73 replies to this topic

[SoftCalc]

Ok, I've just finished the initial version of a bitmap editor for the ClassPad. Consider it to be a "beta version" because it hasn't been tested much. There are also a number of drawing glitches I already know about .

I need to do a number of bugfixes. I'd also like to setup a multi-langage string table too.

I probably won't add any features to it though. I'll probably give the source to CrimsonCasio and/or release it to the public so those of you who have more time can make improvements . Of course you'll have to wait for the SDK first .

Check it out...
http://www.classpad....hp?id=128&cat=3

[CrimsonCasio]

im planning on using this program for the base of the new CasPaint

[Daniel (CZE)]

I'm glad to see another app.

I've found small bugs and one big bug.

When I draw a rectangle. Then I scroll the window so a part of the rectangle will go out of view. Now I scroll the window back and on the right side of the rectangle are some lines (it looks like the background overflow the border).
The same "overflow" I get when I choose a selection tool and drag it over a rectangle.

The big bug is "fatal exception". It occurs when I want to paste non-pict data.

I know it is beta but I think it's better to know that these bugs are there.

One question: Have you found the biggest size of editable picture? (in pixels)

[SoftCalc]

I know it is beta but I think it's better to know that these bugs are there.

Thanks for the bug report. You are right, it would be good to have a list of known bugs. Of course I'd like to fix as many bugs as possible when they are found, so this list should be pretty short.

I knew about the drawing glitch, but not about the crash. The crash will be easy to fix. The drawing glitch will be a bit mpre difficult.

All the drawing on the classpad can draw either on scren, or into a bitmap. If you select a bitmap to draw into first, it will draw right on that bitmap. Otherwise, it will draw on screen. This "bug" is happening when you draw into the actual bitmap. It works OK when you are still creating/dragging the rectangle because it is drawing on screen, not in the bitmap.

It looks like there are actually a few bugs in the "draw into a bitmap" code (in this case it is the bitmap pattern fill). I'm guessing some of this code is never used on the ClassPad so it isn't fully tested. In reality some of this functionality shouldn't be OFFICIALLY supported since it isn't actually used by the OS. A bug in an unsupported feature isn't really a bugnow is it?

The best way to fix this is to only use "supported" functions, but then what fun would that be

One question: Have you found the biggest size of editable picture? (in pixels)

Thw height and width need to be greater than 0, and less than 0xFFFFh, and is
also limited to the available memory.

BTW, it doesn't do any size checking or memory checking when you create a new bitmap, so be careful. You could crash the application if you don't have enough memory. If it does crash you'll loose any data since you've turned on your ClasPad. (NOTE: The ClassPad saves MCS in FLASH every time you turn it OFF and then ON. This is a good way to force an "autosave".)

[Debb]

I am having so much fun playing with BitEdit!!

I have run into another crashing bug that you can reproduce by:

Using the elipse with the solid fill (?)

When you drag your pen past the scroll bar, there is some drawing happening on the scroll bar.
If you drag/draw past bottom scrollbar, the program crashes.

Thank you for yet another great program.

Debb

[qwerty841]

when i select something, the whole area gets messed up and the clear all doesn't work.

[SoftCalc]

OK, there is a newer version with bugfixes. Check it out the link below. It also lists some of the changes....

http://www.classpad....hp?id=128&cat=3

[mccyrille]

hello every body ! I am french and i speak very bad english !

i suppoze that softcalc is Brian, and i would to ask you a suggestion for your add-in :
can you add in Bitedit a zoom because with the pan (stylet ch? pas comment on dit lol ), it is not very precise !

i hope that you understand my question and can you answer in a easy langage

[SoftCalc]

Your English is pretty good (much better than my French ).

It sounds like you are asking for a ZOOM feature like in MSPaint, where each bitmap pixel is displayed in a block of screen pixels. For example, a zoom of 2X would display a 2x2 square on screen for each bitmap pixel.

I agree, this is a function that is needed. There is no function on the ClassPad that does this, which is why it isn't in BitEdit right now. The first version only uses drawing functions that the ClassPad has built-in.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think the ZOOM is a very important function that needs to be added. Other features I would like to see are...

• Pattern fill when creating non-rectangle shapes (circles, etc...)
• General ploygon tool
• General area fill that fills in an enclosed path by clicking inside the the area
• Patterned lines.

I probably won't add all of these features though. I'd like to turn over the source code for other people to use and improve. I think I can be a much better program if someone who has more free time can improve it. Of course this will have to wait for the SDK to be released .

I have given the source to CrimsonCasio . I think he might use the source as an example for his next version of CASPaint. He did such an excellent job on CASPaint I know he can dream up of more cool features than anyone else .

I think the ZOOM is so important that I'll try to add the feature now so you don't have to wait.

[Daruosh]

It's not fairly that SoftCal and CrimsonCasio have SDK
@SoftCalc: If you give me SDK and BitEdit source code, I will develop it too.

[CrimsonCasio]

SoftCalc helped make the SDK (i think), but who said I have it... he only said I have the source code for BitEdit...
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(if you cant tell: thats a really big wink)

[X-thunder28]

ClassPad does feature Greyscale? It would be nice to edit bitmap with GreyScale (and another reason for buying it :roll: )

[CrimsonCasio]

we can probably find a way to do it, like on the AFX.

