RGBASM-OLD(5) File Formats Manual RGBASM-OLD(5) NAME rgbasm-old -- obsolete language documentation DESCRIPTION This is the list of features that have been removed from the rgbasm(5) as- sembly language over its decades of evolution, along with their modern al- ternatives. Its goal is to be a reference for backwards incompatibility, when upgrading an old assembly codebase to work with the latest RGBDS re- lease. It does not attempt to list every syntax bug that was ever fixed (with some notable exceptions), nor new reserved keywords that may conflict with old identifiers. REMOVED These are features which have been completely removed, without any direct alternatives. Usually these features were limiting the addition of other features, or had awkward limits on their own intended effects. Automatic LD to LDH conversion (rgbasm -l) Deprecated in 0.7.0, removed in 0.8.0. rgbasm(1) used to automatically treat `LD' as `LDH' if the address was known to be in the $FF00-$FFFF range, with the -L flag to opt out. rg- basm(1) 0.6.0 added a -l flag to opt in instead. Instead, use `LDH', and remove the -L and -l flags from rgbasm(1). Automatic NOP after HALT (rgbasm -H) Deprecated in 0.7.0, removed in 0.8.0. rgbasm(1) used to automatically insert a `NOP' after `HALT', with the -h flag to opt out. rgbasm(1) 0.6.0 added a -H flag to opt in instead. Instead, use an explicit `NOP' after `HALT', and remove the -h and -H flags from rgbasm(1). Nested macro definitions Removed in 0.4.2. Instead, put the nested macro definition inside a quoted string (making sure that none of its lines start with ENDM), then interpolate that string. For example: MACRO outer DEF definition EQUS """ MACRO inner println (\1) - (\\1) \nENDM""" {definition} PURGE definition ENDM outer 10 inner 3 ; prints 7 Negative DS Removed in 0.3.2. This was used to "rewind" the value of @ in RAM sections, allowing labeled space allocations to overlap. Instead, use UNION. Section-local charmaps Deprecated in 0.3.9, removed in 0.4.0. Defining a CHARMAP inside a SECTION when the current global charmap was the `main' one used to only define that character mapping within that SECTION. Instead, use PUSHC and POPC and switch to a different character mapping for that section. __FILE__ and __LINE__ Deprecated in 0.6.0, removed in 0.7.0. Instead, use WARN or FAIL to print a complete trace of filenames and line numbers. _PI Deprecated in 0.5.0, removed in 0.6.0. Instead, use `3.141592653'. __DATE__ and __TIME__ Deprecated in 1.0.0. Instead, use `__ISO_8601_LOCAL__'. Treating multi-character strings as numbers Deprecated in 0.9.0, removed in 1.0.0. Instead, use a multi-value CHARMAP, or explicitly combine the values of in- dividual characters. For example, instead of a multi-character string like: CHARMAP "X", $12 CHARMAP "Y", $34 LD BC, "XY" Either use a multi-value CHARMAP: CHARMAP "X", $12 CHARMAP "Y", $34 CHARMAP "<XY>", 'X', 'Y' LD BC, CHARVAL("<XY>", 0) << 8 | CHARVAL("<XY>", 1) Or combine the individual characters: CHARMAP "X", $12 CHARMAP "Y", $34 LD BC, 'X' << 8 | 'Y' Or use a single-value character: CHARMAP "X", $12 CHARMAP "Y", $34 CHARMAP "<XY>", 'X' << 8 | 'Y' LD BC, '<XY>' Treating strings as numbers Deprecated in 1.0.0. Instead, use character constants or the CHARVAL function. For example, instead of a string literal like `LD A, "R"', use a numeric character literal `LD A, 'R''. And instead of a string expression like `CP STRUPR("\1")', use a numeric CHARVAL expression `CP CHARVAL(STRUPR("\1"))'. rgbgfx -f/--fix and -F/--fix-and-save Removed in 0.6.0. Instead, use `rgbgfx -c/--colors' to explicitly specify a