# GBDK 2020 Docs: Migrating to new GBDK Versions

Migrating to new GBDK Versions

This section contains information that may be useful to know or important when upgrading to a newer GBDK release.

# GBDK 2020 versions

## Porting to GBDK 2020 4.0.6

- Renamed `bgb_emu.h` to `emu_debug.h` and BGB_* functions to EMU_*
  - Aliases for the BGB_* ones and a `bgb_emu.h` shim are present for backward compatibility, but updating to the new naming is recommended

## Porting to GBDK 2020 4.0.5

- GBDK now requires SDCC 12259 or higher with GBDK-2020 patches
- png2asset is the new name for the `png2mtspr` utility
- lcc : Changed default output format when not specified from `.ihx` to `.gb` (or other active rom extension)
- The `_BSS` area is deprecated (use `_DATA` instead)
- The `_BASE` area is renamed to `_HOME`
- Variables in static storage are now initialized to zero per C standard (but remaining WRAM is not cleared)
- itoa(), uitoa(), ltoa(), ultoa() all now require a radix value (base) argument to be passed. On the Game Boy and Analogue Pocket the parameter is required but not utilized.
- set_bkg_1bit_data has been renamed to set_bkg_1bpp_data
- The following header files which are now cross platform were moved from `gb/` to `gbdk/`: `bcd.h`, `console.h`, `far_ptr.h`, `font.h`, `gbdecompress.h`, `gbdk-lib.h`, `incbin.h`, `metasprites.h`, `platform.h`, `version.h`
  - When including them use `#include <gbdk/...>` instead of `#include <gb/>`

## Porting to GBDK 2020 4.0.4

- GBDK now requires SDCC 12238 or higher
- Made sample.h, cgb.h and sgb.h independent from gb.h

## Porting to GBDK 2020 4.0.3

- No significant changes required

## Porting to GBDK 2020 4.0.2

- The default font has been reduced from 256 to 96 characters.
  - Code using special characters may need to be updated.
  - The off-by-1 character index offset was removed for fonts. Old fonts with the offset need to be re-adjusted.

## Porting to GBDK 2020 4.0.1

- Important! : The `WRAM` memory region is no longer automatically initialized to zeros during startup.
  - Any variables which are declared without being initialized may have indeterminate values instead of 0 on startup. This might reveal previously hidden bugs in your code.
  - Check your code for variables that are not initialized before use.
  - In BGB you can turn on triggering exceptions (options panel) reading from unitialized RAM. This allows for some additional runtime detection of uninitialized vars.
- In .ihx files, multiple writes to the same ROM address are now warned about using ihxcheck.
- `set_*_tiles()` now wrap maps around horizontal and vertical boundaries correctly. Code relying on it not wrapping correctly may be affected.

## Porting to GBDK 2020 4.0

- GBDK now requires SDCC 4.0.3 or higher
- The old linker `link-gbz80` has been REMOVED, the linker sdldgb from SDCC is used.
  - Due to the linker change, there are no longer warnings about multiple writes to the same ROM address.
- GBDK now generates .ihx files, those are converted to a ROM using makebin (lcc can do this automatically in some use cases)
- Setting ROM bytes directly with `-Wl-yp0x<address>=0x<value>` is no longer supported. Instead use makebin flags. For example, use `-Wm-yC` instead of `-Wl-yp0x143=0xC0`. See faq_gb_type_header_setting.
- OAM symbol has been renamed to `_shadow_OAM`, that allows accessing shadow OAM directly from C code

## Porting to GBDK 2020 3.2

- No significant changes required

## Porting to GBDK 2020 3.1.1

- No significant changes required

## Porting to GBDK 2020 3.1

- Behavior formerly enabled by USE_SFR_FOR_REG is on by default now (no need to specify it, it isn't a tested `#ifdef` anymore). check here why: https://gbdev.gg8.se/forums/viewtopic.php?id=697

## Porting to GBDK 2020 3.0.1

- LCC was upgraded to use SDCC v4.0. Makefile changes may be required
  - The symbol format changed. To get bgb compatible symbols turn on `.noi` output (LCC argument: `-Wl-j` or `-debug`) and use `-Wm-yS`
  - ?? Suggested: With LCC argument: `-Wa-l` (sdasgb:`-a All user symbols made global`)
  - In SDCC 3.6.0, the default for char changed from signed to unsigned.
    - If you want the old behavior use `--fsigned-char`.
    - lcc includes `--fsigned-char` by default
    - Explicit declaration of unsigned vars is encouraged (for example, '15U' instead of '15')
  - `.init` address has been removed

# Historical GBDK versions

## GBDK 1.1 to GBDK 2.0

- Change your int variables to long if they have to be bigger than 255. If they should only contain values between 0 and 255, use an unsigned int.
- If your application uses the delay function, you'll have to adapt your delay values.
- Several functions have new names. In particular some of them have been changed to macros (e.g. show_bkg() is now SHOW_BKG).
- You will probably have to change the name of the header files that you include.