CP/M IDE

A VS Code extension for CP/M application development with integrated serial terminal and file transfer capabilities.

Features

🔌 Integrated Serial Terminal

• Configurable serial connection with baud rate, data bits, and parity settings
• Automatic detection of CP/M command prompts (A>, B>, etc.)
• Transparent background command execution for device management

📁 File Transfer System

• Automatic scanning of CP/M drives on connection
• XMODEM protocol implementation for reliable file transfer
• One-click file transfer to/from remote device
• Integrated file explorer showing remote CP/M drives and files
• Automatic installation of XMODEM.COM utility

🖥️ Z80 Assembly Support

• Complete Z80 assembly syntax highlighting
• Support for various assembly syntaxes and directives
• Mnemonics highlighting for all standard Z80 instructions
• Numeric format support (hex, binary, decimal, octal)

🔨 Build Integration

• Support for local Z80 assembler integration
• C compiler integration for building .COM files
• Configurable build tools via settings
• Build output captured in dedicated channel

Installation

Local development

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Run npm install to install dependencies
3. Run npm run compile to build the extension
4. Open the folder in VS Code and press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host

Package or publish

1. Make sure the publisher value in package.json matches your Visual Studio Marketplace publisher name
2. Bump the extension version in package.json
3. Package a .vsix file with npx @vscode/vsce package
4. Publish to the Marketplace with npx @vscode/vsce publish patch
5. Use minor or major instead of patch when you want a larger version bump

Configuration

Configure the extension via VS Code settings:

{
  "cpmIde.serialPort": "COM1",
  "cpmIde.baudRate": 9600,
  "cpmIde.dataBits": 8,
  "cpmIde.stopBits": 1,
  "cpmIde.parity": "none",
  "cpmIde.assembler": "z80asm",
  "cpmIde.assemblerPath": "",
  "cpmIde.zasmFlags": "-b",
  "cpmIde.compiler": "cc"
}

Assembler Configuration

The extension supports multiple Z80 assemblers. Set cpmIde.assembler to one of:

• z80asm (default) - Syntax: z80asm infile -o outfile
• zasm - Syntax: zasm [flags] infile outfile
  • Configure ZASM flags with cpmIde.zasmFlags (default: -b for binary output)
  • Example with listing: "cpmIde.zasmFlags": "-b -l"
• tasm - Syntax: tasm infile outfile
• other - Provide full command path in cpmIde.assemblerPath

C Compiler Configuration

The extension supports multiple C compilers. Set cpmIde.compiler to one of:

• cc (default) - Traditional CP/M C compiler
  • Generates object files (.o)
• sdcc - SDCC (Small Device C Compiler)
  • Generates .COM files directly
  • Set target architecture with cpmIde.sdccTarget (default: z80)
  • Supported targets: z80, z180, r2k, r3ka
  • Configure additional flags with cpmIde.sdccFlags
  • Example: "cpmIde.sdccFlags": "--std-c99 --opt-code-size"
• other - Provide full command path in cpmIde.compilerPath

Usage

Opening the Serial Terminal

1. Run command: "Open CP/M Serial Terminal"
2. Configure port settings if needed
3. The extension will auto-detect CP/M drives and files

File Transfer

• To Device: Right-click file in explorer → "Transfer File to CP/M Device"
• From Device: Click transfer icon next to file in CP/M Files panel

Building Projects

1. Create .asm or .c files in your workspace
2. Run command: "Build CP/M Project"
3. Output files (.COM) are created alongside source files

Architecture

Core Modules

• extension.ts - Main extension entry point and command registration
• serialTerminal.ts - Serial port management and terminal integration
• xmodem.ts - XMODEM protocol implementation (128-byte and 1K variants)
• fileExplorer.ts - Tree view provider for remote CP/M files
• build.ts - Build system integration for assembler and compiler

Serial Protocol

The extension uses CP/M 2.2 standard commands for file management:

• Drive selection: A:, B:, etc.
• Directory listing: DIR
• File transfer: XMODEM protocol via XMODEM.COM

All directory operations and file transfers are performed transparently, with command output hidden from the user unless explicitly requested.

Requirements

• VS Code 1.80.0 or later
• Node.js 18+ recommended for development and publishing
• Serial port connection to CP/M device
• Z80 assembler (z80asm, TASM, etc.) for assembly builds
• C compiler (compatible with CP/M targets) for C builds

Known Limitations

• XMODEM-CRC variant not yet implemented (uses checksum only)
• Batch file operations not yet supported
• No integrated debugger (uses CP/M native debugging tools)

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Watch for changes
npm run watch

# Run tests
npm run test

# Create .vsix package
npx @vscode/vsce package

# Publish to the Marketplace
npx @vscode/vsce publish patch

Publishing

This extension is configured in package.json with the name cpm-ide and publisher cpm-ide, so the Marketplace identifier is cpm-ide.cpm-ide unless you change one of those fields.

Before publishing, run the full validation flow:

1. npm install
2. npm run compile
3. npm run test
4. npx @vscode/vsce package
5. npx @vscode/vsce publish patch

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please follow the coding standards and test before submitting pull requests.

Roadmap

• [ ] XMODEM-CRC support
• [ ] Batch file operations
• [ ] Remote file editing
• [ ] Integrated CP/M debugger
• [ ] Source-level debugging support
• [ ] Make file integration
• [ ] Project templates