WordBuilder 1.1

[Alfar]

Yup, it's that time again - new release of WordBuilder

http://whee.dk/wordbuilder/WordBuilder.msi

New features:

• Comments, // for single line comments, /* */ for block comments. Thank su_liam for that.
• Capitalize command turns the first letter of the latest token to upper case.
• Dictionary - find words by meaning or find the meaning of a word. Generate function to create new words based on your WordBuilder rule sets.
• Export to svg file - create an svg file with a text-on-path object for each selected word (or all words if none are selected) - useful for placing labels on a map, perhaps. Uses new Export framework that will make it easier to make additional exports.
• New example scripts: http://whee.dk/wordbuilder/DunderhillPlaces.wordo and http://whee.dk/wordbuilder/Esolanean.wordo
• Example dictionary: http://whee.dk/wordbuilder/Esolanean.wdict - try searching for mountain, river (and also river.Determinate for 'the river' - this uses branches), and paejir.

The dictionary tool has lots of room for improvement, but I figured the sooner I got it out there, the better. I've attached some screenshots showing the new features.

Comments and such, yes please.

[Alfar]

A bit of showing off for the export to svg feature:

I generated a bunch of place names (I didn't bother to check for duplicates, I guess that's an upcoming feature in a later release) and exported to svg.

The export makes each word a text object on a slightly curved path in the svg file.

Using Inkscape, I changed the font size and font (Poor Richard), and used Jitter Nodes on the paths.

Then, I used the align and distribute tools to scatter the names randomly and removed overlaps.

Finally, I hand-drew an island shape around the names and fractalized the path before filling it with a gradient.

I had to adjust the placement of a few names after the fractalize, but other than that, drawing the island path was my only manual task.

Total work: 10 minutes. And I don't know much about Inkscape.

[Ramah]

Very nice.

I'm gonna have a tinker of this program when it comes to needing some more names for my map, it looks really cool.

[su_liam]

http://whee.dk/wordbuilder/Esolanean.wdic

Like the Lady Chablis would say, no, "t."

[Alfar]

Thank you, su_liam Yes, no t.

[ravells]

A bit of showing off for the export to svg feature:

I generated a bunch of place names (I didn't bother to check for duplicates, I guess that's an upcoming feature in a later release) and exported to svg.

The export makes each word a text object on a slightly curved path in the svg file.

Using Inkscape, I changed the font size and font (Poor Richard), and used Jitter Nodes on the paths.

Then, I used the align and distribute tools to scatter the names randomly and removed overlaps.

Finally, I hand-drew an island shape around the names and fractalized the path before filling it with a gradient.

I had to adjust the placement of a few names after the fractalize, but other than that, drawing the island path was my only manual task.

Total work: 10 minutes. And I don't know much about Inkscape.

Oh yum yum yum

Going to have to see whether the export works with drawplus. Having the text as a text object on a path will save a lot of time.

[Alfar]

How did that go, ravs? DrawPlus able to read my svg's?

If not, can you supply me with a DrawPlus file containing just one text object on a curved path, preferably in a xml or text based format? (Svg is an xml format, so (relatively) easy to read and create for humans.)

Edit:

tried it myself with DrawPlus SE, not much luck. Bugger. In good news, DrawPlus dpp files are zipped archives with a bunch of xml files in them, so it should be possible to export to that format somewhat easily. Will work on that at some point.

[ravells]

No...really frustrating. Drawplus can't actually read any svgs. They work on the principle that if you want to read in vector you should import either as a proprietry file (e.g. *.ai) or .pdf - which they say has replaced svg as a default vector file format in their eyes. Anyway, I can still paste the list as a text object and copy and paste each word, but I have to do the 'text on a path' thing for each word if I want text on a path. Ah well.

Anyway, need a little time to sit down and read your documentation to understand how the language works and I'll start doing a wordo file.

[Alfar]

I'll look into making DrawPlus files. I don't think pdf files support text-on-path except in the form of separately placed characters, unless they've added it to the standard since pdf version 1.4. AI files are probably more difficult than DrawPlus, knowing Adobe

Oh, and if you need help, feel free to ask - here or on the WordBuilder forums

[Alfar]

There... It's done. WordBuilder version 1.2 (not yet released) will support export to .dpp files.

I just hope other people than Ravs will be able to use it

Attached is a zip containing an example .dpp file generated by WordBuilder.