Apple2TS Studio

A Visual Studio Code extension for 6502 assembly programming with an integrated Apple IIe emulator.

Features

• 6502/65c02 Assembly Language Support

  • Syntax highlighting for 6502/65c02 assembly
  • IntelliSense with instruction completion
  • Hover documentation for instructions
  • Apple II specific memory address completion

• Integrated Apple IIe Emulator

  • Built-in Apple IIe emulator via Apple2TS
  • Load and run assembled programs directly
  • Visual debugging capabilities
  • Apple II specific features and memory mapping

• Build System

  • Support for 64tass, cl65, and Merlin32 assemblers
  • F5 to build and run in emulator
  • Assembly output and error reporting

Installation

From Source

1. Clone this repository
2. Open in VS Code
3. Install dependencies: npm install
4. Press F5 to run the extension in a new Extension Development Host window

Prerequisites

For advanced assembly features, install a macro assembler such as 64tass, cl65, or Merlin32.

For example, to install the 64tass assembler:

# macOS with MacPorts
sudo port install 64tass

# macOS with Homebrew
brew install 64tass

# Ubuntu/Debian  
sudo apt-get install 64tass

# Windows
# Download from https://sourceforge.net/projects/tass64/

Usage

Creating a 6502 Assembly File

1. Create a new file with extension .s, .asm, or .a65
2. Start typing 6502 assembly instructions
3. Use IntelliSense (Ctrl+Space) for instruction completion

Example Program

; Simple Hello World for Apple II using 64tass syntax
        * = $0800

start:
        lda #$48        ; Load 'H'
        sta $0400       ; Store to screen
        lda #$45        ; Load 'E'  
        sta $0401       ; Store to screen
        ; ... more instructions
        rts

Building and Running

1. Open a 6502 assembly file
2. Press F5 or use Command Palette: "Apple2TS: Build & Run in Emulator"
3. The emulator window will open and your program will be loaded

Commands

• Apple2TS: Launch Apple IIe Emulator - Opens the emulator panel
• Apple2TS: Build & Run in Emulator - Assembles current file and runs in emulator
• Apple2TS: Assemble Current File - Assembles without running

6502 Instruction Set

The extension provides complete support for the 65c02 instruction set with:

• All official opcodes (ADC, AND, ASL, BCC, etc.)
• Multiple addressing modes
• Cycle count information
• Detailed instruction documentation

Apple II Features

• Memory-mapped I/O locations ($C000-$CFFF)
• Screen memory ($0400-$07FF for text mode)
• Common system addresses and vectors
• Apple II specific assembler directives

Configuration

Configure the extension in VS Code settings.

Development

Project Structure

apple2ts-studio/
├── src/
│   ├── assembler.ts          # Assembly toolchain integration
│   ├── emulatorPanel.ts      # Webview-based emulator
│   ├── extension.ts          # Main extension file
│   └── languageFeatures.ts  # Language server features
├── syntaxes/
│   └── asm6502.tmGrammar.json # Syntax highlighting
└── examples/
    └── hello_*.s             # Sample assembly programs
    └── graphics.s            # Sample assembly program
    └── 65c02_complete_demo.s # All 65c02 instructions and address modes

Building

npm install
npm run compile

Packaging

npm run package

Installing and Reload

code --install-extension *.vsix --force

Then do Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P -> Developer:Reload Window to reload VS Code.

Update CHANGELOG

Install the Github Changelog Generator by running:

gem install github_changelog_generator

You may need to update to Ruby v3.x to install this gem.

Go through the commits, and add any missing tags. For a given commit sha (say 1befdec), checkout the commit, force the date to be the commit date, and then add the tag:

git checkout 1befdec  # skip this if you want changelog for most recent code
GIT_COMMITTER_DATE="$(git show --format=%aD | head -1)"
git tag -a v0.9 -m"v0.9"  # bump this each time, and change it here as well
git push origin --tags
git checkout main

If you don't already have one, generate a Github token to run the Changelog Generator script with authentication. You only need "repo" scope for private repositories.

Now run the script:

github_changelog_generator --token xxxxx -u ct6502 -p apple2ts

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license - see the LICENSE file for details.

References

• Based on the Apple2TS TypeScript Apple IIe emulator
• Assembly Lines: The Complete Book by Roger Wagner
• 64tass
• cl65 and ca65
• Merlin32
• VS Code Language Extension
• VS Code Extension Publishing