ToonEffectLib — Plan9Basic Documentation

Overview

ToonEffectLib applies a cartoon/posterization effect that reduces the number of color levels, wrapping the FireMonkey TToonEffect component. Creates a stylized, comic-book look by quantizing colors into discrete bands.

Property	Details
Library	`ToonEffectLib`
Prefix	`toon_`
Wraps	`TToonEffect`
Functions	12
Type	Visual effect (stylization)

Category	Count	Description
Creation / Destruction	2	Create and free effect
Color Levels	2	Get/set number of color levels
Effect Control	4	Enabled and trigger get/set
Error Handling	4	Error codes and messages

🎨 Comic Book Style: Lower level values produce stronger cartoon effects. Values of 3–6 create the classic comic-book look, while 2 gives an extreme pop-art style. Values above 10 approach the original image.

Cross-Platform Support

Platform	Support
Windows	✅ Full support
Linux	✅ Full support
Android	✅ Full support

Creation & Destruction

toon#(parent#)

Creates a new toon effect attached to the specified visual control.

Parameter	Type	Description
`parent#`	Pointer	Target visual control
Returns	Pointer	Effect handle, or 0 on failure

toon_free(effect#)

Destroys the effect and releases associated resources.

Error Handling

Function	Signature	Description
`toon_error()`	`toon_error@`	Returns last error code (0 = none)
`toon_errormsg$()`	`toon_errormsg$@`	Returns last error message
`toon_strerror$(code)`	`toon_strerror$@n`	Converts error code to text
`toon_clearerror()`	`toon_clearerror@`	Clears the error state

Color Levels

Controls the number of discrete color levels per channel. Fewer levels mean more dramatic posterization — the hallmark of cartoon/comic-book style.

Function	Signature	Description
`toon_levels#(effect#, value)`	`toon_levels#@#n`	Set number of color levels
`toon_levels(effect#)`	`toon_levels@#`	Get current levels

Levels	Style
`2`	Extreme pop-art (very few colors)
`3–4`	Strong cartoon / comic-book
`5–6`	Classic cartoon look (default range)
`7–10`	Subtle posterization
`10+`	Approaches original image

Effect Control

Function	Signature	Description
`toon_enabled#(effect#, value)`	`toon_enabled#@#n`	Enable (1) or disable (0)
`toon_enabled(effect#)`	`toon_enabled@#`	Gets enabled state
`toon_trigger#(effect#, trigger$)`	`toon_trigger#@#$`	Sets trigger string
`toon_trigger$(effect#)`	`toon_trigger$@#`	Gets trigger string

Complete Examples

Example 1: Adjustable Color Levels

╯ toon-control.bas─◻✕
let frm# = Pointer#(0)
let img# = Pointer#(0)
let toon# = Pointer#(0)
let trkLvl# = Pointer#(0)
let lblLvl# = Pointer#(0)

frm# = form#("Toon Control", 450, 400)

img# = image#(frm#)
image_bounds#(img#, 125, 30, 200, 150)
image_load#(img#, "https://picsum.photos/200/150")

toon# = toon#(img#)
toon_levels#(toon#, 5)

' Levels slider
lblLvl# = label#(frm#, "Levels: 5", 180, 200)
trkLvl# = trackbar#(frm#)
trackbar_bounds#(trkLvl#, 50, 230, 350, 30)
trackbar_max#(trkLvl#, 20)
trackbar_value#(trkLvl#, 5)
trackbar_onchange#(trkLvl#, "OnLevels")

form_show(frm#)

function OnLevels(sender#) local l
  let l = trackbar_value(trkLvl#)
  if l < 2 then
    l = 2
  endif
  toon_levels#(toon#, l)
  label_text#(lblLvl#, "Levels: " + str$(l))
endfunction

Example 2: Before/After Comparison

╯ toon-compare.bas─◻✕
let frm# = Pointer#(0)
let img1# = Pointer#(0)
let img2# = Pointer#(0)
let toon# = Pointer#(0)

frm# = form#("Toon Comparison", 500, 300)

' Original
img1# = image#(frm#)
image_bounds#(img1#, 50, 30, 180, 135)
image_load#(img1#, "https://picsum.photos/180/135")
let lbl1# = label#(frm#, "Original", 110, 175)

' Toon effect
img2# = image#(frm#)
image_bounds#(img2#, 270, 30, 180, 135)
image_load#(img2#, "https://picsum.photos/180/135")
toon# = toon#(img2#)
toon_levels#(toon#, 4)
let lbl2# = label#(frm#, "Toon (4 levels)", 310, 175)

form_show(frm#)

Quick Reference

Function	Signature	Description
CREATION & DESTRUCTION
`toon#(parent#)`	`toon#@#`	Create effect
`toon_free(effect#)`	`toon_free@#`	Destroy effect
COLOR LEVELS
`toon_levels#(effect#, value)`	`toon_levels#@#n`	Set color levels
`toon_levels(effect#)`	`toon_levels@#`	Get levels
EFFECT CONTROL
`toon_enabled#(effect#, value)`	`toon_enabled#@#n`	Enable/disable
`toon_enabled(effect#)`	`toon_enabled@#`	Get enabled state
`toon_trigger#(effect#, trigger$)`	`toon_trigger#@#$`	Set trigger
`toon_trigger$(effect#)`	`toon_trigger$@#`	Get trigger
ERROR HANDLING
`toon_error()`	`toon_error@`	Last error code
`toon_errormsg$()`	`toon_errormsg$@`	Last error message
`toon_strerror$(code)`	`toon_strerror$@n`	Code to text
`toon_clearerror()`	`toon_clearerror@`	Clear error state

Library	Description
`PaperSketchEffectLib`	Sketch effect
`PencilStrokeEffectLib`	Pencil drawing effect
`SepiaEffectLib`	Sepia tone