SpectNet IDE

Visual Studio 2017/2019 integrated ZX Spectrum IDE for the Community

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Z80 Assembler
Main Features How the assembler works Language structure Labels and Symbols Expressions Z80 Instructions Pragmas Statements Macros Directives Modules Structures Assembler Output

Z80 Assembler » Main Features

The original goal of the SpectNetIde assembler was to have a simple tool that allows you to compile Z80 assembly code and inject it into the ZX Spectrum virtual machine. As the community has started using it, I’ve been receiving feature requests to add some useful capability to the Assembler.

Here is a list of important features the SpectNetIde suports:

  • Full Z80 instruction set, including the initially undocumented Z80 registers and instructions (such as the 8-bit halves of ix and iy, namely ixl, ixh, iyl, iyh).
  • ZX Spectrum Next extended Z80 instruction set
  • Alternate syntax versions. All directives, pragmas, and statements have multiple versions so that you can use your preferred notation. For example, you can use .loop, loop, .LOOP or LOOP to declare a loop. All of the .defb, DEFB, .db, DB (and a few other) tokens can be used for defining byte data. The .endw and WEND tokens can close a WHILE-loop.
  • Z80 Preprocessor. With preprocessor directives, you can carry out conditional compilation and include other source files. You can inject symbols for debug time and run time compilations separately. In SpectNetIde you can use powerful macros, too, notheless, they are not preprocessor constructs (see below).
  • Fast compilation. Of course, it depends on the code, but the compiler can emit code for about 8.000 source code lines per second.
  • Rich expressions. The compiler can handle most arithmetic and logic operators we have in C, C++, C# Java, and JavaScript. You can use integer, float, and string expressions. The language support more than 40 functions that you can use in the expressions (e.g: Amp * sin($cnt * Pi() / 16)))
  • Rich literal formats. Decimal, float, hexadecimal, binary, and string literals are at your displosal. You can use multiple variants for hexadecimal numbers ($12ae, #12AE, 0x12AE, 12AEh), and binary numbers (0b00111100, %00111100, %0011_1100). In strings, you can use ZX Spectrum specific escape codes, for example, \i for INK, \P for the pound sign, and many others.
  • Assembler control flow statements. You can use loops (loop, repeat..until, while..wend, for..next) and conditional statements (if) to create an assembler control flow. These constructs can be nested and provide local scope for labels, symbols, and variables.
  • Powerful dynamic Macros. You can create macros with arguments. In the macro bodies, the current values of arguments can replace entire instructions, operands, or parts of expressions. Moreover, through arguments, you can inject multiline instructions and statements into macro declarations.
  • Modules. You can use modules to serve both as logical containers to separating partitions of the code and namespaces to create scopes for labels and symbols.