Slow typing function

Scripting Issues
1

Hi again Panda Forum!!! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

I’m working on a “slow motion typing” function to display text in the screen like in almost every game with text dialogues between two or more character.

This is the code I have done so far:

from panda3d.core import TextNode
from direct.showbase.ShowBase import ShowBase
from direct.stdpy.file import *
from direct.task import Task
import direct.directbase.DirectStart

import sys


class texto(ShowBase):

  def __init__(self):

    self.c = 0
    self.x = 0
    self.bool = 1

    # Setup a TextNode
    self.text = TextNode('node name')
    self.text.ALeft
    self.text.setWordwrap(25.0)
    self.text.setText("Press space to load the text!")

    # Get textNodePath to make some basic transformations
    self.textNodePath = aspect2d.attachNewNode(self.text)
    self.textNodePath.setScale(0.07)
    self.textNodePath.setPos(-0.9, 0, -0.5)

    # Open a text file for reading
    self.textFile = open("text.txt")

    self.lines = self.textFile.readlines()

    # Close the file --IMPORTANT--
    self.textFile.close()


    # The method readlines() provide us with a list of lines from a specified file, but with null characters like "\n"
    # Thats why we have to remove them manually with this function (defined bellow)
    self.lines = self.nonull(self.lines)




    # Accept the "escape" key to close the program
    self.accept("escape", sys.exit)

    self.accept("a", self.printLines)

    self.accept("space", self.displayText, [self.text, self.lines])

  # Just an auxiliar function for testing
  def printLines(self):
    print self.lines
    print self.lines[0][4]
    print len(self.lines[self.x])

  # Function to remove the "\n"s from all lines
  def nonull(self, lines):
    return [line.replace("\n", "") for line in lines]

  def displayText(self, textNode, lines):
    if self.bool:
      self.bool = 0
      textNode.setText("")
      taskMgr.add(self.sloMoText, "slow motion text")




  def sloMoText(self, task):
    # This sentece set the time between "typings"
    if task.time < 0.05:

      return task.cont
    if self.c < len(self.lines[self.x]):
      self.text.appendText(self.lines[self.x][self.c])
      # Go to the next character in the line
      self.c += 1
    else:
      self.c = 0
      self.bool = 1
      # Go to the next line in the file
      if self.x < (len(self.lines)-1):
        self.x += 1
      else:
        self.x = 0
      return task.done
    return task.again
    


texto = texto()
run()

Note that you need a text.txt in the same folder with several lines of text, and the function will read the lines in the file, store them in a list, and then print them in “slow motion” by pressing space.

My question here is: Is there a better way to do this?? :question: :question: :question:

I presume that yes :slight_smile:

When this is enough “polished” I’ll post it in the snippet section. :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Thanks in advance!! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

EDIT: 1) Changed the title for a no misleading one! :slight_smile:
2) Added a line to the code that close the file after reading it.

2

Not too sure about your code for the slow motion typing, I didn’t look at it, but I’ll tell you that when you use packp3d to make a .p3d file from your project, you can no longer use python’s open function to open something inside the .p3d.

You might find this page helps you.
panda3d.org/manual/index.php/File_Reading

Only had a minute or two to reply, sorry I couldn’t add more information.

3

Thanks for your reply :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

And yes, I know that after using packp3d to make a .p3d file the python file managing functions doesn’t work any more. That’s why I’m using the panda3D’s file modules!! :wink:

from direct.stdpy.file import *

Thanks for your time! :smiley: :smiley:

BTW: 1) I’ll found that we have to close the files manually before close our program; I have just added those lines to the original code! :slight_smile:
2) After some sleep :laughing: I figured out that the title is a little misleading. . . I’ll change it to a more according title. :slight_smile: