The bitmap program is a rudimentary tool for creating or editing
rectangular images made up of 1's and 0's. Bitmaps are used in X for
defining clipping regions, cursor shapes, icon shapes, and tile and
stipple patterns.
The bmtoa and atobm filters convert bitmap files
to and from ASCII strings. They are most commonly used to
quickly print out bitmaps and to generate versions for including in text.
Command line options
bitmap supports the standard X Toolkit command line arguments
(see X(1)). The following additional arguments are supported as well.
-sizeWIDTHxHEIGHT
Specifies size of the grid in squares. The size is specified as two numbers
separated by an ``x''.
-swdimension
Specifies the width of squares in pixels.
-shdimension
Specifies the height of squares in pixels.
-gtdimension
Grid tolerance. If the square dimensions fall below the specified
value, grid will be automatically turned off.
-grid, +grid
-gridon | off
Turns the grid lines on or off.
-axes, +axes
-axeson | off
Turns the major axes on or off.
-dashed, +dashed
-dashedon | off
Turns dashing for the frame and grid lines on or off.
-stippled, +stippled
-stippledon | off
Turns stippling of highlighted squares on or off.
-proportional, +proportional
-proportionalon | off
Turns proportional mode on or off. If proportional mode is on,
square width is equal to square height. If proportional mode is
off, bitmap will use the smaller square dimension, if they
were initially different.
-dashesfilename
Specifies the bitmap to be used as a stipple for dashing.
-stipplefilename
Specifies the bitmap to be used as a stipple for highlighting.
-hlcolor
Specifies the color used for highlighting.
-frcolor
Specifies the color used for the frame and grid lines.
filename
Specifies the bitmap to be initially loaded into the program.
If the file does not exist, bitmap will assume it is a new file.
basename
Specifies the basename to be used in the C code output file.
If it is different than the basename in the working file, bitmap
will change it when saving the file.
bmtoa accepts the following option:
-charscc
This option specifies the pair of characters to use in the string version
of the bitmap. The first character is used for 0 bits and the second character
is used for 1 bits. The default is to use dashes ``-'' for 0's and sharp signs
``#'' for 1's.
atobm accepts the following options:
-charscc
This option specifies the pair of characters to use when converting string
bitmaps into arrays of numbers. The first character represents a 0 bit and
the second character represents a 1 bit. The default is to use dashes ``-''
for 0's and sharp signs ``#'' for 1's.
-namevariable
This option specifies the variable name to be used when writing out the
bitmap file. The default is to use the basename of the filename command
line argument or leave it blank if the standard input is read.
-xhotnumber
This option specifies the X coordinate of the hotspot. Only positive values
are allowed. By default, no hotspot information is included.
-yhotnumber
This option specifies the Y coordinate of the hotspot. Only positive values
are allowed. By default, no hotspot information is included.
Usage
bitmap displays grid in which each square represents a single
bit in the picture being edited. Actual size of the bitmap image, as
it would appear normaly and inverted, can be obtained by pressing ``Meta-I''
key. You are free to move the image popup out of the way to
continue editing. Pressing the left mouse button in the popup window
or ``Meta-I'' again will remove the real size bitmap image.
If the bitmap is to be used for defining a cursor, one of the squares
in the images may be designated as the hot spot. This determines
where the cursor is actually pointing. For cursors with sharp tips
(such as arrows or fingers), this is usually at the end of the tip;
for symmetric cursors (such as crosses or bullseyes), this is usually
at the center.
Bitmaps are stored as small C code fragments suitable for including in
applications. They provide an array of bits as well as symbolic
constants giving the width, height, and hot spot (if specified) that
may be used in creating cursors, icons, and tiles.
Editing
To edit a bitmap image simply click on one of the buttons with drawing
commands (Point, Curve, Line, Rectangle, and so on.) and move the
pointer into the bitmap grid window. Press one of the buttons on your
mouse and the appropriate action will take place. You can either set,
clear or invert the gird squares. Setting a grid square corresponds
to setting a bit in the bitmap image to 1. Clearing a grid square
corresponds to setting a bit in the bitmap image to 0. Inverting a
grid square corresponds to changing a bit in the bitmap image from 0 to
1 or 1 to 0, depending what its previous state was. The
default behavior of mouse buttons is as specified below.
