openMSX Console Command Reference

1. Introduction
2. Commands
   1. after
   2. bind / unbind / bind_default / unbind_default / activate_input_layer / deactivate_input_layer
   3. cart / cart<x>
   4. cassetteplayer
   5. cd<x>
   6. cycle / cycle_back
   7. debug
   8. disk<x> / virtual_drive
   9. diskmanipulator
   10. escape_grab
   11. exit
   12. ext / ext<x>
   13. filepool
   14. findcheat
   15. hd<x>
   16. help
   17. incr
   18. iomap
   19. keymatrixdown / keymatrixup
   20. laserdiscplayer
   21. list_extensions
   22. load_settings
   23. machine
   24. create_machine / load_machine / activate_machine / list_machines / delete_machine
   25. machine_info
   26. message
   27. monitor_type
   28. mute_channels / unmute_channels / solo
   29. nowind<x>
   30. openmsx_info
   31. openmsx_update
   32. osd
   33. palette
   34. plug / unplug
   35. psg_profile
   36. record
   37. record_channels
   38. remove_extension
   39. reset
   40. reverse
   41. save_settings
   42. savestate / loadstate / list_savestates / delete_savestate
   43. screenshot
   44. set
   45. slotmap
   46. slotselect
   47. soundlog
   48. store_machine / restore_machine
   49. test_machine
   50. toggle
   51. trainer
   52. type / type_via_keyboard
   53. unset
   54. user_setting
   55. vdpregs
   56. other
3. Settings
   1. accuracy
   2. audio-inputfilename
   3. autoruncassettes
   4. autorunlaserdisc
   5. auto_enable_reverse
   6. auto_save_replay
   7. blur
   8. bootsector
   9. brightness
   10. cmdtiming
   11. color_matrix
   12. console
   13. contrast
   14. cputrace
   15. debugoutput
   16. default_machine
   17. deflicker
   18. deinterlace
   19. DirAsDSKmode
   20. disablesprites
   21. display_deform
   22. di_halt_callback
   23. enable_session_management
   24. fastforward
   25. fastforwardspeed
   26. frequency
   27. firmwareswitch
   28. fullscreen
   29. fullspeedwhenloading
   30. gamma
   31. glow
   32. grabinput
   33. horizontal_stretch
   34. inputdelay
   35. interleave_black_frame
   36. invalid_ppi_mode_callback
   37. invalid_psg_directions_callback
   38. msxjoystick<n>_config/joymega<n>_config
   39. joystick<n>_deadzone
   40. kbd_auto_toggle_code_kana_lock
   41. kbd_code_kana_host_key
   42. kbd_deadkey1_host_key
   43. kbd_deadkey2_host_key
   44. kbd_deadkey3_host_key
   45. kbd_mapping_mode
   46. kbd_numkeypad_always_enabled
   47. kbd_numkeypad_enter_key
   48. kbd_trace_key_presses
   49. led_<name>
   50. limitsprites
   51. master_volume
   52. maxframeskip
   53. midi-in-readfilename
   54. midi-out-logfilename
   55. minframeskip
   56. mode
   57. mute
   58. noise
   59. pause
   60. pause_on_lost_focus
   61. pointer_hide_delay
   62. power
   63. printerlogfilename
   64. print-resolution
   65. PSG_detune_frequency
   66. PSG_detune_percent
   67. PSG_vibrato_frequency
   68. PSG_vibrato_percent
   69. r800_freq / r800_freq_locked
   70. renderer
   71. renshaturbo
   72. resampler
   73. rs232-inputfilename
   74. rs232-outputfilename
   75. rs232-net-address
   76. rs232-net-ip232
   77. rtcmode
   78. samples
   79. save_settings_on_exit
   80. scale_algorithm
   81. scale_factor
   82. scanline
   83. sound_driver
   84. speed
   85. <soundchip>_balance
   86. <soundchip>_ch<channel>_record
   87. <soundchip>_ch<channel>_mute
   88. <soundchip>_volume
   89. throttle
   90. too_fast_vram_access
   91. too_fast_vram_access_callback
   92. touchpad_transform_matrix
   93. turborpause
   94. umr_callback
   95. vdpcmdinprogress_callback
   96. vdpcmdtrace
   97. videosource
   98. vsync
   99. v9990cmdtrace
   100. z80_freq / z80_freq_locked
   101. other

Introduction

This manual describes all commands and settings which are available in openMSX. You can use them to control openMSX fully from the Console (a built in command line interface, use F10 to call it), via Tcl scripts and via remote connections (explained in Controlling openMSX from External Applications). If you want to unleash the full potential of openMSX or just want a reference of all available possibilities, this manual should serve you well.

Commands

after

Execute a command after a certain event occurs, for example a given amount of time has passed or the emulator has been idle for a given amount of time. Every postponed command executes just once; if you want a command to run periodically, you have to issue it again every time it runs. The after command returns the id of the postponed command. It is possible to query a list of postponed commands and also to cancel postponed commands.

bind / unbind / bind_default / unbind_default / activate_input_layer / deactivate_input_layer

Associate events (such as key presses) with commands. Whenever the specified event occurs (e.g. you press the specified key), the corresponding command will be executed. Any Tcl command or combination of commands separated with ; (normal Tcl syntax) can be used. To customize your bindings you should use the (un)bind commands. A script that wants to provide a default binding for its functionality needs to use bind_default, this allows users with different preferences to overrule the default bindings. Using the -repeat option makes sure that if the event is repeated (e.g. keyboard events when keeping a key pressed), the command is repeated as well.

Tcl scripts that need a whole set of bindings and only conditionally activate those bindings can use the 'input layer' system. It's possible to associate a binding with a specific layer and later specific layer(s) can be activated or deactivated. Such a layer can also be activated in a blocking mode. Blocking mode means that even if the layer didn't have a binding for a certain event, that event is still not passed to the emulated MSX. This can be useful to implement certain OSD widgets (like a virtual OSD keyboard).

Events can be:

cart / cart<x>

Insert a ROM cartridge in a running MSX. The cart command inserts the cartridge in the first available slot. The carta, cartb etc. commands insert it in the specified slot. The cartridges can be removed again with the eject subcommand.

ROM cartridges are a special class of extensions. For extensions that are not ROM cartridges, see the commands ext, list_extensions and remove_extension.

cassetteplayer

Controls the openMSX cassette player. The various subcommands can be used to insert, remove, create and rewind tape images.

cd<x>

Change the CDROM image. The commands cda, cdb etc. are assigned to all available CDROM drives in the MSX. They will not correspond to drive names as used in MSX-DOS.

cycle / cycle_back

Iterates through the values of an enumerated setting.

cycle_back does the same as cycle, but it goes in the opposite direction.

debug

This command provides access to the debugger functionality of openMSX. It's meant to be used by an external debugger (see also Controlling openMSX from External Applications). The general format of the debug command is:

debug <subcommand> [<extra arguments>]

where 'extra arguments' are specific for each subcommand. Below is a list of all subcommands:

The probe subcommand again has subcommands:

At first sight 'probes' and 'debuggables' are very similar. Though there are some important differences and that's why probes and debuggables use different subcommands:

Many examples of usage of the debug command can be found in the scripts that come with openMSX (in the share/scripts directory). We also list a few here.

disk<x> / virtual_drive

Insert a disk image in a drive. Optionally apply an IPS patch to the disk image. The commands diska, diskb etc. are assigned to all available "physical" disk drives in the MSX. They might not correspond to drive names as used in MSX-DOS.

