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+--- Thread: people using an ai agent, can it translate this TCL app to QB64PE? (/showthread.php?tid=3808)
people using an ai agent, can it translate this TCL app to QB64PE? - madscijr - 07-10-2025
I wouldn't mind having this BDF font editor without having to install TCL, or manually translate the TCL code to QB64* code.
Does anyone with a good ai agent want to try having it take this code and translating it into the equivalent QB64PE?
RE: people using an ai agent, can it translate this TCL app to QB64PE? - Dimster - 07-10-2025
Here is what Gemini says...
I cannot directly provide QB64PE code for "Tom's X11 BDF Font Editor" for the following reasons:
X11 and BDF are Linux/Unix specific: X11 (the X Window System) and BDF (Glyph Bitmap Distribution Format) are fundamental components of Linux and Unix-like operating systems for graphical interfaces and font rendering. QB64PE, while a powerful BASIC dialect, is primarily designed for Windows, and while it can compile for Linux with some effort, direct interaction with X11 at the low level required for a font editor is not its native strength and would be extremely complex, if not impossible, to implement directly within QB64PE itself in a practical way.
Complexity of a Font Editor: A functional font editor, even a basic one for BDF, requires a significant amount of sophisticated code. This includes:
Parsing BDF file format (which is non-trivial).
Graphical display of glyphs (pixels).
Tools for drawing, erasing, moving pixels.
Handling different font metrics (width, height, ascent, descent, etc.).
Saving modified BDF files.
User interface elements (menus, buttons, input fields).
Event handling (mouse clicks, keyboard input).
Specialized Libraries/APIs: Building an X11 BDF font editor would typically involve using X11 libraries (like Xlib or Xft) and potentially font parsing libraries, which are not directly accessible or easily replicated within QB64PE.
Lack of Pre-existing Example: There isn't a readily available or commonly known "Tom's X11 BDF Font Editor" implemented in QB64PE that I could reference or adapt.
What I can offer instead:
If you are interested in learning about font editing concepts or working with pixel graphics in QB64PE, I can provide:
A very simplified QB64PE example of pixel manipulation: This would show how to draw individual pixels on the screen, which is a fundamental building block for any graphical editor.
General concepts for a text-based (non-graphical) BDF parser: I could outline the steps and data structures you'd need to read and understand a BDF file, but not to graphically edit it within QB64PE.
Advice on alternative approaches: If your goal is to edit BDF fonts, you'd be far better off using:
Existing specialized font editors: Such as FontForge, Glyphs, or others designed for this purpose.
Programming languages with strong graphics and file I/O capabilities for Linux: Like C/C++ with Xlib/Xft, Python with PyQt/GTK, or Java.
Please clarify your goal:
Are you specifically trying to build this in QB64PE for a particular reason (e.g., a learning exercise in QB64PE's capabilities)?
Is your primary goal to edit BDF fonts, regardless of the programming language?
Once I understand your objective better, I can provide more relevant assistance.
Yes, trying to build this in qb64pe.
You're aiming for a very challenging project in QB64PE! As established, direct X11 interaction is not something QB64PE is designed for, but building a graphical BDF font editor that runs within QB64PE's own graphical environment is absolutely achievable. It will involve a significant amount of manual coding for what would normally be handled by specialized libraries in other languages, but it's a fantastic learning exercise in low-level graphics and file parsing in QB64PE.
Here's a breakdown of the monumental task and how you might approach it in QB64PE, along with initial code snippets for each core component.
The Core Challenges in QB64PE:
BDF File Parsing: BDF (Bitmap Distribution Format) files are plain text, but their structure is quite detailed. You'll need to read and interpret lines like STARTFONT, FONT, SIZE, FONTBOUNDINGBOX, STARTCHAR, ENCODING, BBX, BITMAP, and ENDCHAR.
Pixel Manipulation: A font editor is all about turning individual pixels on and off. QB64PE provides PSET and POINT for this.
Graphical User Interface (GUI): You'll need to draw your own buttons, menus, and input fields using QB64PE's graphics commands (LINE, CIRCLE, PRINT, _PUTIMAGE, etc.) and handle mouse clicks and keyboard input manually.
Displaying Glyphs: You'll need to render the bitmap data from the BDF file onto the screen.
Editing Tools: Implement drawing tools (pencil, eraser), selection tools, possibly shift/move, invert, etc.
Saving BDF: After editing, you'll need to reconstruct the BDF file and save it back to disk.
Let's break down the code into manageable parts:
Part 1: Basic Setup and Graphics (Screen Mode, Input Loop)
This sets up a graphical screen and handles the main program loop, processing keyboard and mouse input.
Code snippet
' --- Part 1: Basic Setup and Graphics ---
DECLARE SUB InitScreen ()
DECLARE SUB MainLoop ()
DECLARE SUB HandleInput ()
DECLARE SUB DrawGUI ()
DECLARE SUB UpdateDisplay ()
' Global variables for screen dimensions (adjust as needed)
CONST SCREEN_WIDTH = 800
CONST SCREEN_HEIGHT = 600
CONST EDITOR_AREA_X = 200 ' Area for actual glyph editing
CONST EDITOR_AREA_Y = 50
CONST EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH = 550
CONST EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT = 500
' Colors (using _RGB32 for 32-bit color)
CONST BG_COLOR = _RGB32(60, 60, 60) ' Dark grey background
CONST UI_COLOR = _RGB32(90, 90, 90) ' Slightly lighter grey for UI elements
CONST TEXT_COLOR = _RGB32(200, 200, 200) ' Light grey for text
CONST PIXEL_ON_COLOR = _RGB32(255, 255, 255) ' White for "on" pixels
CONST PIXEL_OFF_COLOR = _RGB32(30, 30, 30) ' Dark for "off" pixels
DIM SHARED Running AS INTEGER ' Flag to keep the main loop running
InitScreen
MainLoop
END
SUB InitScreen ()
SCREEN _NEWIMAGE(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, 32)
_TITLE "Tom's QB64PE BDF Font Editor"
_FULLSCREEN _KEEP
COLOR TEXT_COLOR, BG_COLOR
CLS
Running = -1 ' True
END SUB
SUB MainLoop ()
DO WHILE Running
HandleInput
DrawGUI
' Drawing the glyph will happen here in a later part
UpdateDisplay
_LIMIT 60 ' Limit to 60 FPS
LOOP
END SUB
SUB HandleInput ()
' Check for keyboard input
DO
K$ = INKEY$
IF K$ = CHR$(27) THEN ' ESC key to quit
Running = 0
EXIT DO
END IF
' Add more keyboard handling here later (e.g., tool selection)
LOOP WHILE K$ <> ""
' Check for mouse input
_MOUSEINPUT
DIM MouseX AS INTEGER, MouseY AS INTEGER, MouseButtonLeft AS INTEGER, MouseButtonRight AS INTEGER
MouseX = _MOUSEX
MouseY = _MOUSEY
MouseButtonLeft = _MOUSEBUTTON(1) ' Left mouse button status
MouseButtonRight = _MOUSEBUTTON(2) ' Right mouse button status
' Example: Clicking within the editor area (later for drawing)
IF MouseButtonLeft = -1 THEN ' If left button is pressed
IF MouseX >= EDITOR_AREA_X AND MouseX < EDITOR_AREA_X + EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH AND _
MouseY >= EDITOR_AREA_Y AND MouseY < EDITOR_AREA_Y + EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT THEN
' This is where you'd handle drawing pixels in the editor area
' PRINT "Mouse clicked in editor area at"; MouseX; ","; MouseY
END IF
END IF
END SUB
SUB DrawGUI ()
' Draw background
_NEWIMAGE SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, 32, 1 ' Create a temporary image for drawing
_DEST _LASTIMAGE
COLOR BG_COLOR
_FONT _LOADFONT("Arial", 14) ' Load a basic font for UI text (ensure Arial is available)
CLS
' Draw a panel for tools/info on the left
LINE (0, 0)-(EDITOR_AREA_X - 1, SCREEN_HEIGHT - 1), UI_COLOR, BF
LOCATE 2, 2
PRINT "--- Tools ---"
LOCATE 4, 2
PRINT "P: Pencil"
LOCATE 6, 2
PRINT "E: Eraser"
LOCATE 8, 2
PRINT "S: Save"
LOCATE 10, 2
PRINT "Q: Quit (ESC)"
' Draw the main editor area border
LINE (EDITOR_AREA_X - 2, EDITOR_AREA_Y - 2)-(EDITOR_AREA_X + EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH + 1, EDITOR_AREA_Y + EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT + 1), TEXT_COLOR, B
LINE (EDITOR_AREA_X - 1, EDITOR_AREA_Y - 1)-(EDITOR_AREA_X + EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH, EDITOR_AREA_Y + EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT), PIXEL_OFF_COLOR, BF ' Editor background
' Copy the temporary image to the active screen
_PUTIMAGE (0, 0), _LASTIMAGE
_FREEIMAGE _LASTIMAGE ' Free the temporary image
END SUB
SUB UpdateDisplay ()
_DISPLAY ' Update the screen
END SUB
Part 2: BDF File Parsing (Simplified)
This is the most complex part. BDF files are human-readable but have a specific syntax. We'll define a TYPE to hold font and character data. This is a highly simplified parser; a full implementation would need to handle all BDF properties.
