2.8 tile (pattern)

{ export | reexport } tile <Identifier> <tileSpec> | <variantDef> <scaleMode>

tileSpec ::= <tileBitmap> | "<file path>" | "<graphics resource>" { scale | 
		noscale | numscale | propscale | dpiscale } { smooth }
 

tileBitmap ::= <x>, <y>,
               "<pattern line>"
           [ , "<pattern line>" ]

variantDef ::=
{
           0 :  <tileSpec> 
  [ <number> :  <tileSpec> ]
}

For the definition of variants it is recommended to always define a variant with the number 0, since this is the default variant if no variant, a non-existent variant, or an invalid variant is set. The other numbers may be arbitrary natural numbers.

The tile variant to be used can be set with the command line option -IDMtile when starting the application. During runtime of the application it can be queried and set with the .tile attribute of the setup object.

2.8.1 Internal pattern (Bitmap)

<x> and <y> represent the number of pixels in horizontal and vertical direction. Width (<x>) and height (<y>) may be chosen arbitrarily.

<pattern line> denotes a string of <x> characters in which each character represents one pixel of the tile. Only rectangular tiles are possible, therefore exactly <y> pattern lines with <x> characters each have to be defined.

The pattern lines consist of the characters period (.) space ( ) and hash (#), which have the following meaning:

.

#

Example for the Definition of an Internal Pattern

tile TiGray 16, 16,
  "# # # # # # # # ",
  " # # # # # # # #",
  "# # # # # # # # ",
  " # # # # # # # #",
  "# # # # # # # # ",
  " # # # # # # # #",
  "# # # # # # # # ",
  " # # # # # # # #",
  "# # # # # # # # ",
  " # # # # # # # #",
  "# # # # # # # # ",
  "# # # # # # # # ",
  " # # # # # # # #",
  "# # # # # # # # ";

Note for Qt:

When using an internal pattern as a menu or notepage images please note that the scalestyle_none does not lead to a real 1:1 pixel representation as using an image file.

We advise against using internal patterns as window icons, because it can lead to faulty interactions when used in parallel with other object classes, such as menus.

2.8.2 External pattern

With the definition using a file name (including path), the IDM assumes that the definition of the tile is in a separate graphics file. The IDM loads the corresponding file and displays its contents using the system functions of the respective toolkit. Therefore it depends on the platform which graphics formats can be displayed.

The following table shows which graphics formats are supported on each platform:

Table 20-4: Graphics formats supported by the tile resource

The definition using a graphics resource is only supported by the IDM for Windows. The identifiers IDM_AppIcon and IDM_DefIcon of the resources defined in the IDM libraries may be used here (see also attribute .icon in the “Attribute Reference”).

Additionally, on Microsoft Windows, the following identifiers for predefined bitmap resources of the system can be specified:

Note

When specifying an external file, it is recommended not to define the absolute path but rather to use an environment variable, e.g. "IDM_IMAGEPATH:Check.gif".

Other graphics formats can be processed using a self-implemented graphics handler (GFX handler; see function DM_PictureHandler in manual “C Interface - Functions”).

2.8.3 Scaling

By specifying a scalestyle in the tile definition, the tile or picture will be resized to fit the available space according to specific criteria.

The .scalestyle attribute determines the type of scaling of the pattern or image.

Best practice: If possible, patterns should already be available in the correct or used size, as any scaling is associated with a loss of sharpness or richness of detail.

2.8.4 Smooth Scaling

Scaling pixel images is usually necessary to display images in the desired size on the user interface or to prepare images for the current scaling level of the desktop.

By default, the IDM uses the fastest scaling algorithm, "Nearest Neighbor," for this scaling or image transformation. This algorithm duplicates existing pixel values ​​(when enlarging) or omits pixels (when shrinking).

By using the smooth keyword on the tile resource, you can explicitly switch to an interpolating scaling algorithm for this tile. This algorithm calculates missing pixels from neighboring pixels or "computes" multiple pixels when resizing.

Both scaling algorithms have their advantages and disadvantages and should be chosen according to the image content as well as the possible scaling sizes.

Example

For optimal image quality, it's recommended to provide images in multiple sizes or scaling levels. This can be done as a resource variant, as a HiDPI image variant using @nx-additional images (n = 2...9), or, on Windows, as an icon resource with multiple image variants. Alternatively, vector images in SVG format are also recommended.

2.8.5 Dynamically Changeable Attributes

The modifiable attributes can be found in the following table. It should be noted that .name on the one hand and .width, .height and .pattern on the other hand are mutually exclusive, so that get leads to a can't get value error message.

For variant tile resources, the attributes of the current tile variant are accessed; the current variant can be queried and set using the .tile attribute of the setup object.

Table 20-5: Modifiable attributes of the tile resource

2.8.6 SVG Support

On Windows and Qt, the tile resource now also supports vector images in SVG format.

2.8.6.1 Notes for Qt

The .svg file extension is recognized as a SVG image format and vector-based drawing is used when displaying it in the various objects. This ensures the best possible reproduction of vector images for applications that are displayed on HiDPI screens.

For performance reasons, the pixel-based proxy image is used when drawing background tiles of grouping objects in the tilestyle_tiled style.

Installation note: The Qt package qt5-qtsvg must already be installed in order to make the corresponding SVG support library available and to ensure that an IDM application can be started.

2.8.6.2 Notes for Windows

Microsoft Direct2D is used to ensure the support of graphic formats. The SVG support of Microsoft Direct2D depends on the Microsoft Windows version. As of the Windows 10 Creators Update, support is provided in a limited form.

It is recommended to only use icon definitions with the same color depth in an icon file or icon resource, because it cannot be guaranteed that the image with the higher color depth will be used if the image size is the same. If different color depths are required, use a second icon file or icon resource and utilize the IDM's variant mechanism.

As Direct2D package uses different scaling methods than the Windows GDI, patterns (images) that need to be scaled for display may look different than in the previous versions of the IDM. This applies in particular to patterns that are used as window icons or as images in the treeview and notepage objects, as Microsoft Windows requires the icon data type here. It is recommended to use an icon file or an icon resource for treeview and notepage objects and window icons.

The SVG support with Microsoft Direct2D

Support depends on the Microsoft Windows version. As of the Windows 10 Creators Update, the following SVG elements and attributes are supported:

SVG presentation attributes

- clip-path

- clip-rule

- color

- display

- fill

- fill-opacity

- fill-rule

- opacity

- overflow

- stop-color

- stop-opacity

- stroke

- stroke-dasharray

- stroke-dashoffset

- stroke-linecap

- stroke-linejoin

- stroke-miterlimit

- stroke-opacity

- stroke-width

- visibility

Supported length units

The user-space length values and percentage length values as well as absolute unit identifiers: px, pt, pc, cm, mm and in.

Image sources

The image element is only supported if its xlink:href attribute is set to a base64-encoded Image.

See also: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/direct2d/svg-support

Also see A.06.03.a