In addition to the physical disk<x> drives, there is the virtual_drive. This fake drive does not correspond to any MSX hardware. It can be used as a source or target for diskmanipulator operations just like physical drives.

diskmanipulator

A collection of commands to manipulate (the files on) a disk image.

It can be used in so many different ways, that we wrote a separate manual for it: Using Diskmanipulator.

escape_grab

Only has effect in windowed mode and when the grabinput setting is active. Temporarily release the input grab. After the openMSX window has lost and regained the focus, the grab is again effective.

exit

Terminate the openMSX application. Optionally you can pass an exit-code.

ext / ext<x>

Insert an MSX extension in a running MSX machine. The ext command inserts the extension in the first available slot. The exta, extb etc. commands insert it in the specified slot. The extension can be removed again with the remove_extension command. See also the commands cart, list_extensions and remove_extension.

To get a list of possible extensions it's convenient to use the tab-completion feature, i.e. type 'ext<space><tab>'. Alternatively the command 'openmsx_info extensions' gives you the same information (and is easier to use in a scripting context).

Note that some extensions (i.e. those without any memory) will not physically occupy any slot when inserted, even when they were inserted in a specific slot.

filepool

With this command you can manage your file pool settings. File pools are directories on your host system (PC/Mac/Dingoo/etc.). They are used by openMSX to search files in, which are referred to from machine or extension definition files, save states or replays which you are trying to load. First, the file will be searched at the path that was also used when the save state or replay was created. But if it isn't found there (which is usually the case if you load such a state or replay you got from someone else), it will use the file pools to search instead. In other words, if you are trying to load such replays, it's probably a good idea to put the media files referred to (ROMs, disks, tapes) in the (proper) file pool.

File pools have the following properties:

path

The path to the directory which is the actual file pool

position

There exists a list of file pools, which are searched in order of their position.

type(s)

A file pool can serve specific types. Currently, the valid types are

system_rom

for system ROMs, you are probably using this one already if you installed your system ROMs in the recommended place share/systemroms,

rom

for other ROM files,

disk

for disk images and

tape

for cassette/tape images.

Apart from the default system ROM file pool as mentioned above, the other default file pool is share/software, which is configured for all other (than type system_rom) software files.

An example of the default file pools for a Windows 7 system with user Quibus:

1: C:/Users/Quibus/Documents/openMSX/share/systemroms  [system_rom]
2: C:/Users/Quibus/Documents/openMSX/share/software  [rom disk tape]
3: C:/Program Files/openMSX/share/systemroms  [system_rom]
4: C:/Program Files/openMSX/share/software  [rom disk tape]

The first one is the system ROMs dir in the user's home directory. The second is the software file pool for other software in the user's home directory. The last two are similar, but then on system level. On a UNIX like system, you get something very similar.

findcheat

This is a tool to find new cheats, for example for a certain game it can help you find the memory location where the number of remaining lives is stored. These cheats can later be added to the trainer command.

It works more or less like this:

1. Initialize the findcheat tool, this takes an initial snapshot of the MSX memory.
2. Perform some action in the game that changes the variable that you're interested in. For example if you want to find the memory location where the number of lives is stored, you have to loose (or gain) a life in the game.
3. Now use the findcheat tool to compare the current MSX memory state with the previous memory snapshot. findcheat offers a lot of possibilities here, for example you can search for memory locations that became bigger or smaller or locations whose value changed or didn't change.
4. findcheat will show a list of memory locations that still match the search criteria.
5. If there still are still too many matches, repeat from step 2.

Vampier made a video tutorial on how to use findcheat, you can find it here.

hd<x>

Change the hard disk image. The commands hda, hdb etc. are assigned to all available hard disk drives in the MSX. They will not correspond to drive names as used in MSX-DOS.

help

Shows help info for console commands.

incr

Increment an integer setting.

iomap

Shows what I/O ports are connected to which devices. The related command slotmap shows a similar overview, but for memory-mapped devices.

keymatrixdown / keymatrixup

Press or release keys in the MSX keyboard matrix. Can be used to make an external program or Tcl script press MSX keys. For some more information about the keymatrix, you could read the article on the MAP.

laserdiscplayer

Controls the Laserdisc player; a Laserdisc can be inserted or ejected. When a real Laserdisc player is connected to an MSX, no other controls are available either.

Note that this command is only available when the Pioneer PX-7 or Pioneer PX-V60 MSX machine is being emulated

list_extensions

Returns a list of inserted cartridges and extensions. These can be removed with the remove_extension command or additional items can be added with the cart and ext commands.

load_settings

Load settings from a given settings XML file. The settings file does not have to be complete: settings that are not mentioned in the given file are left untouched. See also save_settings.

machine

Switch to a new MSX machine.

create_machine / load_machine / activate_machine / list_machines / delete_machine

openMSX has the possibility to have multiple MSX machines concurrently in memory. This is more or less like multiple tabs in a web browser: you only work with one at-a-time, but you can have multiple open at the same time and easily switch between them. These commands are low level commands to manage this.

Some commands are specific per machine, for example if you insert a disk image into the disk drive of the emulated MSX machine and if you have multiple MSX machines, you need to specify in which MSX machine you want to insert the disk. To solve this, we introduced the concept of the 'active' MSX machine (this is also the machine that is visible and audible). All unqualified machine-specific command will act on the active machine. If you want to execute the command in a specific machine, you can qualify the command with a machineID prefix.

create_machine:

This command returns a new machine-id. This machine-id can be used in the following commands. In the web browser analogy this command would open a new empty tab.

load_machine:

This command loads a machine configuration (= MSX model) into the given machine-ID. In the web browser analogy, this command would load a page in a previously created empty tab. And unlike a web browser, where you can reload a different page in the same tab, you can only load a machine configuration once in the same machine-ID.

activate_machine:

This command activates the given machine-ID. At any time there can only be one active machine-ID. This is analogue to switching tabs in a web browser.

list_machines:

Returns a list of all currently existing machine-IDs.

delete_machine:

Deletes the given machine-ID. This is analogue to closing a tab in a web browser.

examples:

machine_info

Shows information about a certain topic. This command is similar to the openmsx_info command. The topics of machine_info are all machine specific, while the topics of openmsx_info are generic.

message

Show a message, with optional level (info, warning, error). By default this message will be shown in a colored box at the top of the screen for a (short) duration and then fade away.

monitor_type

Select a monitor color profile.

mute_channels / unmute_channels / solo

Mute or unmute specific individual channels of sound devices. The syntax is very similar to the record_channels command.

nowind<x>

Similar to the disk<x> commands there is a nowind<x> command for each nowind interface. This command is modelled after the 'usbhost' command of the real nowind interface. Though only a subset of the options is supported. Here's a short overview of the command line options:

If you don't pass any arguments to this command, you'll get an overview of the current nowind status.

