This cartridge is hardly more than a dongle: the main programs, the text editor and the text formatter, come on a companion disk. All the cartridge does is:
Language selection
Initialisation
Main menu
_Editor
_Formatter
_Utility
Directory listing
You'll find a commented disassembly listing of the GROM in these two files: wr1.txt (GPL program), and wr2.txt (data).
The cartridge contains seven programs (and no power-up routines, subprograms, nor DSRs). In fact, these are just seven different entry points to the main menu, each for a different language:
PROCESSADOR DE TEXTO (spanish)
TI-TEKSTWERVERKER (dutch)
TI-SKRIVARE (swedish, I think)
TRATAMENTO TESTI (italian)
TI-TEXTSYSTEM (german)
TEXTE-TI (french, sort of)
TI-WRITER (english)
Due to the fact that programs are listed on the main menu screen in reverse order of their position in the program chain, TI-WRITER will appear first, just under TI-Basic and the spanish version is at the bottom of the list.
Once the user selects a language, each entry point loads a different value in byte >8390: 1 for english, 2 for french,... 7 for spanish. It also loads a pointer in word >8388-8389, that points to a table of prompts and messages in the appropriate language.
The table begins with 26 pointers. The first 25 points at 24 strings (pointers 6 corresponds to an empty string) used to display the main menu, the disk directory and a few messages in the selected language. The last pointer points at the end of the table, because the display routine calculates the length of a string by substracting its pointer from the next one.
Just after the table is a serie of character patterns used to display the special characters in non-english languages.
| Language | >8390 | >8388 | Special char pats |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | >01 | >69C4 | none |
| French | >02 | >6B4B | 64, 91-93, 123-126 |
| German | >03 | >6D31 | 64, 91-93, 123-126 |
| Italian | >04 | >6F1D | 91, 93, 96, 123-126 |
| Swedish | >05 | >70F9 | 36, 64, 91-94, 96, 123-126 |
| Dutch | >06 | >72DB | 6 chars, not used |
| Spanish | >07 | >74BB | 35, 91-93, 123, 124 |
Once these pointers are set, all programs branch to a common point and go on with VDP initialisation.
The VDP registers are then set with the following values:
R1=20 Standard mode, screen off.
R2=00 Screen image at >0000
R3=0E Color table at >0380
R4=01 Char pattern table at >0800
R5=06 Sprite attribute table at >0300
R6=00 Sprite pattern table at >0000 (not the same as char pats!)
R7=F5 White on blue
Sprites are disabled by writing >D0 at VDP address >0300 (first sprite vertical position).
Then the program loads the built-in character sets from the console GROM, and special characters from the cartridge GROM:
For some reason, provision is made to load a different set of standard characters, possibly corresponding to another console version: the distinction is made by scanning the keyboard with keyboard type 5. If the type is not changed to 0 by the scanning routine, characters >32-95 will be loaded at addresses >0A00-0BFF in VDP memory, then characters 64-95 are modified by adding a small 2-pixel dash in their upper left corner. I have no idea what this is meant for, the TI-99/4 may be?
Finally the screen is cleared, the color table is initialised as white on blue (>F5) and the main menu is displayed. VDP register 1 is changed to >60, which turns the screen on.
The program then checks for the presence of the memory expansion card by writing a test value (>BA) at >A000 and reading it back. An error message is displayed if the read value does not match ("MEMORY EXPANSION NOT FOUND").
At this point, the user can choose between options 1 to 3 in the main menu.
* WORD PROCESSOR * |
* TEKSTVERWERKING * |
Option 1 enters the text editor.
Option 2 calls the text formatter and printer.
Option 3 allows the user to load a "program" file in EA5 format.
Fctn= resets the TI-99/4A.
Option 1 first loads a file containing the characters patterns for a given language. This file is called CHARA1 for english, CHARB1 for french, etc. The file PAB is located at >0680 in VDP memory, and the data buffer area is >07FA. Since all these files begin with a 6-byte header (EA5 standard), the file data start at >0800, which corresponds to the beginning of the character pattern table. A very elegant way to modify that table, indeed. Of course, the contents of the file is not tranfered in cpu memory (the 6 header bytes are all zero).
