Reviving ASCII Art: Create Stunning Text Graphics in Terminal

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What is ASCII art?
3. The outdated way to generate ASCII art
4. The pro way to generate ASCII art: Using figlet
5. Installing figlet
6. Generating basic ASCII art with figlet
7. Exploring different fonts with figlet
8. Downloading additional fonts for figlet
9. Customizing the font with figlet options
10. Adding color to ASCII art with lolcat
11. Incorporating ASCII art into terminal startup
12. Using ASCII art in configuration files
13. An alternative to figlet: Using toilet
14. Installing toilet
15. Generating ASCII art with toilet
16. Exploring additional options in toilet
17. Comparing figlet and toilet
18. Getting creative with ASCII art
19. Conclusion

Introduction

In this episode of Useless Linux Tools, we delve into the world of ASCII art. ASCII art is a creative way to spruce up your terminal or configuration files with visually appealing text-based designs. While there are outdated methods of generating ASCII art, we'll show you the pro way to do it using a program called figlet. We'll also explore an alternative tool called toilet and uncover the possibilities of incorporating ASCII art into various aspects of your digital life.

What is ASCII art?

ASCII art is a technique that uses characters from the ASCII character set to create visual representations. By strategically arranging characters such as letters, numbers, and symbols, intricate designs and patterns can be formed. ASCII art gained popularity in the early days of computing when limited graphics capabilities were prevalent.

The outdated way to generate ASCII art

Traditionally, people would rely on websites offering free ASCII art generators to create their designs. These generators allowed users to input their desired text, which would then be converted into ASCII art. While this method may still be used, it has become outdated with the availability of powerful command-line tools like figlet and toilet.

The pro way to generate ASCII art: Using figlet

Figlet is a command-line tool that allows you to generate custom ASCII art using a wide range of fonts. Installing figlet is a straightforward process, as it is available in most standard package managers. Once installed, you can use figlet to create basic ASCII art, explore different fonts, and even download additional fonts from online repositories.

Installing figlet

To install figlet, open your favorite package manager and search for "figlet" in the official repositories. Install the package, and you're ready to start generating ASCII art.

Generating basic ASCII art with figlet

To generate basic ASCII art with figlet, simply run the command "figlet ". This will produce a simple ASCII representation of your text using the default font. However, the default fonts can be underwhelming, so let's explore ways to spice up our designs.

Exploring different fonts with figlet

Figlet provides a vast collection of fonts that can be applied to your ASCII art. To see a complete list of available fonts, run the command "figlet -showfonts". This will display all the fonts installed on your system. If you find a font you like, you can download it from online repositories and add it to figlet's font directory. Once installed, you can use the "-f" option followed by the font name to apply the desired font to your ASCII art.

Downloading additional fonts for figlet

If the default fonts in figlet don't suit your taste, you can download additional fonts from online repositories. GitHub hosts a vast collection of figlet fonts, offering a variety of styles to choose from. Simply navigate to the GitHub repository, browse through the examples, and download the fonts that catch your eye. Once downloaded, paste the font files into figlet's font directory, typically located at "/usr/share/figlet/fonts".

Customizing the font with figlet options

Figlet provides various options to customize your ASCII art further. The "-t" option adjusts the width of the art to fit within the terminal window. You can also use the "-w" option to manually specify the width limit. Additionally, the "-c" option allows you to center the text within the terminal window. With these options, you can create visually pleasing and well-structured ASCII art.

Adding color to ASCII art with lolcat

If you want to add some vibrant colors to your ASCII art, you can use a program called lolcat. Lolcat is a separate tool that can be installed from most official repositories. By piping your ASCII art through lolcat, it automatically applies color to your text, creating a visually striking effect. Simply use the command "figlet | lolcat" to combine figlet and lolcat and produce colorful ASCII art.

Incorporating ASCII art into terminal startup

To display ASCII art whenever you start your terminal, you can add the figlet command to your shell configuration file. For Bash users, this file is typically located at "~/.bashrc". Open the file in a text editor and add the desired figlet command as the first line. Save the file, and the ASCII art will greet you every time you launch your terminal.

Using ASCII art in configuration files

ASCII art can also enhance the visual appeal of your configuration files. For example, if you use Vim as your text editor, you can incorporate ASCII art into your ".vimrc" file by inserting the figlet command and the desired text. Comment out the line to ensure it doesn't interfere with the functionality of your configuration. This way, your Vim environment becomes more personalized and visually engaging.

An alternative to figlet: Using toilet

While figlet is a powerful tool for generating ASCII art, there is an alternative option called toilet. Toilet provides similar functionality to figlet but offers additional features, such as the "rainbow" filter. Installing toilet is as simple as searching for "toilet" in your package manager and installing the package.

Installing toilet

To install toilet, search for "toilet" in your package manager and select the official package. After installation, you can begin generating ASCII art using toilet's extensive font library.

Generating ASCII art with toilet

To generate ASCII art using toilet, run the command "toilet -f ". This will create ASCII art using the specified font. You can explore the available fonts by checking the documentation or using the "--list" option. By default, toilet uses the "gay" filter to produce vibrant colors. However, the filter has been renamed to "rainbow" in recent versions.