CHANGELOG
=========
v2.8.0 (2026-02-09)
-------------------
New Features:
- INVOKABLE Keyword: New SUB modifier for closures used as callbacks.
SUBs declared with INVOKABLE can be passed via BIND and correctly
invoked through function pointers with runtime CLSR detection in
both expression and statement contexts.
- YAP Preprocessor: New BASIC preprocessor (Yet Another Preprocessor)
replacing the legacy APP. Supports #define/#undef macros, #ifdef/
#ifndef/#else/#endif conditionals, #include "file" and #include
<file> with nested includes (up to 8 levels), include-once tracking,
-D/-U CLI options, and -I include path. Written in ACE BASIC.
- List Submodule: Lisp-style linked list library (submods/list/) with
typed cons cells supporting INTEGER, SINGLE, STRING, and ADDRESS
values. Lists are effectively immutable when only non-destructive
functions are used. Includes higher-order functions (LMap, LFilter,
LReduce, LForEach) using closures/INVOKABLE. Comprehensive test
suite with 190+ assertions.
- REM #using Directive (#47): Source files can now declare object file
dependencies with REM #using <path>. The bas script automatically
parses these and links the specified object files.
- Installer (#32): AmigaDOS Installer script (Install-ACE) for
end-user installation with Cubic icons.
New Submodules:
- list.b: Lisp-style linked list with higher-order function support.
Changes:
- 68000 Runtime Libraries: Separate runtime libraries (db.lib,
startup.lib) for 68000 targets, alongside the default 68020 builds.
- Removed Legacy APP Preprocessor: The old C-based APP preprocessor
source has been removed in favor of YAP.
- Deprecated ACPP and NAP: The C-comment preprocessor (ACPP) and
NAP preprocessor are deprecated. YAP supersedes both (influenced
by NAP's design) and provides a unified preprocessing solution.
- CubicIDE Integration: Added CubicIDE ACE plugin and IDE folder.
Bug Fixes:
- Fix Assembler Label Suffixes (#44): Type qualifier characters
(%, &, !, #, $) in SUB/FUNCTION names are now mapped to portable
assembler-safe suffixes (_IS, _IL, _FS, _FD, _ST) for vasm
compatibility.
- Fix INVOKE in Statement Context: INVOKE with runtime CLSR detection
now works correctly in statement context (previously only worked in
expression context).
- Fix REM #using with No Directives (#47): The bas script no longer
errors when source files contain no REM #using directives.
Compiler Internals:
- Major refactoring (#55): Extracted codegen.c module with reusable
code generation helpers (gen_rt_call, gen_frame_addr, gen_push,
gen_pop, gen_lib_call, gen_var_addr, etc.). Broke up large functions
(statement, factor, compile, insymbol, for_statement) into focused
handlers. Extracted invoke.c for SUB/FUNCTION call handling. Total
reduction of ~1500 lines of duplicated code.
Testing:
- 60 new test cases across 10 categories (strings, math, logic,
fileio, memory, control, syntax, subs, arithmetic, errors).
- Recursion test suite (7 tests).
- YAP preprocessor test suite (11 tests covering all features).
Documentation:
- Internal calling conventions document (AmigaGuide).
- INVOKABLE keyword documented in ref.txt and ace.txt.
- List submodule README and API documentation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v2.7.1 (2026-02-03)
-------------------
New Features:
- ELSEIF Keyword: Block IF statements now support ELSEIF for cleaner
multi-branch conditionals. Syntax:
IF condition THEN
...
ELSEIF condition THEN
...
ELSE
...
END IF
- LCASE$ Function (#33): New string function that returns the lowercase
version of a string. Syntax: result$ = LCASE$(string$)
Changes:
- MUI Module Improvements: Added HorizSpacing/VertSpacing attributes and
fixed boolean handling in MUI submodule.
- MUI Constants Fix: Corrected MUI constants to match official mui.h
header values.
Bug Fixes:
- Fix DATA Statement FFP Conversion (#40): Fixed regression where DATA
statements with floating-point values were not correctly converted to
FFP format.
- Fix doublebuffer.h (#39): Corrected issues in the double buffering
include file.
Testing:
- Refactored test-suite to use ASSERT (#38) for cleaner test verification.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v2.7 (2026-02-01)
-----------------
New Features:
- Closures and Function Pointers (#14): Support for first-class function
references. Use @ operator to get a SUB address (@SubName), BIND to
create closures with pre-bound arguments (BIND(@SubName, arg1, ...)),
and INVOKE to call through a function pointer or closure
(INVOKE ptr&(args)). BIND behaves a little bit like the Curry pattern
in functional programming.
See docs/ref.guide for more details.
- Callback SUB (#28): New CALLBACK modifier for SUBs that can be invoked
via the AmigaOS CallHookPtr() function. Syntax:
SUB name(ADDRESS, ADDRESS, ADDRESS) CALLBACK
Use @ to get the address for a Hook's h_Entry field (@MyCallback).