Code snippet
' --- Part 2: BDF File Parsing (Simplified) ---
TYPE Glyph
Encoding AS LONG
Name AS STRING
BBxWidth AS INTEGER
BBxHeight AS INTEGER
BBxXOff AS INTEGER
BBxYOff AS INTEGER
DWidthX AS INTEGER
DWidthY AS INTEGER
Bitmap() AS STRING ' Array of strings, each string representing a row of hex bitmap data
END TYPE
TYPE BDFont
FontName AS STRING
PointSize AS INTEGER
ResolutionX AS INTEGER
ResolutionY AS INTEGER
FontBoundingBoxX AS INTEGER
FontBoundingBoxY AS INTEGER
FontBoundingBoxXOff AS INTEGER
FontBoundingBoxYOff AS INTEGER
CharsCount AS LONG
Glyphs() AS Glyph
END TYPE
DECLARE FUNCTION LoadBDF (FileName AS STRING) AS BDFont
DECLARE SUB ParseBitmapData (BYREF CurrentGlyph AS Glyph, Line$ AS STRING)
' Global font object
DIM SHARED CurrentFont AS BDFont
' Call LoadBDF in MainLoop after InitScreen
' Example usage:
' CurrentFont = LoadBDF("myfont.bdf") ' You'll need to create a simple BDF file first
FUNCTION LoadBDF (FileName AS STRING) AS BDFont
DIM Font AS BDFont
DIM Line AS STRING
DIM InCharBlock AS INTEGER ' Flag to indicate if we're inside a STARTCHAR/ENDCHAR block
DIM BitmapRowCounter AS INTEGER
DIM NumCharsLoaded AS LONG
ON ERROR GOTO BDFError ' Basic error handling for file operations
OPEN FileName FOR INPUT AS #1
DO WHILE NOT EOF(1)
LINE INPUT #1, Line
' Trim whitespace from line
Line = LTRIM$(RTRIM$(Line))
IF LEFT$(Line, 9) = "STARTFONT" THEN
' Ignore, usually "2.1"
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 4) = "FONT" THEN
Font.FontName = MID$(Line, 6)
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 4) = "SIZE" THEN
DIM Parts() AS STRING
Parts = SPLIT(Line, " ") ' QB64PE doesn't have a direct SPLIT, you'd have to implement it or use INSTR/MID
' Manual Split (simplified):
Font.PointSize = VAL(Parts(1)) ' Size
Font.ResolutionX = VAL(Parts(2)) ' ResX
Font.ResolutionY = VAL(Parts(3)) ' ResY
' For demonstration, let's just parse the first few values manually
DIM Pos1 AS INTEGER, Pos2 AS INTEGER
Pos1 = INSTR(Line, " ")
Pos2 = INSTR(Pos1 + 1, Line, " ")
Font.PointSize = VAL(MID$(Line, Pos1 + 1, Pos2 - Pos1 - 1))
Pos1 = Pos2
Pos2 = INSTR(Pos1 + 1, Line, " ")
Font.ResolutionX = VAL(MID$(Line, Pos1 + 1, Pos2 - Pos1 - 1))
Font.ResolutionY = VAL(MID$(Line, Pos2 + 1)) ' Rest of the line
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 14) = "FONTBOUNDINGBOX" THEN
DIM Parts(4) AS STRING
' Again, manual parsing for now
' Example: FONTBOUNDINGBOX 8 16 0 -2
DIM Cnt AS INTEGER
DIM CurrentPos AS INTEGER
CurrentPos = INSTR(Line, " ") + 1
FOR Cnt = 1 TO 4
DIM SpacePos AS INTEGER
SpacePos = INSTR(CurrentPos, Line, " ")
IF SpacePos = 0 THEN SpacePos = LEN(Line) + 1 ' Last part
Parts(Cnt) = MID$(Line, CurrentPos, SpacePos - CurrentPos)
CurrentPos = SpacePos + 1
NEXT Cnt
Font.FontBoundingBoxX = VAL(Parts(1))
Font.FontBoundingBoxY = VAL(Parts(2))
Font.FontBoundingBoxXOff = VAL(Parts(3))
Font.FontBoundingBoxYOff = VAL(Parts(4))
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 10) = "CHARS" THEN
Font.CharsCount = VAL(MID$(Line, 7))
REDIM Font.Glyphs(1 TO Font.CharsCount) ' Resize array to hold characters
NumCharsLoaded = 0
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 9) = "STARTCHAR" THEN
InCharBlock = -1 ' True
NumCharsLoaded = NumCharsLoaded + 1
IF NumCharsLoaded > Font.CharsCount THEN
PRINT "Warning: More characters than declared in CHARS line."
