device files are mounted under the drive letter of dollarsign

assets/disk0/devcontest.js

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-let f = files.open("CON")
+let f = files.open("$:/CON")
 f.swrite("Hello, world! I'm just writing to a file named 'CON'\n")
 f.close()

assets/disk0/devipftest.js

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-let fout = files.open("FBIPF")
+let fout = files.open("$:/FBIPF")
 let fin = files.open(_G.shell.resolvePathInput(exec_args[1]).full)
 
 let ipfRead = fin.bread()

assets/disk0/devrandomtest.js

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-let f = files.open("RND")
+let f = files.open("$:/RND")
 let mlen = 512
 let m = sys.malloc(mlen)
 

assets/disk0/tvdos/TVDOS.SYS

@@ -94,15 +94,17 @@ _TVDOS.DRV.FS = {}
 class TVDOSFileDescriptor {
 
     constructor(path0, driverID) {
-        if (driverID === undefined) {
+        if (path0.startsWith("$")) {
-            if (!files.reservedNames.includes(path0)) {
+            let devName = path0.substring(3)
-                throw Error(`${path0} is not a valid device file`)
+
+            if (!files.reservedNames.includes(devName)) {
+                throw Error(`${devName} is not a valid device file`)
             }
 
             this._driveLetter = undefined
             this._path = path0
-            this._driverID = `DEV${path0}`
+            this._driverID = `DEV${devName}`
-            this._driver = _TVDOS.DRV.FS[`DEV${path0}`] // can't just put `driverID` here
+            this._driver = _TVDOS.DRV.FS[`DEV${devName}`] // can't just put `driverID` here
         }
         else {
             let p = path0.replaceAll("/", "\\")
@@ -111,7 +113,7 @@ class TVDOSFileDescriptor {
                 p = p.substring(0, p.length - 1)
             }
             this._driveLetter = p[0]
-            this._path = p.substring(2) // detaches A:
+            this._path = p.substring(2) // detaches $:
             this._driverID = driverID
             this._driver = _TVDOS.DRV.FS[driverID]
             serial.println(`TVDOSFileDescriptor input path: ${path0}, p = ${p}, driveLetter = ${this._driveLetter}, path = ${this._path}`)
@@ -810,6 +812,12 @@ files.open = (fullPath) => {
     if (fullPath[2] != '/' && fullPath[2] != '\\') throw Error("Expected full path with drive letter, got " + fullPath)
     let driveLetter = fullPath[0].toUpperCase()
     let driver = _TVDOS.DRIVEFS[driveLetter]
+
+    // special device files ($:\NUL, $:\CON, etc)
+    if ("$" == driveLetter) {
+        return new TVDOSFileDescriptor(fullPath.toUpperCase())
+    }
+
     return new TVDOSFileDescriptor(fullPath, driver)
 }
 

assets/disk0/tvdos/bin/decodeipf.js

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ if (!magicMatching) {
 }
 
 // decode input image
-let ipfFile = files.open("FBIPF")
+let ipfFile = files.open("$:/FBIPF")
 graphics.clearText(); graphics.clearPixels(0); graphics.clearPixels2(0)
 ipfFile.pwrite(infilePtr, infile.size, 0)
 sys.free(infilePtr)

doc/tsvmman.idx

@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@
 \indexentry{boot process|hyperpage}{29}
 \indexentry{coreutils (DOS)|hyperpage}{30}
 \indexentry{applications (DOS)|hyperpage}{31}
-\indexentry{pipe (DOS)|hyperpage}{33}
+\indexentry{pipe (DOS)|hyperpage}{34}
-\indexentry{filesystem (DOS)|hyperpage}{35}
+\indexentry{filesystem (DOS)|hyperpage}{36}
-\indexentry{file descriptor (DOS)|hyperpage}{35}
+\indexentry{file descriptor (DOS)|hyperpage}{36}
-\indexentry{device file|hyperpage}{37}
+\indexentry{device file|hyperpage}{38}
-\indexentry{input (DOS)|hyperpage}{39}
+\indexentry{input (DOS)|hyperpage}{40}
-\indexentry{gl (DOS)|hyperpage}{40}
+\indexentry{gl (DOS)|hyperpage}{41}

doc/tsvmman.ind

@@ -19,22 +19,22 @@
 
   \indexspace
 
-  \item device file, \hyperpage{37}
+  \item device file, \hyperpage{38}
 
   \indexspace
 
-  \item file descriptor (DOS), \hyperpage{35}
+  \item file descriptor (DOS), \hyperpage{36}
-  \item filesystem (DOS), \hyperpage{35}
+  \item filesystem (DOS), \hyperpage{36}
 
