Mobile API for Ancient Texts (MAAT)

A library for rendering egyptian hieroglyphic texts by using the GlyphX format.

Disclaimer

This library only handles the calculation of the position and scale of each hieroglyph. The rendering and storing of the images are not included. Besides the library uses the GlyphX code for encoding the hieroglyphic texts.

A library for converting GlyphX to MdC and back is stored here: GlyphConverter.

Tip

You don't want to handle all the images by yourself? Try the THOTH library which uses the MAAT library and handles all the images.
It contains an android custom view which renders everything for you. You only have to adjust a few parameters!

Implementation with jitpack

Add this to your settings.gradle.kts at the end of repositories:

dependencyResolutionManagement {
  repositoriesMode.set(RepositoriesMode.FAIL_ON_PROJECT_REPOS)
  repositories {
    mavenCentral()
    maven { url = uri("https://jitpack.io") }
  }
}

Then add this dependency to your build.gradle.kts file:

dependencies {
  implementation("com.github.cristmasbox:MAAT:1.0.0")
}

Note

For the implementation for other build systems like Groovy see here

Implementation with .aar file

Download the MAAT_debug_versionname.aar file from this repository, create a libs folder in your project directory and paste the file there. Then add this dependency to your build.gradle.kts file:

dependencies {
  implementation(files("../libs/MAAT_debug_versionname.aar"))
}

Important

If you renamed the .aar file you also have to change the name in the dependencies

Usage

First add this code to get the ids of all hieroglyphs used in the GlyphX document.

String GlyphXContent = "";  // Save your GlyphX string here

// Convert your string to an XML Document

DocumentBuilderFactory factory = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();                      // Parser that produces DOM object trees from XML content
DocumentBuilder builder;                                                                    // API to obtain DOM Document instance
builder = factory.newDocumentBuilder();                                                     // Create DocumentBuilder with default configuration
Document GlyphXDocument = builder.parse(new InputSource(new StringReader(GlyphXContent)));  // Parse the content to Document object

BoundCalculation boundCalculation = new BoundCalculation(GlyphXDocument);                   // Create an object of the BoundCalculation class
ArrayList<String> ids = boundCalculation.getIds();                                          // Get the ids of all the hieroglyphs e.g. ["sn","n","nw","w","A1"]

The ids are either codes from Gardiner's Sign List like A1, Z1, A1B or O34 or their phonetic alternates like sn, zA, xAst or ra.

In the next step you have to find the right images representing the ids. When you found them, you have to get their dimensions and store them in an ArrayList<ValuePair<Float, Float>>. The first Float-value is the width and the second is the height of the image.

Caution

The width and height values in the ArrayList must be in the same order like the equivalent ids.

Now you have to setup the BoundProperty. This class is included in the library and there you store all the settings for the library.

BoundProperty property = new BoundProperty(x, y, textSize,
                            verticalOrientation, writingDirection, writingLayout);

Here is the explanation for the parameters:

• x This value defines the gobal x-position for the whole text. With help of this value, you can move the text as a whole.
• y This value defines the gobal y-position for the whole text. With help of this value, you can move the text as a whole.
• textSize This defines the height of a line in pixels. If the writingLayout is set to WRITING_LAYOUT_COLUMNS this value defines the width of a column in pixels.
• verticalOrientation This parameter can only have three values and defines the vertical position of smaller signs (like n):
  • BoundProperty.VERTICAL_ORIENTATION_UP Put signs to the top of the line
  • BoundProperty.VERTICAL_ORIENTATION_MIDDLE Center signs vertically
  • BoundProperty.VERTICAL_ORIENTATION_DOWN Drop signs on Baseline
• writingDirection This parameter can only have two values and defines the direction of writing:
  • BoundProperty.WRITING_DIRECTION_LTR Write from left to right
  • BoundProperty.WRITING_DIRECTION_RTL Write from right to left
• writingLayout This parameter also have two possible values and determines if signs should be written in lines or in columns:
  • BoundProperty.WRITING_LAYOUT_LINES Write signs in lines
  • BoundProperty.WRITING_LAYOUT_COLUMNS Write signs in columns

Warning

Currently in RTL-mode the signs are still written in LTR when positioned in an <h>-group

Finally get the calculated bounds:

ArrayList<ValuePair<Float, Float>> dimensions = new ArrayList<>();  // Store the dimensions of the signs here
ArrayList<Rect> bounds = boundCalculation.getBounds(dimensions, property);

Now you can use the position and scale values stored in the Rect instances and apply them to your images.

Version Catalog

13.09.2025@1.0.0

This is the first release of the MAAT library.

latest Version

13.09.2025@1.0.0