Club Amiga de Montreal - CAM/CAM_CD_1.iso/files/007.lha/setfont_2.0.doc

Text File | 1986-11-10 | 5.2 KB | 104 lines

        SetFont 2.0

        by Dave Haynie (Hazy)
            CIS:     76703,2047
            Usenet:    {allegra,caip,ihnp4}!cbmvax!daveh
            Drink:    Guiness


CHANGES FROM SetFont 1.0

    SetFont 2.0's main improvement is that it allows the individual
font of a CLI window to be changed without changing the font of the entire
WorkBench Screen.  The old SetFont would change the default font descriptor
of the WorkBench screen, which is where most new programs get their fonts.
This was useful in that a font so set would be inhereted by new WorkBench
applications, like new CLIs, Word Processors, Terminal Programs, and just
about anything run on the WorkBench Screen (as opposed to a custom screen).
What the old version doesn't do is change JUST the font of the current CLI.
The new version does this.  I've thrown in the capability to also change
the default title font of the screen (based on the screen's RastPort);
this isn't incredibly useful, but it was very little extra code in addition
to the two more useful functions.

WHAT IT DOES

    This function changes the default fonts of the Amiga's WorkBench
screen or an Amiga CLI window.  This allows programs like CLI, etc. to use a
font other than one specified by Preferences.  This change isn't perfect, but
it is useful.  The program is used as:

    SetFont [fontname [points [place]]

Where the "fontname" is a normal Amiga font, "points" is the font's point
size, and place is currently one of:

    SCREEN        The WorkBench Screen, ala SetFont 1.0
    TITLES        The WorkBench Screen's Titles
    WINDOW        The current CLI window

Setting the screen will essentially set the default font for newly created
windows.  Setting the title font will set the text displayed for window
titles and things like that.  This will look really ugly and generally not
work very well if it is set to a font taller than the current screen font.
Finally, setting the WINDOW font will set only the font of the calling CLI
window.  This will also clear the screen, which is required to fully set
the font on an open console window.  If no place is supplied, all three
fonts are set.  Examples are:

    SetFont                (Displays current screen font)
    SetFont ?            (Displays help text)
    SetFont topaz            (Sets font "topaz 8" everywhere)
    SetFont ruby 12            (Sets font "ruby 12" everywhere)
    SetFont topaz 11 SCREEN        (Sets font "topaz 11" on screen)
    SetFont thin 7 TITLES WINDOW    (Sets font "thin 7" on CLI and titles)

    This program has a few limitations.  First of all, some programs
don't support fonts other than the 80 column, 8x8 cell "topaz 8" font,
which is a default ROM font.  If you're a 60 column user, you've probably
experienced this before.  Its not a problem with the Amiga as a whole, since
most of the system will adjust itself.  But it may be a problem with programs
that have a fixed idea of what a font should look like.  Most 80 column fonts
work with most applications, and an 80 column 8x8 font will work just about
everywhere.  Some programs, like CLI for instance, have trouble with
proportionally-spaced fonts.  This is a "bug" or "feature" of the Amiga
text display software, which is doing large amounts of spacing when only
one character in a proportional font is displayed at a time.  The best thing
to do is try out the font you like.

    To use SetFont as a means of changing most of the default fonts
during a session, insert it in your "s:Startup-Sequence" file, as:

    SetFont topaz 11
    LoadWB
    EndCLI >nil:

or something that (SetFont topaz 11 SCREEN TITLES would work just as well).

    One final problem is that some applications ask the WorkBench screen
to close when they start up.  It'll close if there's nothing else open on it,
but when it re-opens, it'll restart with the Preferences-selected font, not
the SetFont selected font.  Of course, Preferences't support arbitrary fonts
(which is why this program is even necessary).  Oh well, maybe in 1.3?  The
simplest way to prevent this is to leave some kind of window open, which will
prevent any other application from closing the WorkBench screen.  Of course,
if you need the memory that closing the WorkBench screen gives you, this
would not be a good thing to do.

   BUSINESS (MUNDANE, BUT IMPORTANT):

    This program is written by me, Dave Haynie, as mentioned above.
I have, however, placed it in the PUBLIC DOMAIN.  That, of course, means
that you can do (almost) absolutely anything with it.  You may hack it
to bits, include it with YOUR product, sell it, GIVE IT AWAY, or anything
else you like.  Of course, since anyone else can also give it away, it
would be foolish to stick your name on it and try to sell it.  I really
would like everyone to give it away, nicely, without being mean about it.
If you want to use it with your product, do that too, new products for
the Amiga are generally a good thing for the entire Amiga community.  You
can take bit and pieces and use them in your own programs, or the whole
thing for that matter.  And if you really want to have fun, you can even
IMPROVE this program, as its far from perfect, and give YOUR version
away too, if you're so inclined.  That's about it for the (mundane)
business section, let's get on to the (interesting) notes section.