Chapter 3.7: Styles, Fonts & Images

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This chapter covers the visual building blocks of DayZ UI: predefined styles, font usage, text sizing, image widgets with imageset references, and how to create custom imagesets for your mod.

Styles

Styles are predefined visual appearances that can be applied to widgets via the style attribute in layout files. They control background rendering, borders, and overall look without requiring manual color and image configuration.

Common Built-In Styles

Style Name	Description
`blank`	No visual -- completely transparent background
`Empty`	No background rendering
`Default`	Default button/widget style with standard DayZ appearance
`Colorable`	Style that can be tinted using `SetColor()`
`rover_sim_colorable`	Colored panel style, commonly used for backgrounds
`rover_sim_black`	Dark panel background
`rover_sim_black_2`	Darker panel variant
`Outline_1px_BlackBackground`	1-pixel outline with solid black background
`OutlineFilled`	Outline with a filled interior
`DayZDefaultPanelRight`	DayZ default right panel style
`DayZNormal`	DayZ normal text/widget style
`MenuDefault`	Standard menu button style

Using Styles in Layouts

ButtonWidgetClass MyButton {
 style Default
 text "Click Me"
 size 120 30
 hexactsize 1
 vexactsize 1
}

PanelWidgetClass Background {
 style rover_sim_colorable
 color 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.9
 size 1 1
}

Style + Color Pattern

The Colorable and rover_sim_colorable styles are designed to be tinted. Set the color attribute in the layout or call SetColor() in code:

PanelWidgetClass TitleBar {
 style rover_sim_colorable
 color 0.4196 0.6471 1 0.9412
 size 1 30
 hexactsize 0
 vexactsize 1
}

// Change color at runtime
PanelWidget bar = PanelWidget.Cast(root.FindAnyWidget("TitleBar"));
bar.SetColor(ARGB(240, 107, 165, 255));

Styles in Professional Mods

DabsFramework dialogs use Outline_1px_BlackBackground for dialog containers:

WrapSpacerWidgetClass EditorDialog {
 style Outline_1px_BlackBackground
 Padding 5
 "Size To Content V" 1
}

Colorful UI uses rover_sim_colorable extensively for themed panels where the color is controlled by a centralized theme manager.

Fonts

DayZ includes several built-in fonts. Font paths are specified in the font attribute.

Built-In Font Paths

Font Path	Description
`"gui/fonts/Metron"`	Standard UI font
`"gui/fonts/Metron28"`	Standard font, 28pt variant
`"gui/fonts/Metron-Bold"`	Bold variant
`"gui/fonts/Metron-Bold58"`	Bold 58pt variant
`"gui/fonts/sdf_MetronBook24"`	SDF (Signed Distance Field) font -- crisp at any size

Using Fonts in Layouts

TextWidgetClass Title {
 text "Mission Briefing"
 font "gui/fonts/Metron-Bold"
 "text halign" center
 "text valign" center
}

TextWidgetClass Body {
 text "Objective: Secure the airfield"
 font "gui/fonts/Metron"
}

Using Fonts in Code

TextWidget tw = TextWidget.Cast(root.FindAnyWidget("MyText"));
tw.SetText("Hello");
// Font is set in the layout, not changeable at runtime via script

SDF Fonts

SDF (Signed Distance Field) fonts render crisply at any zoom level, making them ideal for UI elements that may appear at various sizes. The sdf_MetronBook24 font is the best choice for text that needs to look sharp across different UI scale settings.

Text Sizing: "exact text" vs. Proportional

DayZ text widgets support two sizing modes, controlled by the "exact text" attribute:

Proportional Text (Default)

When "exact text" 0 (the default), the font size is determined by the widget's height. The text scales with the widget. This is the default behavior.

TextWidgetClass ScalingText {
 size 1 0.05
 hexactsize 0
 vexactsize 0
 text "I scale with my parent"
}

Exact Text Size

When "exact text" 1, the font size is a fixed pixel value set by "exact text size":

TextWidgetClass FixedText {
 size 1 30
 hexactsize 0
 vexactsize 1
 text "I am always 16 pixels"
 "exact text" 1
 "exact text size" 16
}

Which to Use?

