NXtel Carousel Guide

The current version of the NXtel Next client can be used to create a standalone teletext slideshow carousel.

Create Content

1. Use the ZX Net Teletext Page Editor to create one or more pages of teletext content.
   Note: Avoid the bottom row (row 24). Only rows 0..23 are displayed in NXtel.
2. Export each page in BBC Micro Display RAM format. This will generate a file exactly 1000 bytes long.
3. Copy the file to a convenient Pages directory, and rename it with a meaningful name, such as MyFirstPage.bin.
4. Repeat until you have created all the content pages you want.

Create a CSV File

1. Make a two column CSV file, with no column headers. The column delimeter must be a comma, regardless of your locale.
2. Add a row for each content page. The first column is the file name, and the second column is the number of seconds you want to display the page for. Pages can appear in the list more than once,but will only take up 1000 bytes of space however many times you include them. For example:

   Horsenburger.bin,5
   CarlAttrill.bin,3
   AndyJenkinson.bin,4
   CarlAttrill.bin,10
   

3. Save the file in your Pages directory, with a .csv file extension, for example ExamplePages.csv.

Setup the Carousel Creator Program

1. Copy the NXtelCarousel.exe and NXtelCarousel.exe.config files to a convenient directory. These comprise the .NET Framework application you will use to create the carousel file. The program will run on Windows, MaxOS and linux.

2. Copy the InputBinary.sna file to the same directory. This is the ZX Spectrum Next template program that will be used to create your customised carousel.

3. Edit the NXtelCarousel.exe.config file in your favourite text editor.

4. Change the value corresponding to the InputBinary key to point to the InputBinary.sna file. This can be either an absolute or relative path.

5. Change the value corresponding to the PageDirectory key to point to your pages directory. This can be either an absolute or relative path.

6. Change the value corresponding to the InputCSV key to point to your CSV file. This can be either an absolute or relative path.

7. Change the value corresponding to the OutputBinary key to point to the final carousel program to be created. This can be either an absolute or relative path, and must include the filename, with an .sna extension.

   Note: This value should be the final filename of the file you intend to distribute. The filename is embedded inside, and the carousel won't work if you rename it after generation.

   For example:

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
   <configuration>
       <startup> 
           <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.7" />
       </startup>
       <appSettings>
           <add key="InputBinary" value="..\..\..\..\..\InputBinary.sna" />
           <add key="InputCSV" value="..\..\..\..\..\pages\ExamplePages.csv" />
           <add key="PageDirectory" value="..\..\..\..\..\pages" />
           <add key="OutputBinary" value="..\..\..\..\..\bin\NXtelExampleCarousel.sna" />
           <add key="PadWithRandom" value="1"/>
       </appSettings>
   </configuration>
   

   MacOS or linux users may leave \ backslashes in the path. They will automatically be interpreted as / forwardslashes.

Installing .NET Framework

Windows

Windows users will want to ensure they have the .NET Framework 4.7 Runtime installed. It may well be installed already.

MacOS and Linux

MacOS and Linux users will want to install mono. This is available from Microsoft, and probably also from your favourite package manager. Installing and configuring mono is beyond the scope of this guide.

Creating the Carousel

Windows

1. Run the NXtelCarousel.exe application by double-clicking on it.
2. The carousel program will be created in the location you specified for OutputBinary.

MacOS and Linux

1. Run the NXtelCarousel.exe application from the command-line, for example:

   mono path/to/NXtelCarousel.exe
   

2. The carousel program will be created in the location you specified for OutputBinary.

Running the Carousel

1. Copy the output binary to your ZX Spectrum Next SD card.
2. Boot the Next into one of the Next machine personalities.
3. Use the NextZXOS browser to navigate to the output binary, and launch it with the ENTER key.
4. Voilà!

Credits

The example carousel in this repository incorporates teletext artwork by Steve Horsley, Carl Attrill and Andy Jenkinson. Thanks!

The image in this guide is by Steve Horsley.