Figlet Text Converter - Usage Guide

Figlet Text Converter - Usage Guide

Overview

The Figlet Text Converter skill converts marked text in files to ASCII art. It uses a universal <figlet> tag syntax that works across all file types and intelligently preserves comment formatting.

Getting Started

Installation

The skill automatically manages Node.js dependencies on first use. When invoked:

1. Verifies Node.js v14+ is installed
2. Installs the figlet package via npm if needed
3. Processes your file

Basic Usage

Insert <figlet> tags in any file to mark text for conversion:

<figlet>Text to Convert</figlet>

Then ask Claude to process the file:

"Convert all figlet tags in this markdown file to ASCII art"

Tag Syntax

Simple Tag (Uses Default Font)

<figlet>Welcome</figlet>

Uses 'standard' font (default).

Tag with Custom Font

<figlet font="3-D">Welcome</figlet>

Uses the specified font. Font names are case-sensitive and must exactly match figlet's font list.

Usage Examples

Markdown Document

Input:

# My Documentation

<figlet font="Standard">Getting Started</figlet>

Follow these steps...

<figlet>Important Note</figlet>

This is critical...

Output:

# My Documentation

 ____     _   _     _               _____   _             _   _           _
/ ___| ___| |_| |_(_)_ __   __ _  / ____| | |_  __ _ _ _| |_| |___  __| |
| |  _/ -_|  _|  _| | '_ \ / _` | / __| _ | __| / _` | | | |  _| / _ \/ _` |
| |_| \__ \  _|  _| | | | | (_| |/ /____| | |_| (_| | | | | | |_|  __/ (_| |
 \____|___/\__|\__|_|_| |_|\__, |\_______|  \__|\_\__,_\_/_|_|\__|\___|\_\__,
                             |___/
Follow these steps...

 ___                       _
|_ _|_ __ ___  _ __   ___| |_  __ _  _ _  | |_
 | | '_ ` _ \| '_ \ / _ \|  _| / _` || | | |  _|
 | | | | | | | |_) |  __/ | |_| (_| || | | | | |
|___|_| |_| |_| .__/ \___|_|\__|\_\__|\__,_|_| |
              |_|

This is critical...

Python Script

Input:

# <figlet>Configuration</figlet>

DEBUG = True
LOG_LEVEL = "INFO"

Output:

# ____              ___                                            _
# / ___|__ _   _   / __| ___   _ _   ___   ___  _ _  __ _  __  __| | __
# | |__/ _ \ | | | / /__ / _ \ | | | / _ \ / _ \| | | / _` | \ \/ /| |/ /
# |  __| | | || | |  ___| | | || |_|| (_) ||  __/ (_| |(  _ |  >  < |  __\
# |_|  |_| |_| \_\  \___|_| |_| \__,_|\___/ \___|\__,_| \_/ |_/_/\_\ |_|

DEBUG = True
LOG_LEVEL = "INFO"

Shell Script

Input:

#!/bin/bash

echo '<figlet font="Block">Starting Deployment</figlet>'

# Deploy code...

Output:

#!/bin/bash

echo '  ___   _         _   _          _            ___   _             _
 / __|_| |_ __ _ | |_| | ___  _ | | __ _   / ___| |___  _ __  | |
 \__ \_   _/ _` ||  __| |/ _ \| | |/ _` | / /  | | _ \| '_ \ | |_
 |___/ |_| \__,_| \__|_| \___/|_|_|\__, | \_\__| | |_) | |_) ||___|
                                    |___/          |_.__/ | .__/|___|
                                                         |_|'

# Deploy code...

PHP Code

Input:

<?php

// <figlet>Database Connection</figlet>

$conn = new PDO($dsn);

Output:

<?php

// ___   __  _          _                _     ___
// |  \ /  \| |_ __ _ | |__   __ _ ___ ___  / __|
// | | ||  ()| / _` ||  _ \ / _` | -_) -_) \__ \
// |__/ \_/\_|\__,_||_|_|_|\__,_|\___|___|  |___/
//
// ____  ___   _ _  _ _   _    ___   __  _
// / ___| / _ \ | | | | | | |  / _ \ /  \| |_
// |  ___| | | || | | | | | _ | | | ||  ()| / _|
// |  \__| |_| | \_/ | |_|_||_| \__/  \_/|\__\
// \____|___/

$conn = new PDO($dsn);

Configuration File

Input:

[database]
<figlet>Database Settings</figlet>
host=localhost
port=5432

Output:

[database]
 ___   __  _          _                ___   __  _   _   _
|  \ /  \| |_ __ _ | |__   __ _ ___ / __| |_ _| | | | | |_ __  __ _ ___
| | ||  ()| / _` ||  _ \ / _` | -_) \__ \|  _| |_| |_|  _| / _` | / _ \
|__/ \_/\_|\__,_||_|_|_|\__,_|\___|  |___/ |_| \___/ |_| \__, | \___/
                                                         |___/
host=localhost
port=5432

Comment Style Detection

The skill automatically detects and preserves comment styles:

When a tag is on a line with a comment marker, output is formatted with that comment style:

// <figlet>Header</figlet>

Becomes:

// ___                 _            _
// | | | |___  ___  __| |__ _ ___  __
// | |_| // -_)/ _ \/ _` / _` / -_) / _ \
//  \___/ \___|\___/\__,_\__,_|\___|  __/
//                                  |_|

Finding Fonts

To see all available fonts, ask Claude to list them:

"List all available figlet fonts"

This will show:

• Previews of popular fonts
• Complete alphabetical listing of 400+ available fonts
• Font names to use in tags

Popular Fonts

• standard - Default, traditional figlet style
• 3-D - 3D effect with shading
• Block - Large, blocky characters
• Big - Large and simple
• Shadow - Shadowed appearance
• Slant - Slanted characters
• Graffiti - Artistic style
• Doom - Heavy, bold style
• Isometric1/2 - Isometric projection

Troubleshooting

Invalid Font Error

❌ Error: Invalid font "MyFont" in tag: <figlet font="MyFont">Text</figlet>
   Run 'node list-fonts.js' to see available fonts.

Solution: Use a valid font name from the list. Font names are case-sensitive.

File Not Found

❌ Error: File not found: /path/to/file.txt

Solution: Verify the file path is correct.

Node.js Not Installed

❌ Dependencies not installed. Please run: npm install

Solution: Install Node.js v14+ from https://nodejs.org/

Advanced Usage

Multiple Tags in One File

You can use multiple figlet tags in a single file:

<figlet font="Block">Section One</figlet>

Content here...

<figlet font="3-D">Section Two</figlet>

More content...

Each tag is processed independently with its own font and style.

Mixing Comment Styles

Different parts of a file can have different comment styles:

// <figlet>JavaScript Section</figlet>

const x = 10;

# <figlet>Python Section</figlet>

x = 10

Each is formatted appropriately for its comment context.

Large Text Conversion

ASCII art can be quite large. For long text strings:

<figlet font="Standard">A</figlet>  <!-- Smaller -->
<figlet font="Big">A</figlet>        <!-- Larger -->

Use shorter fonts for longer text to keep output manageable.

Tips & Tricks

1. Preview Before Converting: Ask Claude to show you the ASCII art for your text before inserting it
2. Consistent Styling: Use the same font throughout a file for visual consistency
3. Comment the Conversion: Leave a comment explaining what the ASCII art represents
4. Test Display: Verify the output displays correctly in your target environment (editor, terminal, web)
5. Reserve for Impact: Use ASCII art sparingly for section headers, not inline text

Limitations

• Font names must match figlet's font list exactly (case-sensitive)
• Each tag is processed independently; multi-line ASCII art expands proportionally
• Comment detection is line-based (tag must be on same line as comment marker)
• Very long text may produce large ASCII art output