Text Decals for Signs etc. - Revision history

Geep: Move #str_ infobox, mention \n in *.lang

2025-08-11T15:51:23Z

Move #str_ infobox, mention \n in *.lang

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:51, 11 August 2025
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	To change the size of the text, just resize the patch. To do this, first press the TAB key. Remember to press TAB again to get back.		To change the size of the text, just resize the patch. To do this, first press the TAB key. Remember to press TAB again to get back.

	Since you can't see the rendered text content results directly in DR, you will have to iterate to get what you want. The gui_parm1 value takes a single line of text (with no enveloping quotes). It is ~~without a~~ way to indicate line breaks; "\n" will not do it. The examples shown here rely entirely upon word-wrapping for multi-line text. In practice, that means inserting spaces to force wordwrap (or see Tip below).		Since you can't see the rendered text content results directly in DR, you will have to iterate to get what you want. The gui_parm1 value takes a single line of text (with no enveloping quotes). Within the spawnarg, there is no direct way to indicate line breaks; "\n" will not do it.

			{{infobox\|Note: Instead of using a hard-coded English text, consider using "#str_...", such as "#str_myFM_brewery_sign", and create a custom FM dictionary english.lang (and other translations). Strings in *.lang can effectively contain "\n". See [[I18N\|here]] for details.}}

			The examples shown here rely entirely upon word-wrapping for multi-line text. In practice, that means inserting spaces to force wordwrap (or see Tip below).

	Often, you need to resize the Entity GUI patch to cover a larger area than the visible sign; the patch size and aspect ratio will affect font size and aspect ratio, but not wordwrap and number of visible lines. The decal patch is non-solid and invisible - except for the text itself - so can overlap any visible surface with no problem.		Often, you need to resize the Entity GUI patch to cover a larger area than the visible sign; the patch size and aspect ratio will affect font size and aspect ratio, but not wordwrap and number of visible lines. The decal patch is non-solid and invisible - except for the text itself - so can overlap any visible surface with no problem.
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	<center>[[File:Example_sign_Entity_GUIs_in-game.jpg\| 1100px]]</center>		<center>[[File:Example_sign_Entity_GUIs_in-game.jpg\| 1100px]]</center>

	{{infobox\|Tip 1: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}		{{infobox\|Tip 1: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, or using #str_ with "\n", you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}
	{{infobox\|Tip 2: Want to have text horizontally centered rather than left-justified? You'll have to do this manually. For a single line of text, either slide the Entity GUI sideways or add leading spaces or both. But for multi-lines, word wrap will ignore excess spaces between words, so spacing can't be used for centering after line 1. Instead, use the Tip 1 method.}}		{{infobox\|Tip 2: Want to have text horizontally centered rather than left-justified? You'll have to do this manually. For a single line of text, either slide the Entity GUI sideways or add leading spaces or both. But for multi-lines, word wrap will ignore excess spaces between words, so spacing can't be used for centering after line 1. Instead, use the Tip 1 method.}}

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	** '''gui''' with the path and name of your gui (see [[#The GUI]] below) as its value.		** '''gui''' with the path and name of your gui (see [[#The GUI]] below) as its value.
	** '''gui_parm1''' with your own text as its value.		** '''gui_parm1''' with your own text as its value.


	~~{{infobox\|Note: Instead of using a hard-coded English text, consider using "#str_20000" and create a custom FM dictionary. See [[I18N\|here]] for details.}}~~

	===The GUI===		===The GUI===

Geep: /* The GUI */ provide more typical path example

2025-08-11T02:55:08Z

The GUI: provide more typical path example

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:55, 11 August 2025
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	===The GUI===		===The GUI===

	This is the gui file that defines the font. If you have Dark Mod update 1.03 you can modify an existing one. Alternatively, just copy and paste ~~the one below~~ into a text file ~~and save it with your map in a guis folder as eg~~, ~~my_stone_text.gui. You will need to add that path~~ and ~~name to the gui spawnarg of the decal entity above, eg, gui guis/my_stone_text.gui~~		This is the gui file that defines the font. If you have Dark Mod update 1.03 you can modify an existing one. Alternatively, just copy and paste this into a text file, and modify:


	windowDef Desktop		windowDef Desktop
	{		{
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	}		}

