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)