Worked around the main problem with resizing the output images when Cleartype is on by converting the output to greyscale before saving it. People without XP, or who have cleartype turned off, can ignore the strange new and seemingly useless checkbox.
I’ve also fixed the problem with saving batch conversions with a variable width default font, hopefully for real this time.
Changes in this version:
Fixed phantom colours problem when saving as images with Cleartype on:
– Added code for converting the output images to greyscale
– Added force greyscale checkbox to the Save as Image… magnification dialog
Properly fixed the batch conversion problems with variable width default fonts
I’ve been curious about unicode characters, will they ever be supported or does it effect the generation speed? All I get is the “?” mark when I insert the unicode characters in.
I know there’s a problem with non-western characters getting their sizes reported incorrectly and messing up the output, but you should be able to enter them. What characters are you trying to use?
? (the black heart suit sign ?) is one example. It should be — as my understanding — a part of the Courier New font but comes out marked as a ? mark.
From the sounds of it, it’s another Windows ‘98 thing. I’m looking into getting a new PC, anyway.
Also, about the fullscreen button. I suggested it before but I don’t think it’s much of an aid itself. It might be nice to associate it with a fullscreen preview, though?
I realize there may be speed problems associated with Rich Text, but I was just thinking if there was a way of inserting font/style selection on the right-click menu of the highlight text on the the ramp/auto, it not only creates the availability of merging styles such as boldness, but it also means that no matter which ramp you select from the dropdown, the image will generate in that font/style that is marked?
It seems handy in more ways that one.
You mean linking the different ramps to different fonts? I’ll have a think about it, but I’m not sure how I would code it.
The ? works for me, it just doesn’t look very good. I think I know what the problem with unicode characters is, I just have to try and sort it out.
I use the fullscreen button all the time.
Yeah, just basicallt everything remains the same in the interface, including the font button. What font/style you select with that button would remain the font for the ordinary text output. But if you highlight the text in the ramp or valid characters, and right-click, you get a font option to designate a font-style specific to the highlighted characters. So, it would marked with font and style tags when saved in the xml. Every time you select that ramp in the software, it recalls the font that was assigned to it.
It means basically every gen done with different fonts or styles or font sizes (I don’t know how different height text will work in relation to the other characters?) will have to be done in the same generative way as your variable width generations.
It’s probably a very complex idea to code, so I won’t pressure you into it. Just that I think it’ll be nothing but a plus for the software.
The problem is that with the way the images are processed, “Courier New, 12pt” and “Courier New, 12pt bold” might as well be totally different fonts. There’s nothing theoretically difficult about converting them, it’s just that everything is set up to use one font at a time so I’d need a way to pass the font information with each character.
Well, I threw together a couple or — poor — examples. I thought it’d be too much trouble to figure out a good relationship between bolds and regular Courier New, so I just pick the two darkest shades that I felt worked to some degree and attached them to the regular conversion.
Regular:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a307/Dwayne2005/claireregular.gif
Bold:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a307/Dwayne2005/clairebold.gif
Combined:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a307/Dwayne2005/claire.gif
At the photobucket account, where you can see it zoomed out and compare them that way:
http://photobucket.com/albums/a307/Dwayne2005/
I — personally — think the font characters remain compatible between bold and regular.
Also, I thought different font and sizes may create an interesting effect. For instance, you could create a gradient using all different sizes of one character or several characters of 1 font. Using multiple fonts may make be somewhat like a mosaic. I am, personally, most interested in merging bold and regular text (same font and size) for communication on a message board which has removed most basic code, such as [img]. I don’t necessarily believe it should detract from the program to function at the most basic level (one font, size and style) but compliment it.
I’m sorry for making so many asks, also.
Just curiously, I found a bug with clipboard on ‘98 with the software BabelMap/Pad. For some reason, it won’t let me copy and paste text directly from the software into Windows aps. The copy and paste right click menu won’t become selectable! It will allow me to paste it into Firefox, however. I’ve spent all afternoon trying to figure it out but to no avail. Just think it could be related and thought I’d mention it.
Not sure about this, but I can see the properties for the clipboard of the unicode text copied from BabelPad reveals that it is the format:
CF_UNICODE, 32
When I copy and paste that into Firefox and then copy and paste it from Firefox, it gains the additional formats:
CF_LOCALE, 32
CF_OEMTEXT, 36
CF_TEXT, 40
It’s thereafter functional in regular windows apps.
When I copy and paste an image, I get the fileformat:
CF_DIB
Is it possible that ASCGen just doesn’t pick up that format?
Most of the clipboard stuff in my program uses the built in functions for the controls so I doubt there’s much I can do, especially if you’re having problems pasting into other programs.
CF_DIB is a bitmap format, the others are different text formats. If I had to guess it’s probably a problem with 98 and CF_UNICODE, I’m not sure it’s even supported:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/winui/winui/windowsuserinterface/dataexchange/clipboard/clipboardformats.asp
Oh sorry, I forgot to mention that I was mainly talking about the image clipboard function. Just realized that the CF_UNICODE wouldn’t activate the copy and paste under my system for various text editors, thought that the problem may have been the CF_DIB when it came to the image clipboard within the software.
I spent some time working on getting it working in 98 a while ago but I just couldn’t figure it out why it doesn’t when there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work. I tried to get around the bug by accessing the raw data on the clipboard directly, but it only worked under certain conditions and caused other problems.
I got a bold `l’ into my Times New Roman size 12 gens, and have decided to throw away the para symbol. It’s only a slightly darker shade but enhances everything around it and gives it more depth!
I really wanted to include various bold characters when editing the font, but I couldn’t figure it out (why certain characters were failing to save in the font properly) so I just went with the `l’. From what I could tell, the other bold characters might not blend in so easily, but a bold `l’ works magic on the results. Also curious about what effect characters such as period. Maybe italic `c’…
The ratio seems to be slightly off doing it this way, but maybe just because of the whole font issue.