Operation Crafter is a visual IDE for creating bootable 16-bit (floppy disk image) operating systems using block-based coding - like Scratch, but for OS development!
- Visual block editor (mostly no assembly knowledge required)
- Traditional x86 assembly text editor for advanced users
- Built-in QEMU emulator for testing
- Built-in NASM compiler for building
- Plugin system for extending functionality
Creating Workspace
Opening Workspace
Developing
Blocks
Functions
Plugins
Example Project
More Info
Run From Source
Linux
If this is not your first project and you want to open a project, go to [Opening Workspace]
Then in the new menu that opens, name your project and give it a directory. You can select a directory with the built-in button that opens an explorer window. (It will create a folder inside this directory, so don't create a new directory for just this project.)
After, just press the Create Project button!
If this is your first project or you want to create a new project, go to [Creating Workspace]
Click the Open Project button. Then it will open an explorer window. Use this explorer window to open the project's folder. (The project's folder is the one containing the .projectdata file.)
If you need help creating a project, go to [Creating Workspace].
If you need help opening a project, go to [Opening Workspace].
Open or create a workspace.
Once in the IDE, you should have 3 files (ending in .asm) and 1 file (.projectdata). These are your project files.
The .projectdata file is your project's data file. It stores info about your project like name and version.
By default, it is a template of a Hello World! project, but you can change it.
There are 2 ways of developing: coding in x86 assembly or coding in a custom block-based coding system (like Scratch).
Double-click any file to open it in the tree view.
You can right-click in the tree view to create files/folders, copy/paste, and more.
When a file is opened, you will have a text editor for you to code in if you want to code in x86 Assembly.
You can right-click in the text editor space to copy/paste, find/replace, and more.
Alternatively, you can click the Visual Blocks button when a .asm file is open.
Pressing this will open a visual editor based on blocks like Scratch.
You can drag blocks from the sidebar onto the build area and connect them to other blocks.
Blocks connected to the Start block will be coded. Blocks not connected will not be coded.
The blocks will change to a darker or lighter color when connected to the start block.
To delete a block select it and press del.
In any input of a block (other then setting var blocks) do "%var[]" you can instead have it use a var instead!
If the block has input "ID", then thats the ID of the block, every time you use that block in same file, change it so dont have dupe ID's for codeblocks in 1 file.
To run QEMU, you first need to build. In the top corner, there's Build, Run, Settings, Plugins, and Help buttons.
Press Build to create a bootable image, then press Run to run the emulator.
The Settings button lets you change your project settings like version and name.
The Plugins button lets you install plugins and enable/disable plugins.
The Help button is a help button.
AddVarInt: Increments a int var by a amount
SetVar (Text): Sets a var to a string
SetVar (Int): Sets a var to a int
StoreRegistrySlot: stores a var in a slot in the registry to allow vars to be global
LoadRegistrySlot: loads a var from a slot in the registry to allow vars to be global
IntToString: Converts a int var into a string var
Bootloader: Handles the bootloader side (main.asm is your bootloader; this handles all the code other than the registry).
DiskSetup: Handles the disk setup (disk.asm is your disk by default; this does not need a registry).
End: Calls jmp $ or Ends the OS
Halt: Calls hlt command, halts the cpu
Register: Registers a file to an ADDRESS (bootloader and kernel require this at the start of code).
CallFunction: Calls a function in a file (to use, go to [Functions]).
Wait: Pauses for some amount of time.
JMPToFunction: jmps to a function and ends rest of the code.
IfRandomCallFunction: if random is equal to a number, call function
ChangeColorPallet (Graphics): changes a color ID (0 - 15) to a RGB value (0 - 63)
EnableGraphicsMode: Enables graphics mode so you can use stuff in graphics.
DisableGraphicsMode: Disables graphics mode.
ClearScreen (Graphics): Clears all graphics off the screen.
SetScreenColor: Sets the screen's color (colors are 0 - 15).
SetPixel: Sets a pixel at xy to a color (colors are 0 - 15).
DrawRectangle: Sets a selection of pixels to a color (colors are 0 - 15).
PrintToScreen (Graphics): Prints text to the screen
DrawPicture: Draws a imported compiled picture file. (To import picures, right click tree view and click import/convert .PNG (Raw Data) MAX 80x80)
ChangeColorPallet (Text): changes a color ID (0 - 15) to a RGB value (0 - 63)
PrintToScreen (Text): Prints text to the screen
ClearScreen (Text): Clears all text off the screen (does not work in graphics mode).
MoveCursor: Moves the text cursor to a point (where text will be placed).
HideCursor: Hides the cursor (the blinking line).
ShowCursor: Shows the cursor (the blinking line).
CustomCode: Lets you input custom code inside of the block editor.
Reboot: Reboots the system.
Shutdown: Shuts down the system.
IfKeyCallFunction: Checks if key is pressed, if so call function, if not continue.
WaitForKeyPress: Pauses until a key is pressed.
WaitForSpecificKey: Pauses until a specific key is pressed.
PlayBeep: Plays a beep sound
To use functions, first create a new file and name it something, but it must be a .asm file. If you need help with this, go to [Developing].
Then just code how you want here. You can call it from another file to run it.
The IDE has plugin support!
You can download plugins (plugins are .zip files) and put them in the plugins folder to install them, or click the Install Plugins button in the plugins GUI to copy it to the plugins folder.
You can enable/disable plugins in the plugins GUI and hover on one to read the description.
For developing plugins, check out the example plugin! It has everything they can do right now. You will need to know how to use x86 Assembly for code blocks. [TestPlugin.zip]
You can submit Plugins to be added to the Official List (create a issue with your plugin, what it does, and ill try and check it out, and if i think its good, i can add it to the Official List)
Here's an example project to help you start out.
This project contains NASM and QEMU. You must keep their licenses too for distributing
with them included.
https://github.com/netwide-assembler/nasm
https://www.qemu.org/
Download the source code from the repository.
Download QEMU and NASM:
- QEMU: https://qemu.weilnetz.de/w64/qemu-w64-setup-20251217.exe
- NASM: https://www.nasm.us/pub/nasm/releasebuilds/3.01/win64/nasm-3.01-win64.zip
Install QEMU by running the installer, then navigate to where QEMU was installed and copy the QEMU folder to the project directory.
Extract the NASM zip file, rename the folder inside to nasm, and copy it to the project directory.
Install all required Python libraries:
pip install -r requirements.txt(1.0 does not have linux support)
The release will have a already compiled app! yYou will have to make them a executable. Open terminal in the app's directory and run then it will run!
chmod +x OperationCrafter-Linux qemu/qemu-system-x86_64 nasm/nasm
# or if version is pre 1.2
chmod +x OperationCrafter qemu/qemu-system-x86_64 nasm/nasmFirst do all the steps in [Run From Source] other then the downloading QEMU and NASM part.
then in terminal, run
sudo apt-get install qemu-system
sudo apt install nasmthen copy them from where they downloaded into them into their folders
# help coping them run these after install to copy them to desktop
cp /usr/bin/nasm ~/Desktop/
chmod +x ~/Desktop/nasm
cp /usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 ~/Desktop/
chmod +x ~/Desktop/qemuthen run the main.py file.
python3 main.py