___  _____ _____ _____ _____  ______     _       _            
 / _ \/  ___/  __ \_   _|_   _| | ___ \   (_)     | |           
/ /_\ \ `--.| /  \/ | |   | |   | |_/ / __ _ _ __ | |_ ___ _ __ 
|  _  |`--. \ |     | |   | |   |  __/ '__| | '_ \| __/ _ \ '__|
| | | /\__/ / \__/\_| |_ _| |_  | |  | |  | | | | | ||  __/ |   
\_| |_|____/ \____/\___/ \___/  \_|  |_|  |_|_| |_|\__\___|_|

ASCII Printer

Tiny browser script that prints colorful ASCII arts into your JavaScript console.

Quick start

Use the minified file from build in your page:

<script src="build/ascii-printer.min.js"></script>

Then open your browser console and call the recommended API:

AsciiPrinter.printById(94);
AsciiPrinter.printByName("pinkPanther");
AsciiPrinter.printBySearch("panther");
AsciiPrinter.printRandom("bird");
AsciiPrinter.printRandomFrom(["heart", "key", "lightBulb"]);
AsciiPrinter.list("bird");
AsciiPrinter.listNames("bird");
AsciiPrinter.listTags();
AsciiPrinter.getById(59);
AsciiPrinter.getByName("pinkPanther");
AsciiPrinter.version;
AsciiPrinter.catalog;

Demo

Open demo/index.html in your browser, then open the console. You can see the online version here: ASCII Printer Demo

The demo page includes:

• the current library version;
• a black and white documentation site;
• a quick start section;
• a full API overview;
• detailed notes for print, random, list, get, options, and project files;
• an interactive playground;
• copy-ready console commands;
• the full ASCII catalog with ID, name, tags, color, height, author, and AsciiPrinter.printById(...) command.

API

API	Description
AsciiPrinter.printById()	Prints one ASCII by ID.
AsciiPrinter.printByName()	Prints one ASCII by exact name.
AsciiPrinter.printBySearch()	Prints the first ASCII whose name contains the search text.
AsciiPrinter.printRandom()	Prints a random ASCII, optionally filtered by tag.
AsciiPrinter.printRandomFrom()	Prints a random ASCII from a list of names.
AsciiPrinter.listTags()	Returns the available tags.
AsciiPrinter.listNames()	Returns ASCII names, optionally filtered by tag.
AsciiPrinter.list()	Returns ASCII metadata with id, name, and tags, optionally filtered by tag.
AsciiPrinter.getById()	Returns one ASCII by ID without printing it.
AsciiPrinter.getByName()	Returns one ASCII by exact name without printing it.
AsciiPrinter.version	Returns the library version.
AsciiPrinter.catalog	Returns the full ASCII catalog.

Print

Print methods write ASCII art to the browser console. They do not return catalog data.

Print by name

AsciiPrinter.printByName(name, options)

Use

Print one ASCII by exact name.

Input

AsciiPrinter.printByName("bigBird");

Output

   . -- .
  (      )
 ( (/oo\) )
  ( \`'/ )
   ( \/ )
  (      )
 (        )
(          )
 (        )
   ' -- '
    =  =
    =  =

Print by ID

AsciiPrinter.printById(id, options)

Use

Print one ASCII by catalog ID.

Input

AsciiPrinter.printById(94);

Output

                        .
                        | \/|
(\   _                  ) )|/|
    (/            _----. /.'.'
.-._________..      .' @ _\  .'
'.._______.   '.   /    (_| .')
  '._____.  /   '-/      | _.'
   '.______ (         ) ) \
     '..____ '._       )  )
        .' __.--\  , ,  // ((
        '.'     |  \/   (_.'(
                |   \ .'
                 \   (
                  \   '.
                   \ \ '.)
                    '-'-'

Print by search

AsciiPrinter.printBySearch(query, options)

Use

Print the first ASCII whose name contains the search text.

Input

AsciiPrinter.printBySearch("panther");

Output

 .--.             .--.
( ('\\.---------.//') )
 '-.    __   __    .-'
  /    /__\ /__\    \
 |     \ 0/ \ 0/     |
  \     _/   \_     /
   '-.  /-"""-\  .-'
     /  '.___.'  \
     \     I     /
      ';--'''--;'
        '.___.'
          | |

Print random

AsciiPrinter.printRandom(tag, options)

Use

Print one random ASCII from the full catalog, or from one tag.

