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CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 3:45 pm
by DementedPurple
I try to click on the cc65 icon, and i get a black window for a few seconds, and then it vanishes. I'm using a Windows 10 PC, does anyone know how I could fix this? Thanks!

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 3:48 pm
by 3gengames
It's a command line tool?

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 3:50 pm
by DementedPurple
I don't know, it won't boot so I'm not able to see what the interface looks like.

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 4:16 pm
by na_th_an
It doesn't have a GUI. It's a command line tool. Open a console (Windows+R, type cmd, press ENTER) to use it. You can read the documentation on how to setup some required system variables.

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 4:30 pm
by tokumaru
Command line tools don't have a graphical interface, you have to call them through the command line, passing the necessary parameters for the program to do what it needs to. What we normally do in these cases is create a batch file (.BAT) in the same folder as the project containing all the commands necessary to run the compiler/assembler, so you can just double click that file every time you have to build.

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 4:31 pm
by tepples
How many concepts in Before the basics are you familiar with, particularly under the "Command-line interface" heading?

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2017 5:37 pm
by DementedPurple
tepples wrote:How many concepts in Before the basics are you familiar with, particularly under the "Command-line interface" heading?
I understand most of that stuff.

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 12:38 pm
by DementedPurple
Never mind, I was actually supposed to use CA65, And I think I've just about got it figured out. I'll reply if it doesn't work.

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 1:34 pm
by dougeff
Also command line.

What example files / tutorial are you working from? Tepples perhaps?

Do you know how to set up a .cfg file for NROM size NES ROM, or how to include a header?

EDIT, also, ca65 doesn't (by itself) assemble to an executable. It assembles to an object file. And ld65 links the object file(s) to an executable (using a cfg file as a map). It is not the easiest for a newb, and please ask questions, you will have lots of them.

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 5:37 pm
by DementedPurple
Okay, I was able to boot up the app, but I wasn't able load the file. I've tried moving the file into the same folder as the exe, I've tried giving it the directory, but I always got the same error, it couldn't open the file. Does it have something to do with the file type? I'm using a .asm file, will that not work? What type of file will work?

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 5:59 pm
by tepples
What do you mean by "couldn't open the file"? Is there an error message? Do you just get a black window that appears and disappears?

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 7:28 pm
by dougeff
Let's try the lowest level experiment. Make a text file, in the same folder as ca65.exe with these contents...

Code: Select all

.segment "CODE"

	lda #1
	sta $1
from the window explorer, click "File/Open Command Prompt"

type "ca65 filename.txt" (replace filename with actual filename, of course)

it should generate a .o file in the same directory. The file itself will look like gibberish, that's normal, this is just a simple test to confirm to you that it does work. If it generates a .o file, with no errors, this is a successful test.

If you get an error, print the entire error message here, so we know what you are talking about.

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 8:12 pm
by DementedPurple
Is the .o file a hexdump? What is it for?

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 8:21 pm
by tepples
Right now, it represents proof that your copy of the assembler is working. Once you get some actual code written, it represents the assembled object code corresponding to one of the source code files in your project, to be combined or "linked" with object code produced by assembling other source code files in order to form a ROM image.

Re: CC65 Won't boot

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 3:10 pm
by Tyler8x
ive been getting the same problem, but when I do the tasks said above, I just get the line
'"ca65 filename.txt"' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
can anyone help??