Elegant UI TextMode

[x2nie]

Hi, I wonder whether it is still possible to customize the console text in this planet ?
Yes, it was doable to change several ASCII "face" like what Norton DOS apps era, while I were student (1999).



But currrently, I only have fpc compiler on Linux,
and sadly I have no any part of source code to start with.


So my question is:
1. Is it possible to change ASCII font shape/face using fpc?
2. Can we run that in linux ? (by any tool if needed: wine, dosbox, native?)
3. How? a simple code, or workable fpc/lazarus project would be appreciated 


Thanks You

[AlexTP]

It was performed (in DOS era) by loading different font into Video card memory. FPC cannot do it but maybe you will find some library for this.

[marcov]

I did this once for FreeBSD, but such tricks usually only work on the textmode console of the OS, not with terminals under a graphical environment.

Afaik with those graphical termnals, you can often set the font with parameters when launching the console.

[Red_prig]

there are platform dependent paths, for example: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/setcurrentconsolefontex

[x2nie]

Well, amazing. nice responses, friends !.
So the known solution is by providing a "font file" into console  ? that make sense.
So, whether special font for DOS, or TTF font for modern (graphical console).
it seem promising to try.


Anyway, IIRC when I were young, it doesn't requires any font, it only dump an memory address with bits of new font face. but, lets forget the non-doable solution (except when using emulator such as DOSBox).


Now, back to console font, I found "Fontraption", an VGA-font editor.[1]  it also released with source-code [2]
Further, it also has a VGA Font Collection.
I also noticed that what we are talking about was "VGA Font' topic[3]. (sorry, it was hard keyword for SEO to find).


As bonus, fyi, that guy has VGA/CRT simulation (visual effect), very nice videos. I love how the PalmOS is simulated; very realistic [4]


Back again to the topic, I still finding a sample run-able demo (source code).
let me know if you have any (Dos / turbo pascal  also accepted).


[1] https://int10h.org/blog/2019/05/fontraption-vga-text-mode-font-editor/
[2] https://github.com/viler-int10h/Fontraption/blob/master/VGA.inc

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_text_mode
[4] https://int10h.org/blog/2021/03/simulating-non-crt-monitors-ffmpeg-flat-panels/