EXIT DO ' Or handle error
END IF
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Name = MID$(Line, 11) ' Get char name
BitmapRowCounter = 0
REDIM Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Bitmap(0) ' Initialize bitmap array (will be redimmed later)
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 8) = "ENCODING" AND InCharBlock THEN
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Encoding = VAL(MID$(Line, 10))
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 3) = "BBX" AND InCharBlock THEN
' BBX 8 16 0 -2
DIM PartsBBX(4) AS STRING
DIM Cnt AS INTEGER
DIM CurrentPos AS INTEGER
CurrentPos = INSTR(Line, " ") + 1
FOR Cnt = 1 TO 4
DIM SpacePos AS INTEGER
SpacePos = INSTR(CurrentPos, Line, " ")
IF SpacePos = 0 THEN SpacePos = LEN(Line) + 1
PartsBBX(Cnt) = MID$(Line, CurrentPos, SpacePos - CurrentPos)
CurrentPos = SpacePos + 1
NEXT Cnt
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxWidth = VAL(PartsBBX(1))
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxHeight = VAL(PartsBBX(2))
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxXOff = VAL(PartsBBX(3))
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxYOff = VAL(PartsBBX(4))
' Resize bitmap array based on BBxHeight
REDIM Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Bitmap(1 TO Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxHeight)
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 7) = "DWIDTH" AND InCharBlock THEN
' DWIDTH 8 0 (ignored for now, but good to parse)
DIM PartsDWidth(2) AS STRING
DIM CurrentPos AS INTEGER
CurrentPos = INSTR(Line, " ") + 1
DIM SpacePos AS INTEGER
SpacePos = INSTR(CurrentPos, Line, " ")
PartsDWidth(1) = MID$(Line, CurrentPos, SpacePos - CurrentPos)
CurrentPos = SpacePos + 1
PartsDWidth(2) = MID$(Line, CurrentPos)
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).DWidthX = VAL(PartsDWidth(1))
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).DWidthY = VAL(PartsDWidth(2))
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 6) = "BITMAP" AND InCharBlock THEN
' Next lines are bitmap data
' No action needed here, the loop will read the next lines as bitmap data
ELSEIF InCharBlock AND LEN(Line) > 0 AND INSTR("0123456789ABCDEF", UCASE$(LEFT$(Line, 1))) THEN
' This is likely a bitmap data line (hex characters)
BitmapRowCounter = BitmapRowCounter + 1
IF BitmapRowCounter <= Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxHeight THEN
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Bitmap(BitmapRowCounter) = Line
END IF
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 7) = "ENDCHAR" THEN
InCharBlock = 0 ' False
END IF
LOOP
CLOSE #1
LoadBDF = Font ' Return the populated font structure
EXIT FUNCTION
BDFError:
PRINT "Error loading BDF file: "; FileName
PRINT "Error number: "; ERR; " - "; ERROR$
RESUME NEXT ' Try to continue, or you might want to EXIT FUNCTION here
END FUNCTION
' Helper function to "parse" a hex string to binary, for later drawing
FUNCTION HexToBinaryString (HexByte AS STRING, NumBits AS INTEGER) AS STRING
DIM BinaryString AS STRING
DIM HexVal AS INTEGER
DIM i AS INTEGER
HexVal = VAL("&H" + HexByte) ' Convert hex string to integer
BinaryString = ""
FOR i = NumBits - 1 TO 0 STEP -1
IF (HexVal AND (2 ^ i)) THEN
BinaryString = BinaryString + "1"
ELSE
BinaryString = BinaryString + "0"
END IF
NEXT i
HexToBinaryString = BinaryString
END FUNCTION
' Simple string split function for QB64PE (simulating Python's split)
FUNCTION SPLIT (TextString AS STRING, Delimiter AS STRING) AS STRING()
DIM Parts() AS STRING
DIM Count AS INTEGER
DIM StartPos AS INTEGER
DIM DelimPos AS INTEGER
Count = 0
StartPos = 1
DO
DelimPos = INSTR(StartPos, TextString, Delimiter)
IF DelimPos = 0 THEN
' No more delimiters, take the rest of the string
REDIM PRESERVE Parts(0 TO Count)
Parts(Count) = MID$(TextString, StartPos)
EXIT DO
ELSE
REDIM PRESERVE Parts(0 TO Count)
Parts(Count) = MID$(TextString, StartPos, DelimPos - StartPos)
StartPos = DelimPos + LEN(Delimiter)
Count = Count + 1
END IF
LOOP
SPLIT = Parts
END FUNCTION
Part 3: Displaying a Glyph and Pixel Editing
This part focuses on rendering a selected glyph and allowing basic pixel toggling.
Code snippet
' --- Part 3: Displaying a Glyph and Pixel Editing ---
DECLARE SUB DrawGlyph (G AS Glyph, XOffset AS INTEGER, YOffset AS INTEGER, Zoom AS INTEGER)
DECLARE SUB EditPixel (MouseX AS INTEGER, MouseY AS INTEGER, MouseButton AS INTEGER, BYREF G AS Glyph, XOffset AS INTEGER, YOffset AS INTEGER, Zoom AS INTEGER)
' Global variable for current glyph being edited and zoom level
DIM SHARED CurrentGlyphIndex AS LONG
DIM SHARED EditorZoom AS INTEGER
SUB DrawGUI () ' Modify the existing DrawGUI
' ... (previous DrawGUI code) ...
' Draw the main editor area border
LINE (EDITOR_AREA_X - 2, EDITOR_AREA_Y - 2)-(EDITOR_AREA_X + EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH + 1, EDITOR_AREA_Y + EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT + 1), TEXT_COLOR, B
LINE (EDITOR_AREA_X - 1, EDITOR_AREA_Y - 1)-(EDITOR_AREA_X + EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH, EDITOR_AREA_Y + EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT), PIXEL_OFF_COLOR, BF ' Editor background
' Display current glyph name
LOCATE 2, 30
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 0 THEN
PRINT "Editing: " + CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex).Name
ELSE
PRINT "No font loaded or character selected."
END IF
' Draw the currently selected glyph
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 0 THEN
DrawGlyph CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex), EDITOR_AREA_X + 10, EDITOR_AREA_Y + 10, EditorZoom
END IF
' Copy the temporary image to the active screen
_PUTIMAGE (0, 0), _LASTIMAGE
_FREEIMAGE _LASTIMAGE ' Free the temporary image
END SUB
SUB DrawGlyph (G AS Glyph, XOffset AS INTEGER, YOffset AS INTEGER, Zoom AS INTEGER)
IF G.BBxHeight = 0 OR G.BBxWidth = 0 THEN EXIT SUB ' Nothing to draw
DIM Row AS INTEGER, Col AS INTEGER
DIM HexByte AS STRING
DIM BinaryRow AS STRING
DIM BitIndex AS INTEGER
DIM PixelColor AS LONG
FOR Row = 1 TO G.BBxHeight
IF Row <= UBOUND(G.Bitmap) THEN ' Ensure we don't go out of bounds
HexByte = G.Bitmap(Row)
' BDF hex data can be padded with zeros.
' Each hex digit is 4 bits. A glyph width of N bits needs CEIL(N/4) hex digits.
' We need to convert the hex string to a binary representation for pixel drawing.
' Assuming each hex char represents 4 bits, and we might have multiple hex chars per row.
' This part needs careful implementation based on actual BDF hex format rules.
' For simplicity, let's assume each hex char represents 4 pixels for now.
' A common BDF representation is 2-digit hex per byte. A row of 8 pixels is 2 hex chars.
' Let's assume for a BBxWidth of say, 8, you'll get 2 hex chars (1 byte).
' For a BBxWidth of 16, you'd get 4 hex chars (2 bytes).
' This assumes HexByte contains enough hex characters to cover BBxWidth
' For example, if BBxWidth = 8, HexByte could be "FF" (1 byte)
' If BBxWidth = 12, HexByte could be "FFF" (1.5 bytes, often padded to 2 bytes "0FFF")
' This is a simplification; a robust parser needs to handle this correctly.