Scenario	Recommendation
HUD elements that scale with screen size	Proportional (default)
Menu text at a specific size	`"exact text" 1` with `"exact text size"`
Text that must match a specific font pixel size	`"exact text" 1`
Text inside spacers/grids	Often proportional, determined by cell height

Attribute	Effect
`"size to text h" 1`	Widget width adjusts to fit the text
`"size to text v" 1`	Widget height adjusts to fit the text
`"text sharpness"`	Float value controlling rendering sharpness
`wrap 1`	Enable word wrapping for text that exceeds widget width

The "size to text" attributes are useful for labels and tags where the widget should be exactly as large as its text content.

Text Alignment

Control where text appears within its widget using alignment attributes:

TextWidgetClass CenteredLabel {
 text "Centered"
 "text halign" center
 "text valign" center
}

Attribute	Values	Effect
`"text halign"`	`left`, `center`, `right`	Horizontal text position within widget
`"text valign"`	`top`, `center`, `bottom`	Vertical text position within widget

Text Outline

Add outlines to text for readability on busy backgrounds:

TextWidget tw;
tw.SetOutline(1, ARGB(255, 0, 0, 0));   // 1px black outline

int size = tw.GetOutlineSize();           // Read outline size
int color = tw.GetOutlineColor();         // Read outline color (ARGB)

ImageWidget

ImageWidget displays images from two sources: imageset references and dynamically loaded files.

Imageset References

The most common way to display images. An imageset is a sprite atlas -- a single texture file with multiple named sub-images.

In a layout file:

ImageWidgetClass MyIcon {
 image0 "set:dayz_gui image:icon_refresh"
 mode blend
 "src alpha" 1
 stretch 1
}

The format is "set:<imageset_name> image:<image_name>".

Common vanilla imagesets and images:

"set:dayz_gui image:icon_pin"           -- Map pin icon
"set:dayz_gui image:icon_refresh"       -- Refresh icon
"set:dayz_gui image:icon_x"            -- Close/X icon
"set:dayz_gui image:icon_missing"      -- Warning/missing icon
"set:dayz_gui image:iconHealth0"       -- Health/plus icon
"set:dayz_gui image:DayZLogo"          -- DayZ logo
"set:dayz_gui image:Expand"            -- Expand arrow
"set:dayz_gui image:Gradient"          -- Gradient strip

Multiple Image Slots

A single ImageWidget can hold multiple images in different slots (image0, image1, etc.) and switch between them:

ImageWidgetClass StatusIcon {
 image0 "set:dayz_gui image:icon_missing"
 image1 "set:dayz_gui image:iconHealth0"
}

ImageWidget icon;
icon.SetImage(0);    // Show image0 (missing icon)
icon.SetImage(1);    // Show image1 (health icon)

Loading Images from Files

Load images dynamically at runtime:

ImageWidget img;
img.LoadImageFile(0, "MyMod/gui/textures/my_image.edds");
img.SetImage(0);

The path is relative to the mod's root directory. Supported formats include .edds, .paa, and .tga (though .edds is standard for DayZ).

Image Blend Modes

The mode attribute controls how the image blends with what's behind it:

Mode	Effect
`blend`	Standard alpha blending (most common)
`additive`	Colors add together (glow effects)
`stretch`	Stretch to fill without blending

Image Mask Transitions

ImageWidget supports mask-based reveal transitions:

ImageWidget img;
img.LoadMaskTexture("gui/textures/mask_wipe.edds");
img.SetMaskProgress(0.5);  // 50% revealed

This is useful for loading bars, health displays, and reveal animations.

ImageSet Format

An imageset file (.imageset) defines named regions within a sprite atlas texture. DayZ supports two imageset formats.

DayZ Native Format

Used by vanilla DayZ and most mods. This is not XML -- it uses the same brace-delimited format as layout files.

