run-ted-msx

name	run-ted-msx
description	Build and run TED (a 1991 Dutch MSX2 word processor) and other MSX/Z80 M80 assembly projects on webmsx.org. Use when the user mentions TED, MSX, M80, L80, MSX-DOS, webmsx, .MAC files, or wants to assemble or run Z80 .COM programs in the browser.

Run And Build TED On webmsx.org

A question-driven walkthrough. The build/run loop runs in the browser via webmsx.org (or a local clone of ~/WebMSX). Host side just packs zips with tools/pack.sh; WebMSX auto-creates a 720K floppy from the zip when given ?DISKA_FILES_URL=...zip.

What's in this repo?

msx2026/
├── tools/
│   ├── m80/                M80.COM, L80.COM, LIB80.COM, CREF80.COM (CP/M-80 binaries)
│   ├── msxdos/             MSXDOS.SYS + COMMAND.COM — make any zip-disk bootable
│   ├── pack.sh             Builds the dist/*.zip files
│   └── expand-ted-tabs.py  Replays MAKESP from GETPUT.MAC to expand TAB → spaces
├── src/
│   ├── hello/              HELLO.MAC + ML.BAT — minimal proof of the toolchain
│   └── ted/                TED #2.6 source: MAIN/SUBTED/TEDSTR/GETPUT/OFFSET.MAC
│                           plus *.TED ruler files and our MK.BAT / SHORT.BAT
├── runtime/ted/            Prebuilt TED.COM + helpers + LEES.MIJ + manuals (Dutch + English)
├── dist/                   Drag any of these onto webmsx.org (or use as DISKA_FILES_URL)
│   ├── m80-tools.zip
│   ├── hello-build.zip
│   ├── ted-build.zip
│   └── ted-run.zip
└── doc/
    ├── TED26.DOC           Original Dutch manual (CP850 + box-drawing chars)
    ├── TED26.utf8.txt      Same, transcoded for modern editors
    ├── TED26ENG.DOC        English translation (CP850, opens inside TED)
    └── TED26ENG.utf8.txt   English translation, transcoded for modern editors

Verified working as of May 2026 against WebMSX 6.0.8.

How do I run a hello-world build right now?

The repo is published. Just click:

https://webmsx.org/?MACHINE=MSX2PE&PRESETS=DISK,RAM512&FAST_BOOT=1&BASIC_ENTER=ML&DISKA_FILES_URL=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/riesvriend/msx2026/main/dist/hello-build.zip

What happens:

1. WebMSX fetches hello-build.zip from raw.githubusercontent.com and turns it into a 720K virtual floppy in drive A.
2. MSXDOS.SYS + COMMAND.COM are in the zip, so it boots to A>.
3. AUTOEXEC.BAT runs M80 =HELLO/M/P then L80 HELLO,HELLO/N/E, runs HELLO (Hello, MSX!), then DIR HELLO.COM.
4. Then BASIC_ENTER=ML invokes ML.BAT again as a re-build sanity check.

For local iteration: tools/pack.sh hello rebuilds dist/hello-build.zip. With a CORS-enabled local server: http://localhost:8765/wmsx/index.html?MACHINE=MSX2PE&PRESETS=DISK,RAM512&DISKA_FILES_URL=http://localhost:8765/dist/hello-build.zip&FAST_BOOT=1&BASIC_ENTER=ML. The AUTOEXEC.BAT pattern is what you want to copy for any new .MAC project.

How do I rebuild TED.COM from source?

Click:

https://webmsx.org/?MACHINE=MSX2PE&PRESETS=DISK,RAM512&FAST_BOOT=1&BASIC_ENTER=MK&Z80_CLOCK_MODE=8&VDP_CLOCK_MODE=8&DISKA_FILES_URL=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/riesvriend/msx2026/main/dist/ted-build.zip

What MK.BAT does:

1. M80 =TEDSTR/M/P, M80 =GETPUT/M/P, M80 =SUBTED/M/P, M80 =MAIN/M/P — assembles all four modules.
2. L80 SUBTED,GETPUT,TEDSTR,MAIN,TED/N/E — links them into a fresh TED.COM (~30 KB).
3. TED 12345 — runs the freshly linked binary's registration entry point (see "Why does my freshly built TED exit immediately?"). This patches TED.COM on disk to make the editor reachable.
4. TED LEES.MIJ — launches the now-editorial TED.COM with the welcome letter open.

