ustl

The 'ustl' type is a clipboard data block format for copying and pasting Unicode-encoded styled text. You can use a data block format of this type to copy and paste Unicode-encoded styled text between applications or within your application. Note that you can store styled text information in any data format of type 'ustl'. For the purposes of this document, the 'ustl' type will be described as a resource.

As shown in Figure 2-2, version 1 of the 'ustl' resource is composed of four basic elements:

a header component
flattened text layout data
flattened style run data
flattened style list data

Figure 2-2 Overview of a 'ustl' resource

Figure 2-3 shows the header component of a 'ustl' resource. The header contains the version and size of the 'ustl' resource as well as offsets to flattened text layout, style run, and style list data, which you can specify in any order after the header section.

Figure 2-3 Header section of a 'ustl' resource

Figure 2-4 shows the format of flattened text layout data.

Figure 2-4 Flattened text layout data

As shown in Figure 2-4, the flattened text layout data is composed of the following elements:

the number of text layout objects covering the characters that you wish to display on the clipboard
an array of text layout data

Each element of the text layout data array should contain the following information:

the size of the line and text layout attribute data
the number of characters covered by the text layout object
an offset to text layout attribute data
an offset to line attribute data
an array of text layout attribute data
an array of line attribute data

Each element of the text layout attribute data array should contain the following information:

the number of previously set text layout attributes

(for each previously set text layout attribute, including line direction whether or not it has been set):

the attribute tag
the size of the attribute value
the actual attribute value (variable in length)

Each element of the line attribute data array should contain the following information:

the number of lines in the text layout object

(for each line):

the line length
the number of previously set line attributes

(for each previously set line attribute):

the attribute tag
the size of the attribute value
the actual attribute value (variable in length)

Figure 2-5 shows the format of flattened text layout data.

Figure 2-5 Flattened style run data

As shown in Figure 2-5, flattened style run data is composed of the following elements:

the number of style runs
an array of style run data

Each element of the style run data array should contain the following information:

the style run length
the index of the corresponding style object in the style list

Figure 2-6 shows the format of flattened style list data.

Figure 2-6 Flattened style list data

As shown in Figure 2-6, flattened style list data is composed of the following elements:

the number of style object
an array of style run attribute, font feature, and font variation data

Each element of the style run attribute, font feature, and font variation data array should contain:

the version of the data in this flattened style list
the size of the style run attribute, font feature, and font variation data
the number of previously set style run attributes
the number of previously set font features
the number of previously set font variations
the unique name of font
the length of font name string
the font name (variable in length)

(for each previously set style run attribute, and font, text size, and language, even if unset):

the attribute tag
the size of the attribute value
the actual attribute value (variable in length)

(for each previously set font feature):

the feature type
the feature selector

(for each previously set font variation):

the variation axis
the variation value

VERSION NOTES

Version 1 of this resource, described above, is available with ATSUI 1.1. Version 0, described in Apple Type Services for Unicode Imaging Reference dated May 7, 1999, is available with ATSUI 1.0. You should use version 1 of the clipboard data format.