¢On this issue, we have a set of programs to make fonts into strings for instant font loads. These are the instructions on how to use these programs.¢-----------------------------------¢¢By Dean Garraghty.¢¢On this issue you will find a collection of programs related with the creation of string-based fonts. Usually when you want to use a new font in a Basic program, you have to use DATA statements with all the character set data in, and wait ages for it to load into memory. But, there is a much faster way by using strings. By converting the data into strings, a new character set loads immediately with no waiting at all! There are programs on this issue which will allow you to start off with a standard 9 sector font file, and end up with a Basic routine for your own programs to load the font instantly.¢¢The first of these programs is called ROSETTA.COM. This program is a machine code program which will take a .FNT font file, and create DATA statements for Basic. Run the program from the disk menu, but turn Basic off when prompted. Follow the prompts on the screen. Set the start line to 200 when asked. Increments should be set to 5. If the font file has an extender (usually .FNT), then you will have to specify this in the filename. I suggest you give the DATA statements output file a .DTA extender.¢¢Having got the font into DATA statements, you can now run a Basic program on this disk called CONVERT.BAS to convert the DATA statements into a string. This program will then LIST out the string data to disk. Just give a filename for the .LST file when asked.¢¢The .LST file created can be ENTERed into the program called FDISPLAY.BAS. This program will load the new font into memory instantly, and display a few lines in the new font. You can LIST out the code and use it in your own Basic programs.¢¢Three fonts have been included on the disk in the form of .LST files for merging into the FDISPLAY program. They are OUTLINE.LST, CURSIVE.LST and FUTURE.LST. Cursive is the font used on the cover screen of this issue.¢¢And there we are - instant font loads!¢¢This set of programs was inspired by a submission by Alan Hitchen. Alan wrote a simple version of the convert program, which I modified for file output.¢
