Handling Text and Fonts in Graphic LCD

ProGFX supports advance function to draw text on graphical LCD screen. ProGFX support multiple fonts, fonts with variable width characters, absolute pixel based positioning, and utility function to get the dimension of text in any specified font. The last feature is used to cleanly position text relative to other graphic and text objects on screen. So lets get started.

First you will need a tool that will help convert any Windows Font to ProGFX compatible format. Thanks to Mr. F. Maximilian Thiele we have a great tool called Font Creator. You can download it from here.

It is a Java application so you need the Java Runtime to use it. Launch the app using start.bat file. You will get a screen similar to this.

GLCD Font Creator Main Screen

Font Creator Main Screen

From file menu select "New Font" , and configure the New Font Dialog as follows.

New Font Dialog

  • Name = Arial12
  • Import Font = Arial
  • Size =12

And click ok.

From Export Menu Select "Export Font", Give it the name "Arial12.h" while saving.

Create a Atmel Studio Project with GFX Support. The steps are given in the following tutorials.

Name the AVR Studio Project as "FontDemo". Open the project folder in Windows Explorer (or My Computer) and create a new folder inside it called "fonts". This folder will hold all fonts used by our project. Copy the font that you have just created (Arial12.h) to this folder. The following example program illustrate the use of custom fonts.


1     /******************************************************************************
2
3     ProGFX Example Programs
4     ***********************
5
6        Example to demonstrate the use of custom fonts.
7
8     Website:
9        http://www.ProGFX.org
10
11    Hardware:
12       AVR ATmega32 @ 16MHz
13       Fuse High = 0xC9 Low=0xFF
14
15    Compiler:
16       avr-gcc
17       http://winavr.sourceforge.net/
18
19    Project Manager:
20       AVR Studio 4.17 Build 666
21
22
23
24    Copyright:
25       (C) 2008-2011 eXtreme Electronics
26       www.eXtremeElectronics.co.in
27
28    Author:
29       Avinash Gupta
30       me@avinashgupta.com
31       http://www.avinashgupta.com
32
33    ******************************************************************************/
34
35    #include <gfx.h>
36    #include <font.h>
37
38    //Our newly created Arial12 Font
39    #include "fonts/Arial12.h"
40
41    void main()
42    {
43       //Initialize the ProGFX Engine
44       GFXInit();
45
46       //Select a Font
47       GFXSetFont(Arial12);
48
49       //Write Some Text to the screen
50       GFXWriteStringXY(1,1,"This is Arial12 Font !",GFX_COLOR_BLACK);
51
52       //Now Write the buffer to actual screen
53       GFXUpdate();
54
55       //Wait Forever
56       while(1);
57
58    }

Copy/Paste the above program in FontDemo.c file. Build and run the program. You will get a screen similar to this.

GLCD Font Demo

GLCD Font Demo

 

Before you can use any custom font you need to include it in your main program. It is done in line 39 of above program.

#include "fonts/Arial12.h"

Then in line 47 we select this font as an active font. This is done by using the Function

GFXSetFont();

The parameter is the name of the font. In our case while creating the font we used the name "Arial12" so we call as

GFXSetFont(Arial12);

This sets Arial12 as active font and all the drawing will be done using this font.

We write some text to the screen using a call to

GFXWriteStringXY(1,1,"This is Arial12 Font !",GFX_COLOR_BLACK);

The first parameter is the x co-ordinate of the text, second is y, third is the text to draw, the fourth is the color in which to draw.

Using Multiple Fonts

You can use many different fonts in the same program. Create two more fonts using the Font Creator as described above. You can select any font you like. In this example I will create two more fonts with the following style.

  • Font Name: Comic24
    • Windows Font name = Comic Sans MS
    • Size 24
    • Bold = Yes
  • Font Name Times18
    • Windows Font Name = Times New Roman
    • Size 18
    • Italic = Yes

Create a new project named "MultiFont" using AVR Studio with ProgGFX support. Inside the project folder create a new folder called "fonts". Put all three fonts created inside it. In the "MultiFont.c" file copy/paste the following code.


1     /******************************************************************************
2
3     ProGFX Example Programs
4     ***********************
5
6        Example to demonstrate the use of multiple custom fonts. Draws some text
7        using three different fonts.
8
9     Website:
10       http://www.ProGFX.org
11
12    Hardware:
13       AVR ATmega32 @ 16MHz
14       Fuse High = 0xC9 Low=0xFF
15
16    Compiler:
17       avr-gcc
18       http://winavr.sourceforge.net/
19
20    Project Manager:
21       AVR Studio 4.17 Build 666
22
23
24
25    Copyright:
26       (C) 2008-2011 eXtreme Electronics
27       www.eXtremeElectronics.co.in
28
29    Author:
30       Avinash Gupta
31       me@avinashgupta.com
32       http://www.avinashgupta.com
33
34    ******************************************************************************/
35
36    #include <gfx.h>
37    #include <font.h>
38
39    //Fonts
40    #include "fonts/Arial12.h"
41    #include "fonts/Comic24.h"
42    #include "fonts/Times18.h"
43
44    void main()
45    {
46       uint8_t y=1;
47
48       //Initialize the ProGFX Engine
49       GFXInit();
50
51       //Select a Font
52       GFXSetFont(Arial12);
53
54       //Write Some Text to the screen
55       GFXWriteStringXY(1,y,"This is Arial12 Font !",GFX_COLOR_BLACK);
56
57       //Calculate new line co-ordinates
58       y+=GFXGetCharHeight();
59       y+=2;//go down two more pixel
60
61       //Select a Font
62       GFXSetFont(Comic24);
63
64       //Write Some Text to the screen
65       GFXWriteStringXY(1,y,"Comic24 !",GFX_COLOR_BLACK);
66
67       //Calculate new line co-ordinates
68       y+=GFXGetCharHeight();
69       y+=2;//go down two more pixel
70
71       //Select a Font
72       GFXSetFont(Times18);
73
74       //Write Some Text to the screen
75       GFXWriteStringXY(1,y,"This is Times18 !",GFX_COLOR_BLACK);
76
77       //Now Write the buffer to actual screen
78       GFXUpdate();
79
80       //Wait Forever
81       while(1);
82
83    }

Build and run the program. You will get output similar to this.