ImageSetClass {
 Name "my_mod_icons"
 RefSize 1024 1024
 Textures {
  ImageSetTextureClass {
   mpix 0
   path "MyMod/GUI/imagesets/my_icons.edds"
  }
 }
 Images {
  ImageSetDefClass icon_sword {
   Name "icon_sword"
   Pos 0 0
   Size 64 64
   Flags 0
  }
  ImageSetDefClass icon_shield {
   Name "icon_shield"
   Pos 64 0
   Size 64 64
   Flags 0
  }
  ImageSetDefClass icon_potion {
   Name "icon_potion"
   Pos 128 0
   Size 64 64
   Flags 0
  }
 }
}

Key fields:

Name -- Imageset name (used in "set:<name>")
RefSize -- Reference size of the source texture in pixels (width height)
path -- Path to the texture file (.edds)
mpix -- Mipmap level (0 = standard resolution, 1 = 2x resolution)
Each image entry defines Name, Pos (x y in pixels), and Size (width height in pixels)

XML Format

Some mods (including some DayZ Expansion modules) use an XML-based imageset format:

xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<imageset name="my_icons" file="MyMod/GUI/imagesets/my_icons.edds">
  <image name="icon_sword" pos="0 0" size="64 64" />
  <image name="icon_shield" pos="64 0" size="64 64" />
  <image name="icon_potion" pos="128 0" size="64 64" />
</imageset>

Both formats accomplish the same thing. The native format is used by vanilla DayZ; the XML format is sometimes easier to read and edit by hand.

Creating Custom Imagesets

To create your own imageset for a mod:

Step 1: Create the Sprite Atlas Texture

Use an image editor (Photoshop, GIMP, etc.) to create a single texture that contains all your icons/images arranged on a grid. Common sizes are 256x256, 512x512, or 1024x1024 pixels.

Save as .tga, then convert to .edds using DayZ Tools (TexView2 or the ImageTool).

Step 2: Create the Imageset File

Create a .imageset file that maps named regions to positions in the texture:

ImageSetClass {
 Name "mymod_icons"
 RefSize 512 512
 Textures {
  ImageSetTextureClass {
   mpix 0
   path "MyFramework/GUI/imagesets/mymod_icons.edds"
  }
 }
 Images {
  ImageSetDefClass icon_mission {
   Name "icon_mission"
   Pos 0 0
   Size 64 64
   Flags 0
  }
  ImageSetDefClass icon_waypoint {
   Name "icon_waypoint"
   Pos 64 0
   Size 64 64
   Flags 0
  }
 }
}

Step 3: Register in config.cpp

In your mod's config.cpp, register the imageset under CfgMods:

cpp

class CfgMods
{
    class MyMod
    {
        // ... other fields ...
        class defs
        {
            class imageSets
            {
                files[] = { "MyMod/GUI/imagesets/mymod_icons.imageset" };
            };
            // ... script modules ...
        };
    };
};

Step 4: Use in Layouts and Code

In layout files:

ImageWidgetClass MissionIcon {
 image0 "set:mymod_icons image:icon_mission"
 mode blend
 "src alpha" 1
}

In code:

ImageWidget icon;
// Images from registered imagesets are available by set:name image:name
// No additional loading step needed after config.cpp registration

Color Theme Pattern

Professional mods centralize their color definitions in a theme class, then apply colors at runtime. This makes it easy to restyle the entire UI by changing one file.

class UIColor
{
    static int White()        { return ARGB(255, 255, 255, 255); }
    static int Black()        { return ARGB(255, 0, 0, 0); }
    static int Primary()      { return ARGB(255, 75, 119, 190); }
    static int Secondary()    { return ARGB(255, 60, 60, 60); }
    static int Accent()       { return ARGB(255, 100, 200, 100); }
    static int Danger()       { return ARGB(255, 200, 50, 50); }
    static int Transparent()  { return ARGB(1, 0, 0, 0); }
    static int SemiBlack()    { return ARGB(180, 0, 0, 0); }
}

Apply in code:

titleBar.SetColor(UIColor.Primary());
statusText.SetColor(UIColor.Accent());
errorText.SetColor(UIColor.Danger());

This pattern (used by Colorful UI, MyMod, and others) means changing the entire UI color scheme requires editing only the theme class.

