Software - Utilities

ZX File Converter

The ZX File Converter is a Windows utility that allows programs to be converted between different file formats. The utility supports the ZX80, ZX81, Spectrum and Jupiter Ace.

The following file formats are supported for the ZX81:

	•	.P	A single program file which has the ZX81 file name bytes omitted.
	•	.81	Identical to the .P format but often with surplus bytes at the end of the file.
	•	.P81	A single program file which has the ZX81 file name bytes included.
	•	.TZX	Supports multiple program files, each includes the ZX81 file name bytes.
	•	.T81	Supports multiple Program files, each includes the ZX81 file name bytes.

The utility can be used to combine single program files into a format that supports multiple programs. It can also be used to extract a specific program from a format that contains multiple programs and save it in one of the single program file formats.

A screenshot of the ZX File Converter can be seen below:

The toolbar at the top of the utility allows the computer type to be selected. The Add button can then be used to insert programs for that computer type into the program list. The Save button will allow the currently highlighted file to be saved in one of the supported single program formats or for the whole program list to be saved in one of the supported multiple file formats. The Move Up and Move Down buttons allow the order of the programs in the program list to re-arranged, and the Delete and Delete All buttons allow one or all programs to be removed from the program list.

The File Name column displays the embedded ZX81 file name within each program if available, else the PC file name is displayed instead. The Description column displays the total size of each program, along with the auto-run line number if set, the address of the display file and the address of the variables area.

The Warn If Surplus Bytes Present option will check whether the size of the file corresponds to the length of the program as specified by its system variables. If a discrepancy is found then a warning dialog is displayed before including the program into the program list. This brings the issue to the attention of the user, and if desired the surplus bytes can be removed using a standard file editor. Surplus bytes are most often seen with .81 files that were saved by very early ZX81 emulators.

Detailed information on the various file formats can be displayed by clicking the information icon on the toolbar.

Downloads

Click here to download the ZX File Converter [V1.1.4] utility.