Simplifying code when "drawing" shapes?

cerement · 10-30-10, 02:07 PM

I'm wondering what "best practices" are when drawing single color lines and rectangles.

Standard method is the usual: create a master frame, create the texture(s), size, position, SetTexture, SetVertexColor:

lua Code:

local mmBackdrop = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, Minimap)
local mmBG = mmBackdrop:CreateTexture(nil, "ARTWORK", mmBackdrop)
 
mmBG:SetSize(Minimap:GetWidth() +  6, Minimap:GetHeight() + 6)
mmBG:SetPoint("CENTER", Minimap, "CENTER", 0, 0)
mmBG:SetTexture("Interface\\Buttons\\WHITE8x8")
mmBG:SetVertexColor(0, 0, 0, 0.6)

But the description of :SetTexture() on WoWWiki and WoWProgramming mentions that :SetTexture() can take either "texture" as an argument or R,G,B[,A] as an argument, shortening things by one line. But I've found out that if I have multiple textures attached to a frame, at least one needs to be "seeded" with a "texture", otherwise the rest won't show correctly. So, instead of writing the whole thing as :SetTexture(R, G, B [,A]), I have to do something like the following:

lua Code:

mmBGT:SetTexture("Interface\\Buttons\\WHITE8x8")
mmBGT:SetVertexColor(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8)
 
mmBGR:SetTexture(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8)
 
mmBGB:SetTexture(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8)
 
mmBGL:SetTexture(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8)

Is there a way around this "seeding" process or do I start risking things being a little inconsistent? Should I just stick with the classic :SetTexture("texture"), :SetVertexColor(R, G, B [,A]) combination to keep things clean and avoid any risk of things messing up?

Mischback · 10-30-10, 05:40 PM

If you don't specify a texture but rgba-values, the whole texture will be colored solidly (regarding the alpha, of course).

So, for example

lua Code:

local f = CreateFrame('Frame')
f:SetWidth(200)
f:SetHeight(200)
f:SetPoint('CENTER')
 
f.t = CreateTexture(nil, 'ARTWORK', f)
f.t:SetAllPoints(f)
f.t:SetTexture(1, 0, 0, 1)

this will create a 200x200px frame in the middle of the screen, colored red.

**Seerah** · 10-30-10, 06:48 PM

You don't need to "seed" or set a texture file. If colors are given instead, it's just colored solid with that color, as already mentioned.

What exactly do you mean by "the rest won't show correctly"?

cerement · 10-31-10, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by Seerah

What exactly do you mean by "the rest won't show correctly"?

Just that exactly.

From the larger example below, there's five textures:
1 medium-transparent black rectangle, and
4 mostly-opaque medium-gray "lines" (one on each edge)

With the first rectangle specified with :SetTexture("texture"), :SetVertexColor(R, G, B, [,A]) as below, all five shapes show up correctly. But if I change the :SetTexture() to using R, G, B [,A] and remove the :SetVertexColor(), then the first gray rectangle shows up, but the four lines do not show up.

lua Code:

local mmBackdrop = CreateFrame("Frame", nil, Minimap)
mmBackdrop:SetFrameLevel(max(1, Minimap:GetFrameLevel()-2))
 
local mmBG = mmBackdrop:CreateTexture(nil, "ARTWORK", mmBackdrop)
 
mmBG:SetSize(Minimap:GetWidth() +  6, Minimap:GetHeight() + 6)
mmBG:SetPoint("CENTER", Minimap, "CENTER", 0, 0)
-- this works
mmBG:SetTexture("Interface\\Buttons\\WHITE8x8")
mmBG:SetVertexColor(0, 0, 0, 0.6)
-- but if I used the following line, then the later artwork doesn't show
-- mmBG:SetTexture(0, 0, 0, 0.6)
 
local mmBGT = mmBackdrop:CreateTexture(nil, "ARTWORK", mmBackdrop)
local mmBGR = mmBackdrop:CreateTexture(nil, "ARTWORK", mmBackdrop)
local mmBGB = mmBackdrop:CreateTexture(nil, "ARTWORK", mmBackdrop)
local mmBGL = mmBackdrop:CreateTexture(nil, "ARTWORK", mmBackdrop)
 
mmBGT:SetSize(mmBG:GetWidth() - 2, 1)
mmBGT:SetPoint("TOP", mmBG, "TOP", 0, -1)
mmBGT:SetTexture(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8)
 
mmBGR:SetSize(1, mmBG:GetHeight() - 2)
mmBGR:SetPoint("RIGHT", mmBG, "RIGHT", -1, 0)
mmBGR:SetTexture(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8)
 
mmBGB:SetSize(mmBG:GetWidth() - 2, 1)
mmBGB:SetPoint("BOTTOM", mmBG, "BOTTOM", 0, 1)
mmBGB:SetTexture(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8)
 
mmBGL:SetSize(1, mmBG:GetHeight() - 2)
mmBGL:SetPoint("LEFT", mmBG, "LEFT", 1, 0)
mmBGL:SetTexture(0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.8)

(and yes, I know it's easier to do all this with one :SetBackdrop(), this was just a proof of concept)

**Seerah** · 10-31-10, 03:57 PM

The third arg for CreateTexture is an optional template to inherit from. You have it inheriting from you mmBackground frame. If you remove that, then your code works perfectly.

/edit: http://wowprogramming.com/docs/widge.../CreateTexture

cerement · 10-31-10, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by Seerah

If you remove that, then your code works perfectly.

Gah! Thanks! That's what I get for copy-pasting code without checking it ...