This repository contains tools (mainly written in Python) and Python libraries for manipulating and converting some common file formats used on old 8-bit computers.

The tools are run directly from the bin/ directory; no installation is required. The libraries are under pylib/. All files under bin/ that use the libraries find them under the pylib/ at the same level.

These are tested only under Linux (the top level ./Test script will run the unit and functional tests) but probably work under Windows as well, though this is untested.

A PyPI package is planned.

If you have a need to run this on a platform that isn't working, please contact the authors (below) for support.

bastok is a program for de-tokenising and re-tokenising MS-BASIC programs; it currently supports MSX-BASIC 2.0. Its special powers include user-configurable conversion between MSX character sets/encodings and Unicode and an "expanded" Unicode file format that allows better formatting and extra comments while being able to compress this back down to a format that uses minimal space in microcomputer memory. See doc/bastok.md for full documentation.

The programs under bin/ include:

• basdump: Hex dump of tokenised MS-BASIC programs that formats the information to make clear the line pointer, line number and tokenised text information.
• bddiff: Use meld or another diff tool to show the differences between the basdump output of two tokenised MS-BASIC programs.
• blines: Produce single BASIC lines from ASCII/Unicode BASIC source that may split lines using detok's expanded format.
• detok: De-tokenise a BASIC program to Unicode.

cmtconv converts WAV files of cassette tape saves to .cas and other data file formats, and vice versa. It also understands higher-level formats such as BASIC and machine-language files. See doc/cmtconv.md for full documentation.

The programs under bin/ include:

• cmtconv: Conversion program. Use -h for help.
• analyze-cmt: Analysis of (usually unknown) CMT save formats in WAV files.

The programs under bin/ include:

• msx-dasm: Disassemble an MSX BSAVE-format program using z80dasm.

The following top-level modules are under pylib:

• binary: Object file and assembler symbol file formats.
• bastok: MS-BASIC de- and re-tokenisation.
• cmtconv: Microcomputer CMT (cassette tape) image handling.

Contact Curt Sampson (usually known as 'cjs') if you have questions, comments, feature requests, or just want help using this. The following are good places to get in touch, more or less in order of preference:

• The "The MSX2 Channel" server on Discord, in the #development group. (Feel free to start a thread if the question is not trivially answered.)
• @cjs_cynic on Telegram
• 0cjs on Discord.
• Email to [email protected], but a reply from that might take days.

• Curt J. Sampson [email protected] (GitHub:0cjs Discord:0cjs)
• Stuart Croy (GitHub:croys)