The FST-Technology

"FST" stands for "Formatted Story-Text" and names a script-format, that enables texts to be printed in a formatted-style. Moreover, this format allowes, that the user may deceide over the progress of the stories using his keyboard.

So the FST-Technogly seems to be similar to HTML-Files, but simplified.

On the primary matter, the FST-Format is used for stories, those end is open, and depends on the deceisons of the user.
So like the "Fighting-Fantasybooks".

How is the FST-File build and how does it work?

FST files can be opend by any texteditor.

Every FST-File has a header an a textbody.
The header consists of format- and authorinformation, but also of data needed for the viewer-application.
The textbody contains the actual text including the script-format-symbols, the links and the selection-statements.

An example (header):
FST 1,0
<DATA>
Andreas Haas
1,0
0
<FONT>
Arial/12//00ff00
Arial/12//ff00ff
Arial/12//ffff00
Arial/12//0000ff
Arial/12//ffffff
Arial/12//00ffff
<TITLE>
Example-FST
<BODY>
This header descripes a default FST-File.

"FST 1,0" shows the type of file and the version of the FST-Technology.
The block "DATA" contains exact 3 fields about the author: name, version of this file and a controlvalue for the viewer.
The block "FONT" receives 6 fontdescriptions for the 6 default format cases of a FST-File: plain-text, title, direct speech, comment, select-title and select-body
The block "TITLE" needs exact one field, descriping the title of the FST-File. This text will be displayed on the title of the viewer-program.
The label "BODY", there followes the actual FST-formatted text.

This header is invisible for the user of the vier.

An example for a textbody:
$$Chap01
§TITLE Chapter 1

Steve went up a road.
It was a beautiful day in spring.
The sun shown bright and warm and the bird sang a lovely song.

The young man comes to a cross-road.

§SELECT What should he do?
§POS Turn left ?= Chap02 #A
§POS Turn right ?= Chap03 #B
§POS Go straight ahead ?= Chap04 #C
§&
$$Chap02
Steve turned leftwards in the sideway in.
It leads to the citypark.
Suddenly, he notices a shout: "Hey, Steve!"
...

Viewed by the viewer, it looks like: (default-formats assumed!)
Chapter 1

Steve went up a road.
It was a beautiful day in spring.
The sun shown bright and warm and the bird sang a lovely song.

The young man comes to a cross-road.

What should he do?
Turn left [A]
Turn right [B]
Go straight [C]

Here ends this textpart. If the user presses here the key "A" (capital letters were only needed inside the editor, but the viewer needs only the original letter ("a")), the follow-text Steve turned leftwards in the sideway in.
It leads to the citypark.
Suddenly, he notices a shout: "Hey, Steve!"
...
will be displayed.

Such constructions (using §SELECT, §POS and §&) were called selection-blocks.
Each statement (§POS) contains a visual text, a targetted label and a key-descripttion.

Labels are any single-lined texts, beginning with the symbol $$.
To remind: Labels, used in §POS-statements, doesnt have that prefix.

Also notice the special format of the direct speech, to be display in a different color.

In difference to HTML-Files, in FST-Files were textspacings (except tabulators) and new-lines be printed as given in the source file.

IMPORTANT: This version can't be downloaded, because of its minimal style-range-options.

Upgrades of Version 2.0

In the version 2.0 there were also in-text-format-symbols be added, enabling formatting inside plain text.
Moreover, every FST-File can hold unlimited user-defined fonts, that can be used by the author in his' story.

Exapmple:
(in FST-Header)
<UFONT>
Courier New/12/I/00ff80
Arial Black/12/U/ff00ff
<TITLE>
...
(in textbody)
...
§$1You found $10!§%
...
§$2So the story ends...§%

(effect in the viewer)
...
You found $10!
...
So the story ends...
...

(Notice: the single $-Symbol is valid, but not the symbol "$$"!)
(The color-channels R and B will be swapped!)

And now, the header supports a option to dertermine, if the direct speech and comments were formatted.

Upgrades of Version 3.0

In this, for the next time last, version there were added script-commands, those have direct effects on the viewer.

In a selection-line (§POS), there can be given an alternative to a normal target-label.
Those commands were:

%%OPEN: Opens automatically a other FST-File, if this selection-line has to be executed.
This command needs an additional parameter, packed in < and >-brackets.
There are absolute and relative paths valid.
Warning: The old FST-File will be closed and the current position won't be saved!
%%CLOSE: Closes the current FST-File.
%%END: Terminates the viewer-application.

Using the %%OPEN-command, a illusion of a continious story, but shared on many smaller FST-Files.

Using the %%END or %%CLOSE, "GameOver"-scenes can be designed more real.

Copyright

The FST-Technology, and the viewer-application is protected!

© 2005 Andreas Haas

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(C) 2005 Andreas Haas
The conditions of the Imprint remain in effect.