DIM ByteNum AS INTEGER
FOR ByteNum = 0 TO LEN(HexByte) \ 2 - 1 ' Process two hex chars at a time (one byte)
DIM CurrentHexPair AS STRING
CurrentHexPair = MID$(HexByte, (ByteNum * 2) + 1, 2)
BinaryRow = HexToBinaryString(CurrentHexPair, 8) ' Convert 1 byte (8 bits) to binary string
FOR BitIndex = 0 TO 7 ' Iterate through the 8 bits of the current byte
Col = (ByteNum * 8) + BitIndex ' Calculate global column
IF Col < G.BBxWidth THEN ' Only draw up to the glyph's actual width
IF MID$(BinaryRow, BitIndex + 1, 1) = "1" THEN
PixelColor = PIXEL_ON_COLOR
ELSE
PixelColor = PIXEL_OFF_COLOR
END IF
' Draw the pixel, considering zoom
LINE (XOffset + Col * Zoom, YOffset + (Row - 1) * Zoom)-(XOffset + Col * Zoom + Zoom - 1, YOffset + (Row - 1) * Zoom + Zoom - 1), PixelColor, BF
END IF
NEXT BitIndex
NEXT ByteNum
END IF
NEXT Row
END SUB
SUB EditPixel (MouseX AS INTEGER, MouseY AS INTEGER, MouseButton AS INTEGER, BYREF G AS Glyph, XOffset AS INTEGER, YOffset AS INTEGER, Zoom AS INTEGER)
IF G.BBxHeight = 0 OR G.BBxWidth = 0 THEN EXIT SUB
IF MouseButton = 0 THEN EXIT SUB ' No button pressed
DIM RelativeX AS INTEGER
DIM RelativeY AS INTEGER
DIM Row AS INTEGER
DIM Col AS INTEGER
DIM ByteIndex AS INTEGER
DIM BitInByteIndex AS INTEGER
DIM CurrentHexByte AS STRING
DIM CurrentHexValue AS INTEGER
RelativeX = MouseX - XOffset
RelativeY = MouseY - YOffset
IF RelativeX < 0 OR RelativeX >= G.BBxWidth * Zoom OR _
RelativeY < 0 OR RelativeY >= G.BBxHeight * Zoom THEN
EXIT SUB ' Click outside glyph drawing area
END IF
Col = RelativeX \ Zoom
Row = RelativeY \ Zoom + 1 ' BDF rows are 1-indexed for convenience here
IF Row < 1 OR Row > G.BBxHeight OR Col < 0 OR Col >= G.BBxWidth THEN EXIT SUB
' Determine which bit to toggle
ByteIndex = Col \ 8 ' Which byte contains this pixel
BitInByteIndex = 7 - (Col MOD 8) ' Position within the byte (MSB first in BDF usually)
' Get the current hex string for the row
CurrentHexByte = G.Bitmap(Row)
' Extract the relevant hex pair (e.g., "FF", "0A")
DIM TargetHexPair AS STRING
TargetHexPair = MID$(CurrentHexByte, (ByteIndex * 2) + 1, 2)
CurrentHexValue = VAL("&H" + TargetHexPair)
IF MouseButton = -1 THEN ' Left click: set pixel
CurrentHexValue = CurrentHexValue OR (2 ^ BitInByteIndex)
ELSEIF MouseButton = -2 THEN ' Right click: clear pixel (assuming right-click for eraser)
CurrentHexValue = CurrentHexValue AND (NOT (2 ^ BitInByteIndex))
END IF
' Convert back to hex string (format to two digits)
DIM NewHexPair AS STRING
NewHexPair = HEX$(CurrentHexValue)
IF LEN(NewHexPair) = 1 THEN NewHexPair = "0" + NewHexPair ' Pad with leading zero if needed
' Update the bitmap string for the row
MID$(G.Bitmap(Row), (ByteIndex * 2) + 1, 2) = NewHexPair
' Redraw the specific pixel for immediate feedback
DIM PixelColor AS LONG
IF (CurrentHexValue AND (2 ^ BitInByteIndex)) THEN
PixelColor = PIXEL_ON_COLOR
ELSE
PixelColor = PIXEL_OFF_COLOR
END IF
LINE (XOffset + Col * Zoom, YOffset + (Row - 1) * Zoom)-(XOffset + Col * Zoom + Zoom - 1, YOffset + (Row - 1) * Zoom + Zoom - 1), PixelColor, BF
_DISPLAY ' Update just the pixel for faster drawing
END SUB
' Modify HandleInput to call EditPixel
SUB HandleInput ()
' ... (keyboard input) ...
' Check for mouse input
_MOUSEINPUT
DIM MouseX AS INTEGER, MouseY AS INTEGER, MouseButtonLeft AS INTEGER, MouseButtonRight AS INTEGER
MouseX = _MOUSEX
MouseY = _MOUSEY
MouseButtonLeft = _MOUSEBUTTON(1) ' Left mouse button status
MouseButtonRight = _MOUSEBUTTON(2) ' Right mouse button status
' Handle pixel editing if a font and glyph are loaded
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 0 THEN
IF MouseButtonLeft = -1 THEN ' Left click: set pixel
EditPixel MouseX, MouseY, -1, CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex), EDITOR_AREA_X + 10, EDITOR_AREA_Y + 10, EditorZoom
ELSEIF MouseButtonRight = -1 THEN ' Right click: clear pixel
EditPixel MouseX, MouseY, -2, CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex), EDITOR_AREA_X + 10, EDITOR_AREA_Y + 10, EditorZoom
END IF
END IF
END SUB
' Initializing default values for global font/glyph
SUB MainLoop ()
' For testing, load a dummy font (you'd replace this with actual file loading)
EditorZoom = 10 ' Start with a good zoom level
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount = 0 THEN
' Create a dummy BDFont structure if not loaded from file
CurrentFont.FontName = "TestFont"
CurrentFont.PointSize = 16
CurrentFont.ResolutionX = 75
CurrentFont.ResolutionY = 75
CurrentFont.FontBoundingBoxX = 8
CurrentFont.FontBoundingBoxY = 16
CurrentFont.FontBoundingBoxXOff = 0
CurrentFont.FontBoundingBoxYOff = -2
CurrentFont.CharsCount = 1
REDIM CurrentFont.Glyphs(1 TO 1)
CurrentGlyphIndex = 1
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Encoding = 65 ' ASCII 'A'
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Name = "A"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).BBxWidth = 8
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).BBxHeight = 16
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).BBxXOff = 0
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).BBxYOff = -2
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).DWidthX = 8
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).DWidthY = 0
REDIM CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(1 TO 16) ' 16 rows
' Initialize with some empty/patterned data
FOR i = 1 TO 16
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(i) = "00" ' All pixels off
NEXT i
' A simple 'A' pattern (very rough example, assuming 8 pixel width, 2 hex chars per row)
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(1) = "00"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(2) = "18"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(3) = "24"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(4) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(5) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(6) = "7E"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(7) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(8) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(9) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(10) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(11) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(12) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(13) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(14) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(15) = "00"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(16) = "00"
' Now try loading from a file (uncomment this once you have a test.bdf)
' CurrentFont = LoadBDF("test.bdf")
' IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 THEN CurrentGlyphIndex = 1
END IF
DO WHILE Running
HandleInput
DrawGUI
UpdateDisplay
_LIMIT 60 ' Limit to 60 FPS
LOOP
END SUB
Part 4: Saving BDF (Simplified)
This function would reconstruct the BDF file from your BDFont structure.
Code snippet
' --- Part 4: Saving BDF (Simplified) ---
DECLARE SUB SaveBDF (Font AS BDFont, FileName AS STRING)
SUB SaveBDF (Font AS BDFont, FileName AS STRING)
ON ERROR GOTO SaveBDFError
OPEN FileName FOR OUTPUT AS #1
PRINT #1, "STARTFONT 2.1"
PRINT #1, "FONT " + Font.FontName
PRINT #1, "SIZE"; Font.PointSize; Font.ResolutionX; Font.ResolutionY
PRINT #1, "FONTBOUNDINGBOX"; Font.FontBoundingBoxX; Font.FontBoundingBoxY; Font.FontBoundingBoxXOff; Font.FontBoundingBoxYOff
PRINT #1, "CHARS"; Font.CharsCount
DIM i AS LONG
FOR i = 1 TO Font.CharsCount
DIM G AS Glyph
G = Font.Glyphs(i)
PRINT #1, "STARTCHAR " + G.Name
PRINT #1, "ENCODING"; G.Encoding
PRINT #1, "BBX"; G.BBxWidth; G.BBxHeight; G.BBxXOff; G.BBxYOff
PRINT #1, "DWIDTH"; G.DWidthX; G.DWidthY
PRINT #1, "BITMAP"
DIM RowNum AS INTEGER
FOR RowNum = 1 TO G.BBxHeight
IF RowNum <= UBOUND(G.Bitmap) THEN
PRINT #1, G.Bitmap(RowNum)
ELSE
' Handle cases where bitmap data might be incomplete, pad with "00"
PRINT #1, STRING$((G.BBxWidth + 7) \ 8 * 2, "0") ' Pad with appropriate number of hex zeros
END IF
NEXT RowNum
PRINT #1, "ENDCHAR"
NEXT i
PRINT #1, "ENDFONT"
CLOSE #1
PRINT "Font saved to"; FileName
EXIT SUB
SaveBDFError:
PRINT "Error saving BDF file: "; FileName
PRINT "Error number: "; ERR; " - "; ERROR$
END SUB
' Integrate SaveBDF into HandleInput (e.g., on 'S' key press)
SUB HandleInput ()
' ... (existing HandleInput code) ...
