[Coco] Rainbow IDE 2.0 in progress

[Roger Taylor]

Hello folks,

Just a note that I've picked back up on the development of Rainbow 
IDE 2.0 after many months of restructuring the source code and 
repairing a bad design.  Tonight it's assembling some test files 
ok.  The left sidebar list boxes for choosing assembler modes has 
been simplified even more but allows more options, which helps the 
coder focus more on the source code instead of tweaking the IDE constantly.

A single drop-down listbox contains all of the assembler or 
compiler's modes, object file choices, switches/options, etc.  For 
instance, you can choose to have a listing sent to the readout 
window, symbols listing, verbose mode, quiet mode, error reporting, 
debugging mode, or whatever else the command line options 
allow.  Once those options or programmed into the IDE once you just 
pull the listbox down and click on the option to turn on or off.  It 
will toggle and display a dot or checkmark next to the ones that are 
on.  Very simple.  You setup the assembler once when you add it to 
the system and if you want to customize things later you just click 
on the [C] button and bring up the configuration dialog box where you 
can change how the options work, etc.

Support for M.E.S.S. and imgtool.exe will be improved greatly to 
allow for those disturbing -switch changes that seem to keep 
happening that can otherwise cripple the IDE from using those 
tools.  In Rainbow IDE 2.0, you can choose things like -flop or 
-flop# (flop0, flop1), etc. to be used in case you use an older or 
newer version of imgtool.exe.  The M.E.S.S. switches can be tweaked 
as well from a dialog box, letting us keep up with any crippling 
changes that could possibly be made in the future.

I've got a lot of work to do in the logic needed to make the 
ridiculously-simple scheme I plan to us for doing 
compiles/assembles/links in of almost any assortment of source files 
using any compilers, assemblers, or linkers you want as long as they 
are compatible, ofcourse.  That is, for a good build to be made, any 
team of tools need to support the others.  You get the choice to 
blend these tools how you want for all source files in your 
projects.  2 compilers and 5 separate assemblers could easily be used 
to complete that special project you might want to work on.  One 
click of the Go button would build everything just as you expect it 
to do and even easier than how Rainbow 1.x does it.

I still need to locate some kind of 32-bit C compiler or PASCAL 
compiler that CCASM or one of the other Rainbow 1.x supported 
assemblers can handle so I can start working on some productive 
compile/assemble sessions.