Font-via-LocalizationHook-CE

Font tooling for the TI-84 Plus CE based on the localization hook. This repository contains multiple coordinated tools: font pack builders, a viewer/installer, and BASIC-callable helper utilities.

Overview

The project centers on a shared hook format stored in calculator variables. The tools in this repository either:

• Generate font packs from TTF files (.8xp standalone or .8xv resource)
• Preview and install/uninstall font packs on-calc
• Let TI-BASIC programs load or edit font data

Tools at a Glance

Tool	Purpose	Typical input	Typical output	Details
ttf2calc_cli	Scripted font pack builder	.ttf + encoding JSON	.8xp / .8xv in build/	ttf2calc_cli/readme.md
ttf2calc_gui	Interactive font editor/exporter	.ttf + project (.cefont)	.8xp / .8xv in build/	ttf2calc_gui/README.md
viewer	On-calc browser/preview/install tool	Archived font variables	viewer/bin/FONTVIEW.8xp	viewer/readme.md
floadb	BASIC-callable font installer/uninstaller	Str0 font name/path	Ans result code	floadb/readme.md
feditb	BASIC-callable glyph read/write utility	Str0, Ans, [J]	updated [J], Ans	feditb/readme.md

Quick Start

1) Build a font package from TTF (CLI)

cd ttf2calc_cli
python builder.py MYFONT
python builder.py --resource MYFONT

MYFONT is required. builder.py defaults to standalone .8xp mode when no mode flag is provided. You can override packer defaults with builder flags.

2) Build a font package with GUI

cd ttf2calc_gui
python main.py

Use the UI to configure large/small variants and export.

3) Preview/install packs on calculator

Transfer viewer/bin/FONTVIEW.8xp and your generated font files, then run FONTVIEW on calculator.

4) Use from TI-BASIC

• Install/uninstall a font from BASIC: floadb
• Read/write glyph bitmaps from BASIC: feditb

See each tool README for full I/O and examples.

Repository Layout

Folder	Purpose
build/	Shared output directory for generated calculator files
examples/	Example prebuilt font files (.8xp, .8xv)
fonts/	Source TTF inputs used by builder tools
include/	Assembly include headers (ti84pce.inc, macros)
lib/	Shared assembly components
tools/	Shared helper scripts and bundled assembler executables
ttf2calc_cli/	Command-line TTF-to-pack workflow
ttf2calc_gui/	GUI workflow for editing/exporting packs
viewer/	CE C viewer/installer application
floadb/	BASIC-callable font loader utility
feditb/	BASIC-callable font glyph editor utility

Common Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+ (CLI/GUI scripts)
• Pillow (pip install pillow)
• fontTools (pip install fonttools) for GUI
• CE C Toolchain (for rebuilding viewer, verified buildable with v12.1)
• spasm-ng for pack assembly:
  • Bundled paths include:
    • Windows: tools/spasm/win/spasm.exe
    • Linux: tools/spasm/linux/spasm
    • macOS (x64): tools/spasm/osx/spasm
  • Optional override: SPASM_NG_PATH
  • Fallback accepted by GUI export: spasm-ng or spasm from PATH

Build and Test Notes.

• Most generated artifacts are written to build/ at repository root. (Notably, the artifacts for viewer do not appear in that folder.)
• feditb and floadb include TI-BASIC hardware test programs in each project's tests/ folder.
• viewer and calculator-facing programs should be validated on real hardware (or emulator) after transfer.

Status

• CLI and GUI export to .8xp and .8xv are implemented.
• GUI C export targets are placeholders.

License

See LICENSE.