This is the list of features that have been removed from the + rgbasm(5) assembly language over its + decades of evolution, along with their modern alternatives. Its goal is to + be a reference for backwards incompatibility, when upgrading an old assembly + codebase to work with the latest RGBDS release. It does + not attempt + to list syntax bugs that were fixed, nor new reserved keywords that may + conflict with old identifiers.
+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.
+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.
+ rgbasm(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).
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).
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
+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.
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.
Deprecated in 0.5.0, removed in 0.6.0.
+Instead, use
+ ‘3.141592653’.
Deprecated in 0.9.0.
+Instead, use a multi-value CHARMAP, or
+ explicitly combine the values of individual characters.
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.
Removed in 0.6.0.
+These are features whose syntax has been changed without affecting + functionality. They can generally be updated with a single + search-and-replace.
+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}’.
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}’.
Deprecated in 0.5.2, removed in 0.6.0.
+Variables used to be defined as ‘name SET
+ value’.
Instead, use ‘DEF name =
+ value’.
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::’.
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.
+Deprecated in 0.4.1, removed in 0.5.0.
+Instead, use ‘;’
+ comments.
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.
Removed in 0.4.0.
+Symbols are now automatically resolved if they were exported from + elsewhere.
+Instead, just remove these directives.
+Deprecated in 0.4.2, removed in 0.5.0.
+Instead, use EXPORT.
Deprecated in 0.3.0, removed in 0.4.0.
+Instead of HOME, use
+ ROM0; instead of CODE and
+ DATA, use ROMX; instead of
+ BSS, use WRAM0.
Deprecated in 0.3.0, removed in 0.4.0.
+Instead, use ‘JP 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-]’).
Deprecated in 0.3.0, removed in 0.4.0.
+Instead, use ‘LD HL, SP +
+ e8’.
Deprecated in 0.9.0.
+Instead, use ‘LDH’.
Deprecated in 0.6.0, removed in 0.8.0.
+Instead, use -I or
+ --include.
Removed in 0.6.0.
+Instead, use -Z or
+ --columns.
Deprecated in 0.7.0, removed in 0.8.0.
+Instead, use --auto-*.
These are breaking changes that did not alter syntax, and so could + not practically be deprecated.
+Changed in 0.6.0.
+Instead of dividing a circle into 65536.0 "binary + degrees", it is now divided into 1.0 "turns".
+For example, previously we had:
+SIN(0.25) == 0.00002’, because 0.25
+ binary degrees =
+
+ turns =
+
+ radians =
+
+ radians, and
+
+ SIN(16384.0) == 1.0’, because
+ 16384.0 binary degrees =
+
+ turns =
+
+ radians =
+
+ radians, and
+
+ ASIN(1.0) == 16384.0’Instead, now we have:
+SIN(0.25) == 1.0’, because
+
+ turns =
+
+ radians =
+
+ radians, and
+
+ SIN(16384.0) == 0.0’, because
+
+ turns =
+
+ radians =
+
+ radians, and
+
+ ASIN(1.0) == 0.25’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)’.
rgbasm(1) was originally + written by Carsten Sørensen 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.
+