Long Filename Browser for ZX-UNO / esxDOS

[bob_fossil]

As I now have a lot of free time on my hands, I've been spending some of it playing around with the ZX-UNO I purchased a while back. I wondered whether it was possible to do a nicer file browser than the current NMI (F5) implementation. After a couple of days of hacking around, I've knocked up a prototype browser.

For comparison, here's the standard NMI browser:



And here's mine:



It supports long filenames by reading the disk directly. It also sorts the folders and files alphabetically.

The latest version can be downloaded from here.

To install, unzip and copy the BROWSE file into the root SYS folder (where all the other command files live) on your disk. You should then be able to enter:

.browse

from BASIC to launch the browser.

Keyboard commands:

• Cursor up / down - move selection
• Space / Enter - select a folder or launch a supported file
• Delete / P - navigate to parent folder
• Break / X - exit browser

Issues (I'm aware of):

• Currently supports FAT16 disks only.
• Currently only reads from esxdos device 0.
• Limit of browsing 256 files in a folder.
• Only launches .tap files (no .sna / .trd support yet).
• Doesn't start browsing from the current directory - always starts from the root folder.
• Unsupported characters (> ASCII 127) are displayed as '~'.
• Filenames (> 32 characters) are not clipped.

I've tried this on a ZX-UNO with a FAT16 formatted 512mb SD card and developed the code with z88dk using an a HDF image of the SD card with SpecEmu. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else can get it working with their ZXUNO. It shouldn't damage your SD card (famous last words) as it's not writing to the disk.

[bob_fossil]

v0.02

• Now supports FAT32.
• Improved directory handling - some folders were being truncated or listing garbage entries.
• When you launch the browser it now starts from the current esxdos path, rather than dropping you back at the root folder every time.

[bob_fossil]

v0.03

• Added 42 character display.
• Long filenames that spill over the screen are now truncated to fit the screen width and are indicated with an ellipsis character.
• You can now select and autostart .trd files.

[emook]

Hi Bob - looks great and works well on the Next in classic esxdos mode.

Only issue I see is that its called the same as an existing dotcommand on the Next, .BROWSE on the Next initiates the build in browser.

Cheers

emk

[bob_fossil]

Only issue I see is that its called the same as an existing dotcommand on the Next, .BROWSE on the Next initiates the build in browser.

Thanks for the kind words. I wasn't aware of a clash as I don't have a Next. At the risk of it ending up being called .browseymcbrowseface, I'm open to new name suggestions.

[XoRRoX]

Thanks a lot - nice work!

Do you have some sort of a feature roadmap so we can see what's still going to be implemented/improved? That way we'll not suggest things that are already planned.

[nihirash]

Thank you a lot!

Feel free to integrate my scl2trd converter inside it.
Or you may share sources and I'll do it by myself.

https://github.com/nihirash/esxdos-scl2trd

[Seven.FFF]

Only issue I see is that its called the same as an existing dotcommand on the Next, .BROWSE on the Next initiates the build in browser.

Thanks for the kind words. I wasn't aware of a clash as I don't have a Next. At the risk of it ending up being called .browseymcbrowseface, I'm open to new name suggestions.

It shouldn’t be a problem if you want to keep calling it .browse. NextZXOS keeps its dot commands in /dot/, and eaxDOS running on a Next in the other personalities still uses /bin/, so they won’t clash.

It was done that way deliberately, as NextZXOS provides enhanced versions of many of the standard esxDOS commands which wouldn’t work in esxDOS -.ls for example, is 24KB instead of 2KB and has lots of sorting and column choosing options, more like the *nix version.

[lordoftime79]

Does this not work on actual spectrums? I have tried it but either it dosnt find the command if i extract it where you say to or if i put it where i know the commands live it works but its a empty list I cant see any of my tap files?

[nihirash]

Does this not work on actual spectrums? I have tried it but either it dosnt find the command if i extract it where you say to or if i put it where i know the commands live it works but its a empty list I cant see any of my tap files?

You should put it into /BIN folder.

esxDOS and divMMC(in zxuno) are the same as on usual speccy.

It should work as I understand.