Text styling¶

Built-in panels support changing text styling for parts of text via $set_format(), $rgb() and related title formatting functions. This page provides documentation for those functions and some related fields.

Functions¶

$set_format()¶

Note

Available in the following contexts from Columns UI 3.0.0:

Item details

Available in the following contexts from Columns UI 3.3.0:

Filter panel
Playlist switcher
Playlist view
Status bar
Status pane

Changes font and text styling for subsequent text.

Syntax¶

$set_format(
  property-name-1: property-value-1;
  property-name-2: property-value-2;
  ...
)

The final semicolon is optional.

Properties¶

Property name	Syntax
`font-family`	<font family name> \| `initial`
`font-size`	<font size in points> \| `initial`
`font-weight`	<1–999> \| `normal` \| `bold` \| `initial`
`font-stretch`	<1–9> \| <percentage> \| `initial`
`font-style`	`normal` \| `italic` \| `oblique` \| `initial`
`text-decoration`	`none` \| `underline` \| `initial`

Note

Except in Item details, increasing the the font size does not increase the line or item height. Increasing the font size will cause the text baseline to move downwards, and may not yield the desired result in locations such as playlist view cells.

The special initial value resets any particular property back to its default value.

Percentages must use the suffix %% or pc, for example 150%% or 150pc (%% is an escaped % in the title formatting language).

Usage in playlist view style scripts¶

When used in a playlist view style script, $set_format() has the same effect as being used at the beginning of a display script.

It does not affect the behaviour of the initial special value or $reset_format().

Examples¶

Set all properties¶

$set_format(
  font-family: Segoe UI Variable;
  font-size: 20;
  font-weight: 300;
  font-stretch: 100%%;
  font-style: italic;
  text-decoration: underline;
)

Change the font weight temporarily¶

$set_format(
  font-weight: 700;
)

This text is in bold.

$set_format(
  font-weight: initial;
)

Use icons from Symbols Nerd Font¶

Symbols Nerd Font must be downloaded and installed.

$set_format(font-family: Symbols Nerd Font)
󱑽
$reset_format()

$reset_format()¶

Note

Available in the following contexts from Columns UI 3.0.0:

Item details

Available in the following contexts from Columns UI 3.3.0:

Filter panel
Playlist switcher
Playlist view (display, grouping and global variables scripts)
Status bar
Status pane

Restores font and text styling for subsequent text to the panel defaults.

Syntax¶

$reset_format()

$rgb()¶

Note

This function is provided by the foobar2000 title formatting engine. Custom text colours cannot be used in the main window title.

Sets the text colour using red, green and blue component values.

Syntax¶

$rgb(r1,g1,b1)
$rgb(r1,g1,b1,r2,b2,g2)

r1, g1 and b1 are values between 0 and 255 that specify the red, green and blue components of unselected text.

r2, g2 and b2 specify the colour of selected text. If r2, g2 and b2 are not provided, then the inverse of the colour specified by r1, g1 and b1 is used for selected text.

$hsl()¶

Note

This function is provided by the foobar2000 title formatting engine. Custom text colours cannot be used in the main window title.

Sets the text colour using hue, saturation and luminance component values.

Syntax¶

$hsl(h1,s1,l1)
$hsl(h1,s1,l1,h2,s2,l2)

h1 is a value between 0 and 239 that specifies the hue component of unselected text.

s1 and l1 are values between 0 and 240 that specify the saturation and luminance components of unselected text.

h2, s2 and l2 specify the colour of selected text. If h2, s2 and l2 are not provided, then the inverse of the colour specified by h1, s1 and l1 is used for selected text.

$blend()¶

Note

This function is provided by the foobar2000 title formatting engine. Custom text colours cannot be used in the main window title.

Returns a colour that is part way between two other colours.

Syntax¶

$blend(colour one,colour two,numerator,denominator)

The colour that is numerator/denominator the way between colour one and colour two will be returns.

Example¶

This will colour the text of tracks from grey to white by track number:

$blend($rgb(128,128,128),$rgb(255,255,255),$sub(%tracknumber%,1),$sub(%totaltracks%,1))

$transition()¶

Note

This function is provided by the foobar2000 title formatting engine. Custom text colours cannot be used in the main window title.

Applies a colour gradient to a string. Each letter in the string is a solid colour.

Syntax¶

$transition(text,start colour,end colour)

Example¶

$transition(this string starts red and ends blue,$rgb(255,0,0),$rgb(0,0,255))

$set_font()¶

Note

Available in the following contexts:

Item details

Warning

Deprecated in Columns UI 3.0.0. It’s been replaced by $set_format().

Changes the font used for subsequent text.

Syntax¶

$set_font(<font face>,<point size>,<modifiers>)

where modifiers are semicolon separated values from the below list:

bold
italic
underline

You can store the output of $set_font using $put or $puts to enable you to easily recall the font later using $get.

Examples¶

Setting the font to Segoe UI 12 pt, bold, italic (short form)¶

$set_font(Segoe UI,12,bold;italic;)

Setting the font to Segoe UI 12 pt, bold, italic (full form)¶

$set_font(Segoe UI,12,bold=true;italic=true;)

Storing fonts for repeated/later use¶

$puts(labelfont,$set_font(Segoe UI,12,bold;italic;))

$get(labelfont)Artist$reset_font() %artist%
$crlf()
$get(labelfont)Title$reset_font() %title%

$reset_font()¶

Note

Available in the following contexts:

Item details

Warning

Deprecated in Columns UI 3.0.0. It’s been replaced by $reset_format().

Restores font and text styling for subsequent text to the panel defaults.

Syntax¶

$reset_font()

Fields¶

%default_font_size%¶

Note

Available in the following contexts:

Item details

Available in the following contexts from Columns UI 3.3.0:

Filter panel
Playlist switcher
Playlist view
Status bar
Status pane

The default font size for the panel as configured on the Colours and fonts preferences page, in points. The value is rounded to the nearest whole number in Columns UI 3.2.x and older, and to one decimal place in Columns UI 3.3.0 and newer.

%default_font_face%¶

Note

Available in the following contexts:

Item details

Warning

Deprecated in Columns UI 3.0.0. Use $set_format(font-family: initial) instead.

The default font family for the panel. This is a legacy, GDI-compatible font family name.

Tab columns¶

Note

This is a legacy feature dating back to early versions of foobar2000.

It’s available in the following contexts:

Filter panel
Playlist switcher
Playlist view
Status bar
Status pane

Tab characters can be used in the above contexts to align text across multiple items, such that columns are formed. Text can also be right-aligned at the end of the available space.

Consider the following example:

column 1
$tab()
column 2
$tab()
right-aligned text

(Note that $tab() inserts a tab character.)

In this example, column 1 and column 2 are both equal sizes (i.e. 50% of the available space). The text after the final tab character is right-aligned. It shares space with the other columns and will cover them if text overlaps.

Text colours and formatting properties set using $rgb(), $set_format() and similar functions are only effective until the next tab character is encountered.

The size of the columns can be controlled by the number of tab characters. In this example, the size of the first column is increased by adding a second tab character after the column:

⅔ width column
$tab(2)
⅓ width column
$tab()
right-aligned text

(Note that $tab(2) inserts two tab characters.)

In this example, the size of the second column is increased:

⅓ width column
$tab()
⅔ width column
$tab(2)
right-aligned text

In more general terms, the proportion of space a column is given is the number of consecutive tab characters following the column divided by the total number of tab characters in the formatted string.

If right-aligned text is not required, use a trailing $tab() without any following text:

column 1$tab()column 2$tab()