This command will create a certain amount of drives on the nowind interface and (optionally) insert diskimages in those drives. For each of these drives there will also be a nowind<x><1..8> command created. Those commands are similar to e.g. the diska command. They can be used to access the more advanced diskimage insertion options.

In some cases it is needed to reboot the MSX before the changes take effect. In those cases you'll get a message that warns about this.

openmsx_info

Shows information about a certain topic. For machine-specific topics, use the related command machine_info.

openmsx_update

Enable or disable update notifications of a certain type. This command is intended for external programs controlling openMSX. More about this in Controlling openMSX from External Applications.

osd

openMSX has the possibility to show OSD (on screen display) elements. For example, the LEDs and the fps-indicator are implemented via OSD elements. This command allows to create new OSD elements, configure existing elements or delete elements.

This command is only useful if you plan to adjust or enhance the openMSX OSD, or create your own OSD widgets.

Execute "help osd" to get a detailed description of this command, which we will not repeat here.

palette

Shows the current VDP palette settings. Related command: vdpregs.

plug / unplug

Plugs or unplugs a plug into a connector, for example plug a virtual joystick into a virtual joystick port.

psg_profile

Select a PSG sound profile.

record

Controls video recording: write openMSX audio/video to an AVI file.

The start subcommand also accepts an optional -audioonly, -videoonly, -doublesize and a -triplesize flag. Videos are recorded in a 320×240 size by default, at 640×480 when the -doublesize flag is used and 960×720 when using the -triplesize flag. If only audio is recorded, the created file will be a WAV file instead of an AVI file.

If any stereo sound devices are present or any sound device has an off-center balance, the recording will be made in stereo, otherwise it will be mono. If a recording is made in mono and then a stereo sound device is added, you'll receive a warning that stereo sound has been detected and that the two channels will be mixed down to mono. You can prevent this from happening by using the -stereo option to force a stereo recording even if no stereo devices are present at the time you enter the command. You can also force a mono recording with -mono to save space.

The soundlog command is a shorthand for record -audioonly.

Use record_chunks if you want some extra options. You can control the maximum length (in seconds) to record and also set up multiple recordings of a certain length. This is very useful if you want to record for e.g. YouTube. The default length is 14:59 (to make sure YouTube will accept it). Using this command implies -doublesize.

Use record_chunks_on_framerate_changes if you want to split up the recording in several files, whenever the frame rate of the MSX changes. An AVI file cannot contain video of multiple frame rates, so sound and video will get out of sync if that happens without using this special version of the command. Do not specify the target filename with this variant, or openMSX will record all chunks to the same file.

record_channels

A high level command to record individual channels of sound chips to separate files. In the following variants of the command you can specify devices and channels. Multiple devices can be specified and multiple channels as well. If you want to specify channels of a device, put them right after the device. You can also specify all for the device, which means that all sound devices in the currently running MSX will be recorded. When starting recording, an option -prefix can be given to specify a filename prefix.

remove_extension

Remove a cartridge or extension from a running MSX machine. See also the commands cart, ext, list_extensions.

reset

Emulates the pressing of the reset button on the MSX. This sends a reset pulse to all devices, but does not erase memory contents.

reverse

Controls the reverse feature. When this feature is enabled (the default), openMSX will collect data while emulating, which enables you to go back (and forward) in MSX time. In other words: you cannot use the commands to go back and forward in time, if you disable the feature.

There are some extra helper commands to make the feature easier to use.

Because the reverse feature is very useful, it is automatically enabled via auto_enable_reverse setting.

save_settings

Write the current openMSX settings to a settings XML file. See also load_settings.

If you disabled save_settings_on_exit, you can use this command to save your preferences.

savestate / loadstate / list_savestates / delete_savestate

These commands can be used to manage savestates. These are much easier to use than the lowlevel store_machine and restore_machine commands.

savestate [<name>]

This creates a snapshot of the currently emulated MSX machine. Optionally you can specify a name for the savestate, if you omit this name, the default name quicksave will be taken.

loadstate [<name>]

This restores a previously created savestate. Like above you can specify a name which defaults to quicksave if omitted.

list_savestates

This returns the names of all previously created savestates.

delete_savestate <name>

Delete a previously created savestate.

screenshot

Take a screenshot of the openMSX screen. By default this takes a screenshot of the 'scaled' MSX screen (see scale_algorithm setting) without OSD/GUI elements (e.g. console and icons). If you want to include the GUI and OSD elements pass the -with-osd option. If you want a screenshot of the 'unscaled' raw MSX screen, pass the -raw option. The screenshots are PNG files and (by default) are saved in the screenshots subdirectory of the openMSX data directory in your home directory. There's also an option -no-sprites to take a screenshot with sprite rendering disabled.

set

Change or query the value of various settings. See also: unset.

The settings that can be adjusted with this command are listed and explained later in this document.

slotmap

Shows what devices are inserted into which slots. The related command iomap shows a similar overview, but for I/O mapped devices.

slotselect

Shows the currently selected slots. To see what devices are located in the slots, use the slotmap command.

soundlog

Controls sound logging: writing the openMSX sound to a WAV file.

This command is a shorthand for record -audioonly.

store_machine / restore_machine

These are low-level commands, used to implement savestates.

store_machine:

Saves the state of the specified machine to a file.

restore_machine:

Load a previously saved machine in a new machine-ID, next to the already available machines. See the section on activate_machine.

test_machine / test_all_machines / test_all_extensions

Test whether the given MSX machine configuration works. For example whether you have all required system ROMs for this machine. See also load_machine. This is an alternative to using the equivalent option in the GUI Main menu bar → Machine → Test MSX hardware...

Use the convenience commands test_all_machines and test_all_extensions to get a full overview on which system ROMs you are still missing.

toggle

Toggles any boolean (on/off) setting: if it was on, it will be turned off and vice versa. See also: cycle.

trainer

Control game trainers. You can enable or disable individual cheats of each trainer. Make use of the TAB key to see what is available. When switching trainers, the currently active trainer will be deactivated.

type / type_via_keyboard

Type a string in the emulated MSX. This command automatically presses and releases keys in the simulated MSX keyboard matrix. This command is useful for demoing and for automating tasks in MSX-BASIC.

The command has a -release option, with which you can specify that keys are always released before new ones are pressed. Some game input routines need this, but it also makes typing twice as slow.

With the -freq option, you can tweak how fast typing goes and how long the keys will be pressed (and released if the -release option is used). Keys will be typed at the given frequency and will remain pressed/released for 1/freq seconds.

With the -cancel option, you can cancel a (long) in progress type command.