[mccyrille]

Thanks SoftCalc !

In fact, i said you that because i have creat Final Fantasy IX (i don't know if you know this game because you are english with the bitmap windows and if it existe in classpad, i can continu FF9 fastest because i can't have the computer long time...

still thank you SoftCalc

[Mohamed]

Not sure about grey scale thing, if it's like the Pocket Viewer, then it would fail, all grey scale stuff on the PV looks really bad and flickers a lot.
It has no hardware support like on the AFX.

[Daniel (CZE)]

That's true but e. g. Mini Album (for PV) has 16-grayscale rendering. We don't need so many "colors" and procedures could be faster. TI has only 4 and graphic is really good. I know TI has more cotrasty display. Do you think CP display is too "slow"?

[Mohamed]

I didn't try Mini Album before, but if you saw them, there are some 5 grey scale shade videos for the PV.

I even sent some pictures to the PV with a 4 level grey scale, and they were flickering like hell.

The idea about the AFX is that it has grey scale supported, not just done by a programming trick.

[SoftCalc]

Greyscale is tricky. The BIOS doesn't support greyscale. It might be possible to get greyscale if (and this is a big if) the hardware supported it, but you would have to work around the BIOS and speak directly to the hardware. This isn't a good idea because the hardware can always change. This actually happened on the HP48/49. HP changed the hardware and the type of LCD they were using, and they updated the BIOS to support the new hardware. If you wrote a program that controled the LCD directly you were sunk!

There is always the "programming" trick of flashing each layer at different intervals. This is what they originally did on the HP and what they do on the TI and PV. This might work on the ClassPad (possibly better than the PV). If you wrote it at a low enough level you might be able to avoid the flickering.

Wouldn't it be great if Casio came out with a greyscale ClassPad? Think how much better graphs and geometry would look in greyscale! (No, I don't know if any plans for a greyscale ClassPad. I'm only dreaming).

[SoftCalc]

I think I need to start a request page for BitEdit. Lets see, I have ZOOM, compressed (RLE) bitmaps, greyscale... what next, playing MPG files

Actually, if there were greyscale, and the ClassPad has a buzzer..... hmm.... playing mpg files....

[betoe]

Sorry for being offtopic but, a guy in this forum said on a topic that maybe the classpad have more than 4 MB Flash rom, he thinks that by the similitude between the CP and the PV. Do you know something about this SoftCalc?

[X-thunder28]

softcalc, AFX does support greyscale but casio never used id!

"The idea about the AFX is that it has grey scale supported, not just done by a programming trick."

Sorry, but the 5 Greyscales purposes use also a trick and hardware, and you can perform an 3 greyscale display using a trick without flicker

[Pem]

Wouldn't it be great if Casio came out with a greyscale ClassPad? Think how much better graphs and geometry would look in greyscale! (No, I don't know if any plans for a greyscale ClassPad. I'm only dreaming).

Greyscale already works with ship8 games : in the mines game, part of the screen is grey, probably because the screen flashes.

[mccyrille]

hello !
i would like ask to softcalc if he will add a text fonction ? it can to be very important sometime ? Yes we can write with a little programme lol but in bitmap windows, there is on text fonction

i would like to know to if your "zoom" fonction is ok ?!

thanks softcalc

[mccyrille]

softcalc ? have you seen this post ?

[Overlord]

maybe he's busy (working on it ?)

i'm sure he has many things to do

[SoftCalc]

maybe he's busy (working on it ?)
i'm sure he has many things to do

In fact, I have read the post and I am working on it

I've added compressed bitmaps using RLE (run length encoding).

I've also added zooming, but the zoomed drawing doesn't work correctly yet.

I was drawing in two different ways. When you are creating on object like a rectangle or circle I would draw directly on screen, not on the bitmap. Only after you release the pen would I draw into the bitmap.

I implemented the "zoom" mode by writing a bit-stretch function. This works well for displaying a bitmap, but it doesn't work well for drawing directly on screen.

I need to change the way I'm displaying an object when it is being created. Instead of drawing directly on the screen, I'm switching to a double buffer technique. I'm going to try and copy the part of the bitmap that is visible and draw into that copy during object creation. Only after you release the pen will it draw directly into the bitmap. This will make it easier to manage zooming because I will always be drawing into a bitmap and never directly on screen.

I guess what I'm saying is.... I'm working on it....
It is the 4th of July weekend (a big US holiday) so it might take a few days before I have the free time, but it's in the works...

NOTE: I also want to change the way you draw. Right now you draw by pressing the pen down, dragging, and then lifting the pen. This method isn't easy to be exact when drawing.

I think I will switch to a pen down and up to place the first point. and then down and up again for place the second point. Drawing a line (rectangle, cirecle...) will be much more like geometry.

I'll probably add a little twist which will make it a bit different from geometry. I think I'll let the user press any key for a "click". This makes it more like a PC. Fore example, to create a rectangle put the pen down and move it until you have it over the first point. Now you could lift the pen and put it down again like in geometry OR you could simply press a button to place the first point and start placing the second point.