At 8x Z80 turbo the full sequence takes ~90 s in a foreground browser tab. The original developer's ML4.BAT is included for reference but doesn't run on stock MSX-DOS 1 (uses > redirection and custom disint/enaint utilities) — use MK.BAT instead.

For local iteration: tools/pack.sh ted rebuilds dist/ted-build.zip (tools + sources + MK.BAT + LEES.MIJ). Push to GitHub → next click of the URL above picks it up.

How do I run TED without rebuilding?

Click:

https://webmsx.org/?MACHINE=MSX2PE&PRESETS=DISK,RAM512&FAST_BOOT=1&BASIC_ENTER=TED+LEES.MIJ&DISKA_FILES_URL=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/riesvriend/msx2026/main/dist/ted-run.zip

dist/ted-run.zip contains the already-registered prebuilt TED.COM plus LEES.MIJ, the manual, helpers, and MSXDOS.SYS + COMMAND.COM. The editor appears within seconds. Inside TED: F7 help, F2 settings, F3 system, F4 commands, F5 block ops. Status bar is in Dutch.

Local iteration: tools/pack.sh ted-run.

Why don't the .MAC sources have any TAB characters?

They used to. TED's editor stores tabs as ASCII 9 in memory and on disk (when F2/T/B "Bewaar Tab-tekens op diskette" is on), and when displaying or loading it expands them using a configurable ruler from a per-file .TED settings file. For TED's own sources that ruler has stops at columns 0, 16, 40, then every 8 up to 248 — labels at col 0, opcodes at col 16, comments at col 40. Modern viewers (GitHub, VS Code) default to 4- or 8-column tabs, which mangles the layout.

tools/expand-ted-tabs.py re-implements the MAKESP routine from src/ted/GETPUT.MAC byte for byte: it reads the ruler from a .TED file (offset 103, 256-byte column map, 0x2B = stop) and replaces every \t with the right run of spaces. Run it after editing any source:

python3 tools/expand-ted-tabs.py src/ted/MAIN.MAC src/ted/MAIN.TED

The expanded files still assemble identically (same TED.COM bytes from M80/L80); they're just easier to read on github.com. Don't paste tab characters back into the sources — keep them space-only.

Why does my freshly built TED exit immediately?

TED's MAIN.MAC declares its entry point as codeer (line ~7678), not the editor. codeer is a one-shot registration routine:

1. Reads a serial number from the command line (digits only; non-digits ignored).
2. Patches the JP instruction at 100h so it points to ini (the real editor).
3. Computes a checksum, XOR-encodes the intro string for anti-piracy, writes the entire image back to disk via MSX-DOS CREATE/RBWRITE.
4. RST 0 (exit to MSX-DOS).

So a fresh-from-L80 TED.COM must be run once with TED <some-number> before it functions as an editor. MK.BAT does this with TED 12345. The prebuilt runtime/ted/TED.COM was already registered by its original developer, so it works on first launch.

How do I read the manual?

• Modern editor (English): open doc/TED26ENG.utf8.txt. Box-drawing chars become Unicode equivalents.
• Modern editor (Dutch original): open doc/TED26.utf8.txt.
• As intended (inside TED): use dist/ted-run.zip and BASIC_ENTER=TED+TED26ENG.DOC (or TED26.DOC for Dutch). Both ship in runtime/ted/.
• Print path the manual itself recommends: open in TED, F4, P.

How do I add a new .MAC project?

1. mkdir -p src/myproj and add MYPROG.MAC plus an AUTOEXEC.BAT:

   M80 =MYPROG/M/P
   L80 MYPROG,MYPROG/N/E
   MYPROG
   

2. Add a pack_myproj() to tools/pack.sh that follows the same shape as pack_hello() (always include MSXDOS.SYS + COMMAND.COM from tools/msxdos/).

3. tools/pack.sh myproj, launch with ?DISKA_FILES_URL=...&FAST_BOOT=1 — AUTOEXEC.BAT runs automatically when MSX-DOS boots.

