Skip to content

Getting started with the IDE

The Retro Game Coders IDE is a browser-based environment for 8-bit development.

Living product

The IDE gains features over time. This page summarizes behaviour described in the public help and common workflows; your running version may include more options (platforms, compilers, UI). When in doubt, use the in-app help and the platform / language dropdowns.

Overview

  • Pick a platform (C64, VIC-20, NES, …) and a language / toolchain.
  • Edit source in the editor; build and run in the emulator (or compile-only flows where applicable).
  • Use auto-compile for fast feedback, or turn it off for long editing sessions and build manually when ready.

What’s avilable

The RGC IDE is contantly being developed or improved with things such as:

  • Extra platforms (e.g. VIC-20, BBC Micro, enhanced C64 BASIC paths).
  • Auto-compile toggle with clear on/off status.
  • Manual build when auto-compile is off.
  • Stronger emulator controls (reset, pause, resume) where the core supports them.
  • Keyboard shortcuts for compile, debug, and editor actions (see below).

Exact availability depends on platform + toolchain.

Supported languages & compilers (summary)

Area Examples in the IDE
C cc65, z88dk, CMOC, and platform-specific C runtimes
BASIC Commodore BASIC (C64, VIC, PET), BBC BASIC, Color BASIC, AppleSoft, ugBASIC, batari BASIC, FastBasic, XC-BASIC 3, …
Assembly 6502 family: DASM, KickAss, ACME, cc65’s assembler; Z80 / 6809 / ARM via dedicated tool modules
Other Verilog flows, remote/external tools, Markdown/BASIC-only “notebook” style platforms

See also the dedicated docs: Commodore BASIC v2, XC-BASIC 3, 6502 assembly, Z80 assembly, cc65 / C.

Auto-compile

Action How
Toggle auto-compile Lightning (⚡) control, or Ctrl+Alt+C (Windows/Linux); adjust for macOS if your build maps differently
Status Look for Auto-Compile: ON/OFF (often colour-coded)
Manual build When auto-compile is off, use Build and Run (▶) or Ctrl+Alt+M

Tips

  • Turn off auto-compile while making large refactors to avoid constant rebuilds.
  • Turn on when learning or iterating for immediate feedback.
  • Use manual build for a final check before sharing or recording.

Keyboard shortcuts (reference)

Build & run

Action Shortcut (typical)
Toggle auto-compile Ctrl+Alt+C
Manual build and run Ctrl+Alt+M
Reset and run Ctrl+Alt+R

Debug (where supported)

Action Shortcut
Pause Ctrl+Alt+,
Resume Ctrl+Alt+.
Reset (debug) Ctrl+Alt+E

Editor

Action Windows / Linux macOS
Select all Ctrl+A Cmd+A
Start / end of file Ctrl+Home / Ctrl+End Cmd+Home / Cmd+End (or Cmd+↑ / Cmd+↓)
Word left / right Ctrl+← / → Alt+← / →
Undo / redo Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y Cmd+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z
Indent / outdent Ctrl+] / Ctrl+[ Cmd+] / Cmd+[
Find Ctrl+F Cmd+F
Replace Ctrl+Shift+F Cmd+Shift+F
Find next / prev Ctrl+G / Ctrl+Shift+G Cmd+G / Cmd+Shift+G

Tip

Browsers and OS keyboard layouts can steal shortcuts. If something doesn’t fire, try clicking the emulator canvas first or check the in-app shortcut list.

Quick start workflow

  1. Choose a platform from the platform selector.
  2. Load an example if you want a known-good starting point.
  3. Edit your source. With auto-compile on, fixes often run as you type.
  4. Watch the emulator (or build output) for behaviour and errors.
  5. Debug if the platform exposes pause/step/reset tools.

Troubleshooting (common)

  • Auto-compile seems off — Confirm the status line says ON; fix syntax errors that block the toolchain.
  • No manual build button — Manual build appears when auto-compile is disabled.
  • Emulator buttons missing — Some cores don’t support pause/resume; the UI hides unsupported controls.
  • RGC BASIC — Click the emulator canvas before keyboard input (GET / INKEY$). Use project download/export options if you ship a standalone HTML package.
  • BBC / VIC quirks — BBC BASIC loading and VIC memory limits are platform-specific; see platform notes in examples.

Credits