Input

AsciiPrinter.printRandom();
AsciiPrinter.printRandom("bird");

Output

     .--'''''''''--.
   '      .---.      '.
 /    .-----------.    \
/        .-----.        \
|       .-.   .-.       |
|      /___\ /___\      |
 \    | .-. | .-. |    /
  '-._| | | | | | |_.-'
      | '-' | '-' |
       \___/ \___/
    _.-'  /   \  '-._
  .' _.--|     |--._ '.
  ' _...-|     |-..._ '
         |     |
         '.___.'

Print random from names

AsciiPrinter.printRandomFrom(names, options)

Use

Print one random ASCII from a custom list of names.

Input

AsciiPrinter.printRandomFrom(["heart", "heart", "heart", "devil"]);

Output

  ,  ,  , , ,
 <(__)> | | |
 | \/ | \_|_/
 \^  ^/   |
 /\--/\  /|
/  \/  \/ |

Notes

Unknown names are ignored. If no provided names match the catalog, ASCII Printer prints a warning.

Print options

All print methods accept the same optional options object. When a tag parameter is shown, it is optional and defaults to the full catalog.

Input

AsciiPrinter.printByName("frog", { color: "HotPink" });
AsciiPrinter.printByName("frog", { color: false });
AsciiPrinter.printByName("frog", { credits: true });
AsciiPrinter.printRandom("character", { color: "Gold", credits: true });
AsciiPrinter.printRandomFrom(["heart", "key"], { color: "Gold" });
AsciiPrinter.printBySearch("bird", { color: "DodgerBlue" });

Options

Option	Description
color	Overrides the catalog color with any CSS color value supported by your browser console. Use false to keep the browser console default color.
credits	Prints the ASCII author after the art. Unknown authors are displayed as Unknown.

CSS color values are documented on MDN: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/color_value

List

List methods return catalog summaries without printing ASCII art.

List tags

AsciiPrinter.listTags()

Use

Return the available tags.

Input

AsciiPrinter.listTags();

Output

["animal", "character", "item", "message", "..."]

List names

AsciiPrinter.listNames(tag)

Use

Return ASCII names from the full catalog, or from one tag. The tag parameter is optional.

Input

AsciiPrinter.listNames();
AsciiPrinter.listNames("bird");

Output

["anteater", "armadillo", "bat", "..."]

List metadata

AsciiPrinter.list(tag)

Use

Return ASCII metadata with id, name, and tags. The tag parameter is optional.

Input

AsciiPrinter.list("bird");

Output

[
  { id: 48, name: "duck", tags: ["animal","bird","pet"] },
  { id: 53, name: "flamingo", tags: ["animal","bird"] },
  { id: 94, name: "parrot", tags: ["animal","bird","flying","pet"] }
]

Get

Get methods return full ASCII objects without printing ASCII art.

Get by name

AsciiPrinter.getByName(name)

Use

Return one ASCII object by exact name.

Input

AsciiPrinter.getByName("frog");

Output

{
  name: "frog",
  tags: ["animal"],
  art: "...",
  color: "SpringGreen",
  height: 6,
  author: ""
}

Get by ID

AsciiPrinter.getById(id)

Use

Return one ASCII object by catalog ID.

Input

AsciiPrinter.getById(59);

Output

{
  name: "frog",
  tags: ["animal"],
  art: "...",
  color: "SpringGreen",
  height: 6,
  author: ""
}

