Typography

Overview

This documentation outlines methods of the hsa.Console class which are used to display text to the user.

hsa.Console

By default, an hsa.Console window can contain 25 lines and 80 columns of text. However, the hsa.Console class has 8 constructors which allow you to specify various settings:

Constructors

  • new Console()
  • new Console(int fontSize)
  • new Console(int rows, int columns)
  • new Console(int rows, int columns, int fontSize)
  • new Console(String title)
  • new Console(int fontSize, String title)
  • new Console(int rows, int columns, String title)
  • new Console(int rows, int columns, int fontSize, String title)

Parameters

  • int fontSize specifies the initial font size of the created console window.
  • int rows specifies the height of the console window in number of lines of text.
  • int columns specifies the width of the console window in number of columns of text.
  • String title specifies the title appearing at the top of the created console window.

Examples

import hsa.Console; // or import hsa.*;
class Main {
    public static void main (String[] args) {
        // creates a console 25 lines of text 
        // tall and 80 columns of text wide
        Console c1 = new Console();

        // creates a console 30 lines of text 
        // tall and 60 columns of text wide
        // with the window title set to "title"
        Console c2 = new Console(30, 60, "title");
    }
}

hsa.Console.print

Overloads

hsa.Console’s print method has 20 overloads allowing you to print data to the console in various ways. The print methods support the 8 basic primitive data types as well as strings:

  • void hsa.Console.print(byte b)
  • void hsa.Console.print(short s)
  • void hsa.Console.print(int i)
  • void hsa.Console.print(long l)
  • void hsa.Console.print(float f)
  • void hsa.Console.print(double d)
  • void hsa.Console.print(boolean b)
  • void hsa.Console.print(char c)
  • void hsa.Console.print(String s)

Each of these methods output the argument to the Console window beginning at the cursor position.

Formatting

Print methods also support a fieldSize argument:

  • void hsa.Console.print(byte number, int fieldSize)
  • void hsa.Console.print(short number, int fieldSize)
  • void hsa.Console.print(int number, int fieldSize)
  • void hsa.Console.print(long number, int fieldSize)

Outputs number to the Console window in a field which takes up fieldSize number of characters. The output is right justified within the field.

For example:

c.print(100, 5);

Produces the output:

--100

(dashes (-) used in place of spaces for clarity)

The fieldSize argument also applies to floating point numbers:

  • void hsa.Console.print(float number, int fieldSize)
  • void hsa.Console.print(double number, int fieldSize)

If number is too large when converted to a string to fit into fieldSize, these methods will attempt to remove decimal places to make it fit. These methods are also right justified within the field.

When formatting non-numerical data you can also use the fieldSize argument, however the output will be left justified within the field:

  • void hsa.Console.print(boolean b, int fieldSize)
  • void hsa.Console.print(char c, int fieldSize)
  • void hsa.Console.print(String s, int fieldSize)

For example:

// two (2) extra spaces will be printed after "Number:"
c.print("Number:", 9);
// two (2) extra spaces will be printed before "42"
c.print(42, 4);

Produces the output:

Number:----42

(dashes (-) used in place of spaces for clarity)

Floating Point Data

You can further format floating point numbers by specifying a decimalPlaces argument:

  • void hsa.Console.print(double number, int fieldSize, int decimalPlaces)
  • void hsa.Console.print(float number, int fieldSize, int decimalPlaces)

The fieldSize argument will be ignored if number will not fit inside of it and so you can effectively ignore it by passing in a fieldSize of 0.

hsa.Console.println

Every hsa.Console.print overload has an equivilent hsa.Console.println method which takes exactly the same arguments and only varies in that hsa.Console.println adds a new line character (“\n”) to the output.

You can also call void hsa.Console.println() which has no arguments and simply prints a new line character (“\n”).

Styling Text

You can change the appearance of text outputed through the hsa.Console.print and hsa.Console.println methods with the following methods:

void hsa.Console.setTextColor(java.awt.Color c)

Sets the colour of the outputed text.

void hsa.Console.setTextBackgroundColor(java.awt.Color c)

Sets the background colour of the outputed text.

You are unable to change the font or font size of text outputed through the hsa.Console.print and hsa.Console.println methods, however you can specify a font size initially when the hsa.Console is created through one of hsa.Console’s constructors.

Examples

import hsa.Console; // or import hsa.*;
import java.awt.Color; // or import java.awt.*;

class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Console c = new Console();

        c.setTextColor(Color.RED);
        c.println("Hello in red!");
        c.setTextBackgroundColor(Color.BLACK);
        c.println("Hello in red with a black background!");
    }
}

hsa.Console.clear

void hsa.Console.clear() Clears the entire console window and positions the cursor in the top left corner.

What Next?

hmmm…

Check out the documentation on graphics with hsa.Console here.