Modules/print/Usage

From MSX Game Library

< Modules‎ | print

Use of this module begins with the initialization of a font. Then you can use all the functions to display text.

You have several render mode:

  • Text (using tiles/characters set for tiled-based screen modes),
  • Bitmap (draw text from RAM to VRAM for bitmap screen modes),
    • Bitmap with transparency.
  • VRAM (put font on VRAM and draw from there; slower to initialize, quicker to draw),
  • Sprite (draw text using sprites).

Example using tile-based render mode:

#include "font/font_mgl_sample8.h"

VDP_SetMode(VDP_MODE_SCREEN1);            // Initialize screen mode 1 (tiled-base mode)
Print_SetTextFont(g_Font_MGL_Sample8, 1); // Upload font tile-set from index 1
Print_SetPosition(10, 10);                // Position in tile grid unit
Print_DrawText("Text mode");

Example using bitmap render mode for MSX2:

#include "font/font_mgl_sample6.h"

VDP_SetMode(VDP_MODE_SCREEN5);            // Initialize screen mode 5 (bitmap mode)
Print_SetBitmapFont(g_Font_MGL_Sample6);  // Initialize bitmap font
Print_SetOutline(TRUE, COLOR_GRAY);       // Set outline effect
Print_SetPosition(100, 100);              // Position in pixel unit
Print_DrawText("Bitmap mode");

Print_SetVRAMFont(g_Font_MGL_Sample6, 212, COLOR_WHITE);
Print_SetPosition(100, 150);              // Position in pixel unit
Print_DrawText("VRAM mode");

Example using sprite render mode:

#include "font/font_mgl_sample8.h"

VDP_SetMode(VDP_MODE_SCREEN1);            // Initialize screen mode 1 (tiled-base mode)
Print_SetSpriteFont(g_Font_MGL_Sample8, 0, 0);
Print_SetPosition(100, 50);               // Position in pixel unit
Print_DrawText("SPRT");