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Text engine sprite costume switching issue - need help fixing

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TH

TextEngine_Helper

Posted on January 18, 2025 • Intermediate

🔤 Text engine sprite costume switching issue - PLEASE help!

Hey everyone! I’m having a really frustrating issue with my text engine sprite. The text characters are randomly switching to bigger costumes for a few seconds, which completely ruins the text display!

Here’s my project: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1151201337/editor/

The main problems I’m experiencing:

  • Text characters suddenly become larger than they should be
  • The size change happens randomly for a few seconds
  • It makes the text look completely broken and unreadable
  • I can’t figure out what’s causing this behavior

I’ve been working on this text engine for weeks and this bug is driving me crazy! Can anyone PLEASE help me figure out what’s going wrong? Thanks in advance! 🙏

TD

TextDebugger_Pro

Replied 45 minutes later • ⭐ Best Answer

I can help you fix this @TextEngine_Helper! This is a common issue with text engines. The costume switching problem usually happens due to timing conflicts or improper costume management. Here’s how to diagnose and fix it:

🔍 Text Engine Debugging Flow

Here’s how to systematically debug text engine issues:

flowchart TD A[🔤 Text Engine Start] --> B[Check Costume List Order] B --> C[Verify Character Mapping] C --> D{Costume Switching Issue?} D -->|Random Size Changes| E[Check for Conflicting Scripts] D -->|Wrong Characters| F[Fix Character Index Mapping] D -->|Timing Issues| G[Add Proper Wait Blocks] E --> H[Remove Duplicate Costume Scripts] F --> I[Update Character Dictionary] G --> J[Implement Frame Delays] H --> K[Test Character Display] I --> K J --> K K --> L{Issue Fixed?} L -->|No| M[Check Clone Management] L -->|Yes| N[✅ Text Engine Working] M --> O[Fix Clone Costume Conflicts] O --> K style A fill:#e1f5fe style E fill:#fff3e0 style H fill:#e8f5e8 style N fill:#fce4ec

🔧 Step 1: Check Costume Organization

First, ensure your costumes are properly organized:

    when flag clicked
// Set up costume mapping dictionary
set [character map v] to []
add [a] to [character map v]  // costume 1
add [b] to [character map v]  // costume 2
add [c] to [character map v]  // costume 3
// ... continue for all characters

// Initialize text engine
set [current character v] to [a]
switch costume to [a v]

🎭 Step 2: Fix Costume Switching Logic

Implement proper costume switching with error checking:

    // Safe costume switching function
define switch to character (character)
if <(character) = []> then
switch costume to [space v]  // default for empty
else
if <[character map v] contains (character)?> then
set [costume index v] to (item # of (character) in [character map v])
switch costume to (costume index)
else
switch costume to [unknown v]  // fallback costume
end
end

⏱️ Step 3: Add Proper Timing Controls

Prevent rapid costume changes that cause flickering:

    // Text display with timing control
define display text (text)
set [text position v] to [1]
repeat (length of (text))
set [current char v] to (letter (text position) of (text))
switch to character (current char) ::custom

// Prevent rapid switching
wait [0.01] seconds

// Move to next position
change x by [20]  // character spacing
change [text position v] by [1]
end

🔄 Step 4: Handle Clone Conflicts

If using clones for text, prevent costume conflicts:

    // For text engine clones
when I start as a clone
set [my character v] to (character to display)
switch to character (my character) ::custom

// Prevent costume changes from other clones
forever
if <not <(costume [name v]) = (my character)>> then
switch to character (my character) ::custom
end
wait [0.1] seconds
end

🛠️ Step 5: Debug Common Issues

Here are solutions for the most common text engine problems:

🔍 Issue: Random Size Changes
    // Check for conflicting size scripts
when flag clicked
forever
// Lock sprite size
set size to [100] %
wait [0.1] seconds
end

// Or use this in your text display:
define display character (char)
switch to character (char) ::custom
set size to [100] %  // Force consistent size
⚡ Issue: Costume Flickering
    // Add debouncing to prevent rapid changes
define switch to character (character)
if <not <(last character) = (character)>> then
switch costume to (character)
set [last character v] to (character)
wait [0.02] seconds  // Debounce delay
end
🎯 Issue: Wrong Character Display
    // Validate character before switching
define safe character switch (char)
if <(length of (char)) = [1]> then
if <((char) > [!]) and ((char) < [~])> then
switch to character (char) ::custom
else
switch costume to [space v]  // Invalid character
end
else
switch costume to [space v]  // Multi-character or empty
end

🔧 Step 6: Complete Text Engine Template

Here’s a robust text engine structure:

    when flag clicked
// Initialize text engine
delete all clones of [myself v]
go to x: [-200] y: [0]
set [character spacing v] to [15]

define create text (message)
set [char index v] to [1]
set [x position v] to (x position)

repeat (length of (message))
set [current char v] to (letter (char index) of (message))

// Create clone for this character
create clone of [myself v]

// Move to next position
change [x position v] by (character spacing)
change [char index v] by [1]
end

when I start as a clone
// Set position and character
go to x: (x position) y: (y position)
switch to character (current char) ::custom

// Prevent costume conflicts
forever
if <not <(costume [name v]) = (current char)>> then
switch to character (current char) ::custom
end
wait [0.1] seconds
end

🔍 Debugging Checklist

  • ✅ Check costume names match your character mapping
  • ✅ Ensure no conflicting scripts change costumes
  • ✅ Add timing delays to prevent rapid switching
  • ✅ Use proper error handling for invalid characters
  • ✅ Lock sprite size if characters have different dimensions
  • ✅ Test with both single characters and full text

This should completely fix your costume switching issues! The key is proper timing control and conflict prevention.

VB

Vibelf_Community

Pinned Message • Moderator

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