Creating text as a sprite on the fly

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Soyuz

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Joined: 17th Dec 2002

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Posted: 28th Jun 2003 00:58

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I am sure there's a pretty easy way to do this.

I'm creating a menu that's having an increasing number of buttons each of which basically consist of text on a coloured background. So instead of my current method of creating a bmp for each button, I'm wondering if there's an easy way to create a sprite button using the button text retrieved from a string array.

"on the fly" - just because I'd like to be able to update the string on the fly and have it create the necessary sprite button on demand.

Hope that makes sense to someone!

Also while I'm at it I'm wondering what the best method is to create a file load menu (saved level/game). Say I want to list to screen the releavant files stored in a specific diectorty. I don't want to just print a bunch of text - I'd like to make a nice fancy user freendly menu. So I'm considering if a similar approach to above would work where by I represent each file as a nice friendly button (sprite) to click on to load.

So to summarize - Is there a method to make a sprite from text stored in a string? - or similar more appropriate technique.

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Bloodshot

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Joined: 7th Apr 2003

Location: United Kingdom

Posted: 28th Jun 2003 01:47 Edited at: 28th Jun 2003 01:50

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Here you go Soyuz. I've created it to give you some nice looking "Outlined" text, with just the Print command.
You can adapt the code to include your menu buttons too.

+ Code Snippet

WORKBMP=1
MESSAGE$="Press Esc key to finish!"
TW=Text Width(MESSAGE$)
TH=Text HEIGHT(MESSAGE$)

Create Bitmap WORKBMP,TW+2,TH+2

Rem This will create a border around your text to give a nice outline effect to your messages
Ink RGB(31,0,0),RGB(0,0,0)
For Y=0 to 2
    For X=0 to 2
        Set Cursor X,Y : Print MESSAGE$
    Next X
Next Y

Ink RGB(255,255,255),RGB(0,0,0)
Set Cursor 1,1 : Print MESSAGE$
Get Image 1,0,0,Text Width(MESSAGE$),Text Height(MESSAGE$)+2,1

Delete Bitmap 1



Print "I've just created a SPRITE from MESSAGE$ in the background."
Print "That way, it doesn't interfere with this display."
Print
Print "Press a key to see the message..."

Wait Key



CLS RGB(240,63,63)
Set Sprite 1,1,1

Repeat
      Sprite 1,Rnd(Screen Width()-Text Width(MESSAGE$)),Rnd(Screen Height()-Text Height(MESSAGE$)),1
      Wait Key
Until Scancode()=1

End

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andrew11

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Joined: 23rd Feb 2003

Location: United States

Posted: 28th Jun 2003 01:53 Edited at: 28th Jun 2003 01:55

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Darn! I posted too late! Oh well.

First, you would need a blank image (no text) for the button. Then you would put text, get the image, paste the image over the blank one, and get the image again.

Here's an example:

+ Code Snippet

Rem button text
Input "Button text", bt$

Set text font "Times New Roman"
Set text size 20

Rem make another bitmap (screen is 0)
create bitmap 1,100,30
Set current bitmap 1

Rem base image
Ink RGB(0,128,192),0
Box 0,0,100,30
Get image 1,0,0,100,30
CLS

Rem put base imag, text, get new button
Paste image 1,0,0
Ink RGB(192,192,192),0
Center Text 52,7,bt$
Ink RGB(0,0,0),0
Center Text 50,5,bt$

Get image 2,0,0,100,30
CLS

Set current bitmap 0

rem put new image
CLS
Ink -1,0
Text 1,1,"You new button is:"
Paste image 2,3,22

Wait key

"All programmers are playwrites and all computers are lousy actors" -Anon
Click Here!!!

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Soyuz

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Joined: 17th Dec 2002

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Posted: 28th Jun 2003 12:08

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Thanks guys. Busy today but I'll give these a good road test later.

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DarkBASIC Professional Discussion / Creating text as a sprite on the fly