nqc(1)nqc(1)NAMEnqc - A simple C-like language for Lego's RCX programmable brick
SYNOPSISnqc [ options ] [ actions ] [ - | filename ] [ actions ]
DESCRIPTION
NQC stands for Not Quite C, and is a simple language for programming
the LEGO RCX. The preprocessor and control structures of NQC are very
similar to C. NQC is not a general purpose language -- there are many
restrictions that stem from limitations of the standard RCX firmware.
This man page does not attempt to describe the NQC programming language
or the RCX API, merely the options of the nqc command-line program.
References to more complete documentation are given at the end of this
man page.
nqc is normally used to process a single source file given as filename.
You can also read from stdin by using - instead. If the filename ends
in .rcx, it is assumed to be a RCX image file from a previous compile,
and will be used as is (for downloading or listing).
OPTIONS-1 use NQC 1.x compatibility mode. The RCX API changed signifi‐
cantly with version 2.0. This flag makes the compiler grok old
code.
-Ttarget
generate code and use communications methods for "smart bricks"
other than the RCX. Currently, can be either CM or Scout.
-d download program to the RCX. When this option is given, code is
sent directly over the serial port to the brick and no output
file is generated by default.
-n prevent the standard nqc.h file from being automatically
included.
-Dsym[=value]
define macro sym as value.
-E[filename]
write compiler errors to filename (or to stdout, if no name
specified) instead of to stderr.
-Ipath search path for include files. Multiple directories should be
seperated as normal for the platform (under Linux / Unix, that'd
be ""). Can also be set with the NQC_INCLUDE environment vari‐
able.
-L[filename]
generate a human-readable bytecode listing to filename (or to
stdout) instead of generating a binary file.
-Ooutfile
output code to outfile. This option causes a file to be written
even if -d or -L is also given. If no filename is specified,
the output file will have the same basename as the input file
but an extension of .rcx instead of .nqc.
-Sportname
use serial port portname. Under Linux, /dev/ttyS0 is the
default. (This will differ on other platforms.) The port can
also be specified via the RCX_PORT environment variable, but the
command line option takes precedence.
-Usym undefine macro sym.
ACTIONS
Actions look similar to options, but they have some subtle differences.
In general, options set up things (such as a serial port) for later
use, while actions cause something to happen. Actions are executed in
the order that they appear on the command line. In addition, actions
appearing before the source file happen before compilation, while
actions after the source file happen after compilation. For historical
reasons, downloading the compiled file (-d) works as an option and not
an action.
-run run the current program. This causes the program selected on
the RCX to execute.
-pgm number
select program number. This changes the program slot on the
RCX.
-datalog
get the datalog from the RCX and print it to stdout.
-datalog-full
same as -datalog but with more verbose output.
-near set the IR port to short-range mode.
-far set the IR port to long-range mode.
-watch time
set the RCX's clock to the specified time. If you use now, then
the host's current time is used.
-firmware filename
downloads the firmware to the RCX. You'll need the official
Lego RCX firmware from the CD-ROM -- the current (and so far
only) file is called firm0309.lgo. This will probably be neces‐
sary the first time you use your RCX, and whenever it's been
without batteries for more than a few minutes.
-firmfast filename
same as -firmware, but at quad speed. Requires the tower to be
in near mode (see -near). If you have trouble getting the fast
download to work, please revert to the older (and slower)
method.
-sleep timeout
set RCX auto-shutoff timeout, in minutes.
-msg number
send IR message to RCX. The brick will respond to this just as
it would a communication from another RCX.
-raw data
send an arbitrary packet to the RCX and print the reply (if any)
to stdout. The data should be a hexadecimal string, with no
spaces, zero-padded so that it is an even number of characters
(although it may be an odd number of bytes). For example, to
read the contents of variable 1, you could use -raw 120001. The
bytecodes for raw messages can be found on web sites that docu‐
ment the RCX protocol.
-remote value repeat
send a repeating remote command to the RCX.
-clear erase all programs and datalog from the RCX.
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
RCX_PORT
sets the default serial port. See the -S option.
NQC_OPTIONS
specifies extra options to be inserted into the command line.
For example, setting NQC_OPTIONS to -TScout would cause nqc to
target the Scout by default.
NQC_INCLUDE
specifies additional paths to search for include files. See
also the -I option.
EXAMPLES
To compile foo.nqc, download the bytecode to program slot three, and
make the RCX start executing it immediately:
nqc-d -pgm 3 foo.nqc -run
To just compile bar.nqc, resulting in bar.rcx:
nqc bar.nqc
To download bar.rcx to the RCX:
nqc-d bar.rcx
To set the IR tower to short-range mode and download the firmware at
high speed:
nqc-near -firmfast firm0309.lgo
To compile /usr/doc/nqc-2.1.0/test.nqc and print the resulting bytecode
listing to the screen in human-readable format:
nqc-L /usr/doc/nqc-2.1.0/test.nqc
(This should result in the following output under nqc 2.1.0:
*** Task 0 = main
000 pwr ABC, 7 13 07 02 07
004 dir ABC, Fwd e1 87
006 InType 0, Switch 32 00 01
009 InMode 0, Boolean 42 00 20
012 out A, On 21 81
014 chkl 1 != Input(0), 14 95 82 09 01 00 00 fa ff
022 plays 0 51 00
024 out A, Off 21 41
)
FILES
Older versions of nqc required a seperate rcx.nqh or rcx2.nqh file.
This is now integrated into the binary and no longer necessary, but for
reference, rcx2.nqh is included with the package. (If you installed
the RPM, try /usr/doc/nqc-2.1.0/rcx2.nqh).
SEE ALSO
http://www.enteract.com/~dbaum/nqc/
The main Not Quite C web site. You'll definitely want to look
here. Notably, you'll find the NQC Programmer's Guide, which
covers the NQC language itself.
http://www.crynwr.com/lego-robotics/
A great site for alternative RCX / Mindstorms development.
http://graphics.stanford.edu/~kekoa/rcx/
Details on the internals of the RCX and the RCX protocol.
http://www.lugnet.com/robotics/rcx/nqc/
Discussion group for NQC. Also available via NNTP at
lugnet.com.
http://nqc.mattdm.org/
Linux binaries and RPM-format packages for NQC, including source
RPMs. Also has an RPM containing the NQC language documentation
from Dave's site, in case you'd prefer to have it installed
locally.
BUGS
None known. But be aware that Scout support is still preliminary and
may change significantly.
COPYRIGHTnqc is Copyright (C) 1998-2000 David Baum and released under the terms
of the Mozilla Public License. See the documentation included with the
program for more details.
AUTHOR
The Not Quite C programming language and the nqc program were written
and are maintained by Dave Baum. Various contributions have been made
by other people -- a full list of these can be found on Dave's web
site.
This man page was written by Matthew Miller (mattdm@mattdm.org), with
extremely large amounts of borrowing from other NQC documentation.
Version 2.1 r1: 19 Feb 2000 nqc(1)