color palette. If using `-c embedded', arrange the PNG's indexed palette in a separate graphics editor. rgbgfx -D/--debug Removed in 0.6.0. REPLACED These are features whose syntax has been changed without affecting func- tionality. They can generally be updated with a single search-and-replace. Defining constants and variables without DEF Deprecated in 0.7.0, removed in 0.8.0. EQU, EQUS, =, RB, RW, and RL definitions used to just start with the symbol name, but had to be typed in column 1. Instead, use DEF before constant and variable definitions. Note that EQUS expansion does not occur for the symbol name, so you have to use explicit `{interpolation}'. Defining macros like labels Deprecated in 0.6.0, removed in 0.7.0. Macros used to be defined as `name: MACRO'. Instead, use `MACRO name'. Note that EQUS expansion does not occur for the macro name, so you have to use explicit `{interpolation}'. Defining variables with SET Deprecated in 0.5.2, removed in 0.6.0. Variables used to be defined as `name SET value'. Instead, use `DEF name = value'. Global labels without colons Deprecated in 0.4.0, removed in 0.5.0. Labels used to be definable with just a name, but had to be typed in column 1. Instead, use explicit colons; for example, `Label:' or exported `Label::'. '\,' in strings within macro arguments Deprecated in 0.5.0, removed in 0.7.0. Macro arguments now handle quoted strings and parenthesized expressions as single arguments, so commas inside them are not argument separators and do not need escaping. Instead, just use commas without backslashes. '*' comments Deprecated in 0.4.1, removed in 0.5.0. These comments had to have the `*' typed in column 1. Instead, use `;' comments. STRIN, STRRIN, STRSUB, and CHARSUB Deprecated in 1.0.0. These functions used 1-based indexing of string characters, which was in- consistent with the 0-based indexing used more often in programming. Instead of STRIN, use STRFIND; instead of STRRIN, use STRRFIND; instead of STRSUB, use STRSLICE; and instead of CHARSUB, use STRCHAR. Note that STRSLICE takes a start and end index instead of a start index and a length. PRINTT, PRINTI, PRINTV, and PRINTF Deprecated in 0.5.0, removed in 0.6.0. These directives were each specific to one type of value. Instead, use PRINT and PRINTLN, with STRFMT or `{interpolation}' for type- specific formatting. IMPORT and XREF Removed in 0.4.0. Symbols are now automatically resolved if they were exported from else- where. Instead, just remove these directives. GLOBAL and XDEF Deprecated in 0.4.2, removed in 0.5.0. Instead, use EXPORT. HOME, CODE, DATA, and BSS Deprecated in 0.3.0, removed in 0.4.0. Instead of HOME, use ROM0; instead of CODE and DATA, use ROMX; and instead of BSS, use WRAM0. JP [HL] Deprecated in 0.3.0, removed in 0.4.0. Instead, use `JP HL'. LDI A, HL and LDD A, HL Deprecated in 0.3.0, removed in 0.4.0. Instead, use `LDI A, [HL]' and `LDD A, [HL]' (or `LD A, [HLI]' and `LD A, [HLD]'; or `LD A, [HL+]' and `LD A, [HL-]'). LDIO Deprecated in 0.9.0, removed in 1.0.0. Instead, use `LDH'. LD [C], A and LD A, [C] Deprecated in 0.9.0, removed in 1.0.0. Instead, use `LDH [C], A' and `LDH A, [C]'. Note that `LD [$FF00+C], A' and `LD A, [$FF00+C]' were also deprecated in 0.9.0, but were undeprecated in 0.9.1. LDH [n8], A and LDH A, [n8] Deprecated in 0.9.0, removed in 1.0.0. `LDH' used to treat "addresses" from $00 to $FF as if they were the low byte of an address from $FF00 to $FFFF. Instead, use `LDH [n16], A' and `LDH A, [n16]'. LD HL, [SP + e8] Deprecated in 0.3.0, removed in 0.4.0. Instead, use `LD HL, SP + e8'. LDHL SP, e8 Supported in