graphics.hlp (
Topic list)
Important Notice
The pages on this site contain documentation for very old MS-DOS software,
purely for historical purposes.
If you're looking for up-to-date documentation, particularly for programming,
you should not rely on the information found here, as it will be woefully
out of date.
_setfont
◄Summary► ◄Example► ◄Up► ◄Contents► ◄Index► ◄Back►
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The _setfont function finds a single font, from the set of
registered fonts, that has the characteristics specified by the
<options> string. If a font is found, it is made the current font.
The current font is used in all subsequent calls to the _outgtext
function. There can be only one active font at any time.
The <options> string is a set of characters that specifies the
desired characteristics of the font. The _setfont function
searches the list of registered fonts for a font matching the
specified characteristics.
The characteristics that may be specified in the <options> string
are shown in the list below. Characteristics specified in the
<options> string are neither case sensitive nor position sensitive.
Characteristic Description
t'fontname' Typeface.
hx Character height, where x is the number of
pixels.
wy Character width, where y is the number of
pixels.
f Find only a fixed-space font (should not be
used with the "p" characteristic).
p Find only a proportionally spaced font (should
not be used with the "f" characteristic)
v Find only a vector font (should not be used
with the "r" characteristic).
r Find only a raster-mapped (bit-mapped) font
(should not be used with the "v"
characteristic).
b Select a best fit font.
nx Select font number x, where x is less than or
equal to the value returned by the
_registerfonts function. Use this option to
"step through" an entire set of fonts.
You can request as many options as desired, except with nx, which
should be used alone. If mutually exclusive options are requested
(such as the pair f/p or r/v), the _setfont function ignores them.
There is no error detection for incompatible parameters used
with nx.
Options can be separated in the <options> string by blanks. Any
other character is ignored by _setfont.
The t (the typeface specification) in <options> is specified as a
"t" followed by the <typename> in single quotes. The typename may
be any of the following valid fonts:
Typename Description
Courier Fixed-width bit-mapped font with serifs
Helv Sans serif proportional bit-mapped font
Tms Rmn Proportional bit-mapped font with serifs
Script Proportional vector-mapped font of slanted
characters formed from nearly continuous lines
Modern Proportional vector-mapped font without serifs
Roman Proportional vector-mapped font with serifs
A "b" in the <options> field causes the _setfont routine to
automatically select the "best fit" font that matches the other
characteristics you have specified. If the b parameter is
specified and at least one font is registered, _setfont will
always be able to set a font and will return 0 to indicate
success.
In selecting a font, the _setfont routine uses the following
precedence (rated from highest precedence to lowest):
1. Pixel height
2. Typeface
3. Pixel width
4. Fixed or proportional font
You can also specify a pixel width and height for fonts. If a
nonexistent value is chosen for either, and the b option is
specified, the _setfont function will choose the closest match. A
smaller font size has precedence over a larger size. If _setfont
requests Helv 12 with best fit, and only Helv 10 and Helv 14 are
available, _setfont will select Helv 10.
If a nonexistent value is chosen for pixel height and width, the
_setfont function will apply a magnification factor to a vector-
mapped font to obtain a suitable font size. This automatic
magnification does not apply if the "r" (raster-mapped font)
option is specified, or if a specific typeface is requested and no
best fit ("b") option is specified.
If you specify the nx parameter, _setfont will ignore any other
specified options and supply only the font number corresponding
to x.
Note that the font functions affect only the output from the font
output function _outgtext; no other C run-time output functions
are affected by font usage.
Return Value
If successful, the _setfont function returns the number of the
selected font, which can be used with the <n> parameter on
subsequent calls to _setfont. A negative return value indicates
an error. An error occurs if a request for a specific font fails
and the "b" option was not specified, or if fonts have not yet
been registered.
-♦-