Exporting

Once you've created your ASCII art with textmode.js, you'll likely want to save or share it. The library provides comprehensive export capabilities to generate your textmode creations in various formats, each optimized for different use cases.

Overview

textmode.js supports exporting your ASCII art in three main formats:

• 📄 TXT - Plain text format for sharing and displaying in terminals
• 🎨 SVG - Scalable vector graphics for web, print and plotting
• 🖼️ Images - PNG, JPG, and WebP for general sharing

Text export

Text export generates pure ASCII/text content that can be displayed in any text editor, terminal, or shared as plain text.

Basic usage

// Get ASCII content as a string
const textContent = textmodifier.toString();
console.log(textContent);

// Save directly to a TXT file
textmodifier.saveStrings({
    filename: 'my_ascii_art'
});

Advanced options

// Generate with custom options
const textContent = textmodifier.toString({
    preserveTrailingSpaces: true,
    lineEnding: 'crlf',
    emptyCharacter: '·'
});

// Save with options
textmodifier.saveStrings({
    filename: 'detailed_ascii_art',
    preserveTrailingSpaces: false,
    lineEnding: 'lf',
    emptyCharacter: ' '
});

Text export options

Option	Type	Default	Description
filename	string	Auto-generated	Filename for the exported file (without extension)
preserveTrailingSpaces	boolean	false	Keep trailing spaces on each line
lineEnding	'lf' | 'crlf'	'lf'	Line ending format ('lf' for Unix/Linux, 'crlf' for Windows)
emptyCharacter	string	' '	Character to use for empty cells

Some use cases

• Sharing ASCII art on social media or forums
• Displaying in terminals or console applications
• Creating retro-style documentation
• Generating content for text-based games

SVG export

SVG export creates scalable vector graphics that maintain crisp quality at any size and can be easily styled with CSS.

Basic usage

// Generate SVG content as a string
const svgContent = textmodifier.toSVG();

// Use the SVG content (e.g., display in DOM)
document.getElementById('svg-container').innerHTML = svgContent;

// Save directly to an SVG file
textmodifier.saveSVG({
    filename: 'my_ascii_art'
});

Advanced configuration

// Generate with custom styling
const svgContent = textmodifier.toSVG({
    includeBackgroundRectangles: true,
    drawMode: 'stroke',
    strokeWidth: 2.0,
    backgroundColor: [255, 255, 255, 255] // White background
});

// Save with professional settings
textmodifier.saveSVG({
    filename: 'professional_ascii',
    includeBackgroundRectangles: false, // Cleaner output
    drawMode: 'fill',
    backgroundColor: [0, 0, 0, 0] // Transparent
});

SVG export options

Option	Type	Default	Description
filename	string	Auto-generated	Filename for the exported file (without extension)
includeBackgroundRectangles	boolean	true	Include cell background rectangles
drawMode	'fill' | 'stroke'	'fill'	Character rendering mode
strokeWidth	number	1.0	Stroke width when using 'stroke' mode
backgroundColor	[r, g, b, a]	[0, 0, 0, 0]	Background color as RGBA array (0-255)

Some use cases

• Web integration where scalability is important
• Print media requiring crisp text
• Creating icons or logos from ASCII art
• When you need to style the output with CSS

Image export

Image export creates raster images in popular formats, perfect for sharing on social media, embedding in documents, or general use.

Basic usage

// Save as PNG (default)
await textmodifier.saveCanvas('my_ascii_art', 'png');

// Save in different formats
await textmodifier.saveCanvas('high_quality', 'webp');
await textmodifier.saveCanvas('compatible', 'jpg');

High-quality export

// Export high-resolution image
await textmodifier.saveCanvas('hires_ascii', 'png', {
    scale: 3.0,              // 3x larger
});

// Export optimized for web
await textmodifier.saveCanvas('web_optimized', 'webp', {
    scale: 1.5,
    quality: 0.8,
    backgroundColor: 'transparent'
});

// Export for print
await textmodifier.saveCanvas('print_ready', 'png', {
    scale: 5.0,
});

Image export options

Option	Type	Default	Description
quality	number	1.0	Quality for JPG/WebP (0.0-1.0, ignored for PNG)
scale	number	1.0	Scale factor for output size
backgroundColor	string	'black'	Background color (CSS color or 'transparent')

Format comparison

Format	Transparency	File Size	Quality	Best For
PNG	✅ Yes	Large	Lossless	High quality, transparency needed
JPG	❌ No	Small	Lossy	Web sharing, smaller files
WebP	✅ Yes	Smallest	Lossy/Lossless	Modern web, best compression

Some use cases

• Social media sharing
• Embedding in documents or presentations
• When vector formats aren't supported
• Creating thumbnails or previews

Next Steps

Now that you know how to export your ASCII art, explore these related topics:

• Font Management - Customize typography for different export needs
• API Reference - Detailed documentation of all export options

Ready to share your creations with the world? Start exporting your ASCII masterpieces! 🎨