jedit for Commander X16

English | 日本語

A simple text editor for Commander X16 with SKK-style Japanese input support.

Overview

jedit is a Japanese-enabled text editor developed for the Commander X16. It implements an SKK-style kanji input system, allowing Japanese text input and editing.

⚠️ Warning

This software is in beta and may have the following critical issues:

• Unexpected file loss
• System instability
• Data corruption
• Other unexpected behavior

Please take the following precautions before use:

• Back up important files
• Avoid use in critical environments
• Exit the program immediately if abnormal behavior occurs

The developer cannot be held responsible for any damages caused by these issues.

Features

Japanese Input

• SKK-style Japanese kanji input
  • Hiragana/Katakana input
  • Standard kanji conversion
  • Kanji conversion with okurigana position specification
• Basic text editor functionality
  • Text input and editing
  • File save and load

Requirements

• Commander X16 hardware or emulator
• Required files:
  • jedit.prg: Main editor program
  • skkdicm.bin: SKK dictionary file (generated using steps below)
  • jfont.bin: Japanese font file (generated using steps below)

Installation

1. Generate Dictionary File

Generate skkdicm.bin using these steps:

1. Navigate to the dicconv/ directory
2. Prepare SKK dictionary file SKK-JISYO.M (in EUC-JP encoding)
3. Run python dicconv.py
4. Place the generated skkdicm.bin in the same directory as jedit

2. Generate Font File

Generate jfont.bin using these steps:

1. Navigate to the fontconv/ directory
2. Prepare the following font images:
   • k8x12_jisx0201.png: JIS X 0201 character set (4x12 dots)
   • k8x12_jisx0208.png: JIS X 0208 character set (8x12 dots)
3. Run python mkfont.py
4. Place the generated jfont.bin in the same directory as jedit

The kanji font "k8x12" can be obtained from: https://littlelimit.net/k8x12.htm

3. File Placement

Place the generated files and the editor executable as follows:

Commander X16 Storage
├── jedit.prg    # Editor executable
├── skkdicm.bin  # Conversion dictionary
└── jfont.bin    # Font data

Usage

Basic Operations

• Launch: LOAD "JEDIT.PRG" then RUN
• Kanji input: Press 「Ctrl + j」 to enter kanji input mode
• Half-width input: Press 「l」 in kanji input mode to enter half-width input mode
• Hiragana/Katakana toggle: Press 「q」 in kanji input mode to switch between hiragana and katakana
• Overwrite/Insert toggle: Press 「Ctrl + O」 to toggle insert mode
• Save: Press 「Ctrl + X」 to confirm save and exit
• Load: Press 「Ctrl + R」 to input filename and load
• Kanji conversion:
  • Type reading starting with uppercase (e.g., Kanji)
  • Press space to convert
  • Press space for next candidate, Enter to confirm

SKK Input Examples

• Kanji → 漢字
• KanJi → 感じ
• TukaU → 使う

Developer Information

Build Instructions

Building requires the Prog8 compiler. Use the following command:

java -jar /usr/local/bin/prog8c-11.1-all.jar -target cx16 -dontsplitarrays jedit.p8

Project Structure

• Source files:
  • jedit.p8: Main editor program
  • tinyskk.p8: SKK-style kanji conversion system implementation
  • jtxt.p8: Japanese text display
  • bmem.p8: Bank memory management
• Conversion tools:
  • dicconv/: Dictionary conversion tools
    • dicconv.py: Tool to convert SKK dictionary to binary format
  • fontconv/: Font conversion tools
    • mkfont.py: Tool to convert font images to binary format

License

This software is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to:

• The Commander X16 development team
  • For providing an excellent retro computer platform
• Namu Kadoma
  • For providing beautiful Japanese fonts