Tag Archives: Unicode Font

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

 

Families of Fonts in Bitmap2LCD

Families of Fonts in Bitmap2LCD

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

Update V3.7c

With Bitmap2LCD , you can of course write text and place symbols and glyphs inside the WORK CANVAS. by the way, Some system fonts families ARE collection of glyphs. You can find fonts on specialized websites like dafont.com and easily install them on you computer.

With Bitmap2LCD Standard Edition, you can also generate GLCD fonts to data arrays, in other words, convert the matrix of pixels of the glyphs into hexadecimal  data.

Families of Fonts

ANSI FONTS

Generate GLCD Fonts from System Fonts ( Glyphs are not editable )

fontw Open / create a Font     exiz Quit Font Script Mode

Directly select chars to convert to data inside the ASCII grid

bitmap2lcd-font-families

 

UNICODE FONTS ( International Characters Sets )

Generate GLCD Fonts from Unicode System Fonts ( Glyphs are not editable )

fontw Open / create a Font     exiz Quit Font Script Mode

bitmap2lcd-font-families-unicode

EDITABLE FONTS ( Freely Editable Fonts )

Create glyphs from scratch or export Chars from a System Font ( Glyphs are editable )

qervg2 List Editable Fonts  scratchw Create Editable Font From Scratch

exiz Quit Editable Font Script Mode

Bitmap2LCD Editable Font

 

ANTI-ALIASED FONTS

Generate anti-aliased Fonts, except in monochrome, 8 and 16 colors modes

bitmap2lcd-antialiased-font

 

Other buttons related to Fonts

Start  Create GLCD Font Data inside Text Editor

Start editable font  Export Selected Chars of a System Font to an Editable Font

exportcharw  Export the selected Char in the ASCII Grid to the WORK CANVAS

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Import a Unicode Character into Work Canvas

Bitmap2LCD is a tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems.

Import a Unicode Character into Work Canvas exportcharw

Update V3.7c

  • Open then Font Panel and select a Unicode Font, here for example Greek
  • Create a text frame and mouse click at top left text location in the work Canvas -> a red frame area appears (see red arrow)
  • Select a char in the Font Panel grid (yellow Arrow) and click the export button exportcharw (black arrow) OR  double-click on the char in the Font Panel grid (yellow Arrow)
  • When finished, move the Text frame to its location , and Paste paste the Text Area with keyboard key Enter or the Paste button.

bitmap2lcd-export-unicode-to-canvas

 

Convert a range of unicode chars for GLCD Font

Bitmap2LCD is a tool for programming small Graphic LCDs in embedded systems.

Convert a range of unicode chars for GLCD Font

Obsolete article, only for previous versions < V3.7

Another way to convert unicode chars by defining a range of them:

  • Enter font script mode
  • Enter Range Mode (yellow arrow)
  • If necessary, erase the from Hex and to Hex addresses with the clr button
  • Select Range Start in the char grid (red arrow), address appears in From Hex (blue Arrow)
  • Select Range End the same way in the char grid -> To Hex
  • Then Validate Address (blue arrow)
  • Encode the Font Range (orange Arrow)

Note : You can define Start and End of range addresses in different Fonts blocks. The condition is that the Start address is below the end address.

Version 3.0+

Bitmap2lcd Unicode Font Range

 

 

Before Version 3.0