Image File Utilities

Anything QL Software or Programming Related.
Post Reply
Martin_Head
Aurora
Posts: 847
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:17 pm

Image File Utilities

Post by Martin_Head »

Image File Utilities is a group of SuperBASIC extensions for handling microdrive and floppy disk image files.

It can create microdrive images in Qlay, Qemulator and MDI file formats. And also convert existing microdrive image files between the three microdrive file formats.

It is still a work in progress, and this is a Beta release.
I am seeking feedback on any problems found in use, and any features you might like to see added.
Attachments
ImageUtil.pdf
(94.47 KiB) Downloaded 103 times
imageutil005.zip
(2.6 KiB) Downloaded 107 times


swensont
Forum Moderator
Posts: 252
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 3:30 am
Location: SF Bay Area
Contact:

Re: Image File Utilities

Post by swensont »

I'm curious to know why one would need a blank FLP image file. Why not just use a QXL.win file? Are these microdrive and floppy formats particular to just Qemulator and Qlay? I've used floppy image files, but these are direct copies of a floppy using 'dd'.

Tim


User avatar
vanpeebles
Commissario Pebbli
Posts: 2816
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 7:13 pm
Location: North East UK

Re: Image File Utilities

Post by vanpeebles »

swensont wrote:I'm curious to know why one would need a blank FLP image file. Why not just use a QXL.win file? Are these microdrive and floppy formats particular to just Qemulator and Qlay? I've used floppy image files, but these are direct copies of a floppy using 'dd'.

Tim
Maybe for the HxC floppy drive emulators etc. They need a blank file to work with as they can't create their own.


Martin_Head
Aurora
Posts: 847
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:17 pm

Re: Image File Utilities

Post by Martin_Head »

swensont wrote:I'm curious to know why one would need a blank FLP image file. Why not just use a QXL.win file? Are these microdrive and floppy formats particular to just Qemulator and Qlay? I've used floppy image files, but these are direct copies of a floppy using 'dd'.

Tim
The FLP images are essentially the same as using 'dd' (I assume that is a Linux command for converting a real floppy disk to a image file). You could convert them back to real floppy disks if you want to.

I don't know if any other QL emulators support the microdrive image formats.

These routines are basically the the same as the routines in my MDI and FDI device drivers (although the CONVERT2_xxx routines have had a major rewrite). I have just pulled them out so that if you want to play with image files, you don't have to install either of the device drivers first.


Post Reply