MouseButton1
Set
MouseButton2
Invert
MouseButton3
Clear
MouseButton4
Clear
MouseButton5
Clear
This default behavior can be changed by setting the button function
resources. An example is provided below.
bitmap*button1Function: Set
bitmap*button2Function: Clear
bitmap*button3Function: Invert
and so on.
The button function applies to all drawing commands, including copying,
moving and pasting, flood filling and setting the hot spot.
Drawing commands
Here is the list of drawing commands accessible through the
buttons at the left side of the application's window. Some commands
can be aborted by pressing ``A'' inside the bitmap window,
allowing the user to select different guiding points where applicable.
Clear
This command clears all bits in the bitmap image. The grid squares
will be set to the background color. Pressing ``C'' inside the bitmap
window has the same effect.
Set
This command sets all bits in the bitmap image. The grid squares
will be set to the foreground color. Pressing ``S'' inside the bitmap
window has the same effect.
Invert
This command inverts all bits in the bitmap image. The grid squares
will be inverted appropriately. Pressing ``I'' inside the bitmap window
has the same effect.
Mark
This command is used to mark an area of the grid by dragging out a
rectangular shape in the highlighting color. Once the area is marked,
it can be operated on by a number of commands (see Up, Down, Left,
Right, Rotate, Flip, Cut, and so on) Only one marked area can be present
at any time. If you attempt to mark another area, the old mark will
vanish. The same effect can be achieved by pressing ``<Shift>-MouseButton1''
and dragging out a rectangle in the grid window.
Pressing ``<Shift>-MouseButton2'' will mark the entire grid area.
Unmark
This command will cause the marked area to vanish. The same effect can
be achieved by pressing ``<Shift>-MouseButton3''.
Copy
This command is used to copy an area of the grid from one location to
another. If there is no marked grid area displayed, Copy
behaves just like Mark described above. Once there is a marked
grid area displayed in the highlighting color, this command has two
alternative behaviors. If you click a mouse button inside the marked
area, you will be able to drag the rectangle that represents the
marked area to the desired location. After you release the mouse
button, the area will be copied. If you click outside the marked
area, Copy will assume that you wish to mark a different region of
the bitmap image, thus it will behave like Mark again.
Move
This command is used to move an area of the grid from one location to
another. Its behavior resembles the behavior of Copy command,
except that the marked area will be moved instead of copied.
Flip Horizontally
This command will flip the bitmap image with respect to the horizontal axes.
If a marked area of the grid is highlighted, it will operate only
inside the marked area. Pressing ``H'' inside the bitmap window has the
same effect.
Up
This command moves the bitmap image one pixel up.
If a marked area of the grid is highlighted, it will operate only
inside the marked area. Pressing ``UpArrow'' inside the bitmap window has the
same effect.
Flip Vertically
This command will flip the bitmap image with respect to the vertical axes.
If a marked area of the grid is highlighted, it will operate only
inside the marked area. Pressing ``V'' inside the bitmap window has the
same effect.
Left
This command moves the bitmap image one pixel to the left.
If a marked area of the grid is highlighted, it will operate only
inside the marked area. Pressing ``LeftArrow'' inside the bitmap window has
the same effect.
Fold
This command will fold the bitmap image so that the opposite corners
become adjacent. This is useful when creating bitmap images for
tiling. Pressing ``F'' inside the bitmap window has the same effect.
Right
This command moves the bitmap image one pixel to the right.
If a marked area of the grid is highlighted, it will operate only
inside the marked area. Pressing ``RightArrow'' inside the bitmap window
has the same effect.
Rotate Left
This command rotates the bitmap image 90 degrees to the left (counter
clockwise.)
If a marked area of the grid is highlighted, it will operate only
inside the marked area. Pressing ``L'' inside the bitmap window has the
same effect.
Down
This command moves the bitmap image one pixel down.
If a marked area of the grid is highlighted, it will operate only
inside the marked area. Pressing ``DownArrow'' inside the bitmap window
has the same effect.
Rotate Right
This command rotates the bitmap image 90 degrees to the right (clockwise.)
If a marked area of the grid is highlighted, it will operate only
inside the marked area. Pressing ``R'' inside the bitmap window has the
same effect.
Point
This command will change the grid squares underneath the mouse pointer if
a mouse button is being pressed down. If you drag the mouse button
continuously, the line may not be continuous, depending on the speed of your
system and frequency of mouse motion events.
