for the documentation about the tasks.json format Take note of where you decide to locate the FlexProp directory.
FlexProp does not have a software installer that allows you to specify the location you have control to do this manually. Extract the zip and file place the folder in a location of your choice. If you encounter compilation issues with FlexSpin used in VSC, you can report them on the FlexProp thread or to the Total Spectrum Software GitHub.ĭownload FlexProp from the Total Spectrum Software Patreon page. The PNut Tool is just a test-area for compiler changes before the compiler makes its way into the Propeller Tool for Windows, the official Parallax tool. Both compilers support Spin2 and PASM languages, but FlexSpin supports the mixing of objects with BASIC and C, along with some Propeller 1 (P1, or P8X32A) Spin 1 code.ĭetails about FlexSpin are available on the Parallax forums FlexProp thread, and details about PNut are on the PNut thread. PNut includes the graphical debug tools (`debug) and FlexSpin does not. While efforts are made to ensure Parallax-published Quick Byte examples run in both compilers and that FlexSpin remains largely compatible, there are likely to be some small differences. FlexSpin is the compiler created by Eric Smith of Total Spectrum Software, written in C. PNut is the official Parallax compiler and was written in X86 assembly for use in the Propeller Tool for Windows. If you benefit from this Quick Byte, we encourage you to join Parallax and also recognize their contributions through their Patreon accounts:Ĭonsiderations Between PNut (Parallax) and FlexSpin (Total Spectrum Software) Compilers The P2 open source community is motivated by user feedback from the Parallax forums, the Propeller 2 Live Forums and messages of appreciation. Note: the bottom of this document includes a summary of links to important resources. In the meantime, you can obtain more specific instructions for these other operating systems from Stephen Moraco’s GitHub.
Post comments at the bottom of this Quick Byte and we will update this document for the differences/exceptions accordingly.
While these instructions are for configuring the P2 with VSC under Windows, we’d eventually like this Quick Byte to reflect the minor differences for Mac and Linux operating systems, if they should also be documented. You will also have access to other VSC Marketplace extensions.
Additionally, an ANSI-compliant terminal program of your choice (Parallax Serial Terminal, TerraTerm, CoolTerm, etc) may also be used for serial debug.
All software is open source, freely available, and easily configured to compile and download to the P2.
The software required includes Microsoft VSC, Total Spectrum Software’s FlexProp (an IDE package which includes the FlexSpin compiler that runs on Mac, Linux and RaspPi), and the Spin2 extension from the VSC Marketplace from Stephen Moraco’s Iron Sheep Software. VSC and the Spin2 extensions provide syntax highlighting, automatic updates, and command-line downloads to the P2 - and the simplicity and familiarity of a very popular and stable programming environment. The process for Mac, RaspPi, and Linux operating systems is similar and not fully detailed in this post – but the differences are shown on Stephen Moraco’s GitHub (link at bottom). This Quick Byte details the setup to configure three open source software tools to program the Propeller 2 (the P2, or P2X8C4M64P) on Windows under Visual Studio Code (VSC).