Welcome to Plinth!

Plinth is a small library of classes and functions that help with generic tasks by providing string manipulation, multiple interpolation methods, animation tracks, simple random number generator, cubic Bezier calculator, multiple types (including Vector, Range, Lax) and more, including specific SFML stuff such as: extended list of named colours, common anchors of objects, image manipulation and even more!

Many of the simpler functions are now constexpr, allowing them to be used within other constexpr expressions!

• Generic
  All functions are templated.
  Fully templated inclusion. Includes common functions such as min, max, swap, toggle, ordering two values and reading an integer from a series of bytes

• Lax
  Fully templated. Defines a less strict replacement type for any other standard number type. Lax has an internal epsilon, which can be changed per object, that it takes into account when comparing two values (two laxes or a lax and a standard number). This way, floating point types can be checked for equality. The underlying value type is chosen by template parameter. Lax adds the mod operator (%) that allows it to also be used by floating point types. Lax can also convert between different types automatically.

• Vectors
  Fully templated. Defines vector types: Vector2 and Vector3, which can have any component type. They have alias shortcuts for doubles, floats, unsigned ints, signed ints, double-based Laxes and float-based Laxes. Vectors can be constructed: as zero (by default), as a copy of another vector of similar type, as a copy of another vector of a different type (automatically casted) or from a single value that populates all components equally. Vectors can also be set by their polar values - length/magnitude and angle/direction. Length and angle can also be set individually without affecting the other; the current length and angles can also be retured. Unit (normalised) vector can also be returned as well as the dot product with another vector. Vector3 also provides cross product with another vector.

• Ranges
  Fully templated. Defines range types: Range (one-dimensional) and RangeArea (two-dimensional), which can have any component type. They have a number of useful methods such as three different clamps (clamp doesn't allow a value to be outside of the range), contains (tests to see if a value is in a range), overlaps (tests to see if another range overlaps the range)

• Sizes
  Fully templated. Defines simple, light-weight struct types: Size2 (contains x and y components) and Size3 (contains x, y and z components). Vectors and Ranges can convert to and from Sizes. Alias shortcuts do not include signed ints as a size cannot be negative. Sizes have a method to get the overall size: Size2 has getArea() and Size3 has getVolume()

• Ascii
  List of constants for ascii codes. Multiple definitions based on the chosen list.

• Bezier
  Templated class.
  Performs cubic bezier calculations using four control points.

• Color
  Colour classes/structs that include manipulation and conversion between types. Types include RGB, CMYK, HSL, and HSV. Rgb type can provide its relative luminance, its hex value, and can be constructed from: any other type in this inclusion, a value (including hexadecimals constants e.g. 0xffff00), a hexademical string, or a random colour (two types - rand()-based and Plinth's own Random-based)

• File
  Functions for basic loading and saving of - or just retrieving the size of - text or binary files.

• Indexed Map
  Templated class.
  Container to allow an indexed map. Similar to std::map but also allows access through indices.

• Math
  All functions are templated.
  Some generic mathematical functions and constants. Defines pi (as a double), and some other typed versions, converts radian to degrees and vice versa, returns the modulus of a floating point division, calculates the dot product of any matching pair of vectors, calculates the average (mean) of a pair of - or a vector of - values, rounds to the given number of decimal places, provides integer power.

• Number Base
  Converts from decimal (int) to hexadecimal (string) and vice versa.

• Random
  Small static class that generates random numbers within a given range. A Distribution can be stored and re-used (for extra speed on repetitive ranges) or a temporary range can be specified at the time of generating a value. Uses <random> library and is set to Mersenne Twister 19937.

• String From
  Returns a string representation of a value in many types including: Vectors, Ranges, Sizes, Laxes, pointers and bool, converts const char* to a string and, for everything not defined, returns the result of its std::to_string(). For number types, including Laxes, a parameter can be included to specify the decimal precision. Decimal Precision is a tiny struct that defines the value and type of the precision. The type can be None (default when not specified), Decimal Places (default when a value is specified) or Significant Figures.

• Strings
  String manipulation functions such as: upper and lower case conversion, capitalisation, padding (left and/or right), trimming (left and/or right), replacing characters, "passwordify" a string, test if alphanumeric, concatenate a vector of strings into one string, formatting a string, add brackets/bookends around a string.

• Tween
  All functions are templated.
  A number of different interpolation functions. Interpolates any type as long as they can use the required operators on the required types. Linear requires only multiplication with a POD (alpha) and addition to its own type. Eases in, out, or both.

• Tween Piecewise
  Templated class.
  Allows piecewise linear interpolation of standard or custom types.

• Tween Track
  Templated class.
  Allows piecewise linear, Bezier (easing) or step interpolation of types that are castable to double. Each node can have custom easing settings. Useful for individual parameters. Complex/custom types can be represented using multiple tracks, or Tween Tracks (TweenTrack2/TweenTrack3) - see below.

• Tween Tracks
  Templated classes.
  Includes TweenTrack2 and TweenTrack3, which store two and three tracks (Tween Track above) respectively. Each track is a public member so can be accessed directly. Tracks can also be used together using the methods provided with these classes. For example, a node can be added to all tracks at once. A Plinth Vector2 or Vector3 can be returned from a specific position/time to retrieve the current state of all the tracks. Note that all tracks must be the same data type.

• Generic
  Get the length of a two- or three-dimensional sf::Vector, or its square (quicker), creation of an sf::Vector2 or sf::Vector3 from a single value that populates all components equally, direct rounding of sf::Vector2s or sf::Vector3s, direct abs of sf::Vector2s or sf::Vector3s, test for intersection of lines, test if a point in inside a polygon, get a bounding box from a vector of vertices, change the alpha of a colour (using 0-255 or 0.f - 1.f), convert from sf::Vector2 or sf::Vector3 to pl::Vector and back, convert to sf::Color from pl::Color::Rgb, get sf::Color from a single value (will accept a large integer or a hexadecimal value e.g. sf::Color yellow = pl::Sfml::colorFromValue(0xffff00); ).

• Anchor
  Get positions of corners or edge centres using either local or global bounds. Bounds are axis-aligned rectangles.

• Animation
  Includes Animation Tracks (specialised SFML versions of Plinth's Tween Track) and also preset Animation classes that contain animation tracks for SFML objects.

• Colors
  This creates an extended list of sf::Color constants that includes many more colours than the SFML defaults.

• Frame Sequence
  Allows frame IDs to be animated by specifying a sequence of key frames that include the IDs, which can be used more than once, and other properties such as offset, rotation, and frame delay/duration. Each (key) frame in the sequence has its own properties including the delay, allowing for irregular frame rates/delays. Sequences can be looped (cycle or ping pong) or not, or even played in reverse! The position in the sequence can be specified by key frame position or overall time, automating the animation process.

• Image
  sf::Image manipulation functions such as clearing the image with a single colour while retaining its original transparency, conversion to greyscale, alpha manipulation.

• Image Channel
  Class that holds a single image channel separately from the image or other channels that allows single-channel manipulation. Includes manipulation methods.

• Key Map
  Templated class.
  A class that stores a map of key controls (sf::Keyboard::Key or sf::Keyboard::Scancode) and can be accessed via their string key or their index. The map can be modified at any time.

• Resource Manager Basic
  Basic resource manager for loading and storing sf::Fonts, sf::Images, sf::Textures and sf::SoundBuffers.

• String From
  Extends stringFrom() to include many SFML types: sf::Keyboard::Scancode, sf::Keyboard::Key, sf::VideoMode, sf::Color and both sf::Vector2 and sf::Vector3.

Most of Plinth's functions/classes are in the pl namespace, although its full name (plinth) can also be used.

Plinth has two main lists of inclusion:
<Plinth/all.hpp and <Plinth/Sfml/all.hpp>
However, there are some shortcuts available:
<Plinth.hpp> = <Plinth/all.hpp>
<Plinth/Sfml.hpp> = <Plinth/Sfml/all.hpp>
<PlinthSfml.hpp> includes both <Plinth/all.hpp> and <Plinth/Sfml/all.hpp>
Note that <Plinth/Sfml.hpp> includes all of the Sfml additions, whereas <PlinthSfml.hpp> also includes the standard Plinth inclusions. Remember this: "PlinthSfml" = "Plinth" + "Sfml"

Plinth's main section has no external dependencies.
Plinth's SFML addition requires SFML.
Some of the examples may depend on external libraries.