#40 Memory logger

[Pontus Berg]

My C64 activities is a lot about making new versions of old games and doing this c64 debugger is most helpful for parts of that (and it simply cannot do other parts). I use c64debugger rather much but there are still areas where it falls short and I need to revert to VICE.

1) The monitor is massively restricted and even with a number of quirks and shortcomings of the VICE monitor, I really miss it in the context of 64debugger. Just the lack of the M and I commands is annoying. And not managing the breakpoints from here - only via the dedicated view is quite annoying as well. Would it be totally impossible to inherit the VICE monitor and use it instead of the current one? As it is today, I still need to revert to VICE for a lot of aspects (where I dealy miss the visualisation in real time). VICE desperatly need work in the area of breaking out the monitor and forming it into a separate program that access VICE using an API, and work in that area would also benefit c64debugger. There is a previous thread of making c64debugger working as an addon to the main branch of VICE and you said that the changes to the emulation core likely did that impossible. I'd say it's still desirable to have that. If not the full program, then at least a subset of the functionality.

2) One function neither VICE nor C64debugger has is a function to record memory read/writes for a period of time. It would log all reads, writes and executions of every memory address of RAM (no need to record ROM and I/O access) between when I start the recording and until I stop it (and also not taking into account the bogus reads as per VICE bug 1134). I can think of the options to look for CPU read/write/execute but also optionally VIC reads (not sure if it would be possible to break that down to if it was read as bitmap, char, sprite but that would be totally outside the initial scope for me, but still cool). With this kind of log, it would be possibly to efficiently clean out unused parts of the program for efficient packing.

3) Some sort of basic pulldown menu would also be totally appreciated to lower the threshold for using the program. The key items would be somehing like: Selecting the view modes, mounting images of disk, tape and cart, accessing the setting, pause/step and the about. This should be quite helpful for all the people who fight the program by not remembering the keycombinations every time.

4) And we already talkwed about a floating window structure. Rather than fixed view, I would want to enable and resize the windows as per my current needs and then also arrange them as per my needs, possibly also being able to save the layout profile.

[Pontus Berg]

I should possibly also state that I am aware of the "dump c64 memory
markers" feature, and only now did I see the option to clear them. I will
get back to say if this fulfils the need as per the request above.

/Pontus "Bacchus" Berg
FairLight concil...

Den ons 14 aug. 2019 kl 12:53 skrev Pontus Berg bacchus_flt@users.sourceforge.net:

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• [tickets:#40] https://sourceforge.net/p/c64-debugger/tickets/40/
  Memory logger*

Status: open
Milestone: 1.0
Created: Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:53 AM UTC by Pontus Berg
Last Updated: Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:53 AM UTC
Owner: nobody

My C64 activities is a lot about making new versions of old games and
doing this c64 debugger is most helpful for parts of that (and it simply
cannot do other parts). I use c64debugger rather much but there are still
areas where it falls short and I need to revert to VICE.

1) The monitor is massively restricted and even with a number of quirks
and shortcomings of the VICE monitor, I really miss it in the context of
64debugger. Just the lack of the M and I commands is annoying. And not
managing the breakpoints from here - only via the dedicated view is quite
annoying as well. Would it be totally impossible to inherit the VICE
monitor and use it instead of the current one? As it is today, I still need
to revert to VICE for a lot of aspects (where I dealy miss the
visualisation in real time). VICE desperatly need work in the area of
breaking out the monitor and forming it into a separate program that access
VICE using an API, and work in that area would also benefit c64debugger.
There is a previous thread of making c64debugger working as an addon to the
main branch of VICE and you said that the changes to the emulation core
likely did that impossible. I'd say it's still desirable to have that. If
not the full program, then at least a subset of the functionality.

2) One function neither VICE nor C64debugger has is a function to record
memory read/writes for a period of time. It would log all reads, writes and
executions of every memory address of RAM (no need to record ROM and I/O
access) between when I start the recording and until I stop it (and also
not taking into account the bogus reads as per VICE bug 1134). I can think
of the options to look for CPU read/write/execute but also optionally VIC
reads (not sure if it would be possible to break that down to if it was
read as bitmap, char, sprite but that would be totally outside the initial
scope for me, but still cool). With this kind of log, it would be possibly
to efficiently clean out unused parts of the program for efficient packing.

3) Some sort of basic pulldown menu would also be totally appreciated to
lower the threshold for using the program. The key items would be somehing
like: Selecting the view modes, mounting images of disk, tape and cart,
accessing the setting, pause/step and the about. This should be quite
helpful for all the people who fight the program by not remembering the
keycombinations every time.

4) And we already talkwed about a floating window structure. Rather than
fixed view, I would want to enable and resize the windows as per my current
needs and then also arrange them as per my needs, possibly also being able
to save the layout profile.

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[slajerek]

1) This is in progress.
2) Actually I discussed similar functionality heavily with Digger at X2018 :) I have some ideas how to do that.
3 and 4) This is in progress, an experimental SDL2 ImGui version will be released soon.