This command should always work, because it is just like as if a user was actually typing on the MSX keyboard. It is therefore a bit slow, though. Check out the type_via_keybuf command if you're looking for something faster (but more limited in where it works). With the default_type_proc setting you can even make type_via_keybuf the standard implementation for the type command. Only do this if you really know what you're doing!

There are also a few scripts extending this command:

unset

Undefines a Tcl variable. When used on openMSX settings, they are reverted to their default value. See also: set.

user_setting

This command is only meant to be used in Tcl scripts. It allows to create Tcl variables that act very much like built-in openMSX settings. They have a description (can be queried with "help set <setting-name>") and their value is stored saved/restored when openMSX is quit/restarted.

Execute "help user_setting" to get a detailed description of this command.

vdpregs

Shows the current register settings of the Video Display Processor (VDP). Related command: palette.

other

Most commands described above are generally useful. openMSX also has a bunch of other more specialized commands. Some of these are intended for programmers who code MSX programs using openMSX as a tool. Other of these commands are more like toys or examples that show the openMSX scripting capabilities.

We've only listed a very brief overview of these commands. As always execute "help <command-name>" to get a more detailed description of the command.

The source code of all these scripts is located in share/scripts directory. Feel free to inspect these scripts and modify them to suit your needs.

Settings

Settings control many aspects of openMSX. Below, the available settings are listed and described. You can change setting values with the set command.

accuracy

Sets the render accuracy. openMSX supports three levels of render accuracy:

screen accurate:

Changes in VDP state become effective only once per video frame. Works well for most MSX1 software, but will break a lot of MSX2 software (anything that does so-called raster effects).

line accurate:

Changes in VDP state become effective only once per display line. Works well for almost all software.

pixel accurate:

Changes in VDP state become effective immediately. In this mode even the 'Unknown Reality scope part' is rendered correctly.

In some cases switching to a lower accuracy level can speed up emulation, but in many cases the speed difference is negligible.

The default is pixel accuracy, since this is the most realistic. If the software you are running shows a jittery screen split and you would prefer a stable screen split, switching to line accuracy can help.

audio-inputfilename

Sets the audio file from which the wave input is read for the sampler.

By default, it is read from "audio-input.wav" when available.

autoruncassettes

Switches the "auto-run cassettes" feature on or off. When it's enabled, openMSX will try to type the proper loading instruction when a cassette is inserted.

autorunlaserdisc

Switches the "auto-run laserdisc" feature on or off. When it's enabled, openMSX will try to type the proper loading instruction when a laserdisc is inserted.

auto_enable_reverse

Using the reverse feature comes at a small memory and performance cost. Therefore it has to be enabled before it can be used. This setting controls whether the reverse feature should automatically be activated when openMSX starts. While with desktop computers this generally won't be a problem, the performance drop might be more noticeable on older/smaller handheld devices.

auto_save_replay

Enable this setting to make automatic backups of your current replay. The replay is saved to the filename specified in the auto_save_replay_filename setting (default: "auto_save") at an interval as specified by the auto_save_replay_interval setting (default: 30 seconds). The interval is in real clock time, not in MSX time.

blur

Sets the amount of horizontal blur effect. A value of 0 turns off blur, while 100 selects maximum blur.

bootsector

Sets the boot sector type for DirAsDSK. Default: DOS2. Only relevant on turboR, because it boots differently depending on the type of boot sector on the disk in drive A.

brightness

Controls the brightness of the video output. Can be between -100 and 100. Lower values are darker, higher values are brighter. The default is 0, which is neutral. This setting shifts the brightness of all colours, including black and white, while the gamma setting changes the relative brightness of colours but does not change black and white.

The section about the noise setting describes a typical way of using brightness.

cmdtiming

Controls VDP command execution timing.

This is useful for debugging and for speeding up games where the command engine performance is a bottleneck.

color_matrix

This setting represents a 3×3 matrix that is used to transform MSX RGB colours to host RGB colours. This setting can be used to generate all kind of colour schemes, see scripts/monitor.tcl for examples.

To get the following colour transformation:

        | a b c |   | Rm |   | Rh |
        | d e f | × | Gm | = | Gh |
        | g h i |   | Bm |   | Bh |
  

Use this command:

        set color_matrix { { a b c } { d e f } { g h i } }
  

console

Turns the openMSX on-screen console on or off.

contrast

Controls the contrast of the video output. Can be between -100 and 100. Lower values are less contrast, higher values are more contrast. The default is 0, which is neutral.

The section about the noise setting describes a typical way of using contrast.

cputrace

Enable/disable CPU instruction tracing. When enabled, the state of the CPU (Z80/R800) is printed on stdout after every instruction. This creates a lot of output and slows down emulation considerably, but it can be very useful for debugging.

debugoutput

Selects the file to where the output from the debug device goes.

The User's Manual describes the debug device in more detail.

default_machine

Selects the default MSX model. openMSX uses this machine when it is started without the -machine option. This is a typical setting that should be saved, see also save_settings.

DirAsDSKmode

Determine the behaviour of the DirAsDSK when inserting a directory to be used as diskimage.

The possible values are read_only and full. The default mode is full.

deflicker

Turns deflicker on/off. deflicker is a filter which tries to detect pixels that alternate each frame between two different colour values and replaces those alternations with the average colour. It gives a very nice result for software (mostly demos) that use this technique to get the optical illusion of more colours than are actually supported by the hardware. It also works well in games with flickering sprites on a static background (like Maze of Galious). This setting is disabled by default because there aren't that many situations where the performance cost justifies the improved video quality.

deinterlace

Turns deinterlacing on/off. Deinterlace is a filter which combines the even and odd field of interlaced video into a single frame which has double vertical resolution. It results in a sharp and stable image, but can show artifacts on fast animations.

disablesprites

Can be used to disable sprite rendering. Only the rendering itself is disabled, all other MSX behaviour (like sprite collision detection) stays the same.

display_deform

Select display deformation effect.

di_halt_callback

Selects the Tcl procedure to be called when the running MSX software has executed a HALT instruction while the interrupts are disabled (DI).

The default openmsx startup scripts initialize this setting with a proc that prints a warning message.

enable_session_management

Controls session management. When enabled, openMSX will store the state of all machines when you exit openMSX and restore that state again when starting it up next time. Note that the reverse history is not saved.

Sessions can also be saved manually with the command save_session, and explicitly loaded with load_session. A list of saved sessions can be retrieved with list_sessions.

fastforward

Chooses between normal speed (off) and fastforward speed (on).

fastforwardspeed

Sets the emulation speed relative to the speed of a real MSX when we are running in fastforward mode. Speed 100 means as fast as a real MSX, lower values are slower than real MSX, higher values are faster than real MSX.

frequency

Sets the sound mixer frequency. Sound hardware and sound APIs typically support a limited set of frequencies, such as 11025 Hz, 22050 Hz, 44100 Hz and 48000 Hz.

firmwareswitch

Some machines (e.g. turboR) have a switch on the front (or on the back) that controls if the machine should boot 'normally' or start the built-in software, also called firmware. This setting controls the position of that switch.

fullscreen

Switch to/from fullscreen mode.

fullspeedwhenloading

When enabled, openMSX will try to detect when the MSX is loading from diskette, cassette or laserdisc. During loading openMSX will run at full speed (throttle off). This can be convenient if you're not interested in the realistic but slow loading times on MSX. Default is off, because it is not how a real MSX behaves.

