Using images in json (base 64 encoding)

[cesareborgia94]

Hello,
In the recent update (520), there was a new addition to json which is adding images to json using base64 encoding.

The question I would like to ask is:
1. What does adding images to json mean? What functionality could we use it in plugins?

2. How does the code work? What is the example of adding images to json will do?

I hope Lobby and other experienced plugin makers could explain this. It may be complex stuff but I still want to know what does it do.

[CommanderABab]

.

1. Use a website like https://www.freeformatter.com/base64-encoder.html to encode an image file to base64
2. insert the base64 string into the bmp tag.

Code: Select all

[  {
    "id":"$sloth00",
    "type":"terrain",
    "width":1,
    "height":1,
    "frames":[{"bmp":"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"}]
  }]

[cesareborgia94]

Thank you Lobby and Commander for teaching me the basics of using images in json using base 64 encoding.

Although why do plugin creators could use base64 for images? Is it for security?

[Lobby]

Base64 is just an encoding, not an encryption
The feature here is to be able to create plugins that only consist of a single json file that contains all the images in textual representation (that's what base64 is about).

[FranchuFranchu]

So no plugin texture space problems?

[cesareborgia94]

It is quite a nice feature, so you still make a plugin texture and it is contained in the encoding... I may use it for my future plugins

But I need to experiment first...

[Lobby]

@FranchuFranchu unfortunately not, there's no magic involved. The game does nothing else than getting the image out of the json and putting it into the plugin texture, like with any other image, too.

It's indeed more a neat feature than new functionality.

[cesareborgia94]

So this is an example of the usage of base 64 encoding using my res building. This is just a test to see it works...

How the bulding looks like in the game, it is a res building with a purple 64 painted on its wall. Has no influences, just a normal res building except it is encoded with base 64

Download test base 64 plugin here:

newbase64.json

First base 64 encoding image in game. First test. Download this json and put it in the Theotown plugin folder. Lets hope it works ;)

(2.61 KiB) Downloaded 578 times

If it works, I may use it for future plugin creations. It is quite convenient that you only need to post the json code only without images added in a zip file.