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Author Topic: Fixed _config.xt for ANSI artists  (Read 5056 times)

tronster

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Fixed _config.xt for ANSI artists
« on: January 17, 2023, 05:23:47 PM »

Just installed RexPaint, played around and took a bit but eventually stumbled on the .ANS export feature from the manual.txt. (Export .ANS button instead of a secret key combo would be so nice.

I tried setting up the environment for .ANS export per Appendix D (called out incorrectly as Appendix C somewhere else) and RexEdit crashes.  Good error logging though and realized the _config.xt format must have gone through an update but was never fixed in the released files.  Below is the _config.txt I put together to get RexEdit working in "ANSI" export mode. 

To use:
1. Follow instructions in Appendix D to setup for ANSI export
2. Instead of copying _config.xt into <rex home dir>\data\fonts copy over the contents of that file with this:
Code: [Select]
// Font Configuration
// Fonts------------------------------------------
// Set Name GUI Art Available Resolution @ 80x60
// (the default ANSI font for REXPaint, based on Microsoft's Fixedsys font from Windows 1.0)
// Fonts==========================================================================================
// GUI------------------------------------ Art----------------------------------------------------
// Set Name File Columns Rows File Columns Rows Unicode Mirror Available Resolution @ 80x60
"8x16 Fixedsys" cp437_8x16_fixedsys 16 16 cp437_8x16_fixedsys 16 16 _utf8 _mirror 1 // 640x960

// (these fonts contain some non-standard glyphs, but are mostly CP437, thus are included to play with--or fix up if you like)
"8x12 Terminal" cp437_8x12_terminal 16 16 cp437_8x12_terminal 16 16 _utf8 _mirror 1 //
"8x14 Terminal" cp437_8x14_terminal 16 16 cp437_8x14_terminal 16 16 _utf8 _mirror 1 //
"10x16 Terminal" cp437_10x16_terminal 16 16 cp437_10x16_terminal 16 16 _utf8 _mirror 1 //

// (these are the square fonts normally used with REXPaint, but they've been set unavailable here)
"CP437 12x12" cp437_12x12 16 16 cp437_12x12 16 16 _utf8 _mirror 0 // 960x720
"CP437 10x10" cp437_10x10 16 16 cp437_10x10 16 16 _utf8 _mirror 0 // 800x600
"CP437 8x8" cp437_8x8 16 16 cp437_8x8 16 16 _utf8 _mirror 0 // 640x480
"CP437 16x16" cp437_16x16 16 16 cp437_16x16 16 16 _utf8 _mirror 0 // 1280x960

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Kyzrati

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Re: Fixed _config.xt for ANSI artists
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2023, 08:35:01 AM »

Oh my, thanks for the notice on the issue with the incorrect config. The format was indeed updated much later on, and apparently didn't undergo the corresponding changes in the separate version? (since the changes weren't even relevant to that version, but it's still the same program anyway...)

There aren't nearly as many users of the ANSI version so it hasn't gone reported since then, hm, so again thanks for bringing it to my attention and I'll have to update the download files!

Ideally there wouldn't even be a second version, since maintaining two is somewhat annoying and also unnecessary since it's purely preconfiguration differences and separate fonts. I will likely want to remove that entirely for 2.0 to avoid potential issues (it's just generally easier for the end user to have it already set up for that, including the more appropriate fonts...).

called out incorrectly as Appendix C somewhere else
Perhaps another issue to address :P. These things sometimes creep in since it's purely a text manual that is expanding with each version and feature set, unfortunately occasionally missing references like that despite my attempts to catch them all xD. That said, I can't find the one you're referring to, could you point it out? The manual itself doesn't seem to have this issue. Might you be using some other manual, or an older version of the manual in which is was indeed Appendix C? (or some other source)

(Export .ANS button instead of a secret key combo would be so nice.)
Oh for sure, REXPaint 2.0 would actually have a more capable and flexible interface that will support and include things like this, but back when it was first designed as a tool for my own use, there was simply no need for actual feature discovery and access, so more and more features have been tacked on to the original framework over the years, and the manual is essential for actually knowing all of its true capabilities :P
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Kyzrati

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Re: Fixed _config.xt for ANSI artists
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2023, 08:41:56 AM »

Oh... now on testing it I realized you mean you're using the actual instructions and separate optional file included with main REXPaint download rather than the special ANSI-ready version of REXPaint xD (quite jet lagged after flying to other side of world a couple days ago!)

So now it's no wonder no one's reported this one yet (I was pretty surprised since I know there are plenty of ANSI-verison users as well :P). Apparently extremely few people tend to use the main version of RP to do ANSI work since there's a separate preconfigured version of that which works out of the box.

I definitely need to update the extra directory contents offered with the main download, though! (perhaps that should be the main way it's done in the future, instead of offering a completely separate download--then there's only one extra place to maintain instead of two; I had completely forgotten that directory exists...)
« Last Edit: January 23, 2023, 08:44:55 AM by Kyzrati »
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Kyzrati

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Re: Fixed _config.xt for ANSI artists
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2023, 08:45:47 AM »

Also I found the "Appendix C" reference you mean--not from the manual itself, but in a dedicated one-line file included among that directory which I completely forgot exists and haven't updated for many many years xD
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Kyzrati

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Re: Fixed _config.xt for ANSI artists
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2023, 08:55:54 AM »

I've now copied all the proper files into that supporting directory and reuploaded the archives. Some of those things in there were over seven years old xD

Tested and working now, thanks again!
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tronster

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Re: Fixed _config.xt for ANSI artists
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2023, 04:41:39 AM »

Thanks for the reply and applying the fix; glad it helped.
I'm surprised the ANSI portion of Rex doesn't get more love from users but I supposed that's a testament to how easy it is for them to use the native format.

I'll be sticking with ANSI myself (totally missed the pre-configured ANSI download!)  As an old-school ANSI artist here, tinkering on a tiny ANSI based RPG, RexPaint is one of the better modern day options.  :)
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Kyzrati

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Re: Fixed _config.xt for ANSI artists
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2023, 11:10:27 AM »

Well it's a minority, but as I had later discovered, you were referring to the /ansi/ subdirectory rather than the separate ANSI download, which is what most who want that feature are using. People clearly aren't going for the main download then switching over to ANSI, instead going straight for the ANSI version because yeah, they're ANSI artists :) (the whole reason that version, and format, even exist for RP is because of requests by said artists back when I first released it)

Out of curiosity I examined the historical data: REXPaint was released in May 2013, and added the ANSI version in September that same year. Back then it was less known, so about 30% of downloads were actually the ANSI version, then in subsequent versions over the years as it became more well known, ANSI dropped to about 10~20% and has remained about there. So there's still a decent number who use it for that purpose, though they know what they're coming for and use that download directly. I'm not sure how many actually switch using the main version at a later time, but it seems pretty rare given how long that issue has been in there :P

In any case, certainly happy it's become a commonly used and useful tool for so many!
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