Install notes for the MAE assembler.

MAE.COM as supplied in the archive will
run as-is on a 128K+ machine, in
standard 40 column mode.  Instructions
for creating a version for 64K machines
and/or 64/80 column versions follow.

Please backup the original MAE.COM file
or keep the archive itself before
making any customized versions.

Some of these installations require
changing the buffer addresses for MAE's
source text and symbol table.  For
these cases you should run the config
utility CONFIG.COM.  It will try to
open the file D:MAE.COM, and will save
any configuration changes back to the
MAE executable.  Thus, you should make
sure MAE.COM is on the current working
drive, (or on drive 1, depending upon
the DOS you are using), before running
CONFIG.COM.  An error message will be
displayed if it fails to load MAE.COM.

- CONFIG.COM OPERATION -

Once the loading is successful, CONFIG
will display a screen full of editable
parameters.  You may use up and down
arrows to move the cursor to different
fields, and then type in your new
values.  Return will advance to the
next field.  Backspace and left/right
arrows are supported within the field.

Press 'Esc' when you are finished with
your changes.  If no errors are found
in the data, CONFIG will prompt if you
wish to save the changes back to the
MAE.COM file.  Press 'Y' to save them,
'Esc' to keep editing, or any other key
to exit the program without saving.

If an error is detected, press 'Esc' to
revert to the previous value at the
start of the session, or any other key
to keep editing.  The cursor will be
placed on the field that had the error.

Please refer to MAE.DOC for details on
the parameters themselves, in the
section titled "MEMORY USAGE AND
CONFIGURATION".

- 64K VERSION -

The bulk of the MAE executable resides
in the $4000-$7FFF address range,
designed to be in bank select memory.
If you do not have banked memory, you
must reconfigure MAE's buffer addresses
to not overwrite the program.  Free
memory will be in two segments, from
LOMEM-$3FFF, and from $8000-$B6FF.  You
should probably set the source buffer
to the latter, since it is the larger
segment.  Use CONFIG.COM to set the
first four addresses to $8000, $B6FF,
$0000 (MAE will use the current LOMEM),
and $3FFF.  You should also change the
three bank select bytes to $FF, and
then save your changes.

- 64 & 80 COLUMN DRIVERS -

64 and 80 column modes are not
available on 64K machines.

HAND64.OBJ and HAND80.OBJ are drivers
for 64 and 80 column screens.  They
take advantage of ANTIC memory banking
so that their use does not reduce the
available memory for source and symbol
table.  They reside in the base memory
range of $5600-$7FFF.  If you have a
memory upgrade that is not ANTIC-bit
compatible, then you must use
HAND64X.OBJ and HAND80X.OBJ.  These
versions will have to place the screen
and dislay list from $9500-$B6FF.
Code and data will be $6FF0-$79FF.  To
run the X versions of the handlers, you
will need to reconfigure MAE's text
buffer to end at $94FF instead of $B6FF
using CONFIG.COM.

Copy either HAND64.OBJ or HAND64X.OBJ
to a new file named COL64.OBJ, and copy
HAND80.OBJ OR HAND80X.OBJ to COL80.OBJ.
You now need to add character sets to
these files.

There are two character set choices for
both the 64 and 80 column handlers.
A character set must be appended to the
end of the handler's .OBJ file before
the handler can be used.  These files
are COL64A.FNT, COL64B.FNT, COL80A.FNT,
AND COL80B.FNT.  These files should be
viewable and editable in standard font
editing packages.  Choose a font file
for each handler, and copy-with-append
the fonts to the COL64.OBJ and
COL80.OBJ files that you created above.
The handlers are now ready for use.

The 64 and 80 column screen handlers
can be used in two different ways.  The
files can be loaded from the debugger,
and then when you reenter the assembler
the new handler will be active.  To do
this, press 'B' from MAE's main menu
and then use a debugger command like
"L COL64.OBJ".  Then enter 'A' to
enter the assembler again and you
should see a 64 column screen.  The
file "COL40.OBJ" can be loaded to
return to 40 column mode.  Another
option, especially if you find that you
want to use an extended column mode
most of the time, is simply to append
one of the COL64.OBJ or COL80.OBJ files
to the end of the MAE.COM executable.
In this way, MAE will always start up
in the mode you choose, and you are
still free to load different modes
using the debugger.  Personally, I
think the 64 column mode works very
well for Assembly source, while
maintaining much better readability
than the 80 column mode.

Note that the debugger will always run
on the 40 column screen regardless of
which handler is loaded for the
assembler/editor.