	In the above definition, these are some of the things you can change:		Save it with your FM in a "guis" (sub)folder. For instance, as guis/readables/sign_text_decals/my_stone_text.gui.
			You will need to add that path and name to the gui spawnarg of the decal entity above, eg,
			gui guis/readables/sign_text_decals/my_stone_text.gui

			In the above GUI-script definition, these are some of the things you can change:

	* Set your font in the font line as shown, it must be in quotation marks as above eg "fonts/stone". And to change the font just replace the word stone with the new font name - font choices are shown in [[Fonts Screenshots]]. Eg in my case Carleton - "fonts/carleton"		* Set your font in the font line as shown, it must be in quotation marks as above eg "fonts/stone". And to change the font just replace the word stone with the new font name - font choices are shown in [[Fonts Screenshots]]. Eg in my case Carleton - "fonts/carleton"

Datiswous: /* The Decal */

2024-04-22T13:23:22Z

The Decal

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:23, 22 April 2024
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	* Create a patch and give it the texture: textures/darkmod/decals/signs/decal_gui . This is only available from Dark Mod update 1.03 onward but if you want it earlier this is what to do:		* Create a patch and give it the texture: textures/darkmod/decals/signs/decal_gui . This is only available from Dark Mod update 1.03 onward but if you want it earlier this is what to do:
	** Use textures/common/entityGui instead if it doesn't matter if the decal is solid.		** Use textures/common/entityGui instead if it doesn't matter if the decal is solid.
	** Create the custom texture listed below at [[#~~Custom~~ Texture]]		** Create the custom texture listed below at [[#The Texture]]
	* In Surface Inspector, use these in order: natural, fit, flip horizontal, rotate left 180 degrees.		* In Surface Inspector, use these in order: natural, fit, flip horizontal, rotate left 180 degrees.
	* You should now see a single occurrence of the words Entity GUI on the patch and the words should be upright and not mirrored. If not, adjust, rotate, until they do.		* You should now see a single occurrence of the words Entity GUI on the patch and the words should be upright and not mirrored. If not, adjust, rotate, until they do.
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	* Convert the patch to a func_static entity		* Convert the patch to a func_static entity
	* Give it the spawnargs:		* Give it the spawnargs:
	** '''gui''' with the path and name of your gui (see [[#The ~~Gui~~]] below) as its value.		** '''gui''' with the path and name of your gui (see [[#The GUI]] below) as its value.
	** '''gui_parm1''' with your own text as its value.		** '''gui_parm1''' with your own text as its value.

Geep: Change category tag to {{GUI}}, that includes Editing

2022-11-04T18:12:15Z

Change category tag to {{GUI}}, that includes Editing

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:12, 4 November 2022
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	* [[I18N\|Internationalization]]		* [[I18N\|Internationalization]]

	{{~~editing~~}}		{{GUI}}

Geep: /* The Decal */

2022-07-05T15:42:31Z

The Decal

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:42, 5 July 2022
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	* Note that the text size will be affected by the size of the patch		* Note that the text size will be affected by the size of the patch
	* Convert the patch to a func_static entity		* Convert the patch to a func_static entity
	* Give it the ~~spawnarg~~ gui with the path and name of your gui (see [[#The Gui]] below as its value.		* Give it the spawnargs:
	* ~~Give it the spawnarg~~ '''gui_parm1''' with your own text as its value.		** '''gui''' with the path and name of your gui (see [[#The Gui]] below) as its value.
			** '''gui_parm1''' with your own text as its value.