Unlike the fast loading features in for example fMSX, fullspeedwhenloading does not intercept BIOS calls. Instead, it speeds up the emulation of the entire MSX, including all hardware devices.

gamma

Sets the amount of gamma correction. A value of 1.0 will turn off gamma correction. Lower values will result in a darker image, higher values in a brighter image.

If you want to get a realistic picture, set the openMSX gamma correction to PC gamma / MSX gamma. TVs use a standardised gamma of 2.5, let's take that as the value of MSX gamma. You can measure the gamma of your PC screen with a simple test such as the Gamma Measurement Image in Robert W. Berger's "An Explanation of Monitor Gamma". If your PC gamma would be for example 2.0, the most realistic value for gamma correction would be 2.0 / 2.5 = 0.8.

Alternatively, you can just try a few values and see what you like.

glow

Sets the amount of afterglow effect: 0 is off and 100 is a very heavy afterglow.

grabinput

Controls whether openMSX grabs all input events or not. When this setting is turned on, all input events are directly passed to openMSX. The mouse pointer can't leave the openMSX window and the window manager won't be able to react to keyboard shortcuts.

You can turn this setting on when you want to use mouse-controlled MSX software while openMSX is in windowed mode. It is best turned off in all other cases. See also escape_grab.

horizontal_stretch

Sets the amount of horizontal stretch, thus also the aspect ratio of the screen. More specifically, a setting of n means stretch the centre n MSX pixels to the full width of the host output window (at the virtual scale_factor 1).

inputdelay

Input events for the MSX machine are delayed by this amount. Increase this value when the MSX machine misses keyboard presses when you type very fast. Decrease this value to reduce the latency between pressing a key on the host machine and seeing it being typed in the MSX machine.

interleave_black_frame

Insert a black frame in between each normal MSX frame. Useful on (100Hz+) lightboost enabled monitors to reduce motion blur and double frame artifacts.

Make sure you configure your monitor to use a refresh rate of 100Hz (for a PAL MSX machine) or to 120Hz (for a NTSC machine). The brightness will decrease, so adjust the gamma, brightness and contrast settings to compensate.

invalid_ppi_mode_callback

Selects the Tcl procedure to be called when the running MSX software has selected an invalid PPI mode. Or at least a PPI mode that's not yet correctly emulated. Typically on a real machine these modes will hang the MSX.

The default openMSX startup scripts initialize this setting with a proc that prints a warning message just once. Though if you're a developer you may want to change this to always print the warning or automatically break emulation when this happens so you can debug the problem.

invalid_psg_directions_callback

Selects the Tcl procedure to be called when the running MSX software has selected invalid PSG port directions (port A should always be set as input).

The default openMSX startup scripts initialize this setting with a proc that prints a warning message just once. Though if you're a developer you may want to change this to always print the warning or automatically break emulation when this happens, so you can debug the problem.

msxjoystick<n>_config/joymega<n>_config

This setting configures how the buttons/axis/keys of the host are mapped to the inputs of the emulated MSX joysticks or JoyMega devices. For many host controllers the initial value of this setting provides an acceptable default mapping. But depending on your controller type and taste you may want to tweak it.

The easiest way to tweak it, is by using the GUI menu under Main menu bar → Settings → Input → Configure MSX joysticks.

The value of this setting is a Tcl dictionary. This means it's a list of key/value pairs where each even element is a key and each odd element is the corresponding value. The keys in this dictionary represent the 6 possible MSX joystick inputs. Possible key values are LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, A and B. For the JoyMega devices, add C, X, Y, Z, SELECT and START. The corresponding dictionary-values are lists of boolean host inputs. Possible elements for these lists regarding host controller input are joy<n> button<m>, joy<n> +axis<m>, joy<n> -axis<m> and joy<n> hat<m> left/right/down/up. But also host keyboard input can be configured with keyb <KEYNAME>, where KEYNAME is the name of a key.

Let's explain this with an example. The following is the default value for this setting:
 UP {{joy1 -axis1} {joy1 hat0 up}} DOWN {{joy1 +axis1} {joy1 hat0 down}} LEFT {{joy1 -axis0} {joy1 hat0 left}} RIGHT {{joy1 +axis0} {joy1 hat0 right}} A {{joy1 button0} {joy1 button2} {joy1 button4} {joy1 button6} {joy1 button8} {joy1 button10}} B {{joy1 button1} {joy1 button3} {joy1 button5} {joy1 button7} {joy1 button9} {joy1 button11}}
Axis 0 is usually the primary X-axis of the host controller's analogue stick. When that axis is moved towards negative values the LEFT input switch on the emulated joystick is activated. When it is moved towards positive values the RIGHT MSX input switch is activated. The D-pad of the detected host controller is also mapped via the hat0 events. Similarly host axis1 is mapped to the UP and DOWN MSX inputs. The (default) configuration for the buttons is slightly more complicated. Here all even numbered host buttons (0, 2, etc.) will activate MSX button A, and odd host button numbers will activate MSX button B.

There are no restrictions on the possible mappings. For example it is allowed to map host axis/buttons to MSX buttons/axis or vice-versa. This allows to for example map a host joypad (which acts like 4 buttons, instead of hats) to the MSX directional inputs. (Technically speaking the MSX axis inputs LEFT, RIGHT, UP and DOWN are just 4 input switches, just like the buttons A and B are just 2 input switches). It's also allowed to map the same host action to multiple MSX inputs. This allows to for example make one specific host button press both MSX buttons simultaneously (e.g. to have a 'crouch button' in Metal Gear).

It is possible to set this setting directly using the set command, but often using the Tcl dict command is more convenient. See below for some examples.

joystick<n>_deadzone

This setting configures how big the dead centre zone of an (analogue) joystick is. This is expressed as a percentage: 0 means no dead zone, 100 means everything falls inside the dead zone. The setting is only available when connected host analogue sticks are detected.

kbd_auto_toggle_code_kana_lock

Switches the "Automatically toggle the CODE/KANA lock" feature on or off. When it's on, openMSX will automatically toggle the CODE/KANA lock when a user enters a character for which the CODE/KANA lock state must be changed.

kbd_code_kana_host_key

Host key that maps to the MSX CODE/KANA key. By default right-ALT (RALT) key.

It is especially useful for people with AZERTY host keyboard, on which the RALT key has a special function; on azerty keyboards it is called the ALT-GR key and not the right-ALT key and it's used to enter some special characters (some keys are tagged with 3 characters; normal, key+SHIFT, key+ALT-GR).