Widget	Key Visual Attributes
Any widget	`color`, `visible`, `style`, `priority`, `inheritalpha`
TextWidget	`text`, `font`, `"text halign"`, `"text valign"`, `"exact text"`, `"exact text size"`, `"bold text"`, `wrap`
ImageWidget	`image0`, `mode`, `"src alpha"`, `stretch`, `"flip u"`, `"flip v"`
ButtonWidget	`text`, `style`, `switch toggle`
PanelWidget	`color`, `style`
SliderWidget	`"fill in"`
ProgressBarWidget	`style`

Best Practices

Use imageset references instead of direct file paths where possible -- imagesets are batched more efficiently by the engine.
Use SDF fonts (sdf_MetronBook24) for text that needs to look sharp at any scale.
Use "exact text" 1 for UI text at specific pixel sizes; use proportional text for HUD elements that should scale.
Centralize colors in a theme class rather than hardcoding ARGB values throughout your code.
Set "src alpha" 1 on image widgets to get proper transparency.
Register custom imagesets in config.cpp so they are available globally without manual loading.
Keep sprite atlases reasonably sized -- 512x512 or 1024x1024 is typical. Larger textures waste memory if most of the space is empty.

Next Steps

3.8 Dialogs & Modals -- Popup windows, confirmation prompts, and overlay panels
3.1 Widget Types -- Review the full widget catalog
3.6 Event Handling -- Make your styled widgets interactive

Theory vs Practice

Concept	Theory	Reality
SDF fonts scale to any size	`sdf_MetronBook24` is crisp at all sizes	True for sizes above ~10px. Below that, SDF fonts can appear blurry compared to bitmap fonts at their native size
`"exact text" 1` gives pixel-perfect sizing	Font renders at the exact pixel size specified	DayZ applies internal scaling, so `"exact text size" 16` may render slightly differently across resolutions. Test on 1080p and 1440p
Built-in styles cover all needs	`Default`, `blank`, `Colorable` are sufficient	Most professional mods define their own `.styles` files because built-in styles have limited visual variety
Imageset XML and native formats are equivalent	Both define sprite regions	The native brace format is what the engine processes fastest. XML format works but adds a parsing step; use native format for production
`SetColor()` overrides layout color	Runtime color replaces the layout value	`SetColor()` tints the widget's existing visual. On styled widgets, the tint multiplies with the style's base color, producing unexpected results

Compatibility & Impact

Multi-Mod: Style names are global. If two mods register a .styles file defining the same style name, the last-loaded mod wins. Prefix custom style names with your mod identifier (e.g., MyMod_PanelDark).
Performance: Imagesets are loaded once into GPU memory at startup. Adding large sprite atlases (2048x2048+) increases VRAM usage. Keep atlases at 512x512 or 1024x1024 and split across multiple imagesets if needed.

Chapter 3.7: Styles, Fonts & Images ​

Styles ​

Common Built-In Styles ​

Using Styles in Layouts ​

Style + Color Pattern ​

Styles in Professional Mods ​

Fonts ​

Built-In Font Paths ​

Using Fonts in Layouts ​

Using Fonts in Code ​

SDF Fonts ​

Text Sizing: "exact text" vs. Proportional ​

Proportional Text (Default) ​

Exact Text Size ​

Which to Use? ​

Text-Related Size Attributes ​

Text Alignment ​

Text Outline ​

ImageWidget ​

Imageset References ​

Multiple Image Slots ​

Loading Images from Files ​

Image Blend Modes ​

Image Mask Transitions ​

ImageSet Format ​

DayZ Native Format ​

XML Format ​

Creating Custom Imagesets ​

Step 1: Create the Sprite Atlas Texture ​

Step 2: Create the Imageset File ​

Step 3: Register in config.cpp ​

Step 4: Use in Layouts and Code ​

Color Theme Pattern ​

Summary of Visual Attributes by Widget Type ​

Best Practices ​

Next Steps ​

Theory vs Practice ​

Compatibility & Impact ​