CU Amiga Super CD-ROM 17/CU Amiga Magazine's Super CD-ROM 17 (1997)(EMAP Images)(GB)[!][issue 1997-12].iso/CUCD/Programming/AMOSList/AMOSLIST.0997/[e-mail]_Sat Sep 27 07:27:00 1997.msg

Text File | 1997-10-01 | 4KB | 94 lines

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Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 01:37:40 -0700
From: "John F. Rodgers" <[e-mail]>
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Subject: Set Bob doesn't work right
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Hello,

I've been working with fonts and bobs in AmosPro.  By trial and error, I discovered that
 setting a font, gr writing mode, or ink color only affects the current screen.  The
user manual doesn't mention this.  Little things like this can waste a lot of time when
your program doesn't perform as it ought to, because the commands don't perform as they
are advertised.

Well, the same thing has happend with bobs.  I am trying to render out some text with
outline and shadow.  My intent was to render it in color 7 (all bitplanes in 8 color
mode), pick it up as a bob (#1), then set the bob mask screen planes to whatever color I
want to stamp down.  It works if I position the bob with Bob 1,x,y,1 and then Put Bob.
But only the first time.  Subsequent Bob masks do not perform properly.  I even tried
picking up the bob again before setting the mask.  It still fails to perform as it
ought.  Here is the code of a short test program:

Screen Open 0,320,200,8, : Curs Off : Flash Off
Screen 0
Cls 0
Palette $000,$222,$444,$666,$888,$AAA,$CCC,$EEE

Ink 7
Bar 0,150 To 49,159 : Rem Draw the image using all bitplanes (Color 7)

Get Bob 0,1,0,150 To 49,159

For C=1 To 7
Set Bob 1,-1,C,%11001010 : Rem Transparent color zero, BG redraw off
Bob 1,C*20,c*20,1
Put Bob
Wait Vbl
Next C

Wait Key

Edit


When I run this, all seven bob stampings use the first color mask value.  In this case,
all of them are stamped in color zero (invisible against color zero BG).  Changing the
loop to "For C=2 To 7" causes the bob to be drawn in color 2 seven times.

I thought perhaps picking the bob up each time might help, so I moved the line which
picks up the bob to right before the Set Bob line, as follows:

...etc...

For C=0 To 7
Get Bob 0,1,0,150 To 49,159
Set Bob 1,-1,C,%11001010 : Rem Transparent color zero... etc

...etc...

This performs exactly as the original version, except for the extra time it takes to get
the bob each time.

Does anyone know what is happening here?  Am I missing something obvious?  I am tearing
hair out over these bobs.  What is the best way to pick up a single-color image and
stamp it down in different colors?  What about Screen Copy?  Isn't there some sort of
command which will just do a blitter operation, without bob banks and so forth?  It
seems logical that an image using all bitplanes can be masked to draw any color you
want.  Why can't I?

Sincerely,

John F. Rodgers
[e-mail]