[Gambas-user] Again printing, here: how to change Font-properties?

[Benoit Minisini]

On Saturday 10 July 2004 17:54, Hans-Martin Bundeshund wrote:
> Salute group,
>
> now I tried to implement printing to my 'mercantile'-application
> 'gambakaan' (kaan = kaufmännische Anwendung = mercantile-application if my
> translation is right). But I am doing somethin basicly wrong. When I trie
> to print a text using this:
>
>
> ###########################################
> sub print_it()
>  DIM mytext AS String
>
>   'init the printer
>   draw.begin(Printer)
>   draw.font.Italic = TRUE
>   draw.Font.size = 12
>
>   'puzzeling my text
>   		'I only do this for a better view of the lines
>   mytext =                "Line1"               & "\n"
>   mytext = mytext & "Line2"               & "\n"
>   mytext = mytext & "Line3"               & "\n"
>
>   draw.Text(mytext,200,200)
>   draw.End
> end
> ###########################################
>
>
> the values .size, .italic and name (not seen in the example) make no sence
> to the output. I can enter italic = false or true, same result.
>
> So what must I do to activate my new settings?
>
> And I have a second question: When I want to use different font-types with
> different sizes, I think I have to write the code like this:
>
> ###########################################
> sub print_it()
>  DIM mytext AS String
>
>   'init the printer for headline-text
>   draw.begin(Printer)
>   draw.font.Italic = TRUE
>   draw.Font.size = 24
>
>   'puzzeling my headlines
>   mytext =                "Headline1"               & "\n"  'I only do this
> for a better view of the lines
>   mytext = mytext & "Hedaline2"               & "\n"
>   draw.Text(mytext,200,200)
>
>
>   'init the printer for bottom-text
>   draw.begin(Printer)
>   draw.font.Italic = TRUE
>   draw.Font.size = 12
>
>   'puzzeling my bottom-text
>   mytext =                "Bottomtext1"               & "\n"
>   mytext = mytext & "Bottomtext2"               & "\n"
>   draw.Text(mytext,200,200+200)
>
>   draw.End
> end
> ###########################################
>
> Thanks for your help,
>
> HM
>
>

The Font class has changed since 0.92 (always read changelog men !)

Before, it acted like it does in Visual Basic. Now it is a true class, so 
doing Draw.Font.Italic = TRUE does not change the Font object used by the 
Draw class. You must do:

  DIM hFont AS Font

  hFont = Draw.Font
  hFont.Italic = TRUE
  Draw.Font = hFont

Or more quickly:

  Draw.Font.Italic = TRUE
  Draw.Font = Draw.Font ' It seems stupid, doesn't it ?

This change allowed me to remove some code in the interpreter that was there 
just because of the Font class, and so I could speed up some things.

Now, I admit that the Font property is a bit strange, so maybe I will try to 
reimplement the VB syntax in a next version.

If Something.Font.Italic = TRUE must change the font of the 'Something' 
object, it means that the font object owns a reference on the 'Something' 
object. But remember that the 'Something' object already has a reference on 
the font object. So there will be a circular reference that will prevent the 
objects to be freed... Problem!

Writing a syntax easy to use is not simple!

Regards,

-- 
Benoit Minisini
mailto:gambas at ...1...