28. Bitmap, Cursor, Icon, and Font Editors

This ResourceStudio reference chapter contains details about the commands and options found in the Bitmap editor, the Cursor editor, the Icon editor, and the Font editor. For an introduction to ResourceStudio, see Chapter 7, "Adding Look and Feel with Resources."

This chapter shows the editors running in standalone windows. If you edit a binary resource directly (that is, if you open or create it by choosing Open from the Shell window's File menu), the File menu you will see will not match those shown below, and the ID and File fields in the Property sheet will be disabled.

Bitmap Editor
Cursor Editor
Icon Editor
Font Editor

Bitmap Editor

The Bitmap editor (see Figure 28-1) is used to edit bitmaps.

[Figure 28-1 The Bitmap editor

The Bitmap editor displays two views of the bitmap. Each view can be independently zoomed; you may wish to keep one view at normal size for reference, and one at a higher magnification for easier drawing. You can draw in either view, though.

Drawing tools are selected by choosing commands in the Tool menu, or by clicking on the tool in the toolbox. Colors are selected in the palette section of the toolbox. The View menu is used to zoom the views and to turn on the grid. Simple image manipulation functions are available in the Image menu.

For more information about using the Bitmap editor, see Chapter 7, "Adding Look and Feel with Resources."

BitmapExpress

As a new bitmap is created, the BitmapExpress dialog box opens (see Figure 28-2). This dialog box is used to set initial bitmap properties.

[Figure 28-2 BitmapExpress

Select bitmap type

Specifies the number of colors in the bitmap (2, 16, or 256).

Initial size

Specifies the bitmap width and height.

Toolbar bitmap

Select this option if the bitmap will be used as the toolbar in an MFC application. If this option is selected, the number of colors is set to 16 and the initial size is determined by the value of the Buttons across option.

Buttons across

Specifies the number of buttons for toolbar bitmaps. The bitmap's initial size is changed to accommodate the number of buttons you request. Each button is 15 pixels high and 16 pixels across.

File menu commands

The File menu (see Figure 28-3) contains commands to save the resource file, to edit resource IDs, and to perform other miscellaneous functions.

[Figure 28-3 Bitmap editor File menu

Save: Saves the resource file. If the file is unnamed, this command executes Save As.
Save As: Opens a Windows File Save As dialog box, which can be used to save the resource file under a new name.
Export Resource: Opens a dialog box which can be used to save the bitmap in a separate file.
Edit Resource IDs: Opens the Resource ID Browser dialog box, used to browse and modify resource IDs. For more information about managing resource IDs and using the Resource ID Browser dialog box, see "Managing Resource IDs," in Chapter 7, "Adding Look and Feel with Resources."
ClassExpress: Runs ClassExpress, passing the filename of the resource file as the project that ClassExpress should open. This command is only enabled if the Bitmap editor is running in the right pane of the Browser window.
Class Editing: Closes the Bitmap editor.

Edit menu commands

The Edit menu (see Figure 28-4) contains standard editing commands. You can undo operations, and can cut, copy, paste, and clear rectangular regions of the bitmap. To select a region to cut, copy, or clear, select the Selection tool from the toolbox or from the Tool menu, then drag a box around the region.

[Figure 28-4 Bitmap editor Edit menu

Undo: Undoes the last Bitmap editor operation.
Redo: Redoes the last undone Bitmap editor operation.
Cut: Copies the selected region to the Clipboard, then clears the region in the bitmap, filling it with the current background color.
Copy: Copies the selected region to the Clipboard.
Paste: Copies the region in the Clipboard to the bitmap. The new region is initially placed in the upper left corner of the bitmap, but may be dragged to a new location.
Clear: Clears the selected region, filling it with the current background color. If no region is selected, the entire bitmap is cleared.

View menu commands

The View menu (see Figure 28-5) contains commands to set view magnification and to set grid options.

[Figure 28-5 Bitmap editor View menu

Zoom 1

Sets the current view's zoom factor to 1 (normal size).

Zoom 2

Sets the current view's zoom factor to 2 (twice normal size).

Zoom 4

Sets the current view's zoom factor to 4 (four times normal size).

Zoom 8

Sets the current view's zoom factor to 8 (eight times normal size).

Grid

Turns on the grid. The grid is only visible in views where the zoom factor is 4 or 8.

Button Grid

Turns on the button grid. The button grid is used to identify the boundaries of toolbar buttons when you are creating a toolbar bitmap.

Grid Settings

Opens the Grid Settings dialog box (see Figure 28-6), used to set grid options.

[Figure 28-6 Grid Settings dialog box

Pixel grid

Turns on display of the pixel grid.

