Tag Archives: Font Panel

Creating A GLCD Font

Creating A GLCD Font

Standard Edition , Update V3.7c

Bitmap2LCD can generate two different types of GLCD Fonts :

  • System Fonts : Fonts of the Operating System, like .TTF (True Type Fonts) , .FON
  • Editable Fonts : Fonts you can edit yourself (modifying the pixels) from a system font source, or Fonts you can create from scratch.

There are ANSI Fonts (system) , Unicode Fonts (system) and Editable Fonts (custom)

bitmap2lcd-font-menu

Choose the main menu GLCD Fonts tab, and click Enter Font Script Mode item to enter Font Creation Mode

Data Setting Parameters are located in Data tab. You can edit the values by clicking on parameter value of the parameter list, only when in Font Script Mode and with Standard Edition.

At the top of the font panel , the caption includes [Font Script Mode] when in Font creation Mode. Use the Door Icon exiz Button to exit this mode when willing to quit.

bitmap2lcd font creation

 

bitmap2lcd Font Panel 2

fontw Enter Font Script Mode

In Font Script Mode (see caption at the top) select a list of chars to export with the mouse (Orange arrow) or write or paste a list of characters into the field (blue arrow)

To delete the selected list , use the [Clr] button or the Clear Selected Chars List drop down menu item (Green arrow)

There are 3 different Font types : ANSI, Unicode or Editable (see Red Arrow)

A right side of the font panel, there’s a field where you can define the Font Export parameters (Purple arrows) in the Data tab -> See screenshot below

For example the Font Data Structure : Raw Font or Structured Font

NOTE : With Trial/Demo Version, there’s a limitation : Only Char “A” is generated as an example !

bitmap2lcd-font-parameters

Example : Modifying a Font Generator Parameter

 

Buttons

fontw Enter Font Script Mode

Start  convert selected List of chars to GLCD data

exiz  Exit Font Script Mode

toolSyntaxbig Font Settings

 

The Font Script (Red Arrow) can be found in the Script (or Name.FSC) Tab of the Text editors. The script itself is not editable. The parameters can be set in the Font Panel, and the orientation of data generation and endianness at the top of the script (Blue Arrow)

bitmap2lcd Font Script Panel 3

The GLCD data generated can be found in the Text editor, first Editor tab on the left

bitmap2lcd Font Gen

Next screenshot shows a comment block at the right side that shows the character of the generated data.  ( monochrome, 8 bit output only )

bitmp2lcd-font-output

 

Bitmap2LCD : Info About The System Font Generator

Info About the System Font Generator

Standard Edition

Update V3.7c

Bitmap2LCD is a software tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems and a programmable text and graphic processing tool.

Bitmap2lcd generates GLCD FONTS from UNICODE and ANSI SYSTEM FONTS  ( fonts currently installed in Windows ) and from EDITABLE FONTS, chars and symbols you can create yourself. Chars of a System Font can be exported to EDITABLE FONTS to be freely editable.

Font Chars can also be stretched. ( See below, the panel above the displayed Character A )

Info about Fonts in Bitmap2LCD

.

To Generate GLCD Font , ENTER and QUIT the Font Creation Mode, click the following buttons or the associated main menu items :

fontw Reload / Create Font Script

exiz Exit Special Mode > Exit Font Script

Start Generate the GLCD FONT DATA as defined in the FONT SCRIPT

bitmap2lcd-font-generator

bitmap2lcd-variable-and-fixed-fonts

Fig 1. At the left side, the FONT PANEL and and the right side, the FONT SCRIPT located in one of the TEXT EDITORS

Blue arrow : The FONT SCRIPT is NOT a directly editable script. The purple Parameters displayed  are defined with all the other arrows shown on the above screenshot.

Yellow Arrow : Select the SYSTEM Font , the Font Size, ANSI or UNICODE Chars ( script > Font Script Filename, Type, Name and Size )

Orange Arrow: Select the chars to generate in the ASCII Grid. Selected Chars are displayed in Color Aqua Blue. To clear all the selected chars in one click, click the Aqua Blue <Clr> button in the bar of icons. ( script > Selected Chars List )

Red Arrow: Font Height and Width limitations. A the right side, you can change from FIXED to VARIABLE LENGTH FONT. ( script > Font Size )

Green Arrow: Here you can move and frame all the chars in four directions. ( script > Font Size )

Purple Arrow: Here You select the direction of the GLCD Font data ( script > Font Orientation  )

FONT SCRIPTS (blue arrow) are saved to disk as [.FSC] files, and can easily be reloaded from inside the FILE EXPLORER (fig 2.). There’s a dedicated FONTS Folder (red arrow) . The font files there are filtered.

Bitmap2lcd GLCD Font Script Files

 

Example of Generated GLCD DATA for monochrome Display (Fixed Length 5×7 Font, Vertical Data Output)

/* @ 0 Char:’A’ Width in bits :5 */

0x20,     /* __#_____ */

0x50,     /* _#_#____ */

0x50,     /* _#_#____ */

0x70,     /* _###____ */

0x88,     /* #___#___ */

0x88,     /* #___#___ */

0x00,     /* ________ */

/* @ 7 Char:’B’ Width in bits :5 */

0xE0,     /* ###_____ */

0x90,     /* #__#____ */

0xE0,     /* ###_____ */

0x90,     /* #__#____ */

0x90,     /* #__#____ */

0xE0,     /* ###_____ */

0x00,     /* ________ */