|  Template Creator Plus4 | | Title: | Template Creator Plus4 | | Category: | Utility/Copy | | Release Date: | 2025-10-04 | | Language: | English | | Size: | 16K | | Device Req.: | Disk only (1 side) | | Machine: | PAL & NTSC | | Code Type: | Machine code | | Distribution: | Freeware | | Notes: | AKA TmpCreatP4. Copies, organizes and converts several file types. Coded by Harry Potter (Joseph Rose). The first Plus/4 version is tagged as 005. |
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| | Manual | Template Creator 64/128
By Joseph Rose, a.k.a. Harry Potter
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[Foreword]
This program is a method to create, handle, organize and use template
files on a Commore 64 or 128 or emulators. It is general-purpose and can handle
most file types. It was created using cc65 and my Fields, AltInput, Hidden64
and MemBank128 libraries.
[Updates]
This program now has Plus4 support. Also, I performed an optimization
on the C64 version and expanded the top of memory by 512 bytes.
New to this program are significant optimizations, including the
watering down of some functions, such as some of cc65's string functions,
the c64 version's getkey2() function by printing an underscore instead of a
blinking cursor, minimizing of string/number conversion functions, the
removal of unneeded support from Fields and the usage of CBMSimpleIO and my
Cubbyhole optimization technique that uses unused portions of a computer's Low
memory for extra code and data. I also at locations assumed function
parameters and minimized error-checking. I also made some bug fixes, including
one where the C64 version's Get Info module didn't parse a template disk's
templates properly.
Currently, on a C64, you have 54.5k free for templates, and on a C128,
62k.
[Features]
This program's features include the abilities to create templates,
create new files from them, copy templates, delete templates and to show and
change some info about them. It also allows you to organize templates by format
name. It has space for 32 templates and 8 format names per disk. The C64
version has room for 46k per template, while the C128 provides 62k per token.
However, there is a 3k gap in the C64 version's memory layout that I need to
close: I plan to do that for the next release.
[How to Use]
When you start this program, you will get a menu with five options.
Add template will add a template file to a templates disk, remove template will
delete a template, create new file will derive a new file from a template, get
info will allow you to see and change some info about a file, including file
type and size, and copy template will copy a template from one disk to another.
When you add a template, you specify the original file's name, the
template's name, the file type and the format. The format specifies a piece of
organization about the file. It is a selection field: it displays all the
format names available on the current disk and, if there's room, an entry for a
new format. If you choose a new fotmat, you will be prompted for a new format
name. When you're done, press Return, and the program will add the file, or
press Run/Stop to exit.
Remove template allows you to delete a template file from a disk.
Simply choose the file to delete, and this program will remove the file and its
entry and, if no other templates with the same format name on the disk, prompt
to delete the format.
Create new file will derive a new file from a template file. Simply
select the template file and type in the name of the new file, and it will be
created.
Get info will show you some information about the template you select.
The info listed are the template name, file type, file size and the format name.
You may edit the name and change the format. You may not change the file type,
and changes to the size won't take effect. If you change the filename, the
file will be renamed. If you change the format, and there are no other files
with the same format on the disk, you will be prompted to delete the format.
Copy template copies a template from one disk to another. Just select
the template to copy then, after inserting the new disk, type in the new name
and select the format.
Every time you need to insert the new disk, the program will prompt you.
[Sources]
If this distribution doesn't include the source code, you can find it at
https://sourceforge.net/projects/tmpcreat/files/cbm/. I tried hard to clean up
and comment heavily the source code. It was written in cc65 C and using my
Fields, AltInput, CBMSimpleIO, Hidden64 and MemBank128 libraries. Fields
provides the UI, CBMSimpleIO replaces cc65's standard and conio functions with
versions that use the kernal directly, AltInput is used to quickly get
information from the user such as requests for format names and Hidden64 and
MemBank128 provide access to nearly all of the C64 and 128's memory,
respectively. It was also heavily optimized using, for example, my Cubbyhole
technique, middlemen, inline assembler, assuming parameters and watering down of
the startup code and some functions by removing unneeded code.
[To-Do]
The following improvements are planned for the next release:
* compression
* Versions for the Plus4, Atari/XL and Apple2enh. Thinking about
versions for the Amiga, the Apple2GS and Atari ST
* example templates for Super C and the Merlin assembler
[Addendum]
People have been having a hard time figuring out how to create a
template disk. Simply add a template to a blank disk, and the templates
database will be created for you. Also, people reported that they didn't
understand the names of disks as reported by Template Creator. The disk that
holds this program is the Program Disk; the disk that contains or is to
contain the template is the Template Disk, and the input and output disks are
the source and destination disks of most transfer operations.
[Footnote]
I'm glad you tried out my program. If you have any feedback, feature
requests, bug reports or templates to donate, you can contact me at
rose.joseph12@yahoo.com.
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