Button grid

Turns on display of the button grid. The spacing of points on the button grid can be specified in the Width and Height fields; defaults for an MFC application toolbar are 16 pixels wide by 15 pixels high.

Tool menu commands

The Tool menu (see Figure 28-7) lets you select drawing tools. While over the drawing area, the cursor changes shape to indicate the currently selected tool. To draw, click or click and drag (as appropriate) in the drawing area. Using the right button rather than the left reverses the roles of foreground and background colors. Drawing tools can also be selected in the toolbox. For more information about drawing operations in the Bitmap editor, see Chapter 7, "Adding Look and Feel with Resources."

[Figure 28-7 Bitmap editor Tool menu

Brush: Selects the brush tool.
Erase: Selects the eraser tool.
Eye Drop: Selects the eye-dropper tool. Use this tool to select foreground and background colors directly from the image.
Line: Selects the straight line tool.
Text: Selects the text tool.
Oval: Selects the hollow oval tool.
Oval (Filled): Selects the solid oval tool.
Paint: Selects the paint can (flood fill) tool.
Pen: Selects the pen (pencil) tool.
Rect: Selects the hollow rectangle tool.
Rect (Filled): Selects the solid rectangle tool.
Round Rect: Selects the hollow rounded rectangle tool.
Round Rect (Filled): Selects the solid rounded rectangle tool.
Select: Selects the Selection tool. Use this tool to select rectangular regions for cut, copy, clear, drag, flip, and invert operations.
Spray: Selects the spray brush (airbrush) tool.

Image menu commands

Commands in the Image menu (see Figure 28-8) perform simple image manipulation functions. To select a region to flip or invert, select the Selection tool from the toolbox or from the Tool menu, then drag a box around the region. If no region is selected, these commands operate on the entire bitmap.

[Figure 28-8 Bitmap editor Image menu

Flip Vertically: Flips the selected region vertically.
Flip Horizontally: Flips the selected region horizontally.
Invert Colors: Inverts the colors in the selected region (for example, in a 16 color bitmap, color 0 is replaced with color 15, color 1 is replaced with color 14, and so on).

Toolbar commands

The Bitmap editor toolbar (see Figure 28-9) provides quick access to frequently used menu commands.

[Figure 28-9 Bitmap editor toolbar

Undo:: Same as choosing Undo from the Edit menu. Right-click on this button to undo multiple operations at once.
Redo:: Same as choosing Redo from the Edit menu. Right-click on this button to redo multiple operations at once.
Cut:: Same as choosing Cut from the Edit menu.
Copy:: Same as choosing Copy from the Edit menu.
Paste:: Same as choosing Paste from the Edit menu.
Flip horizontally:: Same as choosing Flip Horizontally from the Image menu.
Flip vertically:: Same as choosing Flip Vertically from the Image menu.
Invert colors:: Same as choosing Invert Colors from the Image menu.

Toolbox

The Bitmap editor toolbox (see Figure 28-10) provides quick access to the tools available in the Tool menu. The toolbox also lets you select foreground and background colors, brush types, background pattern, and line type.

For more information on the Bitmap editor toolbox, see Chapter 7, "Adding Look and Feel with Resources."

[Figure 28-10 Bitmap editor toolbox

Bitmap properties

Bitmaps have two pages of properties. The General properties are shown in Figure 28-11.

[Figure 28-11 Bitmap General properties

Specify a filename for the bitmap in the File textbox. The Width and Height of the bitmap can be changed here, or the bitmap can be resized in the main display by dragging one of the handles along the bitmap edge.

Palette properties of a bitmap are shown in Figure 28-12.

[Figure 28-12 Bitmap Palette properties

Foreground and background drawing colors can be set by respectively clicking and right-clicking colors in this display. Double-clicking a color opens the Custom Color dialog box, which can be used to change the color's red, green, and blue components.

Cursor Editor

The Cursor editor (see Figure 28-13) is used to edit cursors.

[Figure 28-13 The Cursor editor

Since cursors are much like bitmaps, the Cursor editor behaves much like the Bitmap editor (see "Bitmap Editor," earlier in this chapter). The distinguishing characteristics of cursors are as follows:

A cursor resource may contain more than one cursor. ResourceStudio lets you create up to four different cursors in a cursor resource. The four possible cursor types have predefined sizes and color depths.
In addition to normal colors, cursors can have areas which are tagged "Transparent" and "Inverted." In Transparent areas, the background screen color shows through the cursor. In Inverted areas, the background screen color is bitwise-complemented.
Cursors have a "hotspot," a particular pixel which is used by Windows to map the cursor to a screen location.

The Cursor editor displays two views of the cursor. Each view can be independently zoomed; you may wish to keep one view at normal size for reference, and one at a higher magnification for easier drawing. You can draw in either view, though.