Keep filenames 8.3 and uppercase. Use CRLF line endings (the pack.sh ensure_crlf step does this). Don't strip the CP/M Ctrl-Z (0x1A) EOF marker that's at the end of the original .MAC/.BAT files.

How do I distribute the launch URL to others?

Already done: this repo is public at github.com/riesvriend/msx2026, and raw.githubusercontent.com is CORS-friendly to webmsx.org. The three one-click URLs in README.md work for anyone with a browser. They were verified end-to-end on May 9 2026 against WebMSX 6.0.8.

For your own fork, replace riesvriend with your GitHub username:

https://webmsx.org/?MACHINE=MSX2PE&PRESETS=DISK,RAM512&FAST_BOOT=1&BASIC_ENTER=TED+LEES.MIJ&DISKA_FILES_URL=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/<user>/msx2026/main/dist/ted-run.zip

Arbitrary other hosts may not have CORS — drag-drop the zip onto the WebMSX page is the always-works fallback.

Why does my zip boot to MSX BASIC instead of A>?

The DISK extension only provides the floppy interface — to actually drop into MSX-DOS the disk needs MSXDOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM in its root. pack.sh adds these from tools/msxdos/ to every zip it builds. Without them you land in Disk BASIC (Disk BASIC version 1.0) at the MSX BASIC Ok prompt.

What URL parameters matter?

Param	Why
MACHINE=MSX2PE	European MSX2+ (PAL 50Hz). TED targets MSX2; MSX2+ runs the same code with more RAM.
PRESETS=DISK,RAM512	Floppy interface + 512 KB RAM mapper. Plenty for TED.
DISKA_FILES_URL=...zip	WebMSX builds a 720K floppy from this zip and inserts in drive A.
FAST_BOOT=1	Skips the boot animation.
BASIC_ENTER=ML	After power-on, types the string + Enter. Works at MSX-DOS A> too, not only BASIC.
Z80_CLOCK_MODE=8	8x Z80 speed — makes M80/L80 builds tractable.
VDP_CLOCK_MODE=8	8x VDP — speeds up screen scrolling during M80's verbose output.

What if M80 errors with "?Command error" or "Bad command or file name"?

• ?Command error from COMMAND.COM means MSX-DOS 1 didn't understand the line. Most common causes: > output redirection or | pipes (only in MSX-DOS 2), or ECHO (no built-in in MSX-DOS 1 — write your message to a .TXT file or just remove it).
• Bad command or file name means the executable isn't on the disk. Check the zip contents (unzip -l dist/foo.zip) and ensure filenames are uppercase 8.3.

How do I run this entirely locally (no internet)?

Both wmsx/ and dist/ are served from the same localhost:8765 origin, so CORS doesn't apply and stdlib http.server is enough — no custom server script needed.

# 1. clone WebMSX once
git clone https://github.com/ppeccin/WebMSX ~/WebMSX

# 2. set up a unified test directory side-by-side with the repo
mkdir -p /tmp/wmsx-test
ln -snf ~/WebMSX/release/stable/6.0/standalone /tmp/wmsx-test/wmsx
ln -snf "$(pwd)/dist"                          /tmp/wmsx-test/dist

# 3. serve it
python3 -m http.server 8765 --directory /tmp/wmsx-test

# 4. open
http://localhost:8765/wmsx/index.html?MACHINE=MSX2PE&PRESETS=DISK,RAM512&DISKA_FILES_URL=http://localhost:8765/dist/ted-run.zip&FAST_BOOT=1&BASIC_ENTER=TED+LEES.MIJ

Webmsx.org is fine for everything except CORS-blocked private zip URLs.

Repo conventions

• Source files: byte-identical copies of the originals from ~/msx/. Keep CP850 + Ctrl-Z layout.
• dist/*.zip is generated, not hand-edited. Re-run tools/pack.sh <target> after any source change.
• WebMSX preset: always MSX2PE with DISK,RAM512. Add Z80_CLOCK_MODE=8&VDP_CLOCK_MODE=8 for builds.
• MSXDOS.SYS + COMMAND.COM go in every zip; pack.sh handles this.