PRMs: Module chapter

I’ve just added details of the Maestro filetype to the ROOL PRMs Wiki, and did some tidying up of the File Formats page. Rather oddly, the very useful pages on Modules and Utilities are buried down there too, even though neither is really a description of the file format itself, more the function of modules and how to write them. The actual Module chapter in the PRM’s top level contents page is empty, and there isn’t an entry for Utilities at all.

Would anyone have any objection to my moving the Module and Utility pages to their own section in the PRM proper? I think anyone browsing the documentation is more likely to find them there, and hopefully keep them up to date.

It’s hard to write any documentation on the module file format without including information on what the entry points are and how it works.

I’m not fussed about where you move the entry so long as there’s a link from the file formats page; though note that I started writing that bit of documentation from the point of view of the file format, rather than “how to write a module”. There is, obviously, going to be some overlap… ;-)

While I’m here and we’re talking about modules – is there any specific reason why the enumeration call (20?) does not enumerate RAM modules? And what happens if a ROM module exists but has been replaced by a softloaded version, if the call only deals with ROM modules?

hi,
Just a question about PRM.
I get the DD28, and I am asking why examples are still 26bits
for example PRM1-108
Software vector.
STMFD r13!, {r15} ; pushes PC+12, complete with flags and mode
I think it’s not really 32bits.
Is it possible to have all the examples fully working with DDE.
I try the previous example with DDE ASM…..
I am testing OSlib examples PRMs adaptation.

As far as I’m aware, the first four volumes have not changed since around 1991 (RISC OS 3) – you’ll note loads of details of the original ARM chips. Volume 5 is for the 3.5 era. And after? https://www.riscosopen.org/wiki

Les premières 4 livres sont anciens (autour de 1991) et le 5ème de l’époque de RISC OS 3.5. Malheureusement il n’a pas de PRMs après, et il fait un vraiment boulot enorme pour fait un mis à jour pour “aujourd’hui”. Par contre, le wiki est un ressource moderne avec le PRM de ajouter plus des infos (par exemple tout les infos sur le Wimp).
Il est un bonne rêve, un nouveau PRM, mais……..

Thank you for that information and clarification.
Ok for wiki.
I will try to update some examples.
PRM are good values, long time ago I have only AcornUser magazine to learn.
Merci pour la French version,
Amicalement,

We have the PRMs in PDF format. TheOtherGuys™ have them in HTML form.

Are they available in an electronic format that can be edited, revised, updated?

Yes

I think ROOL have said somewhere that the revised user guide, BASIC manual, DDE manuals, etc. are them testing the waters to see how feasible an updated PRM would be. So maybe once the user guide is finally done and dusted there’ll be some news about what’s happening with the PRMs.

A helpful stop-gap would be to sort out the licence so that the PRM text can be copied in bulk onto the wiki. People could then tweak and update as they see fit.