   \indexspace
 
-  \item gl (DOS), \hyperpage{40}
+  \item gl (DOS), \hyperpage{41}
   \item graphics (library), \hyperpage{26}
   \item gzip (library), \hyperpage{12}
 
   \indexspace
 
-  \item input (DOS), \hyperpage{39}
+  \item input (DOS), \hyperpage{40}
 
   \indexspace
 
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
 
   \indexspace
 
-  \item pipe (DOS), \hyperpage{33}
+  \item pipe (DOS), \hyperpage{34}
 
   \indexspace
 

doc/tvdos.tex

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 All \thedos-related features requires the DOS to be fully loaded.
 
-
+On this documentation, what would be a reverse solidus (e.g. directory separators) are typesetted using a slash; while they \emph{are} interchangeable, using the reverse solidus are recommended for path input.
 
 
 \chapter{Bootstrapping}
@@ -59,10 +59,14 @@ Variables can be set or changed using \textbf{SET} commands.
 This chapter will only briefly list and describe the applications.
 
 \begin{outline}
-\1\dossynopsis{basica}{Invokens a BASIC interpreter stored in the ROM. If no BASIC rom is present, nothing will be done.}
+\1\dossynopsis{basica}{Invokes a BASIC interpreter stored in the ROM. If no BASIC rom is present, nothing will be done.}
+\1\dossynopsis{basic}{If your system is bundled with a software-based BASIC, this command will invoke the BASIC interpreter stored in the disk.}
 \1\dossynopsis{color}{Changes the background and the foreground of the active session.}
 \1\dossynopsis{command}{The default text-based DOS shell. Call with \code{command /fancy} for more \ae sthetically pleasing looks.}
+\1\dossynopsis{decodeipf}{file}{Decodes the IPF-formatted image to the framebuffer using the graphics processor.}
+\1\dossynopsis{drives}{Shows the list of the connected and mounted disk drives.}
 \1\dossynopsis{edit}{path}{The interactive full-screen text editor.}
+\1\dossynopsis{encodeipf}{1/2 imagefile ipffile}{Encodes the given image file (.jpg, .png, .bmp, .tga) to the IPF format using the graphics hardware.}
 \1\dossynopsis{false}{Returns errorlevel 1 upon execution.}
 \1\dossynopsis{hexdump}{path}{Prints out the contents of a file in hexadecimal view. Supports pipe.}
 \1\dossynopsis{less}{path}{Allows user to read the long text, even if they are wider and/or taller than the screen. Supports pipe.}
@@ -168,7 +172,7 @@ Functions:
 
 \section{The Device Files}
 
-\index{device file}Some devices are also virtualised through the file descriptor, and they are given a special path. (their fullPath does not contain a drive letter)
+\index{device file}Some devices are also virtualised through the file descriptor, and they are given a special drive letter of \code{\$}. (e.g. \code{\$:/RND})
 
 \begin{outline}
 \1\inlinesynopsis{RND}{returns random bytes upon reading}
@@ -186,7 +190,7 @@ Functions:
  \2\argsynopsis{pwrite}{writes the bytes from the given pointer.}
  \2\argsynopsis{bwrite}{identical to \code{print()} except the given byte array will be casted to string.}
  \2\argsynopsis{swrite}{identical to \code{print()}.}
-\1\inlinesynopsis{FBIPF}{decodes IPF-formatted image to the framebuffer. Use the \emph{Graphics} library for the encoding.}
+\1\inlinesynopsis{FBIPF}{decodes IPF-formatted image to the framebuffer. Use the bundled \code{encodeipf.js} for the encoding.}
  \2\argsynopsis{pwrite, bwrite}{decodes the given IPF binary data. Offsets and counts for \code{pwrite} are ignored.}
 \end{outline}