ASMotor, removed in RGBDS. Instead, use `LD HL, SP + e8'. OPT z Deprecated in 0.4.0, removed in 0.5.0. Instead, use OPT p. rgbasm -i Deprecated in 0.6.0, removed in 0.8.0. Instead, use -I or --include. rgbfix -O/--overwrite Deprecated in 1.0.0. Instead, use `-Wno-overwrite'. rgbgfx -h/--horizontal Removed in 0.6.0. Instead, use -Z or --columns. rgbgfx --output-* Deprecated in 0.7.0, removed in 0.8.0. Instead, use --auto-*. CHANGED These are breaking changes that did not alter syntax, and so could not practically be deprecated. Trigonometry function units Changed in 0.6.0. Instead of dividing a circle into 65536.0 "binary degrees", it is now di- vided into 1.0 "turns". For example, previously we had: delim $$ * `SIN(0.25) == 0.00002', because 0.25 binary degrees = $0.25 / 65536.0$ turns = $0.000004 tau$ radians = $0.000008 pi$ radians, and $sin ( 0.000008 pi ) = 0.00002$ * `SIN(16384.0) == 1.0', because 16384.0 binary degrees = $16384.0 / 65536.0$ turns = $0.25 tau$ radians = $pi / 2$ radians, and $sin ( pi / 2 ) = 1$ * `ASIN(1.0) == 16384.0' Instead, now we have: * `SIN(0.25) == 1.0', because $0.25$ turns = $0.25 tau$ radians = $pi / 2$ radians, and $sin ( pi / 2 ) = 1$ * `SIN(16384.0) == 0.0', because $16384$ turns = $16384 tau$ radi- ans = $32768 pi$ radians, and $sin ( 32768 pi ) = 0$ * `ASIN(1.0) == 0.25' delim off % operator behavior with negative dividend or divisor Changed in 0.5.0. Instead of having the same sign as the dividend (a remainder operation), `%' has the same sign as the divisor (a modulo operation). For example, previously we had: * `13 % 10 == 3' * `-13 % 10 == -3' * `13 % -10 == 3' * `-13 % -10 == -3' Instead, now we have: * `13 % 10 == 3' * `-13 % 10 == 7' * `13 % -10 == -7' * `-13 % -10 == -3' ** operator associativity Changed in 0.9.0. Instead of being left-associative, `**' is now right-associative. Previously we had `p ** q ** r == (p ** q) ** r'. Instead, now we have `p ** q ** r == p ** (q ** r)'. BUGS These are misfeatures that may have been possible by mistake. They do not get deprecated, just fixed. Space between exported labels' colons Fixed in 0.7.0. Labels with two colons used to ignore a space between them; for example, `Label: :'. Instead, use `Label::'. Space between label and colon Fixed in 0.9.0. Space between a label and its colon(s) used to be ignored; for example, `Label :' and `Label ::'. Now they are treated as invocations of the `Label' macro with `:' and `::' as arguments. Instead, use `Label:' and `Label::'. Extra underscores in integer constants Fixed in 1.0.0. Underscores, the optional digit separators in integer constants, used to allow more than one in sequence, or trailing without digits on either side. Now only one underscore is allowed between two digits, or between the base prefix and a digit, or between a digit and the `q' fixed-point precision suffix. ADD r16 with implicit first HL operand Fixed in 0.5.0. For example, `ADD BC' used to be treated as `ADD HL, BC', and likewise for `DE', `HL', and `SP'. Instead, use an explicit first `HL' operand. = instead of SET Fixed in 0.4.0. The = operator used to be an alias for the SET keyword, which included us- ing = for the SET instruction. Instead, just use SET for the instruction. SEE ALSO rgbasm(1), gbz80(7), rgbds(5), rgbds(7) HISTORY rgbasm(1) was originally written by Carsten Sorensen as part of the ASMotor package, and was later repackaged in RGBDS by Justin Lloyd. It is now maintained by a number of contributors at https://github.com/gbdev/rgbds. FreeBSD ports 15.quarterly July 20, 2026 RGBASM-OLD(5)
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