# mapGen.sh

A shellscript to make grid maps from text input.

![Simple map example](examples/simpleBig.jpg)

```
xxxxx
xGGxx
xxooG
xxGox
xxxxx
```

## Dependencies

- A POSIX-compliant shell (`bash`, `dash`, `sh`, `zsh`)
- [ImageMagick](https://imagemagick.org/index.php)
- Tools expected in a Unix environment: `grep`, `sed`, `awk`

## Motivation

Using Vim as a map maker.

## Concept

Given a text input in which each character represents a cell, have a script draw that map.

`mapGen.sh` takes as input a text file or standard input which ideally has a block of characters of
any size but of rectangular shape with no missing ones. It also takes a folder in which tile images
are supposed to be. For each character in the input it randomly takes one image in that folder which
name starts with that character and composes it into the map image with the help of the `convert`
command from ImageMagick.

## Examples

![Cave dungeon example](examples/caveBig.jpg)

![Tiled dungeon example](examples/tiledDungeonBig.jpg)

Both images obtained from the same input:

```
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXooooooooXXXXXX
XXXXXXoooooooooXXXXX
XXXXXXooooooooooooXX
XXXXCDooooooooooooDX
XXXXXXooooooooooooXX
XXXXXXooooooooooooXX
XXXXXXoooooooooXXXXX
XXXXXXooooooooXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXSXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXooooXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXooooooXXXXXXX
XXXXXXooooooooXXXXXX
XooooXoooCooooXooooX
XoCooXooooooooXooooX
XooooXooooooooXooooX
XooooXXooooooXXooooX
XooooXXXooooXXXooooX
XooooXXXXooXXXXooooX
XXXoXXXXXooXXXXXooXX
XXXoXXXXooooXXXXooXX
XXXoooooooooooooooXX
XXXXXXooooooooooooXX
XXXXXXXXooooXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXooXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXooXXXXXXXXX
```

Note that for the second image a different folder with some missing tiles where used (no tiles
starting by D or S). Absent tiles are skipped. This allows for different inputs to be used as
layers: one could have the map and other add annotations to cells by using tiles with transparency,
for example. Note that the target file will only be created if it did not exist and will be drawn on
top if it did exist.

![Unix rules! example](examples/banner.jpg)

```
figlet -f banner 'Unix Rules!' | tr ' #' 'Xo' | mapGen.sh -f dg
```

## Usage

```
mapGen.sh [-s SIZE] [-f TILE_FOLDER] [-o OUTPUT_FILE] [SOURCE_FILE]
```

Where

- `SIZE` is the side of the tile images in pixels (default 8),
- `TILE_FOLDER` is the folder where the tile images are stored (default `./tiles`),
- `OUTPUT_FILE` is the path to the resulting image (default `out.jpg`),
- and `SOURCE_FILE` is the text file with the layout of the map.

If `SOURCE_FILE` is not provided standard input will be used.

## Possibilities

The direct mapping of characters in text file to beginning of tile image name gives flexibility to
either choose characters easy to read on the file or to use characters directly taken from the
image names for easier memorization. Either way, the "configuration" of the relationship is
trivial and freely customizable.

For the examples I used tiles of 8x8 pixels, but other styles could be attained by using bigger
ones. Note that there is no logic for relative location of tiles.