[mccyrille]

ok... and i have ask to you more up, if you are going to add a word/text fonction ?
For to be more precise, you can add to the key right/left/up/down no ... ?
i know i ask you very very thing... but this program is very important for me and i think for every people...

good luck softcalc

[SoftCalc]

OK, I have a new version. Funny how when you think you aren't going to add anything new you end up doing a lot of work

The new version has some pretty cool features...

• Added zooming. You can now zoom 2X and 4X.
• Added ability to resize an existing bitmap
• Added compressed bitmap support.
• Added a clock to the status bar

I also fixed some bugs, and drawing is a bit easier.

Let me know if you find any new bugs

[Nanard]

great! the zoom thing is good, but i have one suggest:
i was surprised when i see that we can't selected the zoom tool as the pen tool.I think it would be better that we can selected it because, we could use the zoom by pressing the screen at the place. This isn't very important.

resize mod: at the beginning, i thought that the bitmap would not be cut but lengthened but it was good

compress : very good: no comment :-)

clock : wouw! can we have it in every app?

[SoftCalc]

I've updated it again.

Now there is a floating toolbar that you canturn on or off. Give it a try and let me know what you think. I like it, but at the same time it can get in the way. Of course the best option would be if you could customize the buttons.

I also added the ability to turn the clock on or off. Wouldn't it be nice it all applications could display the clock.

I'm on vacation for the rest of the week and I have a bunch of work to get done, so this might be the last enhancement for a while. Of course bugfixes are not enhancements.

[CrimsonCasio]

have a good time , im just getting off it

[SoftCalc]

OK, one more tweak before vacation. I realized there was a quick improvement I should make. I added hard keys for zooming. Now zooms-in and zooms-out.

I think this will make mccyrille happy.

Now this really is the last version for awhile......

[Nanard]

I found a little bug ;-)
try this:
-select en area
-move it
-select an other area
-Edit, Undo/Redo
-move the selected area: The first area is clear!!!!
moreover, when we move the second area, the area isn't "cut" but copy!

that's all :-)

[mccyrille]

you said : I think this will make mccyrille happy.

what i halp you no ? lol

i have bugs to said you and suggestion

bugs :

pic1

pic2

- you see, i just have zoom 2x... i dont konw why...
- i have a fatal bug to when i click on file
- we can't select when we are zoom or we can't drawing... (pict 2)


and next, can you add a

-fonction "turn" the select...
-invers color
-the select is transparant (off or on)
-and my fonction text

its all

[qwerty841]

anyway to reset the clock?

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never mind, i didn't read the page.

[SoftCalc]

you said : I think this will make mccyrille happy. 

what  i halp you no ?      lol

i have bugs to said you and suggestion   

bugs :

pic1 pic2

- you see, i just have zoom 2x...    i dont konw why...
- i have a fatal bug to when i click on file
- we can't select when we are zoom or we can't drawing... (pict 2)

Yikes! What did you do to create the bugs for pic1 and pic2? Is this a compressed bitmap?

Selcting and drawing work for me when zoomed in. Does it always fail for you? Could you email me an MCS file with the bitmap you are editing when you have this problem?

and next, can you add a

-fonction "turn" the select...
-invers color
-the select is transparant (off or on)
-and my fonction text   

its all     

Yeah, rotate flip, inverse, and text are important features, as well as transparency. There also needs to be a polygon drawing tool, and pattern fill needs to work for shapes other than rectangles.


I think the next thing I will work on is a TEXT tool and a POLYGON tool. Then maybe transparency if it isn't too difficult. The ClassPad supports this for some draw operations, but it doesn't work correctly for all of them.

I would also like to have an XOR mode for drawing. I think this would be useful for the PENCIL tool. If you turn on the wrong pixel you would be able to turn it off again my clicking on it a second time. Again, this works for some draw functions, but not all of them. I might make this a special PENCIL tool instead of a "mode" because I know if works for this tool.

I also want to improve the drawing model so you can edit something when you first draw it. For example, if you draw a line I would like to show the two points that define the line. If you click on either point you can move them to edit the line. As soon as you do something else then the line becomes fixed and you can no longer change it.

[CrimsonCasio]

i got that strange selection bug once too, but it was before zooming was enabled... i think it was the first version with selection enabled.

[mccyrille]

i have the bug of the picture 2 since the first version of bitedit... the pict 1 is normal : it a fun but the 2 is just a zoom of the pict 1 and it is not a comrpess pict...

every time that i zoom on a pict (all) i have that...

[mccyrille]

i have find when there is the bug : if we open a image (Final Fantasy for exemple) and next we zoom : bug !!

for remaind that, i must to delet "bitedit" pict in the main folder else i have alawys this bug...

[mccyrille]

i have find lol

in fact, if i resise the pict in 160-240 it ok
bug if the pict is not in this sise : bug !
if the horizontal is <157 in (zoom 2x) and <159 (zoom 4x) there is bug but the vertical, no problem

an other bug, if i do 40 in vertical and if i zoom, i can't see what there is on the top of my screen
you must to made an auto center when the windows is little...

correct it please lol