🚀 go-pugleaf

Camiel Wijffels wrote:

> It is possible - many professional packages
> (like WP, Word and CorelDraw) have this ability.

Those programs usually choose a font size so that the resulting text is a 
bit less wide than required. Then they simply enlarge the letter spacing 
until it fits.

Note that no algorithm will replace a seasoned typographer, as e.g. the 
spacing between 'T' and 'o' should be less expanded than between 'm' and 
'n'. This is of course less true for displays than it is for printed 
stuff.

Here's a simple example: Place a TEdit, a TPanel and a button on a form. 
Choose some font for the Panel caption. Enter some text in the Edit Box. 
Press the button.

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  i: integer;
  w: integer;
  lbl: TLabel;
begin
  i := 8;
  lbl := TLabel.Create(Form1);
  lbl.Parent := Form1;
  lbl.Visible := false;
  lbl.AutoSize := True;
  lbl.Caption := Edit1.Text;
  lbl.Font := Panel1.Font;
  repeat
    inc(i);
    lbl.Font.Size := i;
    w := lbl.Canvas.TextWidth(lbl.caption);
  until w > Panel1.ClientWidth;
  dec(i);
  Panel1.Caption := lbl.Caption;
  Panel1.Font.Size := i;
  lbl.Free;
end;

The detour via the TLabel component is necessary for all controls that do 
not have a Canvas property.

-- 
Ben