Elegant UI TextMode
lazarus / 65-FV-Textmode IDE

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x2nie · 2022-09-02 12:24

Hi, I wonder whether it is still possible to customize the console
text in this planet ?
Yes, it was doable to change several ASCII "face" like what Norton DOS
apps era, while I were student (1999).



But currrently, I only have fpc compiler on Linux,
and sadly I have no any part of source code to start with.


So my question is:
1. Is it possible to change ASCII font shape/face using fpc?
2. Can we run that in linux ? (by any tool if needed: wine, dosbox,
native?)
3. How? a simple code, or workable fpc/lazarus project would be
appreciated 


Thanks You

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AlexTP · 2022-09-02 12:30

It was performed (in DOS era) by loading different font into Video
card memory. FPC cannot do it but maybe you will find some library for
this.

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marcov · 2022-09-02 12:32

I did this once for FreeBSD, but such tricks usually only work on the
textmode console of the OS, not with terminals under a graphical
environment.

Afaik with those graphical termnals, you can often set the font with
parameters when launching the console.

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Red_prig · 2022-09-02 12:41

there are platform dependent paths, for example:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-
us/windows/console/setcurrentconsolefontex

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x2nie · 2022-09-02 13:14

Well, amazing. nice responses, friends !.
So the known solution is by providing a "font file" into console   ?
that make sense.
So, whether special font for DOS, or TTF font for modern (graphical
console).
it seem promising to try.


Anyway, IIRC when I were young, it doesn't requires any font, it only
dump an memory address with bits of new font face. but, lets forget
the non-doable solution (except when using emulator such as DOSBox).


Now, back to console font, I found "Fontraption", an VGA-font
editor.[1]  it also released with source-code [2]
Further, it also has a VGA Font Collection.
I also noticed that what we are talking about was "VGA Font' topic[3].
(sorry, it was hard keyword for SEO to find).


As bonus, fyi, that guy has VGA/CRT simulation (visual effect), very
nice videos. I love how the PalmOS is simulated; very realistic [4]


Back again to the topic, I still finding a sample run-able demo
(source code).
let me know if you have any (Dos / turbo pascal  also accepted).


[1] https://int10h.org/blog/2019/05/fontraption-vga-text-mode-font-
editor/
[2] https://github.com/viler-int10h/Fontraption/blob/master/VGA.inc

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_text_mode
[4] https://int10h.org/blog/2021/03/simulating-non-crt-monitors-
ffmpeg-flat-panels/