Hello!
I am currently trying to learn some z80 machine code,i am a complete newbie at it,my first steps involve basic programs with some machine code in the form of data statements.

I am interested to create some small roms (no more than 8kbytes).

However i would like to know if there is a way to be able to run those small roms through a cartridge,create a routine somehow that would make the game have an exit option and then when pressed to return to basic,and after that if i want with a call to make the game run again.(execute a machine code,or basic loader that would allow me to run cartridge again)

Is this possible?

Sorry if i did not explain well.
Do you have any links for newbies that want to learn z80 coding on msx platform?
Thanks

Um, the fastest way (and the easiest) to start programming little ROMs is using an emulator and cross assemblers. Both main emulators, OpenMSX and BlueMSX works fine although the BlueMSX debugger it's by now, easier to master. About assembler, most of them are enough for a newbie; asMSX has some facilities for creating ROMs automagically; but if you prefer, you can use the rest by creating the ROM by hand. Don't try to implement extra code to return to BASIC and such things, it's totally useless. Try to focus on the ROM itself.
There's no special Z80 tutorial for MSX, once you feel comfortable with the Z80 assembler (there're tons of very good Z80 tutorials on the net), you need to look for information about the specific MSX hardware: VDP, PSG, etc and of course familiarize as soon as possible with the BIOS calls.
Studying little MSX examples is always a good idea, you can find snippets on pages like MSX Assembly page or Karoshi Development Forum

Yes, it is possible and not even too hard...

Check out MSX2 Technical handbook chapter 7.3 for details.
http://www.konamiman.com/msx/th-5b.txt

jltursan: note: feel free to check on #openMSX on irc.freenode.net to get a Win32 binary of the openMSX debugger GUI.

Thank you!I will certainly have to check out plenty of things,but i think it is time to move away from basic and to go to assembly for speed.

Thanks for your offer Manuel!; but I've no problem to wait for the final release (although I'm eager to see the new GUI ) and I'm a bit lazy about IRC,..... I've never used one!

The release isn't making much progress at the moment and it would be good to have more beta testers... So please stop by! You can also use a web based iRC client like ircatwork.com.

OK, I put online a Win32 binary of the latest code, please give this stuff a spin and tell us what you think. It's not released yet, so it probably contains some bugs. AFAIK there's at least a bug with the scrollbar of the debugger view. And there's no documentation yet.... But still, have fun.

http://openmsx.sourceforge.net/temp/openmsx-debugger-win32-bin-snapshot.zip

Did anyone try it out yet?

Yep, it looks good (at first seems curious the client/server architecture); but till weekend I'm not gonna try it with a serious debugging session.

Quote:

Did anyone try it out yet?

I will try it asap.

Quote:

http://openmsx.sourceforge.net/temp/openmsx-debugger-win32-bin-snapshot.zip

- drag all windows outside the main window, don't close them -> quit -> restart -> crash -> have to clear registry entry to make it work again
- can't reattach a window to the main window after dragging it out
- where's the VDP? and other MSX devices (same goes for blue )

Thanks for the feedback hap.
About point 1: let's tell Edwin
Point 2: You can drag them in again, but you have to drag them not by dragging the window title, but by dragging the window itself (drag its guts, not its window border).
Point 3: a very basic one: Click View -> Add debuggable viewer
Then you can at least select a HEX viewer on any debuggable, including the VDP. It's a start

How can I setup a breakpoint *before* launching the emulator and connecting the session?, is it possible?

Um, I don't think so, but why would you want that? There is no code in the view yet before you connect, because the debugger doesn't know anything about the running MSX...

Normally, you launch openMSX just once, then launch the debugger, connect and work. You don't need to restart either one. Set a breakpoint (maybe also pause the emulator), reset the MSX and there you go?