' Check for keyboard input
DO
K$ = INKEY$
IF K$ = CHR$(27) THEN ' ESC key to quit
Running = 0
EXIT DO
ELSEIF UCASE$(K$) = "S" THEN ' 'S' key to save
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 THEN
SaveBDF CurrentFont, "edited_font.bdf"
ELSE
PRINT "No font to save!"
END IF
' Add more keyboard handling here later (e.g., tool selection)
' For navigating characters:
ELSEIF K$ = CHR$(0) + CHR$(77) THEN ' Right arrow
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex < CurrentFont.CharsCount THEN
CurrentGlyphIndex = CurrentGlyphIndex + 1
END IF
ELSEIF K$ = CHR$(0) + CHR$(75) THEN ' Left arrow
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 1 THEN
CurrentGlyphIndex = CurrentGlyphIndex - 1
END IF
END IF
LOOP WHILE K$ <> ""
' ... (rest of HandleInput) ...
END SUB
Putting it all together (Full, but still simplified, example):
Code snippet
' Tom's X11 BDF Font Editor (QB64PE version)
' This is a highly simplified demonstration.
' A full-featured editor would require much more robust BDF parsing,
' advanced drawing tools, undo/redo, character selection UI, etc.
' --- Global Type Definitions ---
TYPE Glyph
Encoding AS LONG ' ASCII or Unicode encoding
Name AS STRING ' Character name (e.g., "A", "space")
BBxWidth AS INTEGER ' Bounding box width
BBxHeight AS INTEGER ' Bounding box height
BBxXOff AS INTEGER ' Bounding box X offset
BBxYOff AS INTEGER ' Bounding box Y offset
DWidthX AS INTEGER ' Device width X (character advance)
DWidthY AS INTEGER ' Device width Y (usually 0 for horizontal fonts)
Bitmap() AS STRING ' Array of strings, each representing a row of hex bitmap data
END TYPE
TYPE BDFont
FontName AS STRING
PointSize AS INTEGER
ResolutionX AS INTEGER
ResolutionY AS INTEGER
FontBoundingBoxX AS INTEGER
FontBoundingBoxY AS INTEGER
FontBoundingBoxXOff AS INTEGER
FontBoundingBoxYOff AS INTEGER
CharsCount AS LONG
Glyphs() AS Glyph
END TYPE
' --- Global Variables ---
CONST SCREEN_WIDTH = 800
CONST SCREEN_HEIGHT = 600
CONST EDITOR_AREA_X = 200 ' Area for actual glyph editing
CONST EDITOR_AREA_Y = 50
CONST EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH = 550
CONST EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT = 500
' Colors (using _RGB32 for 32-bit color)
CONST BG_COLOR = _RGB32(60, 60, 60) ' Dark grey background
CONST UI_COLOR = _RGB32(90, 90, 90) ' Slightly lighter grey for UI elements
CONST TEXT_COLOR = _RGB32(200, 200, 200) ' Light grey for text
CONST PIXEL_ON_COLOR = _RGB32(255, 255, 255) ' White for "on" pixels
CONST PIXEL_OFF_COLOR = _RGB32(30, 30, 30) ' Dark for "off" pixels
DIM SHARED Running AS INTEGER ' Flag to keep the main loop running
DIM SHARED CurrentFont AS BDFont ' The font being edited
DIM SHARED CurrentGlyphIndex AS LONG ' Index of the currently selected glyph
DIM SHARED EditorZoom AS INTEGER ' Zoom level for pixel editing
' --- Function and Sub Declarations ---
DECLARE SUB InitScreen ()
DECLARE SUB MainLoop ()
DECLARE SUB HandleInput ()
DECLARE SUB DrawGUI ()
DECLARE SUB UpdateDisplay ()
DECLARE FUNCTION LoadBDF (FileName AS STRING) AS BDFont
DECLARE SUB SaveBDF (Font AS BDFont, FileName AS STRING)
DECLARE SUB DrawGlyph (G AS Glyph, XOffset AS INTEGER, YOffset AS INTEGER, Zoom AS INTEGER)
DECLARE SUB EditPixel (MouseX AS INTEGER, MouseY AS INTEGER, MouseButton AS INTEGER, BYREF G AS Glyph, XOffset AS INTEGER, YOffset AS INTEGER, Zoom AS INTEGER)
DECLARE FUNCTION HexToBinaryString (HexByte AS STRING, NumBits AS INTEGER) AS STRING
DECLARE FUNCTION SPLIT (TextString AS STRING, Delimiter AS STRING) AS STRING()
' --- Main Program ---
InitScreen
MainLoop
END
' --- Subroutines and Functions ---
SUB InitScreen ()
SCREEN _NEWIMAGE(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, 32)
_TITLE "Tom's QB64PE BDF Font Editor"
_FULLSCREEN _KEEP ' Keep windowed mode, but maximize if possible
COLOR TEXT_COLOR, BG_COLOR
CLS
Running = -1 ' True
EditorZoom = 10 ' Default zoom level
CurrentGlyphIndex = 0 ' No glyph selected initially
END SUB
SUB MainLoop ()
' For demonstration, load a dummy font, or attempt to load from file
' Replace this with user interaction (e.g., an "Open File" button)
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount = 0 THEN
' Try to load a font from a BDF file if it exists
' You need to create a simple BDF file (e.g., "testfont.bdf") in the same directory
' For example, a minimal BDF for 'A':
' STARTFONT 2.1
' FONT testfont-16
' SIZE 16 75 75
' FONTBOUNDINGBOX 8 16 0 -2
' CHARS 1
' STARTCHAR A
' ENCODING 65
' BBX 8 16 0 -2
' DWIDTH 8 0
' BITMAP
' 00
' 18
' 24
' 42
' 42
' 7E
' 42
' 42
' 42
' 42
' 42
' 42
' 42
' 42
' 00
' 00
' ENDCHAR
' ENDFONT
CurrentFont = LoadBDF("testfont.bdf") ' Adjust filename as needed
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 THEN
CurrentGlyphIndex = 1 ' Select the first character if loaded successfully
ELSE
' If no file, create a dummy one for immediate testing
PRINT "No 'testfont.bdf' found. Creating a dummy 'A' character."