Curve
This command will change the grid squares underneath the mouse pointer if
a mouse button is being pressed down. If you drag the mouse button
continuously, it will make sure that the line is continuous. If your system
is slow or bitmap receives very few mouse motion events, it might
behave quite strangely.
Line
This command will change the gird squares in a line between two squares.
Once you press a mouse button in the grid window, bitmap will
highlight the line from the square where the mouse button was initially
pressed to the square where the mouse pointer is located. By releasing the
mouse button you will cause the change to take effect, and the highlighted
line will disappear.
Rectangle
This command will change the gird squares in a rectangle between two squares.
Once you press a mouse button in the grid window, bitmap will
highlight the rectangle from the square where the mouse button was initially
pressed to the square where the mouse pointer is located. By releasing the
mouse button you will cause the change to take effect, and the highlighted
rectangle will disappear.
Filled Rectangle
This command is identical to Rectangle, except at the end the
rectangle will be filled rather than outlined.
Circle
This command will change the gird squares in a circle between two squares.
Once you press a mouse button in the grid window, bitmap will
highlight the circle from the square where the mouse button was initially
pressed to the square where the mouse pointer is located. By releasing the
mouse button you will cause the change to take effect, and the highlighted
circle will disappear.
Filled Circle
This command is identical to Circle, except at the end the
circle will be filled rather than outlined.
Flood Fill
This command will flood fill the connected area underneath the mouse
pointer when you click on the desired square. Diagonally adjacent
squares are not considered to be connected.
Set Hot Spot
This command designates one square in the grid as the hot spot if this
bitmap image is to be used for defining a cursor. Pressing a mouse button
in the desired square will cause a diamond shape to be displayed.
Clear Hot Spot
This command removes any designated hot spot from the bitmap image.
Undo
This command will undo the last executed command. It has depth one,
that is, pressing Undo after Undo will undo itself.
File menu
The File menu commands can be accessed by pressing the File
button and selecting the appropriate menu entry, or by pressing <Ctrl> with
another key. These commands deal with files and global bitmap
parameters, such as size, basename, filename and so on.
New
This command will clear the editing area and prompt for the name of
the new file to be edited. It will not load in the new file.
Load
This command is used to load a new bitmap file into the bitmap editor.
If the current image has not been saved, user will be asked whether to
save or ignore the changes. The editor can edit only one file at a
time. If you need interactive editing, run a number of editors and
use cut and paste mechanism as described below.
Insert
This command is used to insert a bitmap file into the image
being currently edited. After being prompted for the filename,
click inside the grid window and drag the outlined rectangle to the
location where you want to insert the new file.
Save
This command will save the bitmap image. It will not prompt for the
filename unless it is said to be <none>. If you leave the filename
undesignated or ``-'', the output will be piped to stdout.
Save As
This command will save the bitmap image after prompting for a new
filename. It should be used if you want to change the filename.
Resize
This command is used to resize the editing area to the new number of
pixels. The size should be entered in the WIDTHxHEIGHT
format. The information in the image being edited will not be lost
unless the new size is smaller that the current image size. The editor
was not designed to edit huge files.
Rescale
This command is used to rescale the editing area to the new width and
height. The size should be entered in the WIDTHxHEIGHT
format. It will not do antialiasing and information will be lost if you rescale to the
smaller sizes. Feel free to add you own algorithms for better rescaling.
Filename
This command is used to change the filename without changing the basename
nor saving the file. If you specify ``-'' for a filename, the output will
be piped to stdout.
Basename
This command is used to change the basename, if a different one from
the specified filename is desired.
Quit
This command will terminate the bitmap application. If the file was
not saved, user will be prompted and asked whether to save the image
or not. This command is preferred over killing the process.
Edit menu
The Edit menu commands can be accessed by pressing
the Edit button and selecting the appropriate menu entry, or by
pressing Meta key with another key. These commands deal with editing
facilities such as grid, axes, zooming, cut and paste, and so on.
Image
This command will display the image being edited and its inverse in its
actual size in a separate window. The window can be moved away to continue
with editing. Pressing the left mouse button in the image window will
cause it to disappear from the screen.
Grid
This command controls the grid in the editing area. If the grid spacing
is below the value specified by gridTolerance resource (8 by default),
the grid will be automatically turned off. It can be enforced by explicitly
activating this command.
Dashed
This command controls the stipple for drawing the grid lines. The stipple
specified by dashes resource can be turned on or off by activating this
command.
