textmode.js / layering / TextmodeLayerManager

Class: TextmodeLayerManager

Manages the stack of layers within a Textmodifier instance.

This interface provides methods to create, manage, and organize multiple textmode layers. Layers allow for complex compositing, independent rendering passes, and post-processing effects.

The base layer is always present at the bottom of the stack. User-created layers are added on top of the base layer.

Access this manager via textmodifier.layers.

Implements

• ILayerManager

Accessors

all

Get Signature

get all(): readonly TextmodeLayer[];

Get all user layers as a readonly array.

Example

const t = textmode.create();
t.layers.add();
t.layers.add();

console.log(t.layers.all.length); // 2

// Iterate over all user layers
t.layers.all.forEach(layer => {
  layer.opacity(0.5);
});

Returns

readonly TextmodeLayer[]

Implementation of

ILayerManager.all

---

base

Get Signature

get base(): TextmodeLayer;

The base layer that is always rendered at the bottom of the layer stack. This layer represents the main drawing content before any user layers are composited.

The base layer cannot be removed or moved.

Returns

TextmodeLayer

Implementation of

ILayerManager.base

---

filters

Get Signature

get filters(): TextmodeFilterManager;

Returns

TextmodeFilterManager

---

resultFramebuffer

Get Signature

get resultFramebuffer(): TextmodeFramebuffer;

The framebuffer containing the final composited result after all layers and filters have been applied.

Returns

TextmodeFramebuffer

Implementation of

ILayerManager.resultFramebuffer

Methods

add()

add(options): TextmodeLayer;

Create and add a new layer to the top of the layer stack.

New layers are initialized with their own grid and font settings. Layers can be offset, rotated, and blended with layers below them.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
options	TextmodeLayerOptions	Optional configuration for the new layer (visibility, opacity, blendMode, etc.)

Returns

TextmodeLayer

The newly created TextmodeLayer instance.

Example

const t = textmode.create();

// Add a new layer on top of the base layer
const uiLayer = t.layers.add({
    blendMode: 'normal',
    opacity: 1.0,
    fontSize: 16
});

// Draw to the new layer
uiLayer.draw(() => {
    t.clear(); // Clear THIS layer's background (transparent)

    t.charColor(255, 0, 0); // Red text
    t.cellColor(0, 0, 0, 0); // Transparent cell background
    t.char('!');
    t.rect(5, 5);
});

// Base layer content
t.draw(() => {
    t.background(0, 0, 50); // Dark blue background

    t.charColor(0, 0, 255); // Blue text
    t.cellColor(0, 0, 0, 0); // Transparent cell background
    t.char('?');
    t.rect(5, 5);
});

Implementation of

ILayerManager.add

---

clear()

clear(): void;

Remove all user-created layers from the manager. The base layer is not affected by this operation. This is useful for integration into live-coding environments where code is re-evaluated and layers need to be recreated from scratch.

Returns

void

Example

const t = textmode.create();

t.setup(() => {
  // Ensure clean slate when re-running setup
  t.layers.clear();

  // Re-create layers
  t.layers.add({ blendMode: 'additive' });
  t.layers.add({ blendMode: 'multiply' });
});

Implementation of

ILayerManager.clear

---

move()

move(layer, newIndex): void;

Move a layer to a new index in the layer stack.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
layer	TextmodeLayer	The layer to move.
newIndex	number	The new index for the layer.

Returns

void

Example

const t = textmode.create();

const bgLayer = t.layers.add(); // Index 0
const fgLayer = t.layers.add(); // Index 1

// Swap z-order by moving fgLayer to bottom (index 0)
// This pushes bgLayer to index 1
t.layers.move(fgLayer, 0);

Implementation of

ILayerManager.move

---

remove()

remove(layer): void;

Remove a layer from the manager.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
layer	TextmodeLayer	The layer to remove.

Returns

void

Example

const t = textmode.create();

const tempLayer = t.layers.add();

// Remove the layer after 100 frames
t.draw(() => {
  if (t.frameCount > 100) {
    t.layers.remove(tempLayer);
  }
});

Implementation of

ILayerManager.remove

---

swap()

swap(layerA, layerB): void;

Swap the order of two layers if they exist in the same collection.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
layerA	TextmodeLayer	The first layer to swap.
layerB	TextmodeLayer	The second layer to swap.

Returns

void

Example

const t = textmode.create();

const layer1 = t.layers.add();
const layer2 = t.layers.add();

// Swap the layers' positions in the stack
t.layers.swap(layer1, layer2);

Implementation of

ILayerManager.swap