CurrentFont.FontName = "DummyFont"
CurrentFont.PointSize = 16
CurrentFont.ResolutionX = 75
CurrentFont.ResolutionY = 75
CurrentFont.FontBoundingBoxX = 8
CurrentFont.FontBoundingBoxY = 16
CurrentFont.FontBoundingBoxXOff = 0
CurrentFont.FontBoundingBoxYOff = -2
CurrentFont.CharsCount = 1
REDIM CurrentFont.Glyphs(1 TO 1)
CurrentGlyphIndex = 1
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Encoding = 65 ' ASCII 'A'
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Name = "A"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).BBxWidth = 8
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).BBxHeight = 16
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).BBxXOff = 0
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).BBxYOff = -2
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).DWidthX = 8
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).DWidthY = 0
REDIM CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(1 TO 16) ' 16 rows
FOR i = 1 TO 16
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(i) = "00" ' All pixels off initially
NEXT i
' Simple 'A' pattern (assuming 8 pixel width, 2 hex chars per row)
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(1) = "00"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(2) = "18"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(3) = "24"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(4) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(5) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(6) = "7E"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(7) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(8) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(9) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(10) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(11) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(12) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(13) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(14) = "42"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(15) = "00"
CurrentFont.Glyphs(1).Bitmap(16) = "00"
END IF
END IF
DO WHILE Running
HandleInput
DrawGUI
UpdateDisplay
_LIMIT 60 ' Limit to 60 FPS
LOOP
END SUB
SUB HandleInput ()
' Check for keyboard input
DO
K$ = INKEY$
IF K$ = CHR$(27) THEN ' ESC key to quit
Running = 0
EXIT DO
ELSEIF UCASE$(K$) = "S" THEN ' 'S' key to save
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 THEN
SaveBDF CurrentFont, "edited_font.bdf"
ELSE
PRINT "No font to save!"
END IF
ELSEIF K$ = CHR$(0) + CHR$(77) THEN ' Right arrow: Next character
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex < CurrentFont.CharsCount THEN
CurrentGlyphIndex = CurrentGlyphIndex + 1
END IF
ELSEIF K$ = CHR$(0) + CHR$(75) THEN ' Left arrow: Previous character
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 1 THEN
CurrentGlyphIndex = CurrentGlyphIndex - 1
END IF
ELSEIF K$ = CHR$(0) + CHR$(72) THEN ' Up arrow: Increase zoom
IF EditorZoom < 20 THEN EditorZoom = EditorZoom + 1
ELSEIF K$ = CHR$(0) + CHR$(80) THEN ' Down arrow: Decrease zoom
IF EditorZoom > 1 THEN EditorZoom = EditorZoom - 1
END IF
LOOP WHILE K$ <> ""
' Check for mouse input
_MOUSEINPUT
DIM MouseX AS INTEGER, MouseY AS INTEGER, MouseButtonLeft AS INTEGER, MouseButtonRight AS INTEGER
MouseX = _MOUSEX
MouseY = _MOUSEY
MouseButtonLeft = _MOUSEBUTTON(1) ' Left mouse button status
MouseButtonRight = _MOUSEBUTTON(2) ' Right mouse button status
' Handle pixel editing if a font and glyph are loaded
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 0 THEN
IF MouseButtonLeft = -1 THEN ' Left click: set pixel
EditPixel MouseX, MouseY, -1, CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex), EDITOR_AREA_X + 10, EDITOR_AREA_Y + 10, EditorZoom
ELSEIF MouseButtonRight = -1 THEN ' Right click: clear pixel
EditPixel MouseX, MouseY, -2, CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex), EDITOR_AREA_X + 10, EDITOR_AREA_Y + 10, EditorZoom
END IF
END IF
END SUB
SUB DrawGUI ()
' Draw background on a temporary image to prevent flicker
_NEWIMAGE SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, 32, 1 ' Create a temporary image for drawing
_DEST _LASTIMAGE
COLOR BG_COLOR
_FONT _LOADFONT("Arial", 14) ' Load a basic font for UI text (ensure Arial is available)
CLS
' Draw a panel for tools/info on the left
LINE (0, 0)-(EDITOR_AREA_X - 1, SCREEN_HEIGHT - 1), UI_COLOR, BF
LOCATE 2, 2
PRINT "--- Tools ---"
LOCATE 4, 2
PRINT "S: Save Font"
LOCATE 6, 2
PRINT "ESC: Quit"
LOCATE 8, 2
PRINT "<-- / --> : Prev/Next Char"
LOCATE 10, 2
PRINT "Up/Down: Zoom (" + STR$(EditorZoom) + "x)"
LOCATE 12, 2
PRINT "L-Click: Draw Pixel"
LOCATE 14, 2
PRINT "R-Click: Erase Pixel"
' Draw the main editor area border
LINE (EDITOR_AREA_X - 2, EDITOR_AREA_Y - 2)-(EDITOR_AREA_X + EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH + 1, EDITOR_AREA_Y + EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT + 1), TEXT_COLOR, B
LINE (EDITOR_AREA_X - 1, EDITOR_AREA_Y - 1)-(EDITOR_AREA_X + EDITOR_AREA_WIDTH, EDITOR_AREA_Y + EDITOR_AREA_HEIGHT), PIXEL_OFF_COLOR, BF ' Editor background
' Display current font/glyph info
LOCATE 2, 30
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 0 THEN
PRINT "Font: " + CurrentFont.FontName
LOCATE 3, 30
PRINT "Char: " + CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex).Name + " (Encoding: " + STR$(CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex).Encoding) + ")"
LOCATE 4, 30
PRINT "BBX: " + STR$(CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex).BBxWidth) + "x" + STR$(CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex).BBxHeight)
ELSE
PRINT "No font loaded or character selected."
END IF
' Draw the currently selected glyph
IF CurrentFont.CharsCount > 0 AND CurrentGlyphIndex > 0 THEN
DrawGlyph CurrentFont.Glyphs(CurrentGlyphIndex), EDITOR_AREA_X + 10, EDITOR_AREA_Y + 10, EditorZoom
END IF
' Copy the temporary image to the active screen
_PUTIMAGE (0, 0), _LASTIMAGE
_FREEIMAGE _LASTIMAGE ' Free the temporary image
END SUB
SUB UpdateDisplay ()
_DISPLAY ' Update the actual screen
END SUB
FUNCTION LoadBDF (FileName AS STRING) AS BDFont
DIM Font AS BDFont
DIM Line AS STRING
DIM InCharBlock AS INTEGER ' Flag to indicate if we're inside a STARTCHAR/ENDCHAR block
DIM BitmapRowCounter AS INTEGER ' Counts bitmap rows for current glyph
DIM NumCharsLoaded AS LONG ' Tracks how many characters have been loaded
ON ERROR GOTO BDFError ' Basic error handling for file operations
OPEN FileName FOR INPUT AS #1
DO WHILE NOT EOF(1)
LINE INPUT #1, Line
Line = LTRIM$(RTRIM$(Line)) ' Trim whitespace
IF LEFT$(Line, 9) = "STARTFONT" THEN
' Ignore, usually "2.1"
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 4) = "FONT" THEN
Font.FontName = MID$(Line, 6)
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 4) = "SIZE" THEN
DIM Parts() AS STRING
Parts = SPLIT(Line, " ") ' Use custom SPLIT function
IF UBOUND(Parts) >= 3 THEN ' Check if enough parts
Font.PointSize = VAL(Parts(1))
Font.ResolutionX = VAL(Parts(2))
Font.ResolutionY = VAL(Parts(3))
END IF
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 14) = "FONTBOUNDINGBOX" THEN
DIM Parts() AS STRING
Parts = SPLIT(Line, " ")
IF UBOUND(Parts) >= 4 THEN
Font.FontBoundingBoxX = VAL(Parts(1))
Font.FontBoundingBoxY = VAL(Parts(2))
Font.FontBoundingBoxXOff = VAL(Parts(3))
Font.FontBoundingBoxYOff = VAL(Parts(4))
END IF
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 10) = "CHARS" THEN
Font.CharsCount = VAL(MID$(Line, 7))
IF Font.CharsCount > 0 THEN
REDIM Font.Glyphs(1 TO Font.CharsCount)
END IF
NumCharsLoaded = 0
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 9) = "STARTCHAR" THEN
InCharBlock = -1 ' True
NumCharsLoaded = NumCharsLoaded + 1
IF NumCharsLoaded > Font.CharsCount THEN
PRINT "Warning: More characters found than declared in CHARS line."
