Glypher

Glypher is a client-only Fabric mod for aligning custom title glyphs inside vanilla Minecraft GUI screens.

Authors: LmVictor20 x ChatGPT

What Glypher does

Glypher helps you build GUI title layouts directly in-game:

• choose a vanilla menu type;
• enter the glyph character used as the title;
• preview the real vanilla screen;
• move the title horizontally with offset glyphs;
• move the title vertically with a virtual ascent preview;
• save the final result into an export file for your resource pack.

After saving, Glypher creates a text export file with:

• ID
• Title
• Ascent

Supported version

• Minecraft 1.21.3
• Fabric Loader
• Fabric API

Installation

1. Put the Glypher mod jar into your mods folder.
2. Prepare and enable a resource pack with your custom GUI glyphs.
3. Make sure your resource pack contains assets/minecraft/font/default.json.
4. Start the game.
5. Use /glypher create.

Where to place default.json

The file must be placed inside your resource pack here:

<YourResourcePack>/assets/minecraft/font/default.json

If default.json already exists, do not blindly replace it. Merge the providers from your current file with the Glypher example.

Included example

This repository includes an example file here:

resourcepack-example/assets/minecraft/font/default.json

You can use it as a base template for your own pack.

How to prepare the resource pack

Minimal structure:

MyPack/
  pack.mcmeta
  assets/
    minecraft/
      font/
        default.json
    mynamespace/
      textures/
        gui/
          my_menu_title.png
          my_small_menu_title.png
          my_beacon_title.png

Important notes:

• custom title images are usually added with a "type": "bitmap" provider;
• horizontal movement is done with a "type": "space" provider;
• the Ascent exported by Glypher should be copied into the "ascent" value of the matching bitmap provider;
• if you already have a working default.json, you usually only need to add the missing bitmap providers and the offset glyph space provider.

Example default.json

The included example contains:

• several bitmap providers for GUI title images;
• one space provider with offset glyphs used by Glypher.

The space block uses the same offset glyphs expected by the mod:

• \uF800 to \uF80A for positive horizontal movement;
• \uF80B to \uF815 for negative horizontal movement.

Example:

{
  "type": "bitmap",
  "file": "mynamespace:gui/my_menu_title.png",
  "ascent": 24,
  "height": 256,
  "chars": [
    "\uE120"
  ]
}

How Glypher works step by step

1. Run /glypher create.
2. Select the vanilla menu type you want to edit.
3. Enter the glyph character used as the menu title.
4. Open the preview screen.
5. Adjust the title on the X axis.
6. Adjust the title on the Y axis.
7. Visually align the title until it looks correct.
8. Press Save.
9. Enter a layout ID.
10. Open the generated export file.
11. Copy the exported Title and Ascent into your resource pack setup.

Commands

• /glypher create - create a new layout
• /glypher list - open the saved layouts screen

Saved data

Glypher stores:

• layout data in config/glypher/layouts.json
• exported text files in config/glypher/exports/

Understanding X offset

Glypher does not move the title by raw screen coordinates. Instead, it builds the final title text like this:

<offset glyphs> + <your title glyph>

That means special shift glyphs are inserted before the main glyph to move the title left or right.

Understanding Y offset

Glypher previews vertical movement in-game as a virtual offset. When you save the layout, Glypher gives you a recommended Ascent value.

That value should be placed into the bitmap provider for the glyph in default.json.

Example:

{
  "type": "bitmap",
  "file": "mynamespace:gui/my_menu_title.png",
  "ascent": 24,
  "height": 256,
  "chars": ["\uE120"]
}

Typical workflow

1. Draw your GUI title image.
2. Bind it to a glyph in default.json.
3. Start the game with the resource pack enabled.
4. Run /glypher create.
5. Choose a menu type.
6. Enter the title glyph.
7. Align the title in the preview.
8. Save the layout.
9. Copy the exported values into your final resource pack configuration.

Screenshot placeholders

Menu Selection

Glyph Input

Preview Screen

Saved Layouts

Credits

LmVictor20 x ChatGPT