Axes
This command controls the highlighting of the main axes of the image
being edited. The actual lines are not part of the image. They are
provided to aid user when constructing symmetrical images, or whenever
having the main axes highlighted helps your editing.
Stippled
This command controls the stippling of the highlighted areas of the
bitmap image. The stipple specified by stipple resource can be turned on
or off by activating this command.
Proportional
This command controls the proportional mode. If the proportional mode
is on, width and height of all image squares are forced to be equal,
regardless of the proportions of the bitmap window.
Zoom
This command controls the zoom mode. If there is a marked area of the
image already displayed, bitmap will automatically zoom into it. Otherwise,
user will have to highlight an area to be edited in the zoom mode and
bitmap will automatically switch into it. One can use all the editing
commands and other utilities in the zoom mode. When you zoom out, undo
command will undo the whole zoom session.
Cut
This commands cuts the contents of the highlighted image area into the
internal cut and paste buffer.
Copy
This command copies the contents of the highlighted image area into the
internal cut and paste buffer.
Paste
This command will check if there are any other bitmap applications with
a highlighted image area, or if there is something in the internal cut
and paste buffer and copy it to the image. To place the copied image,
click in the editing window and drag the outlined image to the position
where you want to place it, and then release the button.
Cut and paste
bitmap supports two cut and paste mechanisms; the internal cut and
paste and the global X selection cut and paste. The internal cut and
paste is used when executing copy and move drawing commands and also
cut and copy commands from the edit menu. The global X selection cut
and paste is used whenever there is a highlighted area of a bitmap
image displayed anywhere on the screen. To copy a part of image from
another bitmap editor simply highlight the desired area by using the
Mark command or pressing the <Shift> key and dragging the area with the
left mouse button. When the selected area becomes highlighted, any
other applications (such as xterm, and so on.) that use
primary selection will discard their selection values and unhighlight the
appropriate information. Now, use the Paste command for the Edit
menu or control mouse button to copy the selected part of image into
another (or the same) bitmap application. If you attempt to do this
without a visible highlighted image area, the bitmap will fall back to the
internal cut and paste buffer and paste whatever was there stored at the
moment.
Widgets
Below is the widget structure of the bitmap
application. Indentation indicates hierarchical structure. The
widget class name is given first, followed by the widget instance
name. All widgets except the bitmap widget are from the standard
Athena widget set.
Bitmap bitmap
TransientShell image
Box box
Label normalImage
Label invertedImage
TransientShell input
Dialog dialog
Command okay
Command cancel
TransientShell error
Dialog dialog
Command abort
Command retry
TransientShell qsave
Dialog dialog
Command yes
Command no
Command cancel
Paned parent
Form formy
MenuButton fileButton
SimpleMenu fileMenu
SmeBSB new
SmeBSB load
SmeBSB insert
SmeBSB save
SmeBSB saveAs
SmeBSB resize
SmeBSB rescale
SmeBSB filename
SmeBSB basename
SmeLine line
SmeBSB quit
MenuButton editButton
SimpleMenu editMenu
SmeBSB image
SmeBSB grid
SmeBSB dashed
SmeBSB axes
SmeBSB stippled
SmeBSB proportional
SmeBSB zoom
SmeLine line
SmeBSB cut
SmeBSB copy
SmeBSB paste
Label status
Pane pane
Bitmap bitmap
Form form
Command clear
Command set
Command invert
Toggle mark
Command unmark
Toggle copy
Toggle move
Command flipHoriz
Command up
Command flipVert
Command left
Command fold
Command right
Command rotateLeft
Command down
Command rotateRight
Toggle point
Toggle curve
Toggle line
Toggle rectangle
Toggle filledRectangle
Toggle circle
Toggle filledCircle
Toggle floodFill
Toggle setHotSpot
Command clearHotSpot
Command undo
Colors
If you would like bitmap to be viewable in color, include the following
in the #ifdef COLOR section of the file you read with xrdb:
*customization: -color
This will cause bitmap to pick up the colors in the app-defaults color
customization file:
/usr/lib/X11/app-defaults/Bitmap-color
Bitmap widget
Bitmap widget is a stand-alone widget for editing raster images. It
is not designed to edit large images, although it may be used in that
purpose as well. It can be freely incorporated with other
applications and used as a standard editing tool. The following are
the resources provided by the bitmap widget.
Bitmap Widget
Header file Bitmap.h
Class bitmapWidgetClass
Class Name Bitmap
Superclass Bitmap