Braille UTF8

konsumer

I am trying to port this to godot and having some issues.

Basic idea is that each square on a grid has 2 braille characters that make up shape of walls. It ends up like this:

⡏⠉⠉⠉⣉⣉⣉⣹⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⠉⢹⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⠉⢹
⡇⢸⡇⢸⡏⠉⠉⢹⣇⣀⣉⣉⠉⢹⣏⣉⠉⢹⣇⣀⣀⣸⡏⠉⠉⢹⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣹⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣀⣸
⡇⢸⣇⣀⣀⣸⣇⣀⣉⣉⠉⢹⣇⣀⠉⢹⡇⠀⠉⢹⡏⠉⠀⢸⣇⣀⣀⣸⡏⠉⠉⢹⣇⣀⣉⣉⣉⣉⠉⢹
⡇⢸⣏⣉⣉⣉⠉⢹⡏⠉⣀⣀⠉⢹⣇⣀⣀⣸⡇⢸⣇⣸⡇⠀⣉⣉⣉⣉⣀⣸⣇⣀⣉⣉⠉⠉⣉⣹⡇⢸
⣇⣀⣉⣉⠉⢹⡇⢸⣇⣀⠉⢹⣇⣀⠉⠉⣉⣹⣇⣀⠉⢹⡇⠀⣉⣹⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⠉⢹⡇⢸⡏⠉⠀⢸
⡏⠉⣉⣹⡇⢸⡇⢸⡏⠉⣀⣸⣏⣉⣀⣸⡏⠉⣉⣉⣀⣸⣇⣸⡏⠉⣀⣸⣏⣉⣉⣉⣀⣀⠀⢸⡇⢸⡇⢸
⡇⠀⣉⣉⣀⣸⡇⢸⡇⢸⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣀⣸⣏⣉⠉⠉⣉⣉⣀⣸⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⠉⢹⡇⢸⡇⢸⡇⢸
⣇⣀⣉⣉⣉⣉⠀⢸⣇⣀⣀⣸⣏⣉⠉⠉⠉⠉⣉⣉⣀⣸⡏⠉⣉⣉⣀⣸⡏⢹⡏⠉⣀⣸⣇⣸⡇⢸⡇⢸
⡏⢹⡏⠉⠉⢹⡇⢸⡏⠉⠉⢹⡏⠉⠀⢸⣇⣸⡏⠉⠉⢹⡇⢸⣏⣉⠉⠉⠀⢸⡇⢸⣏⣉⠉⠉⣀⣸⣇⣸
⡇⢸⡇⢸⣇⣀⣀⣸⡇⢸⡇⠀⣀⣸⣇⣸⡏⠉⣀⣸⣇⣀⣀⣸⡏⠉⣀⣸⣇⣸⣇⣀⠉⢹⣇⣀⣉⣉⠉⢹
⡇⠀⣀⣸⡏⠉⠉⢹⡇⢸⣇⣸⡏⠉⠉⢹⣇⣀⠉⢹⣏⣉⣉⣉⣀⣀⠉⠉⣉⣉⠉⢹⣇⣀⣉⣉⣉⣉⣀⣸
⣇⣀⠉⢹⡇⢸⡇⠀⣀⣸⡏⠉⣀⣸⣇⣀⠉⢹⡇⢸⡏⠉⣉⣉⠉⢹⣇⣀⣉⣹⡇⠀⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⠉⢹
⡏⢹⣇⣀⣀⣸⡇⢸⣏⣉⣀⣸⣏⣉⠉⢹⣇⣀⣀⣸⡇⢸⣏⣉⣀⣀⣉⣉⠉⢹⡇⢸⡏⠉⠉⢹⡏⠉⣀⣸
⡇⠀⠉⢹⡏⠉⣀⣸⡏⠉⣉⣉⠉⢹⡇⢸⡏⠉⣉⣉⣀⣀⠉⢹⡏⠉⣉⣉⣀⣸⡇⠀⣀⣸⡇⢸⣇⣀⣉⣹
⡇⢸⡇⢸⣇⣀⣉⣉⣀⣸⡏⠉⣀⣸⡇⢸⡇⢸⡏⠉⣉⣹⡇⢸⡇⢸⡏⠉⣉⣹⡇⠀⣉⣹⣇⣀⠉⠉⠉⢹
⡇⢸⣇⣀⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣀⣸⡏⠉⣀⣸⡇⠀⣀⣸⡏⠉⣀⣸⡇⢸⣇⣀⣉⣉⣀⣸⡏⠉⠉⢹⣇⣸⡇⢸
⣇⣀⠉⢹⣏⣉⣉⣉⠉⠉⠉⢹⣇⣀⣉⣉⣀⣸⡏⠉⣀⣸⡏⢹⣇⣀⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣀⣸⡇⢸⡏⠉⣀⣸
⡏⢹⡇⢸⡏⠉⣉⣉⣀⣸⣇⣀⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣀⣸⡏⠉⠀⢸⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣉⣀⣸⣇⣀⠉⢹
⡇⢸⡇⢸⡇⢸⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⠉⢹⡏⠉⣉⣉⣉⣉⠀⢸⣇⣸⡇⢸⡏⠉⣉⣉⠉⢹⣏⣉⠉⠉⣉⣉⠀⢸
⣇⣀⣀⣀⣀⣸⣇⣀⣉⣉⣉⣹⣇⣀⣀⣀⣉⣉⣉⣹⣇⣀⣉⣉⣀⣀⣀⣸⣏⣉⣀⣀⣉⣉⣀⣸⣏⣉⣀⣸