The number of available files is then lowered to 1, by calling subprogram >16 in the disk controller card. This is the equivalent of a CALL FILES(1) in Basic.
The program proceeds by loading an EA5 file called EDITA1 in english, EDITB1 in french, etc. The PAB is still at >0680, but this time the data buffer area is located at an address taken from word >8386, which points to the first available address in VDP memory. In complieance with the EA5 standard, the loading routine can continue with loading a file called EDITx2 if the header of the first file requires it (it does).
If the loading operation fails, the program attempts to load the english version of the editor: EDITA1 and EDITA2. An error message will be displayed only if that second attempt is unsuccessfull.
If loading was successfull, word >8386 is set as >1000 (first free address in VDP memory), VDP register 1 is set as >30 (screen off, text mode), the screen is erase, byte >8384 is cleared and the editor is entered via an XML >F0 (i.e. the vector is in word >8300).
The editor loads a "program" file (not in EA5 format) called TXTEA1 for english, TXTEB1 for french, etc. This file contains the promtps used by the editor within its menus, and the key combinations to be entered by the user to trigger one or the other command (e.g. SD for ShowDirectory in english, AR for AfficherRepertoire in french, etc).
Upon return, the value of byte >8384 determines the action to be
taken:
0: Re-initialise the module.
1: Load an EA5 file whose PAB in VDP memory is pointed by word >8389
and execute it (in case of an error, re-enter the program with XML
>F0).
2: List the disk directory, for the drive number found in >8385.
Once
done, re-enter the program
3: Load and runs the formatter.
Other values: Performs a GPL RTN.
Option 2 loads the character patterns file, just like option 1 and sets the number of files to 4.
It then loads the EA5 files FORMA1 and FORMA2 for english, FORMB1 and FORMB2 for french, etc. Here also, if loading fails, the program attempts to load the english version, before to annouce an error.
The formatter is launched by the same routine than the editor, and the same actions can be taken upon return, depending on the value in byte >8384.
The formater loads a "program" file (not in EA5 format) called TXTFA1 for english, TXTEF1 for french, etc. This file contains the promtps used by the formatter to interact with the user, and the formatting commands to be expected inside the text (e.g. LM for left margin, which is MG in french: marge de gauche).
Option 3 does not load any character pattern but sets the maximum number of files to 3 and prompts the user for a filename.
This file is loaded and run just as the editor and the formatter, wich allows for the possibility of a pre-defined action upon return, depending on the value of byte >8384.
CATALOG DISK |
CATALOGUE |
As mentionned above, this subprogram is only available when called from the editor, or from an utility EA5 program that exits with the value >02 in byte >8384 and the relevant drive number in byte >8385. That's especially strange since it's written in GPL: it wouldn't cost much to create an adequate entry point from the main menu. Maybe that was deliberate from Texas Instruments, so that the cartridge won't be used without the floppy?
When entered, the program loads VDP registers 1 to 6 with the values stored in GROM, and disables the sprites. It initialises the color table with the colors placed in byte >83FB by the calling program. Then is displays "Catalog Disk" and "Press clear to abort" in the appropriate language.
To display the directory, it calls subprogram >10 from the disk controller card: this is the sector read/write low level utility. It is used to read sector 0 into a buffer located at >0400 in VDP memory. Data in sector 0 is used to display the disk name, and to calculate the number of free and available sectors (the program counts the "1" bits in the bitmap).
Then it calls subprogram >10 again to read sector 1, that contains a list of file pointers. Again, the data buffer is at >0400. The program then walks the list of file pointers until it reaches a >0000. For each file it loads the corresponding File Descriptor Record (using subprogram >10) into a buffer located at >0500 in VDP memory. The relevant informations are extracted from the FDR and displayed on screen. If necessary the screen scrolls up, but never overwrites the title lines.
The user can press the spacebar to temporarily pause and resume the listing. Pressing Fctn-4 aborts the operation. Whether aborted or normally completed, the program then displays "Command completed", "Press: enter" and waits for the user to press <enter>.
It then clears the screen, loads VDP registers 1 to 6 with the values taken from bytes >83B9-83BE (placed by the calling program in the GPL data stack) and re-enters the calling program with the same XML >F0 that was used to launch it (i.e. >8300 should contain the address of the entry point).