Toolkits section
Toolkits section |
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Updated: 01/02/12
A selection of all sorts of public domain and freeware toolkits, mostly basic extensions. As might be expected, there is some overlap between most of the toolkits, although all of them have their own specialities. Between everything, there is quite a treasure trove here for BASIC programmers! The abbreviation S*BASIC used below is shorthand for 'either SuperBASIC or SBASIC'
Alchp (2K) - Common heap handling extensions
Array (15K) - save, load, sort and search arrays (W. Lenerz)
BasicV BASICV is a SuperBasic extension which is very similar to the "environment variables" of other systems, it enables the reading of other SBasic-structured jobs variable values. Those are the QLiberator compiled jobs if they have been compiled with the "names" option active, the multitasking SBasic-jobs of MINERVA and SMSQ, and the main SBasic of the QL which is always present. Unlike those "environment variables" BASICV does not introduce another type of variable, it just makes the well known ones accessible to any other job, read only, for safety. Additionally BASICV can be very valuable for debugging a compiled program or any secondary SBasic program while running by monitoring its variables from within another SBasic(-job). (Hans-Peter Recktenwald) (13K) [12/10/06]
Beule Tools (20K) - assorted extensions from Peter Beule
Btool (26K) - B-Toolkit from Octagon, a generous collection of useful basic extensions, including many Toolkit 2-style extensions.
Cat (2K) - extension to list files to screen or printer (Will Horton)
CD and Edit (7K) - Malcolm Lear's 'Change Directory' and 'Edit by name' extensions
csm122.zip Client Server Manager is a Thing that implements easy and robust messaging between jobs. It allows one-to-many links and makes adding scripting to programs, using BASIC as the scripting language, very easy. (Jonathan Hudson) (68K) [12/10/06]
Compict (8K) - Utility for compressing/expanding graphics (C.Tronche)
Concat (3K) - Extension to join two files together into a third file (C.Tronche)
Constants (3K) - provides a set of named constant values, such as colour numbers, on and off, true and false etc.
CPU Toolkit (3K) - This small toolkit consists of two keywords. CPUTYPE tells you the CPU you are using on your system. The second one, GCSPEED, tells you the actual speed of your (Super) Gold Card and whether it is possible to use your QL at 24 MHz with a Gold Card hardware Issue 1/2 (Ergon Development)
Cryptage (3K) - File Encryption extensions for SuperBASIC (C. Tronche)
dates.zip Small toolkits for Minerva/QDOS to add the extended date functions found in newer SMSQ/E versions (YEAR%, MONTH%, DAY%, WEEKDAY% and the 6-parameter version of DATE) to Minerva and QDOS systems. (P J Witte) (3K) [12/10/06]
Despr (2K) - extensions to release RESPRed space (Gerard Estournet)
dev.zip (11K) - extensions to provide a DEV device on older systems which don't have it onboard. Includes a text file and an article about use of the DEV device, and if you download copies of the Miracle Systems manuals from the documents page or from my QL Documentation CD, some of the Miracle systems manuals have DEV instructions too.
DHZtools (4K) - A collection of useful tools (14 extensions) by Carlo Delhez
Display_cde (21K) - v2.01, a small toolkit of useful display information functions (display sizes and addresses, pointer environment versions, etc) and example routines, as published in QL Today. Very useful for writing your own S*BASIC programs to make use of high resolution and colour displays. May be built into QLiberated programs and distributed free with your own programs if required. (D. Jones)
DIY Toolkit - the classic DIY Toolkit series from Simon Goodwin,
published in QL World magazine. Available to download as 3 zipped files
which unzip to form 3 DSDD disks. Note: Postcardware - Simon would love to
receive a postcard from users of DIY Toolkit.
Disk 1 (264K) - Volume A to H | Disk
2 (262K) - Volume I to R | Disk
3 (248K) - Volume S to Z
DJToolkit v1.15 (125K) - a small toolkit of extremely useful extensions from Norman Dunbar, author of the Assembler Programming series in QL Today. Can be used from BASIC or compiled BASIC, and even included in commercial programs if required. Highly recommended for all SuperBASIC or SBASIC programmers Loads of example routines and documentation. Includes assembler source code and even a version you can burn into an EPROM for the QL EPROM slot if you have access to a QEPIII or similar EPROM programmer.