It is also useful for people with a Japanese (jp106) keyboard; they can map the HENKAN_MODE key (which is similar to the KANA Lock on Japanese MSX models) to the CODE/KANA key.

kbd_deadkey1_host_key

Host key that maps to the (1st) dead key. By default right-CTRL (RCTRL) key.

Some MSX models have one dead key that can be used to enter accented characters. For example the MSX models sold in the Netherlands have a dead key that has following four accents printed on it: ` ´ ^ ¨. On the other hand, the Brazilian Gradiente Expert XP-800 has following four accents on its dead key: ` ´ ^ ^~.

There are also some MSX models with multiple dead keys like for example the Brazilian Gradiente Expert Plus, which has two dead keys and the different Sharp Hotbit models that have three dead keys. On such machines, this setting is for the first dead key which can be used to enter following two accents: ´ `.

In order to enter an accented character on the MSX, you first have to press and release the dead key, optionally together with SHIFT, CODE or CODE+SHIFT and then the correct character. The combination with CODE or CODE+SHIFT is only relevant for the MSX models with a single dead key that can be used to enter four different accents.

Following table shows for example how to enter respectively ù, ú, û or ü on the MSX models sold in the Netherlands:

In order to use the dead key in openMSX, you must map an appropriate host key to the DEAD_KEY1 of the MSX and another one to the CODE key of the MSX with respectively this kbd_deadkey1_host_key setting and the above documented kbd_code_kana_host_key setting.

Note that especially the last key combination (DEAD_KEY1+SHIFT+CODE) can be impossible to enter on some host systems; depending on the host operating system, keyboard type and keyboard driver it may be impossible for the host system to send a combination of three keys at once to an application like openMSX. Unfortunately openMSX or its developers can't do anything about that.

Note that to use for example PAGEUP as 1st dead key you will have to unbind it from the go_back_one_step command in the console; by default openMSX has bound the PAGEUP key to the go_back_one_step command and such a binding takes precedence over keyboard mappings, so if you want to use PAGEUP as the 1st dead key you will have to enter following additional command in the console: unbind PAGEUP.

kbd_deadkey2_host_key

Host key that maps to the 2nd dead key. By default Page Up (PAGEUP) key.

This is only applicable to MSX models that have at least two dead keys, like the Brazilian Hotbit models or the Brazilian Gradiente Expert Plus or other Gradiente models with Gradiente basic version 1.1.

On the Hotbit models, the second dead key can be used to enter accent ¨ while on the Gradiente 1.1 models, the second dead key can be used to enter following accents: ^~ ^.

It can be used in the same manner as the first dead key, explained in previous section.

Note that to use for example PAGEUP or PAGEDOWN as a dead key you will have to unbind them from the default functions in openMSX using the console; by default openMSX has bound the PAGEUP key to the go_back_one_step command and the PAGEDOWN key to the go_forward_one_step command. Such a binding takes precedence over keyboard mappings, so if you want to use PAGEUP or PAGEDOWN as the second dead key you will have to enter following additional commands in the console: unbind PAGEUP or unbind PAGEDOWN.

kbd_deadkey3_host_key

Host key that maps to the 3rd dead key. By default Page Down (PAGEDOWN) key.

This is only applicable to MSX models with at least three dead keys, like the Sharp Hotbit models.

On the Hotbit models, the third dead key can be used to enter following two accents: ^~ ^.

Note that to use for example PAGEDOWN (default setting!) as the 3rd dead key you will have to unbind it from the go_forward_one_step command in openMSX using the console; by default openMSX has bound the PAGEUP key to the go_back_one_step command. It is a very useful setting for many openMSX users when playing games but unfortunately it conflicts with the default set-up for the third dead key. Such a command binding takes precedence over keyboard mappings, so if you want to use PAGEDOWN as the third dead key you will have to enter following additional command in the console: unbind PAGEDOWN.

kbd_mapping_mode

The keyboard driver can work in several mapping modes: CHARACTER, POSITIONAL or KEY.

CHARACTER mapping:

A character entered by the user on the host keyboard is mapped to the correct key combination on the MSX keyboard to enter that same character. For example, when the user enters an '!' character and openMSX is emulating an 'international' MSX model, the keyboard driver will press SHIFT and '1' on the MSX keyboard. This will be done regardless of the key or keys that the user pressed on the host keyboard to enter that '!' character.
This is especially useful when the user has an AZERTY host keyboard and is working on a QWERTY style MSX or when he has a US-QWERTY keyboard and is working on a Japanese MSX.
In other words: in this mode openMSX is aware of both the host and the MSX keyboard layout and tries to remap host key-combinations to the corresponding MSX key-combinations that produce the same character.
Special host keys (like CURSOR keys or CAPSLOCK) are mapped directly to the corresponding MSX keys.
Note that CHARACTER mode isn't perfect (help to improve it is always appreciated). In some cases it may be more convenient or even required to use one of the other mapping modes.

POSITIONAL mapping:

In this mode both the host and the MSX keyboard layout are ignored. Host keys get mapped to MSX keys that are (approximately) in the same position on both keyboards. (More technically, host 'scan-codes' get mapped to MSX 'keyboard-matrix positions'.)

KEY mapping:

This mode is deprecated, it's superseded by the previous two modes and may get removed in a future openMSX release.
This mode has rudimentary knowledge about the host keyboard layout, but no knowledge about the MSX keyboard layout. It remaps individual keys, not key combinations. Take for example a French AZERTY host keyboard and an emulated MSX with 'international' keyboard layout. Pressing the 'A' host key correctly maps to the 'A' MSX key. But pressing SHIFT+'3' on the host (which produces '3'), maps to SHIFT+'3' on the MSX keyboard (which produces '#').

kbd_numkeypad_always_enabled

Some real MSX computers do not have a numeric keypad. openMSX will ignore key presses on the host numeric keypad when emulating such an MSX model. With this parameter, you can indicate that even on such MSX models, presses on the host numeric keypad must be mapped to the MSX numeric keypad. So, you can override accurate behaviour with it, which is the reason that by default, this setting is set to 'off'.

kbd_numkeypad_enter_key

There is a subtle difference between numeric keypad of MSX computers and of most host computers; the MSX computers have a '.' and a ',' on the numeric keypad. On the other hand, the host computers have a '.' and an 'ENTER' key on the keypad.

In some respect it is logical that the 'ENTER' key on the host numeric keypad is mapped to the 'normal' MSX 'ENTER' key. On the other hand, that would make it impossible to enter the ',' on the MSX numeric keypad. Therefore, the user can choose whether the host numeric keypad ENTER key should be mapped to the MSX numeric keypad ',' (which is the default) or to the main 'ENTER' key.

kbd_trace_key_presses

Log SDL key code, SDL modifiers and Unicode value for each key that gets pressed on the host keyboard on stderr. Also show Unicode value and corresponding MSX key-presses for characters that get 'pasted' into the MSX by the console type command. This setting is especially useful when defining Unicode keymap files, so that you can find out the Unicode values belonging to certain keys/characters.

led_<name>

These are read-only settings. Their value reflects the current status of the corresponding LED on the emulated MSX machine. The currently supported LED names are: power, caps, kana, pause, turbo and FDD.