' Consider exiting or resizing array, for now, just warn.
NumCharsLoaded = Font.CharsCount ' Cap at declared size
END IF
IF NumCharsLoaded <= Font.CharsCount THEN
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Name = MID$(Line, 11) ' Get char name
BitmapRowCounter = 0
' No REDIM here, wait for BBX to know height
END IF
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 8) = "ENCODING" AND InCharBlock AND NumCharsLoaded <= Font.CharsCount THEN
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Encoding = VAL(MID$(Line, 10))
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 3) = "BBX" AND InCharBlock AND NumCharsLoaded <= Font.CharsCount THEN
DIM Parts() AS STRING
Parts = SPLIT(Line, " ")
IF UBOUND(Parts) >= 4 THEN
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxWidth = VAL(Parts(1))
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxHeight = VAL(Parts(2))
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxXOff = VAL(Parts(3))
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxYOff = VAL(Parts(4))
END IF
IF Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxHeight > 0 THEN
REDIM Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Bitmap(1 TO Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxHeight)
END IF
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 7) = "DWIDTH" AND InCharBlock AND NumCharsLoaded <= Font.CharsCount THEN
DIM Parts() AS STRING
Parts = SPLIT(Line, " ")
IF UBOUND(Parts) >= 2 THEN
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).DWidthX = VAL(Parts(1))
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).DWidthY = VAL(Parts(2))
END IF
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 6) = "BITMAP" AND InCharBlock THEN
' Next lines are bitmap data, handled by the general hex line check below
ELSEIF InCharBlock AND NumCharsLoaded <= Font.CharsCount AND LEN(Line) > 0 AND _
(INSTR("0123456789ABCDEF", UCASE$(LEFT$(Line, 1))) > 0) THEN
' This is likely a bitmap data line (hex characters)
BitmapRowCounter = BitmapRowCounter + 1
IF BitmapRowCounter <= Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).BBxHeight THEN
Font.Glyphs(NumCharsLoaded).Bitmap(BitmapRowCounter) = Line
END IF
ELSEIF LEFT$(Line, 7) = "ENDCHAR" THEN
InCharBlock = 0 ' False
END IF
LOOP
CLOSE #1
LoadBDF = Font ' Return the populated font structure
EXIT FUNCTION
BDFError:
PRINT "Error loading BDF file: "; FileName
PRINT "Error number: "; ERR; " - "; ERROR$
CLOSE #1 ' Ensure file is closed even on error
' Return an empty/default font structure in case of error
DIM EmptyFont AS BDFont
LoadBDF = EmptyFont
RESUME NEXT ' To continue program execution in MainLoop
END FUNCTION
SUB SaveBDF (Font AS BDFont, FileName AS STRING)
ON ERROR GOTO SaveBDFError
OPEN FileName FOR OUTPUT AS #1
PRINT #1, "STARTFONT 2.1"
PRINT #1, "FONT " + Font.FontName
PRINT #1, "SIZE"; Font.PointSize; Font.ResolutionX; Font.ResolutionY
PRINT #1, "FONTBOUNDINGBOX"; Font.FontBoundingBoxX; Font.FontBoundingBoxY; Font.FontBoundingBoxXOff; Font.FontBoundingBoxYOff
PRINT #1, "CHARS"; Font.CharsCount
DIM i AS LONG
FOR i = 1 TO Font.CharsCount
DIM G AS Glyph
G = Font.Glyphs(i)
PRINT #1, "STARTCHAR " + G.Name
PRINT #1, "ENCODING"; G.Encoding
PRINT #1, "BBX"; G.BBxWidth; G.BBxHeight; G.BBxXOff; G.BBxYOff
PRINT #1, "DWIDTH"; G.DWidthX; G.DWidthY
PRINT #1, "BITMAP"
DIM RowNum AS INTEGER
FOR RowNum = 1 TO G.BBxHeight
IF RowNum <= UBOUND(G.Bitmap) THEN
PRINT #1, G.Bitmap(RowNum)
ELSE
' If bitmap data is incomplete, pad with "00"
PRINT #1, STRING$((G.BBxWidth + 7) \ 8 * 2, "0") ' Calculate hex chars needed for width
END IF
NEXT RowNum
PRINT #1, "ENDCHAR"
NEXT i
PRINT #1, "ENDFONT"
CLOSE #1
LOCATE CSRLIN, 1
PRINT "Font saved to "; FileName; SPACE$(40) ' Clear line
EXIT SUB
SaveBDFError:
LOCATE CSRLIN, 1
PRINT "Error saving BDF file: "; FileName; " - "; ERROR$; SPACE$(40)
CLOSE #1
END SUB
SUB DrawGlyph (G AS Glyph, XOffset AS INTEGER, YOffset AS INTEGER, Zoom AS INTEGER)
IF G.BBxHeight = 0 OR G.BBxWidth = 0 THEN EXIT SUB ' Nothing to draw
DIM Row AS INTEGER, Col AS INTEGER
DIM HexLine AS STRING
DIM BinaryRow AS STRING
DIM BitIndex AS INTEGER
DIM PixelColor AS LONG
FOR Row = 1 TO G.BBxHeight
IF Row <= UBOUND(G.Bitmap) THEN
HexLine = G.Bitmap(Row)
DIM ByteNum AS INTEGER
FOR ByteNum = 0 TO (LEN(HexLine) \ 2) - 1 ' Process two hex chars at a time (one byte)
DIM CurrentHexPair AS STRING
CurrentHexPair = MID$(HexLine, (ByteNum * 2) + 1, 2)
BinaryRow = HexToBinaryString(CurrentHexPair, 8) ' Convert 1 byte (8 bits) to binary string
FOR BitIndex = 0 TO 7 ' Iterate through the 8 bits of the current byte
Col = (ByteNum * 8) + BitIndex ' Calculate global column
IF Col < G.BBxWidth THEN ' Only draw up to the glyph's actual width
IF MID$(BinaryRow, BitIndex + 1, 1) = "1" THEN
PixelColor = PIXEL_ON_COLOR
ELSE
PixelColor = PIXEL_OFF_COLOR
END IF
' Draw the pixel, considering zoom
LINE (XOffset + Col * Zoom, YOffset + (Row - 1) * Zoom)-(XOffset + Col * Zoom + Zoom - 1, YOffset + (Row - 1) * Zoom + Zoom - 1), PixelColor, BF
END IF
NEXT BitIndex
NEXT ByteNum
END IF
NEXT Row
END SUB
SUB EditPixel (MouseX AS INTEGER, MouseY AS INTEGER, MouseButton AS INTEGER, BYREF G AS Glyph, XOffset AS INTEGER, YOffset AS INTEGER, Zoom AS INTEGER)
IF G.BBxHeight = 0 OR G.BBxWidth = 0 THEN EXIT SUB
IF MouseButton = 0 THEN EXIT SUB ' No button pressed
DIM RelativeX AS INTEGER
DIM RelativeY AS INTEGER
DIM Row AS INTEGER
DIM Col AS INTEGER
DIM ByteIndex AS INTEGER
DIM BitInByteIndex AS INTEGER ' Bit position within the byte (0-7)
DIM CurrentHexByte AS STRING
DIM CurrentHexValue AS INTEGER
RelativeX = MouseX - XOffset
RelativeY = MouseY - YOffset
' Check if click is within the drawing area for this glyph
IF RelativeX < 0 OR RelativeX >= G.BBxWidth * Zoom OR _
RelativeY < 0 OR RelativeY >= G.BBxHeight * Zoom THEN
EXIT SUB ' Click outside glyph drawing area
END IF
Col = RelativeX \ Zoom
Row = RelativeY \ Zoom + 1 ' BDF rows are 1-indexed for our array
IF Row < 1 OR Row > G.BBxHeight OR Col < 0 OR Col >= G.BBxWidth THEN EXIT SUB
IF Row > UBOUND(G.Bitmap) THEN EXIT SUB ' Should not happen if BBxHeight matches bitmap array size