Geep: Add new section "Signs with Illuminated Colored Letters"

2021-12-21T17:54:20Z

Add new section "Signs with Illuminated Colored Letters"

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 {{infobox|Tip 1: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}
 {{infobox|Tip 2: Want to have text horizontally centered rather than left-justified? You'll have to do this manually. For a single line of text, either slide the Entity GUI sideways or add leading spaces or both. But for multi-lines, word wrap will ignore excess spaces between words, so spacing can't be used for centering after line 1. Instead, use the Tip 1 method.}}
 ==Customising and Making your Own==

Geep: /* An Example */

2021-02-25T16:44:36Z

An Example

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:44, 25 February 2021
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	<center>[[File:Example_sign_Entity_GUIs_in-game.jpg\| 1100px]]</center>		<center>[[File:Example_sign_Entity_GUIs_in-game.jpg\| 1100px]]</center>

	{{infobox\|Tip: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}		{{infobox\|Tip 1: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}
			{{infobox\|Tip 2: Want to have text horizontally centered rather than left-justified? You'll have to do this manually. For a single line of text, either slide the Entity GUI sideways or add leading spaces or both. But for multi-lines, word wrap will ignore excess spaces between words, so spacing can't be used for centering after line 1. Instead, use the Tip 1 method.}}

	==Customising and Making your Own==		==Customising and Making your Own==

Geep: /* The Texture */ list definition of DECAL_MACRO, remove dup keywords

2020-12-04T21:58:12Z

The Texture: list definition of DECAL_MACRO, remove dup keywords

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:58, 4 December 2020
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	qer_editorimage textures/editor/entityGui.tga		qer_editorimage textures/editor/entityGui.tga
	DECAL_MACRO		DECAL_MACRO
	~~noShadows~~
	nonsolid		nonsolid
	noimpact		noimpact
	~~discrete~~
	guiSurf entity		guiSurf entity
	}		}

			where DECAL_MACRO defines these additional keywords for you:

			polygonOffset 1
			discrete
			sort decal
			noShadows

	== See also ==		== See also ==

Geep: Resize photo, minor tweaks

2020-06-12T00:52:55Z

Resize photo, minor tweaks

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:52, 12 June 2020
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	You can offset the Entity GUI with respect to the underlying sign to adjust left and top margins, including to fake centering.		You can offset the Entity GUI with respect to the underlying sign to adjust left and top margins, including to fake centering.

			===An Example===

	To demonstrate some of this (except use of extra spaces in the text), here's a series of signs on a wall, all of which have:		To demonstrate some of this (except use of extra spaces in the text), here's a series of signs on a wall, all of which have:
	* the same empty wall plaque		* the same empty wall plaque
	* an Entity GUI with 1:2 ratio (so the aspect ratio of the font characters is kept constant)		* an Entity GUI with 1:2 ratio (so the aspect ratio of the font characters is kept constant for demonstration purposes)
	* use of a common font family~~: Carleton~~		* use of a common font family, Carleton
	~~The top photo shows the series in DR~~, the second photo in-game. Each row of signs has the same Entity GUI size and placement. Each column of signs has the same text string and choice of font size. The top left sign is an plaque-centered placement of a 16x32 "Carleton" Entity GUI. This results in poor placement, so all the other signs move the upper-left corner of the Entity GUI down and slightly to the right. Going down the first column, as the Entity GUI becomes larger (20x40 in the 3rd row, 28x56 in the 4th row), the font enlarges proportionately to the Entity GUI size, so wordwrap is the same in all cases. In the second column, the text counts up to ten, but some of it is not rendered due to the Entity GUI boundary. Again, this line clipping is the same in all cases. The third and fourth columns repeat all that, but with the "Carleton Small" font. This allows both more words per line, and more lines. The specifics of those will vary with font family chosen.

	~~<center>[[File:Example~~ sign Entity ~~GUIs~~ in DR.~~jpg]]</center>~~		The photos shows the series in DR (top) and in-game (bottom). Each row of signs has the same Entity GUI size and placement. Each column of signs has the same text string and choice of font size. The top left sign is an plaque-centered placement of a 16x32 "Carleton" Entity GUI. This typically results in poor placement, so all the other signs have the upper-left corner of the Entity GUI down and slightly to the right. Going down the first column, as the Entity GUI becomes larger (20x40 in the 3rd row, 28x56 in the 4th row), the font enlarges proportionately to the Entity GUI size, so wordwrap is the same in all cases. In the second column, the gui_parm1 text counts up to ten, but some of it is not rendered due to the Entity GUI boundary. Again, this line clipping is the same in all cases. The third and fourth columns repeat all that, but with the "Carleton Small" font. This allows both more words per line, and more lines. The specifics of those will vary with font family chosen.