As for any setting you can use the native trace Tcl command to trigger a callback when the value of these settings changes. (In fact this possibility was the main motivation to make these read-only settings instead of topics of the machine_info command.)

limitsprites

Controls whether the VDP has a limit on the number of sprites it can display per line. The default is on, because the real VDP has such a limit. You can turn off the limit to reduce sprite flashing in games such as Aleste. Note that some games (Penguin Adventure, among others) make use of this limitation, so they will display incorrectly if the limit is turned off.

The 5th/9th sprite status flag of the VDP is not influenced by the limitsprites setting: the flag always takes the limit into account.

master_volume

Controls the overall openMSX volume. The volume of individual sound devices can be controlled with the <soundchip>_volume settings.

maxframeskip

Sets the maximum amount of frames to skip: show a frame and then skip at most <number> frames. So 0 means show everything (no frame skipping), 1 means show at least every second frame etc.

Frame skipping is done on demand, as a way to keep the flow of time for the emulated MSX in sync with the flow of real time. You can set limits on the amount of frame skipping with the minframeskip and maxframeskip setting.

In a situation where the number of consecutive frames specified by maxframeskip has been skipped, openMSX will display the next frame, even if that means emulation will start lagging behind real time.

midi-in-readfilename

Sets the file from which the MIDI input is read. By default, it is set to /dev/midi when available.

midi-out-logfilename

Sets the file to which the MIDI output is logged. By default, it logs to /dev/midi when available.

minframeskip

Sets the minimum amount of frames to skip: show a frame and then skip at least <number> frames. So 0 means no forced frame skipping, 1 means skip at least every second frame etc.

Frame skipping is done on demand, as a way to keep the flow of time for the emulated MSX in sync with the flow of real time. You can set limits on the amount of frame skipping with the minframeskip and maxframeskip setting.

The minframeskip setting can be useful if you want to ease the burden on your PC processor, for example for longer battery life on a laptop. It can also be useful if your PC is consistently too slow to run without frame skipping: in such cases video might be smoother with a low but constant frame rate than with a fluctuating frame rate.

mode

Sets the active mode. A mode is a set of settings (mostly key bindings, but also OSD widgets that are activated) that are most suitable for a certain task. Currently only mode 'normal' and 'tas' exist.

TAS mode

So far, the only special mode is the TAS mode, which is made for doing Tool Assisted Speedruns, with TAS widgets and easier ways to save replays. It is still experimental, but already very useful for doing a TAS. This mode enables the following widgets:

• frame counter (can also be toggled with toggle_frame_counter), which shows the VDP (not V9990) frame number on screen
• cursors (can also be toggled with toggle_cursors), shows which keys (important for games) are pressed

The mode configures the following key bindings, overriding any existing key bindings (note: Mac key bindings are not proper yet...):

Note that this mode may change in future releases!

mute

Mute/unmute all sound output.

noise

Controls the amount of Gaussian noise that is added to the video output. A small amount of noise can give a more authentic look to the video output on TFTs. Values can be between 0 and 100, where 0 is no noise and 100 is lots of noise.

This setting is best combined with brightness and contrast: noise creates small random fluctuations in the brightness of pixels. When noise is applied to pure black, it is not possible to make it any darker, so half of the time the noise is ineffective. The same happens with pure white. By setting the brightness slightly above 0 and contrast slightly below 0, you will get a better looking noise effect.

pause

Pauses the emulation.

pause_on_lost_focus

When this setting is enabled, the emulation will be paused when the openMSX window loses focus.

pointer_hide_delay

The amount of seconds before the mouse pointer will be automatically hidden after it got shown due to mouse activity. A negative amount means that it will never be hidden, an amount of 0 means that it will be always hidden. By default the pointer is hidden 1 second after the last mouse activity.

power

Turn the power of the emulated MSX machine on or off.

printerlogfilename

Sets the file to which the printer logger writes.

print-resolution

Sets the resolution (in dpi) for the emulated dot-matrix printer.

The emulated printer 'prints' pages as PNG files. This settings determines the resolution of those images.

PSG_detune_frequency

Sets the frequency of the detune (a random variation in a sound's frequency) effect. It makes a sound fatter and more natural, as if played by a human being.

psg_detune_percent

Sets the strength of the detune effect. By default it is 0, which means the effect is switched off.

PSG_vibrato_frequency

Sets the frequency of the vibrato (a periodic variation in a sound's frequency) effect.

PSG_vibrato_percent

Sets the strength of the vibrato effect. By default it is 0, which means the effect is switched off.

r800_freq / r800_freq_locked

These two settings control the R800 clock frequency. See z80_freq / z80_freq_locked for details.

renderer

Switch to a different video renderer. However, currently there is only one alternative: none, and that is useful only for disabling rendering in scripts completely.

renshaturbo

Sets the speed of the built-in auto fire on some Japanese MSX models, for example the turboR machines. A value of 0 turns off auto fire, while 100 selects the most rapid auto fire.

resampler

Sets the method to resample the sound of sound chips from their native frequency to the desired output frequency.

rs232-inputfilename

Sets the file from which the RS232-tester reads data. Note that the rs232-tester has to be plugged in the msx-rs232 connector for this to become useful. When plugging the tester, this setting needs to point to a valid file.

rs232-outputfilename

Sets the file to which the RS232-tester writes the data. Note that the rs232-tester has to be plugged in the msx-rs232 connector for this to become useful. When plugging the tester, this setting needs to point to a valid file.

rs232-net-address

Sets the ip address (or hostname) and port for the RS232-Net pluggable. Note that rs232-net has to be plugged in the msx-rs232 connector for this to become useful. This setting needs to point to a valid host at the moment of plugging it.

The address must follow one of the following syntaxes:

• hostname e.g.: abc.com
• hostname:port e.g.: abc.com:23
• ipv4 e.g.: 127.0.0.1
• ipv4:port e.g.: 127.0.0.1:2323
• ipv6 e.g.: ::1
• [ipv6]:port e.g.: [::1]:8080

rs232-net-ip232

Enable the use of the IP232 protocol when used in conjunction with the TCPSer software modem. Note that rs232-net has to be plugged in the msx-rs232 connector and rs232-net-address must point to the ip address and port of a running TCPSer instance.

The IP232 protocol permits the correct emulation of some of the RS-232 port control lines.

This setting must be disabled when using rs232net without TCPSer.

rtcmode

Sets the Real Time Clock mode. Can be either RealTime or EmuTime.

In RealTime mode the MSX clock is always synchronized with the host clock, even when for example emulation is paused for a while or when emulation is run at 200% of real speed.

In EmuTime mode the time is only synchronized with the host clock when openMSX starts. From then on the clock ticks at the same pace as the emulated machine. So when emulation is paused, the clock is paused as well. If emulation is run at 200% speed, the clock also ticks twice as fast.