Environment Variables v1.07 (17K) - lets you define 'variables' accessible from all jobs, and which are not cleared after a NEW command or whatever. Useful for setting global environment settings, for example. Unix-style facility, as supplied with C68 compiler.
ETAT (5K) - BASIC extension from Wolfgang Lenerz to test state of a file, to help with error trapping file access and so on.
EXEG (3K) - Implements EX so that it did everything in the specification.
EXEG Sources (4K) - Sources for EXEG above.
Exists (3K) - Phil Borman extension function to test if an extension name is currently installed on your system.
extens.zip - Extensions to SuperBasic/SBASIC. Adds ISRES, LBLOCK, CHANS, OSCHECK, RETRY_OPEN and OS$ extensions to BASIC. ISRES extension updated 25/1/12. RETRY_OPEN updates 01/02/12. (Adrian Ives) (12K) [01/02/12]
EVAL (6K) - Two machine code functions allowing you to calculate numeric expressions from BASIC - many of the standard QL functions and up to three numeric variables may be used in the expressions. Assembler source included.
FastBasic (3K) - FLOAD, FSAVE and FLRUN extension for faster loading and saving of SuperBASIC programs.
F-Tool (4K) - a small file handling toolkit. Type FHELP for brief instructions afetr installing.
J-Tool (4K) - a small jobs toolkit. Enter JHELP for brief instructions after installing.
Functions (5K) - a collection of useful new functions for S*BASIC (Rich Mellor)
Font (2K) - BASIC extension for setting new screen fonts.
GetStuff (3K) - GET_STUFF$ extension for hotkey stuffer buffer.
Get Stuffed (4K) - Extension to retrieve content of Stuffer Buffer (J. Hudson)
Gpoint (5K) - Extension to replace the bugged POINT routine in MG ROMs
HBUtils (9K) - Hotkey and Button utilities from Richard Kettlewell
HCO Toolkit (8K) - Hardcopy and graphics drawing extension for use on 512x256 QL screens
History v1.23 A History device driver for the QL, which implements a command line history where each input line, as fetched by QDOS traps io.edline and io.fline, up to a pre-defined limit can be called back by the cursor up (previous line) or cursor down (next line) keys. Works with or without pointer environment. Note that as SMSQ/E already has its own HISTORY device name, there may be a name clash. (Boris Jakubith) (17K)
History127.zip Updated version of the History device driver above. (Boris Jakubith) (24K) [12/10/06]
Hyperbolic functions (3K) - A set of hyperbolic functions including SINH, COSH, TANH, COTH, ARSINH, ARCOSH, ARTANH and ARCOTH, complete with source assembler file.
Keyman (13K) - Up to 60 function key definitions with these extensions (J. Tripodi)
Kill (2K) - Extension to force remove all running jobs (except SuperBASIC)
Maths (54K) - Helmut Aigner's mathematics routines toolkit. Now with an auto-translated English instruction file as well as the original German. Offers to tidy up the English translation welcome!
megatk113.zip MegaToolkit version 1.13. A former commercial program from DJC, the author has now allowed this package to be released as Freeware. All sorts of really useful toolkit-style extensions. (Mike Crowe) (195K) [24/07/07]
open.zip The OPEN device driver gives 3 new superbasic commands for listing open calls to a given channel. (Phil Borman) (1K) [10/10/06]
PDTK (25K) - A general purpose toolkit with many toolkit 2 style extensions (Mark Swift)
PEX v1.9.3 (34K) - a utility to
allow writing to buried windows on SMSQ/E or Minerva plus pointer
environment.
PEX 22 (24K) - more recent update to PEX
PEX31 (32K) - more recent update to PEX
pex33.zip (32K) - more recent update to PEX
PEX34 (6K) - more recent update to PEX
PEX34-s (32K) - source assembler of PEX34
Picext (2K) - Routines to save and load screen pictures.
pie020.zip PIE, or Pointer Interface Extensions, permits most native screen driver calls to complete to a buried window by writing to the pointer interface save buffer. Needs native screen drivers that support sd_scrb and sd_linel, e.g. Minerva. (Lester Wareham) (4K) [12/10/06]
pnice12.zip PNICE is a package
of NICE 1.2 and PICE 1.1. PICE is a partial window redraw utility for QDOS
systems which updates the internal PE window save buffer int he
background, i.e. you need PIE or PEX software from this page. NICE is a
simple utility to overcome lack of smoothness in keyboard operation of a
heavily multi-tasked QDOS/SMS system. (Marco Ternelli) (16K) [12/10/06]
PICE update Update PICE (in PNICE package
above) to v2.1 (7K)
POINTER ENVIRONMENT
Pointer Environment extension files PTR_GEN, WMAN and HOT_REXT can now be made available free of charge. Follow this link to the PE page
Priority (3K) - PRIO extension to set priority of calling job to 0-127
Path (4K) - PTH (path) device driver extensions from Phil Borman.
