ZX2 is a minimalist version of ZX1. It's intended to help compressing programs and data blocks so small that saving a few bytes in the decompressor itself can make a difference (for instance to create 1Kb demos).
To compress a file, use the command-line compressor as follows:
zx2 [options] Font.fzx
This will generate a compressed file called "Font.fzx.zx2".
Afterwards you must choose a decompressor routine in assembly Z80 that corresponds to the compression options you have used. The decompressor size varies from 48 to 56 bytes depending on these options:
-
Option "-z": Ignore default offset (reduces 1 byte). Starting the decompressor with an initial default offset usually saves 1 byte per compressed file, sometimes even more. But for certain files, this initialization may not help at all, in these cases it's better to reduce 1 byte in the decompressor itself.
-
Option "-x": Skip length increment (reduces 4 bytes). Decrementing new offset lengths before storing them (thus requiring an increment afterwards) usually saves a bit every 2 blocks on average. However in a few rare cases, the compression of certain files may not benefit from this, in this case you can save a few bytes in the decompressor size instead.
-
Option "-y": Limit block length (reduces 2 bytes). Compressing very small files usually don't need support for large block lengths, so you may be able to use a smaller decompressor in these cases.
-
Option "-b": Compress backwards (reduces 1 byte). Certain files compress slightly better with forward compression, others with backwards. Just don't forget that backwards compression requires a different decompressor version.
Afterwards compile the chosen decompressor routine according to your chosen options, and load the compressed file somewhere in memory. To decompress data, just call the routine specifying the source address of compressed data in HL and the target address in DE.
For instance, if you compile the decompressor routine to address 25000, load "Font.fzx.zx2" at address 25100, and you want to decompress it to address 26000, then execute the following code:
LD HL, 25100 ; source address (put "Font.fzx.zx2" there)
LD DE, 26000 ; target address
CALL 25000 ; decompress routine compiled at this address
It's also possible to decompress data into a memory area that partially overlaps the compressed data itself (only if you won't need to decompress it again later, obviously). In this case, the last address of compressed data must be at least "delta" bytes higher than the last address of decompressed data. The exact value of "delta" for each case is reported by ZX2 during compression. See image below:
|------------------| compressed data
|---------------------------------| decompressed data
start >> <--->
delta
For convenience, there's also a command-line decompressor that works as follows:
dzx2 Font.fzx.zx2
The ZX2 compressed format is very simple. There are only 3 types of blocks:
- Literal (copy next N bytes from compressed file)
0 Elias(length) byte[1] byte[2] ... byte[N]
- Copy from last offset (repeat N bytes from last offset)
0 Elias(length)
- Copy from new offset (repeat N bytes from new offset)
1 offset Elias(length-K)
ZX2 needs only 1 bit to distinguish between these blocks, because literal blocks cannot be consecutive, and reusing last offset can only happen after a literal block. The first block is always a literal, so the first bit is omitted.
All lengths are stored using interlaced Elias Gamma Coding. The offset is stored using 1 byte only. A special offset value indicates EOF.
The ZX2 compressor contains a few extra "hidden" features, that are slightly harder to use properly, and not supported by the ZX2 decompressor in C. Please read carefully these instructions before attempting to use any of them!
When using ZX2 for "in-place" decompression (decompressing data to overlap the same memory area storing the compressed data), you must always leave a small margin of "delta" bytes of compressed data at the end. However it won't work to decompress some large data that will occupy all the upper memory until the last memory address, since there won't be even a couple bytes left at the end.
A possible workaround is to compress and decompress data backwards, starting at the last memory address. Therefore you will only need to leave a small margin of "delta" bytes of compressed data at the beginning instead. Technically, it will require that lowest address of compressed data should be at least "delta" bytes lower than lowest address of decompressed data. See image below:
compressed data |------------------|
decompressed data |---------------------------------|
<---> << start
delta
To compress a file backwards, use the command-line compressor as follows:
zx2 -b Font.fzx
To decompress it later, you must call one of the supplied "backwards" variants of the Assembly decompressor, specifying last source address of compressed data in HL and last target address in DE.
For instance, if you compile a "backwards" Assembly decompressor routine to address 64000, load backwards compressed file "Font.fzx.zx2" (with size 143 bytes) to address 51200, and want to decompress it to fill the entire ZX Spectrum printer buffer at address 23296 (with 256 bytes), then execute the following code:
LD HL, 51200+143-1 ; source (last address of "Font.fzx.zx2")
LD DE, 23296+256-1 ; target (last address of printer buffer)
CALL 64000 ; backwards decompress routine
Notice that compressing backwards may sometimes produce slightly smaller compressed files in certain cases, slightly larger compressed files in others.
The LZ77/LZSS compression is achieved by "abbreviating repetitions", such that certain sequences of bytes are replaced with much shorter references to previous occurrences of these same sequences. For this reason, it's harder to get very good compression ratio on very short files, or in the initial parts of larger files, due to lack of choices for previous sequences that could be referenced.
A possible improvement is to compress data while also taking into account what else will be already stored in memory during decompression later. Thus the compressed data may even contain shorter references to repetitions stored in some previous "prefix" memory area, instead of just repetitions within the decompressed area itself.