- MUI Submodule (#23): MUI (Magic User Interface) support via the MUI.b
submodule. Provides high-level BASIC wrappers for creating modern
Amiga GUIs with windows, buttons, lists, menus, tabs, and more.
Documentation: docs/MUI-Submod.guide. Includes 7 example programs,
including a FileViewer example that uses a custom class.
Note: This is a beta release - usable but more features will come.
Report bugs or feature requests on GitHub.
- Filled Circle/Ellipse (#15): CIRCLE command now supports trailing F
flag for drawing filled circles and ellipses. Syntax:
CIRCLE [STEP] (x,y),radius[,color[,start,end[,aspect[,F]]]]
Fill uses AreaEllipse() and respects active PATTERN.
- GADGET SETATTR Expressions (#20): GADGET SETATTR now accepts variables
and expressions for tag values, not just constants. Enables dynamic
gadget updates based on runtime values.
- Graphics Double Buffering: New include file and example for
double-buffered graphics programming. See examples/gfx/dbuf_demo.b.
Changes:
- 68020 Code Generation Default (#24): The compiler now generates 68020
native instructions by default. Use OPTION 2- in source to disable
68020 code generation for 68000 compatibility.
- Module Command Uses vasm: The module compilation command now uses vasm
assembler instead of the legacy assembler.
- Enhanced bas script. It now accepts a list of submods for linking.
And is overall a bit smarter.
Bug Fixes:
- Fix Library Closing (#25): Fixed issue with LIBRARY CLOSE not properly
closing opened Amiga shared libraries.
- Fix EXTERNAL Module Bugs (#29): Fixed bugs with uninitialized A4
register when using EXTERNAL modules, which caused crashes and
incorrect behavior with shared variables and arrays.
- Fixed Typos (#18, #26): Corrected various typos in source and
documentation.
Testing:
- New test categories: closures, callback
- Added SUB tests with SHARED variable access
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v2.6 (2026-01-26)
-----------------
New Features:
- GadTools Gadget Integration: Full support for GadTools-based gadgets
with modern Amiga look and feel. New syntax:
GADGET id, status, label$, (x1,y1)-(x2,y2), kind [, TAG=value ...]
- Gadget Kinds: Support for BUTTON, CHECKBOX, INTEGER, STRING, LISTVIEW,
MX (mutual exclude), CYCLE, PALETTE, SCROLLER, SLIDER, TEXT, and
NUMBER gadgets.
- GADGET FONT: New syntax to set font for GadTools gadgets:
GADGET FONT name$, size
- GADGET SETATTR/GETATTR: Runtime modification and querying of gadget
attributes via tags.
- ASSERT statement: Runtime assertion checking for defensive programming.
Syntax: ASSERT expression [, "message"]
Prints "ASSERT FAILED: <message>" and exits on failure; passes through
silently when the condition is true. Implemented as an assembly-level
runtime library function (assert.s in db.lib).
- 68020 native code generation: When compiling with the -2 flag or
OPTION 2+ in source, the compiler emits native 68020 instructions
(muls.l, divs.l, divsl.l) for long multiply, divide, and modulo
instead of calling library routines (lmul, ace_ldiv, ace_lrem).
Emits "machine 68020" assembler directive for vasm.
Documentation:
- txt2guide.rb: Ruby script to auto-generate AmigaGuide documentation
from text sources (ref.txt, ace.txt).
Testing:
- GadTools test suite: New 'gtgadgets' test category for GadTools gadgets.
- Legacy gadgets tests: Separate 'legacygadgets' category for original
BOOPSI gadgets.
- Assert test suite: New 'assert' test category with ok and fail cases.
- 68020 arithmetic test: opt020 test case validating native 68020 code
generation for multiply, divide, and modulo operations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
v2.5 (2026-01-22)
-----------------
New Features:
- AGA Screen Support (modes 7-12): Full support for AGA chipset screens
with up to 256 colors (8-bit depth).
Toolchain Changes:
- vasm/vlink replaces legacy assembler/linker: Uses vasm and vlink as
the standard toolchain instead of a68k/blink.
Bug Fixes:
- FFP/vbcc floating-point compatibility fix: Fixed FFP handling in
runtime library (sleep_for_secs and float routines) for vbcc
compatibility.
Build System:
- GNU Makefile build system: New Makefile-ace and Makefile-lib in
src/make/ replacing legacy AmigaDOS build scripts.
- Rebuilt runtime libraries: Fresh db.lib and startup.lib compiled
with the new toolchain.
Project Housekeeping:
- Directory restructured: prgs/ renamed to examples/, build scripts
moved to src/make/, test infrastructure organized under verify/.
- Test suite added: 35 test cases covering syntax, arithmetic, floats,
and control flow, run via ARexx runner on emulated Amiga.
- Documentation consolidated: Single README.md, .doc files renamed
to .txt.
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