing I did notice was that you need to press ENTER after loading a slot to confirm the settings - otherwise they don't get applied.

I think my problem was in my SD card, as Pegaz commented, and not in your program. Please accept my apologies.

[bob_fossil]

I think my problem was in my SD card, as Pegaz commented, and not in your program. Please accept my apologies.

No need to apologise. Was nice to revisit some demos that require Pentagon timings to check it was still working.

[Pegaz]

Hi @bob_fossil , I have a possible issue and a question.
It's a visual glitch that corrupts the first letter in the file name, when I scroll the file list with the right arrow, page by page.
In my case its a folder with a couple of dozen pzx files and when I press the right arrow several times and reach the end of the list, the first letter of only one file becomes corrupted.
I tried to delete that file, but the issue occurs again with the next file, always at the bottom page.
If I scroll in the standard way file by file, with the up/down arrow this does not happen, nor when I scroll the page up with the left arrow.
So far I have not been able to reproduce this issue in other folders with pzx or any other files, but in this particular folder of mine /Speccy/PZX/Custom Loaders/ it happens every time as described.

Second question is related to renaming files with SHIFT+R.
I tried in the mentioned Speccy folder to rename different tap files, which do not exceed 8 characters, but I always get an error message, that it only supports files in 8.3 format.
I tried renaming some other files in the root folder and it works fine.
What am I doing wrong?

[bob_fossil]

Hi @bob_fossil , I have a possible issue and a question.
It's a visual glitch that corrupts the first letter in the file name, when I scroll the file list with the right arrow, page by page.
In my case its a folder with a couple of dozen pzx files and when I press the right arrow several times and reach the end of the list, the first letter of only one file becomes corrupted.
I tried to delete that file, but the issue occurs again with the next file, always at the bottom page.
If I scroll in the standard way file by file, with the up/down arrow this does not happen, nor when I scroll the page up with the left arrow.
So far I have not been able to reproduce this issue in other folders with pzx or any other files, but in this particular folder of mine /Speccy/PZX/Custom Loaders/ it happens every time as described.

Second question is related to renaming files with SHIFT+R.
I tried in the mentioned Speccy folder to rename different tap files, which do not exceed 8 characters, but I always get an error message, that it only supports files in 8.3 format.
I tried renaming some other files in the root folder and it works fine.
What am I doing wrong?

I'd need a .hdf file to debug the first issue. Or if you can make the folder available that glitches I can try and replicate the issue.

As for the second, I have encountered 8 character filenames that were stored using LFN due to special characters or formatting that couldn't be represented or allowed inside the 8.3 format. Again, I'd need a disk image to investigate further.

[Pegaz]

I'd need a .hdf file to debug the first issue. Or if you can make the folder available that glitches I can try and replicate the issue.

As for the second, I have encountered 8 character filenames that were stored using LFN due to special characters or formatting that couldn't be represented or allowed inside the 8.3 format. Again, I'd need a disk image to investigate further.

Hi, Bob,
PM with my test image has been sent.

[bob_fossil]

Hi, Bob,
PM with my test image has been sent.

Thanks for the image.

The renaming code is worked as expected. Using my test program it appearsthat all but one of those files in your folder have long file names. The only 8.3 filename I can see is

Code: Select all

AMC-A.PZX

Even short filenames like

Code: Select all

Cobra.pzx
Batman.pzx
Biff.pzx

have long filename representations, possibly due to the mix of upper and lower case characters.

I think the glitching in the list is down to a specific truncated filename overflowing the rightmost edge of the screen and drawing to a part of the screen it shouldn't. Need to debug this further to confirm.

[Pegaz]

Even short filenames like

Code: Select all

Cobra.pzx
Batman.pzx
Biff.pzx

have long filename representations, possibly due to the mix of upper and lower case characters.

Thanks for the clarification, Bob.
I also tried a lot of files in the /SPECCY/TAP-FIX/ folder, but none of them could be renamed.
Does this explanation also apply to them ?

[bob_fossil]

Thanks for the clarification, Bob.
I also tried a lot of files in the /SPECCY/TAP-FIX/ folder, but none of them could be renamed.
Does this explanation also apply to them ?

It's easier to list the files that are 8.3 in that folder.

Code: Select all

ACE88-48.TAP
BLACKMA1.TAP
BLACKMA2.TAP
FOXFBACK.TAP
HADESNEB.TAP
KILLD128.TAP
ROADRUNN.TAP
STAR_V2.TAP 
TLL.TAP
YIEAR128.TAP

All the rest are LFN. Again, looks like mixed case spellings get converted to long file names to preserve the capitals.

[bob_fossil]

New test version available here.

This should fix the reported graphics glitch when certain long filenames spill over the screen.

[Pegaz]

New test version available here.

This should fix the reported graphics glitch when certain long filenames spill over the screen.

Tested last night, no issues so far, well done Bob.
btw, do you have any collection or examples of Sound Tracker Pro files ?
I'd like to test the .stp support we have now, but I can't seem to find it.

[Xela]

test the .stp support we have now, but I can't seem to find it.

https://zxart.ee/eng/music/database/for ... pe:zxitem/

[akeley]

Hi, I know about the 426 files-in-folder limit, but is there a limit on the number of folders themselves?

I'm currently struggling to put a large number of files on a vhd (~950 files in 275 directories, each of which has one subfolder).

[Pegaz]

Hi @bob_fossil ,
Just tested spt files support and the playback quality is really good as before, but I was surprised by some graphic artifacts in music folders, when I use the up/down arrows during playback to go to the beginning or end of the file list.
After that, various visual effects occur (blank screen, inverted color lines or randomly drawn garphics garbage on the screen), etc.
Files list can be sometimes restored if I press esc and the left/right arrow, although sometimes this leads to a reset of the Spectrum core and a return to the home screen.
Its very easy to reproduce this (just play first song and press down arrow one or more times), it happens with a few dozen files in the folder, as well as with a few hundred.
I only tried this latest beta revision, I don't know how it behaves with earlier versions.
When music files are selected and played in order one by one up/down with the left/right arrow, then everything is fine.
Here are the examples I tested, so you can have an identical test environment. Cheers.

[Pegaz]

Just to mention, a little later I tested with the RVM emulator and the slightly older revision 0.25-3, but this issue is still there...

[akeley]

@Pegaz : which key acts as NMI button in RVM?

[PeterJ]

@Pegaz : which key acts as NMI button in RVM?

The “home” key is the NMI trigger. I had to ask the author as it didn't seem to be documented anywhere!

[akeley]

The “home” key is the NMI trigger. I had to ask the author as it didn't seem to be documented anywhere!

Thank you...yeah, it's odd how there's 0 documentation for a program with such a fancy presentation