An input file may contain both some prefix data to be referenced only, and the actual data to be compressed. An optional parameter can specify how many bytes must be skipped before compression. See below:
compressed data
|-------------------|
prefix decompressed data
|--------------|---------------------------------|
start >>
<--------------> <--->
skip delta
As usual, if you want to decompress data into a memory area that partially overlaps the compressed data itself, the last address of compressed data must be at least "delta" bytes higher than the last address of decompressed data.
For instance, if you want the first 120 bytes of a certain file to be skipped (not compressed but possibly referenced), then use the command-line compressor as follows:
zx1 +120 Font.fzx
In practice, suppose an action game uses a few generic sprites that are common for all levels (such as player graphics), and other sprites are specific for each level (such as enemies). All generic sprites must stay always accessible at a certain memory area, but any level specific data can be only decompressed as needed, to the memory area immediately following it. In this case, the generic sprites area could be used as prefix when compressing and decompressing each level, in an attempt to improve compression. For instance, suppose generic graphics are loaded from file "generic.gfx" to address 56000, occupying 180 bytes, and level specific graphics will be decompressed immediately afterwards, to address 56180. To compress each level using "generic.gfx" as a 180 bytes prefix, use the command-line compressor as follows:
copy /b generic.gfx+level_1.gfx prefixed_level_1.gfx
zx1 +180 prefixed_level_1.gfx
copy /b generic.gfx+level_2.gfx prefixed_level_2.gfx
zx1 +180 prefixed_level_2.gfx
copy /b generic.gfx+level_3.gfx prefixed_level_3.gfx
zx1 +180 prefixed_level_3.gfx
To decompress it later, you simply need to use one of the normal variants of the Assembly decompressor, as usual. In this case, if you loaded compressed file "prefixed_level_1.gfx.zx1" to address 48000 for instance, decompressing it will require the following code:
LD HL, 48000 ; source address (put "prefixed_level_1.gfx.zx1" there)
LD DE, 56180 ; target address (level specific memory area in this case)
CALL 65000 ; decompress routine compiled at this address
However decompression will only work properly if exactly the same prefix data is present in the memory area immediately preceding the decompression address. Therefore you must be extremely careful to ensure the prefix area does not store variables, self-modifying code, or anything else that may change prefix content between compression and decompression. Also don't forget to recompress your files whenever you modify a prefix!
In certain cases, compressing with a prefix may considerably help compression. In others, it may not even make any difference. It mostly depends on how much similarity exists between data to be compressed and its provided prefix.
Both features above can be used together. A file can be compressed backwards, with an optional parameter to specify how many bytes should be skipped (not compressed but possibly referenced) from the end of the input file instead. See below:
compressed data
|-------------------|
decompressed data suffix
|---------------------------------|--------------|
<< start
<---> <-------------->
delta skip
As usual, if you want to decompress data into a memory area that partially overlaps the compressed data itself, lowest address of compressed data must be at least "delta" bytes lower than lowest address of decompressed data.
For instance, if you want to skip the last 112 bytes of a certain input file and compress everything else (possibly referencing this "suffix" of 112 bytes), then use the command-line compressor as follows:
zx2 -b +112 Font.fzx
In previous example, suppose the action game now stores level-specific sprites in the memory area from address 33000 to 33127 (128 bytes), just before generic sprites that are stored from address 33128 to 33357 (230 bytes). In this case, these generic sprites could be used as suffix when compressing and decompressing level-specific data as needed, in an attempt to improve compression. To compress each level using "generic.gfx" as a 230 bytes suffix, use the command-line compressor as follows:
copy /b level_1.gfx+generic.gfx level_1_suffixed.gfx
zx2 -b +230 level_1_suffixed.gfx
copy /b level_2.gfx+generic.gfx level_2_suffixed.gfx
zx2 -b +230 level_2_suffixed.gfx
copy /b level_3.gfx+generic.gfx level_3_suffixed.gfx
zx2 -b +230 level_3_suffixed.gfx
To decompress it later, use the backwards variant of the Assembly decompressor. In this case, if you compile a "backwards" decompressor routine to address 64000, and load compressed file "level_1_suffixed.gfx.zx1" (with 73 bytes) to address 39000 for instance, decompressing it will require the following code:
LD HL, 39000+73-1 ; source (last address of "level_1_suffixed.gfx.zx1")
LD DE, 33000+128-1 ; target (last address of level-specific data)
CALL 64000 ; backwards decompress routine
Analogously, decompression will only work properly if exactly the same suffix data is present in the memory area immediately following the decompression area. Therefore you must be extremely careful to ensure the suffix area does not store variables, self-modifying code, or anything else that may change suffix content between compression and decompression. Also don't forget to recompress your files whenever you modify a suffix!
Also if you are using "in-place" decompression, you must leave a small margin of "delta" bytes of compressed data just before the decompression area.
The ZX2 data compression format and algorithm was designed and implemented by Einar Saukas.
The optimal C compressor is available under the "BSD-3" license. In practice, this is relevant only if you want to modify its source code and/or incorporate the compressor within your own products. Otherwise, if you just execute it to compress files, you can simply ignore these conditions.
The decompressors can be used freely within your own programs (either for the ZX Spectrum or any other platform), even for commercial releases. The only condition is that you must indicate somehow in your documentation that you have used ZX2.
ZX2 ported to other platforms:
Tools supporting ZX2:
- z88dk - The main C compiler for Z80 machines, that provides built-in support for ZX0, ZX1, ZX2, and ZX7.
Related projects (by the same author):