Blender VSE Preview Text Editor #112698

New Issue

klauwier · 2023-09-22T05:03:33+02:00

klauwier commented

2023-09-22 05:03:33 +02:00

Why VSE Preview Text Editor should be implemented

It's hard to use text strips in cases such:

Long center or right-aligned text because there is only left alignment;
Text where important words should be marked with bold/italic/color/etc. effects;
Texts with titles.

Text strips will require using more than one of them or creating images with text in image redactors.

We intend to add basic text editor options to make it easier to use Blender for simple text formatting cases.

Our text editing options will be in the preview window so there will be a clear distinction between sequencer text options like color and size that can change over time, and static effects such as bold, font, etc.

Text editor features

Effects that are set for the whole text strip and may be changed in time:
(all already implemented in the text strip)

Wrap width;
Size;
Color;
Shadow;
Box and Box margin;
Layout.

Extensions that we want to implement:

Support for multiple lines.
Text effects that can be set differently for each symbol:
bold, italic, strikethrough, underline, etc.
Spacing options that can be set for each paragraph (or the text strip).
Effects that can be set differently for each paragraph (or the text strip).
1. Alignment;
2. [Possible] Kerning.
[Possible] Fonts can be set differently for each symbol with a limit on the number of fonts.
1. Consider creating a predefined set of fonts for use in the Blender document.
2. It’s a good idea to add some “i” near the Font settings with information about a font number limit.
3. Styles that can be saved and reused, similar to titles and headers in common text editors.

Roadmap

There is no specific time for testing because it has to be done every time a feature is implemented before assuming it's done.

Phase 1, preparation:

Implement the basic part for GUI in the preview window of the VSE. The style may be partly taken from 3D
GUI will:
1. Show the text in an expanding window with a height limit and a scroll bar.
2. Copy-paste bold and italic effects for the entire text strip. These effects will be used in the next phase.

Phase 2, editing with selection:

Implement support for multiple lines.
Implement the text editing with selection for bold and italic effects.

Phase 3, alignment:

Implement alignment and spacing.

Phase 4, effects:

Implement all remaining effects that can be set differently for each symbol.
Implement all remaining effects that can be set differently for each strip/paragraph.
Implement fonts per character, if we will find a nice way to use this feature.

Phase 6:

Submit PR.
Fix PR after review.

# Why VSE Preview Text Editor should be implemented It's hard to use text strips in cases such: 1. Long center or right-aligned text because there is only left alignment; 2. Text where important words should be marked with bold/italic/color/etc. effects; 3. Texts with titles. Text strips will require using more than one of them or creating images with text in image redactors. We intend to add basic text editor options to make it easier to use Blender for simple text formatting cases. Our text editing options will be in the preview window so there will be a clear distinction between sequencer text options like color and size that can change over time, and static effects such as bold, font, etc. # Text editor features Effects that are set for the whole text strip and may be changed in time: _(all already implemented in the text strip)_ 1. Wrap width; 2. Size; 3. Color; 4. Shadow; 5. Box and Box margin; 6. Layout. Extensions that we want to implement: 1. Support for multiple lines. 2. Text effects that can be set differently for each symbol: bold, italic, strikethrough, underline, etc. 3. Spacing options that can be set for each paragraph (or the text strip). 4. Effects that can be set differently for each paragraph (or the text strip). 1. Alignment; 2. [Possible] Kerning. 5. [Possible] Fonts can be set differently for each symbol with a limit on the number of fonts. 1. Consider creating a predefined set of fonts for use in the Blender document. 2. It’s a good idea to add some “i” near the Font settings with information about a font number limit. 3. Styles that can be saved and reused, similar to titles and headers in common text editors. # Roadmap There is no specific time for testing because it has to be done every time a feature is implemented before assuming it's done. Phase 1, preparation: 1. Implement the basic part for GUI in the preview window of the VSE. The style may be partly taken from 3D GUI will: 1. Show the text in an expanding window with a height limit and a scroll bar. 2. Copy-paste bold and italic effects for the entire text strip. These effects will be used in the next phase. Phase 2, editing with selection: 1. Implement support for multiple lines. 2. Implement the text editing with selection for bold and italic effects. Phase 3, alignment: 1. Implement alignment and spacing. Phase 4, effects: 1. Implement all remaining effects that can be set differently for each symbol. 2. Implement all remaining effects that can be set differently for each strip/paragraph. 3. Implement fonts per character, if we will find a nice way to use this feature. Phase 6: 1. Submit PR. 2. Fix PR after review.

klauwier added the

Type

Design

label 2023-09-22 05:03:33 +02:00

klauwier changed title from ~~Blender VSE Text Editor~~ to Blender VSE Preview Text Editor

2023-09-22 05:21:28 +02:00

RedMser commented

2023-09-22 13:06:38 +02:00

Support for multiple lines.

FYI, this just seems to be an issue with the current UI not allowing you to enter a newline symbol or escape sequence. If you run something like C.scene.sequence_editor.sequences_all["Text"].text = "abcd\nefg" in a script editor, you'll see that multiple lines already work as expected.

Phase 6 - Submit PR

Wouldn't it be possible to release this feature in smaller PRs, leaving out less critical features for later?
Not only to allow earlier testing of the basic features, but also to avoid reviewing a huge block of code all at once.

> Support for multiple lines. FYI, this just seems to be an issue with the current UI not allowing you to enter a newline symbol or escape sequence. If you run something like `C.scene.sequence_editor.sequences_all["Text"].text = "abcd\nefg"` in a script editor, you'll see that multiple lines already work as expected. > Phase 6 - Submit PR Wouldn't it be possible to release this feature in smaller PRs, leaving out less critical features for later? Not only to allow earlier testing of the basic features, but also to avoid reviewing a huge block of code all at once.

Iliya Katushenock added the

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Blender VSE Preview Text Editor #112698

Why VSE Preview Text Editor should be implemented

Text editor features

Roadmap