NAME

Games::Console - provide a 2D quake style in-game console

SYNOPSIS

	use Games::Console;

	my $console = Games::Console->new(
	  font => $font_object,
	  background_color => [ 1,1,0],
	  background_alpha => 0.4,
	  text_color => [ 1,1,1 ],
	  text_alpha => 1,
          speed => 50,			# in percent per second
	  height => 50,			# fully opened, in percent of screen
	  width => 100,			# fully opened, in percent of screen
	  backbuffer_size => 100,	# keep so many messages
	  prompt => ' >',
	  cursor => '_',
	);

	$console->screen_width($width);
	$console->screen_height($height);
	$console->toggle($current_time);
	$console->message('Hello there!');
	$console->input('a');

EXPORTS

Exports nothing on default.

DESCRIPTION

This package provides you with a quake-style console for your games. The console gathers messages and let's you scroll trough them. It also can display a command line.

This package is just a base class setting up everything, but doesn't actually render anything.

See Games::Console::SDL and Games::Console::OpenGL for subclasses that implement the actual rendering to the screen via SDL and OpenGL, respectively.

METHODS

new()

my $console = Games::Console->new( $args );

Create a new console. Typically, you have only one.

$args is a hash ref containing the following keys:

logfile			where to log messages
loglevel		the log level (e.g. what to log)
text_color		color of output text as array ref [r,g,b]
text_alpha		blend font over background for semitransparent
background_color	color of background as array ref [r,g,b]
background_alpha	blend console background over screen background

message()

$console->message($message);

Append a message to the console's buffer.

render()

$console->render ( $current_time );

If the console is currently visible, render it.

add_input()

$console->add_input('a');

Add the text to the current input line (e.g. what is displayed after the prompt). See also input().

input()

$current_input = $console->input();
$console->input('foo');

Get or set the contents of the current input line (e.g. what is displayed after the prompt). See also input().

Example usage after user pressed enter:

$console->message( $console->input() );
$console->input('');

backspace()

$console->backspace();

Erases the last charcter from the current input buffer, unless the buffer is empty. Returns the current input buffer after the operation.

text_color()

$rgb = $console->text_color();		# [$r,$g, $b ]
$console->color(1,0.1,0.8);		# set RGB

Sets the color of the text output.

background_color()

$rgb = $console->background_color();	# [$r,$g, $b ]
$console->background_color(1,0.1,0.8);	# set RGB

Sets the color of the background output. See also background_alpha().

text_alpha()

        $a = $console->text_alpha();	# $a
        $console->alpha(0.8);		# set A
        $console->alpha(undef);		# set's it to 1.0 (seems an OpenGL
					# specific set because
					# glColor($r,$g,$b) also sets $a == 1

Sets the alpha value of the rendered text output.

background_alpha()

$a = $console->background_alpha();	# $a
$console->background_alpha(0.8);	# set A

Sets the alpha value of the background (e.g. make it semi-transparent or opaque).

speed()

$s = $console->speed();		# in percent
$console->color(20);		# set new speed (means 5 seconds time)

Gets/sets the opening/closing speed in percent per second, e.g. 25 means 100/25 = 4 seconds time.

cursor()

$s = $console->cursor();	# get cursor string
$console->cursor('_');		# set new cursor

Get/sets the string used as cursor.

prompt()

$s = $console->prompt();	# get prompt string
$console->prompt('_');		# set new prompt string

Get/sets the string used as prompt.

backbuffer_size()

$s = $console->backbuffer_size();	# so many lines
$console->backbuffer_size(20);		# keep 20

Sets the number of lines in the backbuffer, e.g. how many of the last message lines are kept by the console.

close()

$console->close();

Starts closing the console. See open() and toggle().

open()

$console->open();

Starts opening the console. See close() and toggle().

toggle()

$console->toggle($current_time);

Toggles the console on or off. See open() and close().

visible()

$console->visible();
$console->visible(1);

Makes the console immidiately visible or invisible, unlike open(), close() or toggle(), which gradually move the console in or out.

scroll()

$console->scroll(-1);
$console->scroll(1);
$console->scroll(+2);

Scroll the console'soutput by so many lines up or down (to access the backbuffer via SHIFT+CURSOR_UP, for instance). See also offset().

offset()

my $offset = $console->offset();

Return the current offset. See scroll().

messages()

my $msgs = $console->messages();

Return number of message-lines in backbuffer.

clear()

$console->clear();

Erase all message-lines in the backbuffer, e.g. clear it.

KNOWN BUGS

None yet.

AUTHORS

(c) 2003,2006 Tels <http://bloodgate.com/>

SEE ALSO

Games::3D, SDL:App::FPS, and SDL::OpenGL.