GLCD Multi Font Demo

GLCD Multi Font Demo

 

Downloads

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Avinash

Avinash Gupta is solely focused on free and high quality tutorial to make learning embedded system fun !

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24 thoughts on “Handling Text and Fonts in Graphic LCD

  • Pingback: Interfacing Graphical LCD with AVR MCU | eXtreme Electronics

  • Pingback: Interfacing Graphical LCD with AVR MCU - Part II | eXtreme Electronics

  • Pingback: Interfacing KS0108 based 128x64 Graphical LCD with AVR Microcontroller. | eXtreme Electronics

  • By john - Reply

    char LCD graphic LCD but when you add more usefull
    IR RC5 sender and receiver :)???

  • By Tilda Zumsteg - Reply

    Have your thought of adding some social bookmark buttons to your web site web site? No less than add one for Digg so we will digg you up!

  • By prashant - Reply

    gr8 infn was provided above………
    actuall iam doin a project “wheel chair control using touch screen”
    can i use this graphic lcd as touch screen ??????
    is graphic lcd n touch screen same or different???

    after creating different figures on the graphic lcd,
    if we touch one figure based on dat voltage i will move my protoype left….
    if we touch other figure right….lik dat front,back,stop…..
    can i do this……..iam doing in arm 7 ctrlr……any suggestions???

  • By theking - Reply

    hey man, if i want to go about using this on a pic 18f microcontroller but using the same ks0108 based 128×64 lcd . could you tell me what i specifically need to change in the library. thanks.

    • By Avinash - Reply

      @theking,

      PIC18 build of library NOT available yet.

  • By Abhay Egoor - Reply

    Hi Avinash,

    Any update on the PIC18 Build of the ProGFX lib yet??

    Thank you.

  • By vishu - Reply

    hey avinash excellent work
    plz tell me that can i use this library with atmega 16
    since everytime i compile it it will result in insufficient data (sram) memory

    • By Avinash - Reply

      @Vishu
      I don’t know why you are knowingly creating problems ?

      If its clearly written that use ATmega32 then why are you using ATmega16?

      I have told it need more than 1K RAM to run.

  • By pratham - Reply

    how to include unicode fonts..?
    like i wanted to display in DEVNAGRI script or hindi script…..?

  • By surya - Reply

    sir,
    i’m not able to install the font creator software, i tried installing the latest version of java, but still i’m not able to install..
    my PC is running on windows 7 home premium edition..

    could you please help me on installing this..
    i got my GLCD working from your tutorials, thank you!

  • By shailesh - Reply

    sir
    how to put integer with decimal point
    routines have a void GFXWriteIntXY(UINT8 x,UINT8 y,INT16 val,INT8 feild_length,UINT8 color) only this function.
    please help me .

    • By shaileh - Reply

      i will find solusation from cc dharmani project for decimal point on glcd.

      unsigned char valueDisplay;
      unsigned char valueDisplay[]= ” . “;
      InitADC();
      adc1=ReadADC(0);
      temp=(adc1);
      valueDisplay[3] = ((unsigned char)(temp%10)) | 0x30;
      temp=temp/10;
      valueDisplay[1] = ((unsigned char)(temp%10)) | 0x30;
      temp=temp/10;
      valueDisplay[0] = ((unsigned char)(temp%10)) | 0x30;
      temp=temp/10;
      GFXSetFont(Mono12);
      GFXWriteStringXY(45,5,valueDisplay,GFX_COLOR_BLACK);

      • By Avinash -

        @Shailesh
        Nows thats how programmer should think ! Good you found out solution to problem rather than asking me! Thats whats engineers are supposed to do ! Great ! Keep it up ! 🙂 Rarely I get people like you, all others are mostly eating my head !

  • By Pallavi N - Reply

    Hey… very useful tutorials……. v need to interface atmega16 with glcd….. pls do help us

  • By mitl - Reply

    hiii………. i got some idea about graphic LCD code….. i m in last sem of EC engineering……. in my project we use graphic LCD for display parameters of the green house parameter…. can u help me? i want code for this project…. how i make….

  • By Mohammad Ahmad - Reply

    Can I use this Program to create Custom Fonts For vga Monitor interfaced By Avr to generate vga signal and print Texts with Different Fonts ?
    i mean , Does the Font Creating or design Depend on the Display or The controller ?!

    • By Avinash - Reply

      @Mohammad Ahmad,

      It is so simple ! Just have a look at the generated font file and guess it your self.
      Generated font is is pixel information, thus does NOT in any way depends on the display controller.

      So can be used with VGA or any other displays or printer too !

      • By Mohammad Ahmad -

        I Tried That but with no Success
        I feel that still Miss Understanding in the Concept of Generating Text Itself
        so I asked You about that First

  • By Mohammad Ahmad - Reply

    Could I Use The Same Concept of Generating Text with Different Fonts on Graphical LCD
    to Display on Vga Monitor except the Instructions Related to the Graphical It self Certainly
    ?

  • By Akhtar Nadaf - Reply

    I have downloaded GLCD Font Creator zip, but it doesnot show any .exe file , please help.

  • By chandan negi - Reply

    how to download progfx driver???

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