I think I have the maze-representation covered (using an array of int-arrays, with bitmask for closed doors)

My problem is just printing the characters. Here is my code:

# utility function to set an array of bit-flags
func setbits(x, pa):
	for p in pa:
		var hasbit = fposmod(x, p + p) >= p
		x = x if hasbit else x + p
	return x

func to_braille():
	var result = ""
	for y in range(height):
		for x in range(width):
			var block = [0x2800, 0x2800]
			if is_closed(Vector2(x, y), N):
				block[0] = setbits(block[0], [0x01, 0x08])
				block[1] = setbits(block[1], [0x01, 0x08])
			if is_closed(Vector2(x, y), S):
				block[0] = setbits(block[0], [0x40, 0x80])
				block[1] = setbits(block[1], [0x40, 0x80])
			if is_closed(Vector2(x, y), E):
				block[1] = setbits(block[1], [0x08, 0x10, 0x20, 0x80])
			if is_closed(Vector2(x, y), W):
				block[0] = setbits(block[0], [0x01, 0x02, 0x04, 0x40])
			result += char(block[0]) + char(block[1])
		result += "\n"
	return result

I verified the setbits part is working by printing the block ints it ends up with then doing String.fromCharCode(10489) (as an example) in a javascript console, which correctly makes this: ⣹ the problem is that I can't get godot to print these mazes. Is it a limitation of the console? My eventual goal is to put this in a Label which also seems to not work:

konsumer

As a sidenote the code-formatting doesn't get braille right exactly, either (adds a bunch of blank lines) It looks like this in sublime-text or terminal:

Another side-note: I also can't paste them into a godot code window (like as a comment) so maybe the whole thing is just a dead path.

Another side-note: It seems to work if I run it from console (I should have tried it first) here it is in my terminal, with all doors closed:

So, I guess the question I am left with is "Does Label support braille characters?"

TwistedTwigleg

Welcome to the forums @konsumer!

I do not think the built-in Godot font supports Braille characters, which is why you are getting the symbol with a question mark in it and why its not appearing correctly in the Label node. If you have a font that includes the characters though, then I think it should work. You just will need to give the Label a custom font in the node inspector. This tutorial on KidsCanCode shows how to set a custom font.

Also, a question: is this topic, UTF8 Braille characters, a duplicate? They seem similar, but I’m not 100% sure.

konsumer

You just will need to give the Label a custom font in the node inspector.

Ah! Perfect. I will set a dynamic font that has it, and report back. Thanks!

Also, a question: is this topic, UTF8 Braille characters, a duplicate? They seem similar, but I’m not 100% sure.

Yep, sorry, it didn't seem like it posted. I can't see how to delete it. Can you do that?

konsumer

You just will need to give the Label a custom font in the node inspector.

Hmm, so I switched my godot editor code-font to the same one I use in terminal & sublime (fira code nerd font), and I still can't paste braille into the text editor.

As a minimal test, I added a Label, also gave it that font, and wrote code like this:

func _ready():
	print(char(10489))
	$Label.text = "here:" + char(10489)

and I didn't see it in godot output window (but it did show in terminal) it also did not seem to add it to label.

Here is the game-window using the font, but no braille:

Here is my terminal:

I tested on macOS and Ubutnu 20.10, same issue.

konsumer

It seems specific to braille, like I can print (and paste into editor) special nerd-font icons from my terminal, now that is set to my code font, and they work fine.

And here is game-window showing icons, but no braille:

konsumer

Huh, maybe something else is happening in terminal & sublime, because I found this issue which implies nerd fonts don't have it built in (even though it works for me, outside of godot.) I tried the linked UTF Braille and it worked!

So it basically works, but not quite as easily as easily as it does in other places (unless I patch the editor-font to also include braille.) Thanks for your help!

konsumer

With a little spacing adjustment, it looks great. This is in the game window: