Draw With Text in Notepad
Notepad is a simple writing program that is mainly made to write in text. However, notepad has many other uses. For example, saving a file with a different file format, like .bat, will make the text a batch file. Another example, which is a simple one, is to draw with text in it! Today, you will learn how to draw in notepad using the different keyboard characters.
Steps
- Learn the basics. They include the following characters:
- A dash, / or \, is used for drawing a slant line.
- A score, -, is used to make a dashed horizontal line.
- An underscore, _, is used to make a continuous horizontal line.
- A 'shift + \', resulting in |, is used to make a dashed vertical line.
- The brackets, including (), [] or {}, are used to make the end of a rectangle.
- The 'numbers square', #, is used to make a grid.
- The space bar is needed, too!
- You might find some use for any other characters, like the 'greater than' and 'less than' signs, < and >, or the percentage sign, %, etc.
- Learn the 'alt codes', or keep a website containing them opened in front of you. These codes might give you some options, like the playing cards shapes, ♥♦♣♠ (alt + 3, alt + 4, alt + 5 and alt + 6 on the numeric keypad only). This website might be of some help to you: http://alt-codes.org/list/.
- Prepare your notepad:
- Open the notepad program; go to format; click on 'Word Wrap' to switch it on.
- Go to format again; click on 'font'; then set the text to 'Lucida Console', regular and 20.
- Maximize the notepad so that it covers the screen.
- Start with simple things first, to get the idea. Try to draw a rectangle to see if it works with you or not.
- Start experimenting!
Tips
- There are no colors in here, only greyscale.
- This article shows the basics. Some 'alt codes' can be used for shading the drawing, and so on.
- This article is for having fun only. However, if you are willing to add a read me file in a compressed file, this might be a more friendly way to say thank you.
- In case you wanted a picture of yours to be in ASCII text, you can search for ASCII generator websites to make it happen.
- Some parts might not be as desired.
- This is known as ASCII art. For more information about it, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_art.