QLIB_RUN modified - Original versions of the
QLiberator compiler runtime extensions up to and including v3.36 include a
problem where the ERNUM and ERLIN error returns can be reversed, causing
problems for programs whichuse these functions, for example several
programs written by Thierry Godefroy. Thierry has patched the runtimes
v3.35 and v3.36 to work around these problems. If the program
documentation states you need these, here they are.
qlibrun335mod.zip (10K) (Thierry
Godefroy) [07/02/06]
qlibrun336mod.zip (10K) (Thierry
Godefroy) [07/02/06]
qsend.zip Q-Send is an inter-job signalling system. Lets you send "signals" between jobs via the the jobs' keyboard queues. (H. P. Recktenwald) (28K) [12/10/06]
QView Toolkit (11K) - v1.3 of QView Toolkit, a small toolkit with a number of very useful extensions from Laurence Reeves and the team at QView. May be used from BASIC or compiled jobs.
ramdisks.zip - code for both a static ramdisk and dynamic ramdisk system for older QL systems or emulators with no ramdisk facility. (6K) [21/11/06]
redir.zip REDIR is a redirection device driver, which allows you to assign other names or aliases to devices or files, or for transparent redirection of files(Phil Borman) (3K) [10/10/06]
RES (2K) - extension to reset expanded memory QL to have a given RAM size, e.g. for testing software in minimal memory or to run programs which will only run in a given amount of memory (Peter Beule)
Screen Manager (27K) - Screen Manager toolkit by J. Tripodi
sdump.zip (13K) - SDUMP extensions for use on systems not already having these screen dump extensions built in. Simply LRESPR this file. Instructions included as text and Quill doc files. N.B. Not required on systems such as Trump Card, Gold Card and Super Gold Card.
Shape (14K) - A set of graphical extensiuons, with German instructions (Ralf Beidermann)
Signal Extensions (40K) - Signal Extensions for inter-job communication (Richard Zidlicky)
Strings (6K) - a small set of string handling extensions, providing upper, lower and mixed case conversion, string reversal and pattern matched string search using '?' wildcard operator.
SUB (4K) - SUB (name substitution) device driver, by Phil Borman
suspend.zip (2K) - a small extension allowing a task to suspend itself for a given time, e.g. to introduce a fixed delay. Based on code from Ralf Reköndt, with thanks. Source assembler included. (D. Jones)
SysBase (1K) - extension to return base address of system variables.
SystemKit (6K) - System Toolkit by Mark Knight. Small set of extensions for general memory handling.
Tiny Toolkit (38K) - Tiny Toolkit v1.11. More extensions than the name implies! (original by Matthias Leidig, updated by Rich Mellor)
TOOLKIT 2
This is the original and best toolkit software for the QL. Just about every QL disk interface released contained some variant of this toolkit, and it was also available as a plug in EPROM for the QL. With the increasing use of emulators, most of which do not include Toolkit 2, free release of the Toolkit 2 has been agreed. Follow this link for Toolkit 2 downloads.
trapper.zip Trapper is a resident extension which catches some software problems on the QL, the kind of thing which might cause the machine to lock up or behave unpredictably. When exceptions such as illegal address, illegal instruction or divide by 0 occur, a red box appears giving details of the program, when you press RETURN the dead program terminates. (Jonathan Hudson) (5K) [12/10/06]
Turbo Toolkit - see Turbo page.
Unjob (3K) - Extension to remove an executable file type flag from a file.
VARDUMP (3K) - lists variables used by current BASIC program in a window.
WD Extensions (3K) Wildcard Delete, Dir and Stat extensions (Phil Borman)
Weiss Utilities (2K) - A useful toolkit of varied items
WM (3K) - WM command sets up S-BASIC windows to leave room for buttons (Wolfgang Lenerz)
WSET (28K) - v1.1 of WSET, an extension to redefine QL windows #0 to #2 (Pedro Reina)