NAME

       ipack - Manipulate Flex files containing Shapes

SYNOPSIS

       ipack -c SCRIPT

       ipack -x SCRIPT

       ipack -u SCRIPT

DESCRIPTION

       Flex  files containing Shapes are used for the storage visual elements by the games Exult supports. While
       expack(1) can operate on such files, using ipack is more comfortable. It can extract images from the Flex
       file directly into PNG-format, and create or update Flex files from a list of PNG files.

       The first parameter determines the mode of operation:

       -c Creation
              New Flex and palette files are created according to the instructions contained in the SCRIPT file.

       -u Update
              Works like Creation, but updates an existing Flex file.

       -x Extraction
              The contents of the Flex file described in the SCRIPT file are extracted as PNG is dissected  into
              its contents, as described in this script file.

   Script File Format
       Empty lines, and lines starting with a pound sign (#) are ignored.

       The  names  of  the  associated  Flex  archive  and  palette files are given in lines containing optional
       whitespace, one of the tokens archive or palette, whitespace, and the filename.

       Other lines define one shape each, and must begin with an image slot number, followed by a slash (/), the
       number of frames, a colon (:), and finally the PNG file specification.  The numbers may be  given  either
       in  decimal,  in  octal  prefixed  with  0;  or  in hexadecimal prefixed with 0x.  The file specification
       consists of the filename PREFIX, optionally followed by a number and direction  in  brackets,  optionally
       followed by whitespace and the word flat.

       Per default, each shape corresponds to a number of PNG files (one for each frame) named PREFIXnn.png with
       nn  replaced  by  the  frame  number. If the optional bracket expression is used in the specification the
       Shape corresponds to a single PNG file instead. This file contains all frames, each of which is  8  by  8
       pixels  in  size, arranged next to each other in a rectangular grid. The number in the bracket expression
       gives the size of this grid in the direction indicated. The direction can be either down or across.

EXAMPLES

       ipack -c island.scr
              Creates a Flex file and a palette file as specified by island.scr.

       ipack -x island.scr
              Extracts all components described in island.scr from the Flex file given therein.

   Example script
       # script file for island.flx
       archive island.flx
       # put the palette into this file
       palette island.pal
       # the zeroth image has 32 frames in the files
       # zero00.png to zero31.png
       0/32:zero
       # image 5 consists of 22 frames stored in file
       # five.png in a grid 5 frames across (which means
       # 5 rows of which the last holds only 2 frames)
       5/22:five(5 across) flat
       # image 4 consists of 12 frames stored in file
       # four.png in a 3 by 4 grid
       4/12:four(4 down) flat
       # images 1 to 3 are unspecified

BUGS

       Tiled Shapes are currently extracted into multiple PNG files,  not  a  single  file  as  expected  during
       Create/Update.

AUTHOR

       This manpage was written by Robert Bihlmeyer. It may be freely redistributed and modified under the terms
       of the GNU General Public License version 2 or higher.

SEE ALSO

       expack(1), exult(6)

Exult                                              2002-03-24                                           ipack(1)