return to main page
Return to 1401 Software Development

Getting Started with ROPE

The goal of this page is
- initial instructions for running ROPE 7

  1. activate "Windows Explorer" (this is not "Internet Explorer") by
    1. in the lower left of the screen, click on "Start"
    2. in the new window, click on "Computer"
    3. This brings up a little window called "Computer" which shows your disks
    4. DoubleClick on your " C: " drive which shows the directories (folders) it contains

  2. Go to your " ROPE " directory/folder
    - you are looking at a " Windows Explorer " window with about 18 oddly names files
    - the file you want to start is " ROPE1401.jar "

  3. Double click on " ROPE1401.jar ", and if you have JAVA installed and able to activate,
    - you get the opening " ROPE " window
    - labeled " ROPE/1401 by Ronald Mak (Version 0.7 Beta) " :-))

This is a series of displays

Directory screen 		. This is the " Windows Explorer " (detail mode) of most of the ROPE directory from the .zip file.
The " ROPE1401.jar " entry is highlighted.
DoubleClick on this to get started (below)

Edit screen
Detail 		This is the initial ( Edit ) display
You have choices of:
- " Browse " for existing files
- edit file in window
- name a new file, rename and/or save existing file
- change Assembler options (current default are OK)
- cause file to be assembled ( AutoCoder )

Browse screen 		. This is the " ROPE " Browse window, the " .s " files indicate source files
lets select " powers2.s "
You will DoubleClick on this to get started (below)

powers2 source
powers2 detail 		OK - this is the powers2.s file, ready for editing, saving as, or assembling :-))

Remember that you need an END-AND-TRANSFER card, the last card in this deck is
" END PRINTD * LAST CARD IN DECK, TRANSFER ADDRESS "


Assembled window
"Listing" detail 		Depressing the " Assemble " button on the Edit window yields two more windows
- EXEC:powers2 - shows the " assembly listing ", often printed during assembly
- PRINTOUT:powers2 - still blank as the assembled program not yet run

"Listing" detail 		. Note some of the controls in this window
- " Start Program " - starts program which runs until breakpoint or end
- " Mempry " shows the selected range of memory

PRINTOUT top
PRINTOUT bottom 		The running power2 prints out onto the printer
- " PRINTOUT top " - the beginning of the printout, goes several pages
- " PRINTOUT bottom " shows the end (bottom) of the "1403" printout

Computer memory 		. This is contents of the user option range of 1401 memory.
It is in printer memory dump format, the " 1 "s below the contents
indicate the position of the word marks.

Console indicators 		. Console indicators and switches :-))

BreakPoint indicators 		When program execution
reaches a breakpoint,
it is suspended.
You may examine memory
and console. 		Program "development", sometimes called "debugging" ;-))

BreakPoint indicators - you can debug programs in several ways
- Run to setable breakpoints
- - clicking on the blue cross sets red breakpoints - toggle
- Single step - the memory and console and printouts show correctly

See more detailed instructions for attaching peripherals such as
card reader, card punch, magnetic tapes.

ROPE file naming conventions
xxx.cd - card punch (object deck) output from AutoCoder assembler (in ASCII rather holes in card)
You may actually punch out this deck this method which loads and runs on a 1401.
xxx.out - printer output from user program (in ASCII)
xxx.s - source program code to AutoCoder assembler (in ASCII rather than BCD)
xxx.lst - printed "listing" from AutoCoder assembler (in ASCII)

return to main page
Return to 1401 Software Development

Started Jan 20, 2012
Last updated Jan 22, 2012
For comments, corrections, questions e-mail Ed Thelen ed@ed-thelen.org