	[[File:Example_sign_Entity_GUIs_in-game.jpg]]		<center>[[File:Example sign Entity GUIs in DR.jpg]]</center><br>

			<center>[[File:Example_sign_Entity_GUIs_in-game.jpg\| 1100px]]</center>

	{{infobox\|Tip: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}		{{infobox\|Tip: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}
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	===The Decal===		===The Decal===

	* Create a patch and give it the texture: textures/darkmod/decals/signs/decal_gui . This is only available ~~fromDark~~ Mod update 1.03 onward but if you want it earlier this is what to do:		* Create a patch and give it the texture: textures/darkmod/decals/signs/decal_gui . This is only available from Dark Mod update 1.03 onward but if you want it earlier this is what to do:
	** Use textures/common/entityGui instead if it doesn't matter if the decal is solid.		** Use textures/common/entityGui instead if it doesn't matter if the decal is solid.
	** Create the custom texture listed below at [[#Custom Texture]]		** Create the custom texture listed below at [[#Custom Texture]]
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	guiSurf entity		guiSurf entity
	}		}

Geep: Add photos

2020-06-12T00:27:22Z

Add photos

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:27, 12 June 2020
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	<center>[[Image:text_decals.jpg]]</center><br><br>		<center>[[Image:text_decals.jpg]]</center><br><br>

	Dark Mod (from 1.03 onward) provides convenient prefab assets; or alternatively, see [[#Customising and Making your Own]] below.)		Dark Mod (from 1.03 onward) provides convenient prefab assets; or alternatively, see [[#Customising and Making your Own]] below.

	For other types of in-game text see [[Text]]		For other types of in-game text see [[Text]]
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	* use of a common font family: Carleton		* use of a common font family: Carleton
	The top photo shows the series in DR, the second photo in-game. Each row of signs has the same Entity GUI size and placement. Each column of signs has the same text string and choice of font size. The top left sign is an plaque-centered placement of a 16x32 "Carleton" Entity GUI. This results in poor placement, so all the other signs move the upper-left corner of the Entity GUI down and slightly to the right. Going down the first column, as the Entity GUI becomes larger (20x40 in the 3rd row, 28x56 in the 4th row), the font enlarges proportionately to the Entity GUI size, so wordwrap is the same in all cases. In the second column, the text counts up to ten, but some of it is not rendered due to the Entity GUI boundary. Again, this line clipping is the same in all cases. The third and fourth columns repeat all that, but with the "Carleton Small" font. This allows both more words per line, and more lines. The specifics of those will vary with font family chosen.		The top photo shows the series in DR, the second photo in-game. Each row of signs has the same Entity GUI size and placement. Each column of signs has the same text string and choice of font size. The top left sign is an plaque-centered placement of a 16x32 "Carleton" Entity GUI. This results in poor placement, so all the other signs move the upper-left corner of the Entity GUI down and slightly to the right. Going down the first column, as the Entity GUI becomes larger (20x40 in the 3rd row, 28x56 in the 4th row), the font enlarges proportionately to the Entity GUI size, so wordwrap is the same in all cases. In the second column, the text counts up to ten, but some of it is not rendered due to the Entity GUI boundary. Again, this line clipping is the same in all cases. The third and fourth columns repeat all that, but with the "Carleton Small" font. This allows both more words per line, and more lines. The specifics of those will vary with font family chosen.
	[~~PHOTOS TO DO~~]
			<center>[[File:Example sign Entity GUIs in DR.jpg]]</center>

			[[File:Example_sign_Entity_GUIs_in-game.jpg]]

	{{infobox\|Tip: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}		{{infobox\|Tip: Rather than relying on wordwrap for multi-lining, you can create multiple overlapping, offset Entity GUIs, one per desired line, and adjust them independently. This technique also allows different lines to have different fonts and/or scalings.}}
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	==Customising and Making your Own==		==Customising and Making your Own==

	Here are the steps make your own text decals or customise the ones provided (say, to use a different font size by changing the gui's "textscale" value).		Here are the steps to make your own text decals or customise the ones provided (say, to use a different font size by changing the gui's "textscale" value).