NAME

Imager::DTP - draw text with DTP app-like custom options

SYNOPSIS

   use Imager::DTP::Textbox::Horizontal;  # or Vertical
   
   # first, define font & text string
   my $font  = Imager::Font->new(file=>'path/to/foo.ttf',type=>'ft2',
               size=>16,color=>'#000000',aa=>1);
   my $text  = "Brother will kill brother, \n";
      $text .= "spilling blood across the land.\n";
      $text .= "Killing for religion, \n"; 
      $text .= "something I don't understand.";
   # with multi-byte characters, encode it to UTF8, with internal
   # utf-8 flag enabled (using utf8::decode()).
   
   # create textbox instance
   my $tb = Imager::DTP::Textbox::Horizontal->new(
            text=>$text,font=>$font);
   
   # draw the text string on target image
   my $target = Imager->new(xsize=>250,ysize=>250);
   $target->box(filled=>1,color=>'#FFFFFF'); # with white background
   $tb->draw(target=>$target,x=>10,y=>10);
   
   # and write out image to file
   $target->write(file=>'result.jpg',type=>'jpeg');

DESCRIPTION.

Imager::DTP is a text drawing add-on for Imager, with ability to draw text horizontally or vertically (from top to bottom), letter-based (not word-based) text wrapping for multi-byte characters, line alignment, and adjustment of distance between letters and lines. Vertical drawing and letter-based text wrapping are for multi-byte character languages, such as Japanese and Chinese.

MORE THAN WORDS

I've made an interactive sample viewer page, for quick and essential understanding of what the output will look like, by using Imager::DTP. You can make the output more complexing and fancy by making full use of the module, but save that for later, and just take a glance at all the basics.

English Page

http://iandeth.dyndns.org/mycpan/Imager-DTP/sample_viewer_en.html

Japanese Page

http://iandeth.dyndns.org/mycpan/Imager-DTP/sample_viewer_ja.html

UTF8 ENCODING

With multi-byte characters, text must be encoded to utf8, with it's internal utf8-flag ENABLED. This could be done by using utf8::decode() method, or with Perl5.8 and above, by using Encode::decode() method.

FULL DESCRIPTION

The main module (the most useful one) of Imager::DTP distribution will be Imager::DTP::Textbox. So see Imager::DTP::Textbox's documentation for full description on how to use.

CLASS RELATION

Imager::DTP consists of three basic modules (classes). These are:

Imager::DTP::Letter

Module for handling each letter/character that construct words. One Imager::Letter instance represents/holds one letter/character.

Imager::DTP::Line

Module for handling chunk of Letters, lined-up in a single vector. The word "Line" means "a single row in a text-wrapped textbox".

Imager::DTP::Textbox

A box to store all Lines and Letters in order. Calculation for text wrapping and line alignment are done within this module.

The class relation of these modules (classes) is as follows:

   Imager::DTP::Textbox = [
       Imager::DTP::Line = [
           Imager::DTP::Letter,
           Imager::DTP::Letter,
           Imager::DTP::Letter
           ...
       ],
       Imager::DTP::Line = [
           Imager::DTP::Letter,
           Imager::DTP::Letter,
           Imager::DTP::Letter
           ...
       ],
       ...
   ];

So there is no actuall Imager::DTP module (Imager::DTP.pm doesn't exist). The name space is for bundling all these modules under one package name.

BUGS

Currently, there is one un-solved problem in Imager::DTP::Line, with drawing multi-byte letters vertically. See Imager::DTP::Line's BUGS section for details.

Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-imager-dtp@rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Imager-DTP. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.

TODO

See each basic module's TODO section.

AUTHOR

Toshimasa Ishibashi, <iandeth99@ybb.ne.jp>

COPYRIGHT & LICENSE

Copyright 2005 Toshimasa Ishibashi, all rights reserved.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

SEE ALSO

Imager, Imager::DTP::Textbox, Imager::DTP::Line, Imager::DTP::Letter

cpanm Imager::DTP::Line

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install Imager::DTP::Line