Appendix 3 — Command-line Reference

Desktop command

The Node-hosted command accepts a source file or a project file:

atom [options] input.asm [output...]
atom --project project.json [output...]

Option	Effect
-p FILE, --project FILE	Read a Node JSON project file
-o FILE, --output FILE	Add one output path; may be repeated
-t NAME, --target NAME	Select generic or cpm22
-DNAME[=VALUE]	Define one immutable preprocessor value; omitted value means 1
-h, --help	Print command usage
-V, --version	Print the Atom package version

The first positional path is the input. Later paths are outputs. Output suffixes are .bin, .hex, .com, .nobj, .lst and .d8.json. The same paths may be supplied with -o when option form is more convenient. With no output, Atom writes build/<input-name>.bin.

The generic target leaves placement to source ORG directives. The cpm22 target requires a flat image loaded and entered at $0100. Requesting a COM file selects cpm22 when no target was named.

Command definitions accept decimal, $ hexadecimal, % binary, Intel H hexadecimal and Intel B binary. A shell may expand $, so quote that form or use an Intel suffix.

Node project file

{
  "assembler": "atom",
  "entry": "src/main.asm",
  "target": "cpm22",
  "outputs": ["build/main.com", "build/main.d8.json"],
  "definitions": {
    "DEBUG": 0
  }
}

Paths are relative to the project file. Command output paths replace the project output list, and command definitions override project definitions. The optional assembler field should be atom in a project shared with tools that support more than one assembler.

Native CP/M command

ATOM
ATOM SOURCE
ATOM SOURCE OUTPUT
ATOM ?

Form	Input	Output
ATOM	INPUT.ASM	OUTPUT.COM
ATOM HELLO	HELLO.ASM	HELLO.COM
ATOM HELLO.ASM MADE.BIN	HELLO.ASM	MADE.BIN

Names are current-drive CP/M 8.3 names. An explicit output suffix must be .COM, .BIN or .HEX. Drive prefixes, wildcards, extra arguments and directory paths are rejected. CP/M command input is case-insensitive.

The native command does not accept project JSON, -D, target options, or multiple outputs. Its source-composition facility is leading %INCLUDE with current-drive 8.3 filenames.

Desktop status values

Status	Meaning
0	Successful assembly and publication, help, or version
1	Source preparation, assembly, rendering, or publication failure
2	Invalid desktop command use