In EmuTime mode it's not possible for an MSX program to detect whether it's running on a real or on an emulated machine. That's why this is the default mode. On the other hand the RealTime mode might be better if for example you care that timestamps of files written by the emulated MSX machine are in sync with the host machine time.

samples

Sets the size of the sound mixer buffer. Higher values help against buffer underruns (hickups), but increase the latency of the sound output.

save_settings_on_exit

Automatically save the current settings when openMSX exits: execute a save_settings command on exit.

scale_algorithm

Selects the algorithm used to transform MSX pixels to host pixels. The User's Manual contains more information about scalers.

scale_factor

Selects the scale factor. Scale factor <n> means the typical MSX pixel (MSX resolution 256×212) is mapped on <n> by <n> host pixels. For the moment the possible values are 2 to 4. In the future we may support a wider range or even non-integer values. The User's Manual contains more information about scalers.

scanline

Sets the amount of scanline effect.

sound_driver

Select the sound output driver.

speed

Sets the emulation speed relative to the speed of a real MSX. Speed 100 means as fast as a real MSX, lower values are slower than real MSX, higher values are faster than real MSX.

<soundchip>_balance

Sets the balance (distribution over the left and right channel) for individual sound chips. It replaces the previously available <soundchip>_mode setting. The range is between -100 (totally left) and 100 (totally right).

<soundchip>_ch<channel>_record

Sets the filename to which the sound of an individual channel of individual sound chips should be recorded. When this setting is not set, no recording takes place and recording starts as soon as the setting is set. Normally, you would probably prefer to use the record_channels command to set up channel recording instead of this low level setting.

<soundchip>_ch<channel>_mute

Use to mute a specific channel of an individual sound chip. Normally, you would probably prefer to use the mute_channels command to set up channel muting instead of this low level setting.

<soundchip>_volume

Sets the volume for individual sound chips. The overall volume is controlled by the master_volume setting.

throttle

Sets throttle mode. In throttle mode the emulator tries to run at the specified speed relative to a real MSX (see speed command). When throttling is turned off the emulator runs as fast as possible.

too_fast_vram_access

How should software that accesses the VDP-VRAM too fast be emulated? Most existing MSX software should not access VRAM too fast, and in that case this setting has no effect. But you may want to change it when you e.g. emulate an overclocked Z80 (see z80_freq).

too_fast_vram_access_callback

Selects the Tcl procedure to be called when a too-fast-VRAM-access (read or write) has been detected. This is useful for debugging MSX programs that show certain kinds of VRAM corruption, especially on MSX1.

By default this setting is empty, which means that nothing is done when a too-fast-VRAM-access is detected. We ship a few example procedures called warn_too_fast_vram_access and debug_too_fast_vram_access which respectively print a warning or break CPU emulation when this condition occurs. You can find the source code for these procedures in scripts/callbackprocs.tcl. Feel free to write your own procedure that does exactly what you need.

touchpad_transform_matrix

Specify a 2×3 transformation matrix that maps host mouse coordinates to MSX touchpad coordinates. To get the following coordinate transformation:

        | a b c |   | host-X |   | touchpad-X |
        | d e f | × | host-Y | = | touchpad-Y |
                    |    1   |
  

Use this command:

        set touchpad_transform_matrix {{a b c} {d e f}}
  

turborpause

Controls the pause key on an MSX turboR machine.

umr_callback

Selects the Tcl procedure to be called when an Uninitialized Memory Read has been detected. This is useful for debugging MSX programs: uninitialized memory is not guaranteed to have any particular value, so reading it is most likely a bug.

By default this setting is empty, which means that nothing is done when an Uninitialized Memory Read is detected. We ship a useful procedure called umrcallback which logs all UMRs. You can activate it with set umr_callback umrcallback. You can find the source code for this procedure in scripts/callbackprocs.tcl.

vdpcmdinprogress_callback

Selects the Tcl procedure to be called when a write to a VDP command engine register is detected while there is still a VDP command in progress. Often this is an indication of a bug in the running MSX program. Note that writes to VDP register R#44 with a command in progress are normal behaviour, so the callback is not triggered for such writes.

By default this setting is empty, which means that nothing is done when a suspicious VDP command engine write is detected. We ship an example proc called vdpcmdinprogresscallback which simply logs all occurrences. You can activate it with set vdpcmdinprogress_callback vdpcmdinprogresscallback. You can find the source code for this proc in scripts/callbackprocs.tcl. Feel free to write your own proc that does exactly what you need. For example it might be a good idea to execute debug break in your callback, so that you can easily examine what code triggered this write.

vdpcmdtrace

Enable/disable VDP command tracing. When enabled, every VDP command is logged on stdout. This is useful when debugging MSX programs that use the VDP command engine.

videosource

Switch between video sources: MSX (V99x8, default when no Video 9000 is available), GFX9000 (V9990), Video9000 (V9990 superimposed on top of V99x8, default if available) and Laserdisc (for Palcom machines). There can be even more video sources, e.g. offered by cartridges with a built in VDP such as the Neos MA-20(V).

vsync

Enables or disables vsync. This setting determines whether MSX frame rendering should be synchronized to your host monitors frame rate (e.g. 60fps).

The default value is not to synchronize ("off"). When enabled, adaptive vsync is attempted if your hardware and driver support it, which means that if a frame is too late, it will be output immediately anyway. If not supported, normal vsync will be used, which may mean a frame is output later, when the sync is missed.

Enable this if your MSX is running at about the same frame rate as your monitor (e.g. 60Hz MSX output on a 60Hz host monitor) and you want to avoid (or reduce) tearing, which can be quite visible in smooth horizontal scrolling demos. Keep in mind throttle mode off works a bit differently if vsync is enabled (see there).

v9990cmdtrace

Enable/disable V9990 command tracing. This is the V9990 equivalent of vdpcmdtrace.

z80_freq / z80_freq_locked

These two settings control the Z80 clock frequency. When z80_freq_locked is true the emulated Z80 runs at the normal 3.579545 MHz (or possibly 5.369318 MHz on machines that are able to switch the CPU to 'turbo' mode, e.g. the Panasonic MSX2+ models). When z80_freq_locked is false the value of z80_freq is taken as the Z80 clock frequency. Note: the value of z80_freq is by default the MSX Z80 standard of 3579545, so when z80_freq is untouched, setting z80_freq_locked to false will set the clock frequency of a CPU in 5.37 Mhz turbo mode back to 3.58 Mhz.

WARNING: be careful when changing these settings. When saving the settings in which a different clock is activated, this will be applied for all machines, as these are global settings. Some software (like demos) may stop working properly with a changed CPU clock frequency. Specifically, using a value (just) below the normal value may cause problems loading CAS images, as these are converted to a high baud rate WAV file internally and when the MSX becomes slower it cannot handle that high baud rate.

other settings

Like with the commands, there are also some specialized settings, for which we only list a very brief overview. As always execute "help setting <setting-name>" to get a more detailed description of the setting.

The source code of all these scripts is located in share/scripts directory. Feel free to inspect these scripts and modify them to suit your needs.