ref: 01f1703dfb64b6a859e04e077249881c3857dd06
dir: /README.rst/
RGBDS
=====
RGBDS (Rednex Game Boy Development System) is a free assembler/linker package
for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. It consists of:
- rgbasm (assembler)
- rgblink (linker)
- rgbfix (checksum/header fixer)
- rgbgfx (PNG‐to‐Game Boy graphics converter)
This is a fork of the original RGBDS which aims to make the programs more like
other UNIX tools.
This toolchain is maintained `on GitHub <https://github.com/gbdev/rgbds>`__.
The documentation of this toolchain can be viewed online `here <https://rgbds.gbdev.io/docs/>`__, it is generated from the man pages found in this repository.
The source code of the website itself is on GitHub as well under the repo `rgbds-www <https://github.com/gbdev/rgbds-www>`__.
If you want to contribute or maintain RGBDS, and have questions regarding the code, its organisation, etc. you can find me `on GBDev <https://gbdev.io/chat>`__ or via mail at ``rgbds at eldred dot fr``.
1. Installing RGBDS
-------------------
The `installation procedure <https://rgbds.gbdev.io/install>`__ is available
online for various platforms. `Building from source <https://rgbds.gbdev.io/install/#building-from-source>`__
is possible using ``make`` or ``cmake``; follow the link for more detailed instructions.
.. code:: sh
make
sudo make install
.. code:: sh
cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build
cmake --install build
2. RGBDS Folder Organization
----------------------------
The RGBDS source code file structure somewhat resembles the following:
::
.
├── .github/
│ ├── actions/
│ │ └── ...
│ └── workflows/
│ └── ...
├── contrib/
│ ├── zsh_compl/
│ │ └── ...
│ └── ...
├── include/
│ └── ...
├── man/
│ └── ...
├── src/
│ ├── asm/
│ │ └── ...
│ ├── extern/
│ │ └── ...
│ ├── fix/
│ │ └── ...
│ ├── gfx/
│ │ └── ...
│ ├── link/
│ │ └── ...
│ ├── CMakeLists.txt
│ └── ...
├── test/
│ ├── ...
│ └── run-tests.sh
├── .clang-format
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── Makefile
└── README.rst
.. |clang-format| replace:: ``clang-format``
.. _clang-format: https://clang.llvm.org/docs/ClangFormat.html
- ``.github/`` - files and scripts related to the integration of the RGBDS codebase with
GitHub.
* ``actions/`` - scripts used by workflow files.
* ``workflows/`` - CI workflow description files.
- ``contrib/`` - scripts and other resources which may be useful to users and developers of
RGBDS.
* ``zsh_compl`` contains tab completion scripts for use with zsh. Put them somewhere in your ``fpath``, and they should auto-load.
* ``bash_compl`` contains tab completion scripts for use with bash. Run them with ``source`` somewhere in your ``.bashrc``, and they should load every time you open a shell.
- ``include/`` - header files for each respective C files in `src`.
- ``man/`` - manual pages.
- ``src/`` - source code of RGBDS.
* Note that the code unique to each RGBDS tool is stored in its respective subdirectory
(rgbasm -> ``src/asm/``, for example). ``src/extern/`` contains code imported from external sources.
- ``test/`` - testing framework used to verify that changes to the code don't break or modify the behavior of RGBDS.
- ``.clang-format`` - code style for automated formatting with |clang-format|_. The C code does not currently follow this style, but all C++ code should.
3. History
----------
- Around 1997, Carsten Sørensen (AKA SurfSmurf) writes ASMotor as a
general-purpose assembler/linker system for DOS/Win32
- Around 1999, Justin Lloyd (AKA Otaku no Zoku) adapts ASMotor to read and
produce GBZ80 assembly/machine code, and releases this version as RGBDS.
- 2009, Vegard Nossum adapts the code to be more UNIX-like and releases
this version as rgbds-linux on
`GitHub <https://github.com/vegard/rgbds-linux>`__.
- 2010, Anthony J. Bentley forks that repository. The fork becomes the reference
implementation of rgbds.
- 2017, Bentley's repository is moved to a neutral name.
- 2018, codebase relicensed under the MIT license.
- 2020, repository is moved to the `gbdev <https://github.com/gbdev>`__ organisation. The `rgbds.gbdev.io <https://rgbds.gbdev.io>`__ website serving documentation and downloads is created.
4. Acknowledgements
-------------------
RGBGFX generates palettes using algorithms found in the paper
`"Algorithms for the Pagination Problem, a Bin Packing with Overlapping Items" <http://arxiv.org/abs/1605.00558>`__
(`GitHub <https://github.com/pagination-problem/pagination>`__, MIT license),
by Aristide Grange, Imed Kacem, and Sébastien Martin.