Is changing the AmigaDOS font possible in 3.1?

[Gaula92]

Hi all!


I really like the original TOPAZ font in AmigaDOS in 1.3, but I use 3.1 because of WHDLOAD.
So, is there any way to change the font used in 3.1 to the original TOPAZ font in 1.3?
I mean for AmigaDOS, no WB involved.



Also, is there a way to disable/hide mouse cursor in 3.1?


Thanks!

[Bren McGuire]

You mean without using Font preferences? I don't think you can because it uses the font in ROM. but there might be a program/hack that allows it, like everything in Amiga.

[mark_k]

Assuming you have a disk-loadable version of the old-style Topaz font, you can use the FF command like this: FF -n fontname.font
(Optionally remove the -n if you want to use FF's fast-text routines, but they can fail on faster CPUs.)

[Bren McGuire]

What is ff and where do you get it?

Originally Posted by mark_k

Assuming you have a disk-loadable version of the old-style Topaz font, you can use the FF command like this: FF -n fontname.font
(Optionally remove the -n if you want to use FF's fast-text routines, but they can fail on faster CPUs.)

[malko]

FF (Fast Font) is an AmigaDOS command. In C: (WB1.3) and implemented internally in WB2.0+.
It accelerates the text output on screen.
Two argument :

> FF -0 <.font file>
(number 0) to turn Fast Font on
> FF -N <.font file>
to turn Fast Font off

FF is nice but you may have issues on certain configuration, thus you can use one of the fixed FF available on aminet

[Bren McGuire]

Thank you so much, I didn't know that command!

[Gaula92]

Thanks guys! FastFonts on Aminet (http://aminet.net/package/text/font/FastFonts) does NOT seem to be able to actually SET the font for use. It seems to be intended for speeding up the font and thats all. But it does not set the font to the console....

[meynaf]

In theory even 3.1 should respect original system-configuration file from 1.3.
So look in devs: to find it and bring it into your 3.1 system (but keep original one somewhere, just in case).
Does it have an effect ?

[Bren McGuire]

system-configuration does not set the font, only colors, mouse speed, pointer.

[Gaula92]

@meynaf:


I found that there is an FF program in 1.3 C: drawer. I copied it over to 3.1 C: drawer, and the command works, I can pass it a font in .font format (I used topaz.font contained here: http://aminet.net/package/util/wb/RetroWB), but the console does not seem to change, it does not change to TOPAZ font, the default 3.1 font remains.

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by Bren McGuire

system-configuration does not set the font, only colors, mouse speed, pointer.

There is no font prefs in 1.3 then ?

Originally Posted by Gaula92

@meynaf:

I found that there is an FF program in 1.3 C: drawer. I copied it over to 3.1 C: drawer, and the command works, I can pass it a font in .font format (I used topaz.font contained here: http://aminet.net/package/util/wb/RetroWB), but the console does not seem to change, it does not change to TOPAZ font, the default 3.1 font remains.

It does not need to change to Topaz font, as default font is topaz (actually topaz 8).

Anyway, in your startup-sequence you may try something like this :
setfont topaz.font 9
(or whatever font you want to use)

[Gaula92]

@meynaf: the setfont commad DOES what I wanted!!! Thanks!!!
Whats the maximum size for the TOPAZ font? Is it possible to, lets say, put the MS-DOS font on it for fun? Or other mythical fonts..


Also, do you know how to disable/hide the mouse cursor? There is this small program (http://aminet.net/package/util/mouse/MouseOff) but it does nothing from AmigaDOS in 3.1. Maybe there is a simple C or ASM sequence for hiding the mouse that I can compile with SASC?

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by Gaula92

Whats the maximum size for the TOPAZ font? Is it possible to, lets say, put the MS-DOS font on it for fun? Or other mythical fonts..

If you have a font that's usable by AmigaOS then yes. But of course it must exist in the form of an Amiga font and no, i don't know how to convert these.

Originally Posted by Gaula92

Also, do you know how to disable/hide the mouse cursor? There is this small program (http://aminet.net/package/util/mouse/MouseOff) but it does nothing from AmigaDOS in 3.1. Maybe there is a simple C or ASM sequence for hiding the mouse that I can compile with SASC?

I guess you could setup some empty (only transparent pixels) mouse pointer in 1.3 pointer prefs, then use the resulting system-configuration file...

But why do you want to hide the mouse ?

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by Gaula92

Also, do you know how to disable/hide the mouse cursor? There is this small program (http://aminet.net/package/util/mouse/MouseOff) but it does nothing from AmigaDOS in 3.1. Maybe there is a simple C or ASM sequence for hiding the mouse that I can compile with SASC?

MouseOff works, but as per ReadMe:

'MouseOff' will cause the mouse pointer to disappear after about 10
seconds of inactivity. It will reappear again upon movememt of the
mouse.

You can actually "clear" the mouse pointer through Prefs --> Pointer



What I would do is as follows:

• Make a copy of your WB 1.3 disk and boot this.
• Go into Prefs --> Pointer, Clear the mouse pointer and then Save in Preferences.
• Now copy the "Devs/system-configuration" to the disk / hard drive you want this on.

[Gaula92]

Originally Posted by meynaf

But why do you want to hide the mouse ?

Because I LOVE command line interfaces. And I LOVE the Amiga. So I want my Amiga to start as a commandline machine


@DamienD: Wouldnt that imply launching WB so the mouse is hidden? I am building a WB-less enviroment, AmigaDOS only. Does MouseOff work for you in AmigaDOS?

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by Gaula92

Because I LOVE command line interfaces. And I LOVE the Amiga. So I want my Amiga to start as a commandline machine

Me, I don't like having the mouse pointer annoy me when i type text, and found out a simple mouse blanker does the trick. The pointer disappears when you type, and reappears when you move the mouse.
There is one given with the system, in Tools/Commodities/MouseBlanker.

[Gaula92]

@meynaf: That commoditie is ALMOST what I want. Instead of waiting for text input to hide the mouse, I would like it to hide the mouse as the blanker is executed.
Isnt there a simple system call to hide the mouse? Something I can compile in C.

[meynaf]

Originally Posted by Gaula92

@meynaf: That commoditie is ALMOST what I want. Instead of waiting for text input to hide the mouse, I would like it to hide the mouse as the blanker is executed.
Isnt there a simple system call to hide the mouse? Something I can compile in C.

There is no simple system call to hide the mouse, sorry.

[DamienD]

Originally Posted by Gaula92

@DamienD: Wouldnt that imply launching WB so the mouse is hidden? I am building a WB-less enviroment, AmigaDOS only.

No, not at all. Just follow my instruction in post #14

Originally Posted by Gaula92

Does MouseOff work for you in AmigaDOS?

You mean as opposed to a Workbench installation?

Hmmm, I believe I tested this and it worked but...

Thing I don't like about MouseOff is that you can't just completely switch it off immediately. I don't want a 10 second delay and some people may also not want the mouse to re-enable upon movement.

[mark_k]

You can set a blank pointer for a window your program owns using SetPointer().

For a global change, you could use GetPrefs() to get a copy of the current Preferences structure, modify the pointer data then use SetPrefs() to make the change take effect. However that won't work if running on Kickstart 2.0+ after IPrefs has been run. But it should be okay for use on a bootable floppy disk.