Ruby ASCIImage tools
This project includes an ASCIImage parser in Ruby, and a script that uses the parser to convert ASCIImages to SVG.
ASCIImage
The ASCIImage format has been developed as an alternative, simple way to create small icons on iOS and OS X using NSStrings. The original code can be found here.
Principles
The principles of an ASCIImage are the following:
-
an ASCIImage is a sequence of equal-length lines, filled by pixels;
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all whitespace is ignored, but pixels should be equally spaced;
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pixels can be marked or unmarked; marks are numbered according to the system 1, 2, …, 9, A, B, …, Z, a, b, …, n, p, …, z i.e. all digits, uppercase and lowercase letters, with the exception of 0 (zero) and o (lowercase letter o); anything else is an unmarked pixel;
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a path is defined by consecutive marks (no gaps), or repeated/isolated marks:
- single-instance consecutive marks indicate a polygon;
- double marks indicate invidual straight lines;
- marks repeated more than once denote an ellipse inscribed in the rectangular convex hull of the repeated marks;
- isolated marks denote individual pixels;
SVG conversion
To convert an ASCIImage to an SVG, the following conventions are applied:
- each pixel row/column of the ASCIImage is assumed to be made of 10 SVG units;
- each mark is placed at the center of the pixel, i.e. at
rc*10 + 5SVG units;