IENJINIA CharEditor FAQ

1. What is the IENJINIA CharEditor?

   The IENJINIA CharEditor is a utility you can use to edit the character generator map used in the IENJINIA Virtual Console to create the graphics for the video games you write in the IENJINIA Devkit.

2. Where can I download the IENJINIA CharEditor?

   You can download it here.

3. How do I install the IENJINIA CharEditor?

   First you must unzip the file you downloaded (this is done automatically on Mac OS X when the download finishes). On Windows you can use a program like WinZip. On Linux you can use the unzip command in a shell window.

   The IENJINIA CharEditor is a Java program so you also need to have Java installed in your machine. You must have Java version 1.4.2.

   On most modern Windows computers Java is already preinstalled. If it isn't you can download it here.

   On Mac OS X you always have Java. If you don't have the correct version (1.4.2) click on the apple at the left of your menu bar and select Software Update... to install the latest version.

   On Linux you can download Java from here.

4. How do I run the IENJINIA CharEditor?

   The program for the IENJINIA CharEditor is in a file named chareditor.jar. In Windows and Mac OS X just double click on it, to run the IENJINIA CharEditor (you might want to drag the file to your desktop to make it easier to find later on).

   On Linux, type this command in a shell window:

   java -jar chareditor.jar
   

5. What are the different parts of the IENJINIA CharEditor for?

   On lower left side you have the Character Selector. You use it to:

   • Select one of the 256 characters as the Current Character
   • Copy the current character

   At the bottom, slightily to the right, you have the Color Chooser. Yo use it to:

   • Select one of the 16 character colormap colors as the Current Color
   • Modify the current color

   On the upper right side you have the Screen Editor. You use it to:

   • "Paint" the screen with the current character

   On the upper left side you have the Character Map Editor. You use it to:

   • Modify de pixel map for the characters on the screen editor

6. How do I set one of the 16 colors I want to use for the character colormap?

   Click on one of the 16 squares in the color chooser. Then use the three sliders labeled Red, Green and Blue to set it to the color you want.

7. How do I place a character in the screen editor?

   Click on the character you want in the character selector, this will become your current character. Then click (or click and drag) on the screen editor at the location where you want to place the current character.

8. How do I modify the pixel map for a character?

   Place the character you want to modify in the screen editor. Then select the color you want to use in the color chooser. Next, use the scrollbars in the character map editor to bring into view the character you want to modify. Click (or click and drag) in the character map editor on the pixels you want to change.

9. How do I make a copy of a character?

   Select the character you want to copy in the character selector. Then right click, also in the character selector, at the location where you want to place the copy. The copy becomes the current character.

10. What are the buttons at the right of the character selector for?

    You can use them to flip or rotate the pixel map for the current character.

11. In what format does the IENJINIA CharEditor save my data?

    It is a binary file designed to be easy to read by the IENJINIA Devkit and the IENJINIA Virtual Console:

    • The first 32 bytes contain the 16 colors for the character colormap
    • Then there are 8,192 bytes with the pixel maps for each of the 256 characters
    • Finally, there are 768 (32x24) bytes with the screen data

    The colormap and pixel maps are stored in the format required by the IAVC. For more information see HARDWARE.TXT.

12. How do I use the file I created with the IENJINIA CharEditor in my game?

    Save the file in the directory for your project. Then use this code in your program to read it and store the data in the IAVC:

    final CHARS_CMAP = 0x800;
    final CHARS_MAP = 0x2000;
    
    // Read artwork file (created with CharEditor)
    cmap = readFile("data.cmap");
    
    // Copy to characters colormap
    arrayPoke(CHARS_CMAP, cmap, 0, 32);
    
    // Copy to characters map
    arrayPoke(CHARS_MAP, cmap, 32, 8192);
    
    // Copy to screen
    screenData = 8192 + 32;
    for (i = 0; i < 24; i++)
        arrayPoke(64 * i, cmap, screenData + i * 32, 32);