' Determine which bit to toggle within the hex data
ByteIndex = Col \ 8 ' Which "byte" (pair of hex chars) in the string
BitInByteIndex = 7 - (Col MOD 8) ' Position within the 8-bit segment (most significant bit first)
' Get the current hex string for the row
CurrentHexByte = G.Bitmap(Row)
' Extract the relevant hex pair (e.g., "FF", "0A")
DIM TargetHexPair AS STRING
IF (ByteIndex * 2) + 2 <= LEN(CurrentHexByte) THEN ' Ensure string access is valid
TargetHexPair = MID$(CurrentHexByte, (ByteIndex * 2) + 1, 2)
ELSE
TargetHexPair = "00" ' If not enough hex data, assume empty byte
END IF
CurrentHexValue = VAL("&H" + TargetHexPair)
IF MouseButton = -1 THEN ' Left click: set pixel
CurrentHexValue = CurrentHexValue OR (2 ^ BitInByteIndex)
ELSEIF MouseButton = -2 THEN ' Right click: clear pixel
CurrentHexValue = CurrentHexValue AND (NOT (2 ^ BitInByteIndex))
END IF
' Convert back to hex string (format to two digits)
DIM NewHexPair AS STRING
NewHexPair = HEX$(CurrentHexValue)
IF LEN(NewHexPair) = 1 THEN NewHexPair = "0" + NewHexPair ' Pad with leading zero if needed
' Update the bitmap string for the row
IF (ByteIndex * 2) + 2 <= LEN(G.Bitmap(Row)) THEN
MID$(G.Bitmap(Row), (ByteIndex * 2) + 1, 2) = NewHexPair
ELSE
' If the hex string was too short for the current pixel, extend it
' This is a simplified approach; a real editor would ensure the bitmap strings
' are always the correct length for the BBxWidth.
G.Bitmap(Row) = G.Bitmap(Row) + STRING$(((ByteIndex * 2) + 2) - LEN(G.Bitmap(Row)), "0")
MID$(G.Bitmap(Row), (ByteIndex * 2) + 1, 2) = NewHexPair
END IF
' Redraw the specific pixel for immediate feedback
DIM PixelColor AS LONG
IF (CurrentHexValue AND (2 ^ BitInByteIndex)) THEN
PixelColor = PIXEL_ON_COLOR
ELSE
PixelColor = PIXEL_OFF_COLOR
END IF
' Draw directly to screen, not temp image, for responsiveness
LINE (XOffset + Col * Zoom, YOffset + (Row - 1) * Zoom)-(XOffset + Col * Zoom + Zoom - 1, YOffset + (Row - 1) * Zoom + Zoom - 1), PixelColor, BF
_DISPLAY ' Update just the pixel area for faster drawing
END SUB
FUNCTION HexToBinaryString (HexByte AS STRING, NumBits AS INTEGER) AS STRING
DIM BinaryString AS STRING
DIM HexVal AS INTEGER
DIM i AS INTEGER
HexVal = VAL("&H" + HexByte) ' Convert hex string to integer
BinaryString = ""
FOR i = NumBits - 1 TO 0 STEP -1
IF (HexVal AND (2 ^ i)) THEN
BinaryString = BinaryString + "1"
ELSE
BinaryString = BinaryString + "0"
END IF
NEXT i
HexToBinaryString = BinaryString
END FUNCTION
FUNCTION SPLIT (TextString AS STRING, Delimiter AS STRING) AS STRING()
DIM Parts() AS STRING
DIM Count AS INTEGER
DIM StartPos AS INTEGER
DIM DelimPos AS INTEGER
Count = 0
StartPos = 1
DO
DelimPos = INSTR(StartPos, TextString, Delimiter)
IF DelimPos = 0 THEN
REDIM PRESERVE Parts(0 TO Count)
Parts(Count) = MID$(TextString, StartPos)
EXIT DO
ELSE
REDIM PRESERVE Parts(0 TO Count)
Parts(Count) = MID$(TextString, StartPos, DelimPos - StartPos)
StartPos = DelimPos + LEN(Delimiter)
Count = Count + 1
END IF
LOOP
SPLIT = Parts
END FUNCTION
How to Use and Expand This Code:
Save: Save this entire code block as a .bas file (e.g., fonteditor.bas) in your QB64PE directory.
testfont.bdf: Create a simple text file named testfont.bdf in the same directory as your .bas file, and paste the example BDF content for "A" (provided in the MainLoop comments) into it. This will allow the program to load a character initially.
Run: Compile and run with QB64PE.
Interaction:
You'll see a dark grey window with a lighter grey panel on the left and a darker grey drawing area.
An 'A' character should appear in the drawing area (if testfont.bdf loaded, or the dummy one was created).
Left-click in the white drawing area (where the 'A' is) to turn pixels ON.
Right-click to turn pixels OFF.
Use the Left/Right Arrow keys to navigate between characters (only one 'A' in the dummy font, so not much to see here yet).
Use the Up/Down Arrow keys to change the zoom level.
Press 'S' to save the modified font to edited_font.bdf.
Press 'ESC' to quit.
Further Enhancements (Next Steps for You):
Robust BDF Parsing: The current LoadBDF and SaveBDF are highly simplified. Real BDFs have many more properties (e.g., SWIDTH, VPOS, METRICSSET, PROPERTIES), and the bitmap hex data can vary in length. You'll need to accurately parse all relevant sections and properties to build a truly compatible editor.
Character Navigation: Implement a more robust character selection mechanism (e.g., a list of characters, search by encoding/name).
Drawing Tools: Implement more tools like lines, rectangles, fill, copy/paste, shift/move pixels, invert.
Undo/Redo: This is crucial for any editor and would require maintaining a history of bitmap changes.
User Interface: Create actual clickable buttons and input fields (using QB64PE's graphics commands and mouse/keyboard input) instead of relying solely on keyboard shortcuts for all actions. You might look into community-made GUI libraries for QB64PE (like InForm-PE mentioned in search results), but that would add another layer of complexity.
Error Handling: Improve file I/O error handling and provide more user-friendly messages.
New Font/New Character: Add functionality to create new BDF files from scratch or add new characters to an existing font.
Performance: For very large fonts or complex operations, optimize drawing routines. Using _SCREENIMAGE and _PUTIMAGE wisely can reduce flicker.
X11 Fonts vs. QB64PE Display: Remember, this editor creates/edits BDF files. To use these fonts in an X11 environment, you'd still need to follow the X11 font installation steps (e.g., mkfontdir, xset fp+, xset fp rehash) on your Linux system. QB64PE itself isn't directly interacting with X11 for display.
This project is a fantastic way to dive deep into QB64PE's capabilities and low-level programming! Good luck!
RE: people using an ai agent, can it translate this TCL app to QB64PE? - madscijr - 07-10-2025
Wow, thanks for giving that a try - I'll see if any of that is usable a little later.
The BDF format isn't TOO hard so it shouldn't be that difficult to parse (I got my code working to write the files). Thanks again!