Catalog

ID	Name	Tags	Color	Height	Author
0	404	message	Green	4	Unknown
1	alarm	item	Chocolate	10	Joan G. Stark
2	alien	character, space	Green	9	Joan G. Stark
3	anchor	item, sea	SlateGray	10	Joan G. Stark
4	anteater	animal	LightSlateGray	7	Veronica Karlsson
5	apple	food, nature	Red	5	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
6	armadillo	animal	RosyBrown	7	Seal do Mar
7	axe	item, medieval, tool, weapon	SlateGray	10	Harry Mason
8	bart	cartoon, character, simpsons	Yellow	9	Unknown
9	bat	animal, flying	DimGray	7	Joan G. Stark
10	bear	animal	Brown	10	Joan G. Stark
11	beaver	animal	DarkGoldenrod	7	Joan G. Stark
12	beer	drink, item	Goldenrod	8	Paul Martin Howard
13	bees	animal, insect	Goldenrod	9	Joan G. Stark
14	beetle	animal, insect	Purple	6	l42
15	bender	cartoon, character, futurama, space	Silver	16	Silver Saks
16	bigBird	bird, cartoon, character, sesameStreet	Yellow	16	Unknown
17	bike	vehicle	Yellow	16	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
18	boat	sea, vehicle	Aqua	5	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
19	bomb	item, weapon	DimGray	14	Joan G. Stark
20	book	item	SaddleBrown	10	Joan G. Stark
21	bravo	message	MediumPurple	4	Unknown
22	bug	animal, insect	OliveDrab	6	Unknown
23	bye	message	MediumPurple	4	Unknown
24	cactus	nature, plant	Green	12	Joan G. Stark
25	cake	food	Pink	10	Laura Brown
26	camera	item, retro	Gray	7	Joan G. Stark
27	candle	christmas, item	Gold	7	Unknown
28	cat	animal, pet	DarkSlateGrey	12	Unknown
29	caterpillar	animal, insect	Green	3	Joan G. Stark
30	cheese	food	Yellow	6	Randy Ransom
31	cheshireCat	cartoon, character, disney	Violet	6	Randy Ransom
32	chess	game, item	Black	7	Unknown
33	coffee	drink, item	Brown	9	H.P. Barmario
34	cookieMonster	cartoon, character, sesameStreet	Blue	6	Randy Ransom
35	cool	message	Blue	4	Unknown
36	crab	animal, sea	Red	8	Unknown
37	crocodile	animal	OliveDrab	9	Shanaka Dias
38	crown	item, medieval, symbol	Gold	10	Joan G. Stark
39	cube	symbol	Gold	7	Unknown
40	dart	game, item, sport	Silver	3	Joan G. Stark
41	deer	animal	Tan	15	Unknown
42	dev	message	MediumPurple	4	Unknown
43	devil	character, halloween	Red	6	Joan G. Stark
44	die	game, item	White	7	Unknown
45	diplodocus	animal	Green	6	Unknown
46	dog	animal, pet	Tan	8	Unknown
47	dragon	halloween	Red	11	Unknown
48	duck	animal, bird, pet	DarkGray	7	Unknown
49	einstein	character, history	Silver	9	Joan G. Stark
50	electricGuitar	item, music	Red	14	Rowan Crawford
51	elephant	animal	Silver	11	Hamilton Furtado
52	error	message	Red	4	Unknown
53	flamingo	animal, bird	Pink	11	Joan G. Stark
54	flintstones	cartoon, character	DarkOrange	11	Unknown
55	floppyDisk	item, retro	DarkSlateGray	10	Robert Craggs
56	flower	nature, plant	Pink	7	Joan G. Stark
57	folder	item, retro	Orange	7	Joan G. Stark
58	fox	animal	DarkOrange	9	Unknown
59	frog	animal	SpringGreen	6	Unknown
60	frontDoor	city	Brown	12	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
61	garfield	cartoon, character, pet	Orange	12	Joan G. Stark
62	gift	christmas, item	Red	5	Laura Brown
63	goldfish	animal, sea	Gold	6	Unknown
64	gun	item, weapon	Silver	6	Unknown
65	hat	item	Brown	9	gnv
66	heart	symbol	Red	5	Bungle
67	hedgehog	animal	Tan	5	Unknown
68	hello	message	DeepSkyBlue	4	Unknown
69	helloWorld	message	DeepSkyBlue	4	Unknown
70	heron	animal, bird	DeepSkyBlue	10	Joan G. Stark
71	hippo	animal	DarkGray	7	Unknown
72	homer	cartoon, character, simpsons	Gold	14	Unknown
73	hotAirBalloon	flying, vehicle	Red	15	Joan G. Stark
74	house	city	Brown	7	Unknown
75	impossibleTriangle	symbol	Gold	16	Ojosh!ro
76	impossibleTrident	symbol	Gold	15	P.J. LaBrocca
77	info	message	DeepSkyBlue	4	Unknown
78	kermit	cartoon, character, sesameStreet	SpringGreen	13	Joan G. Stark
79	key	item	Gold	5	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
80	kingKong	character, cinema	Silver	21	Cyberfox
81	knight	character, medieval	Silver	10	Joan G. Stark
82	lightBulb	item	Goldenrod	7	Joan G. Stark
83	lion	animal	Peru	13	Joan G. Stark
84	loading	message	DeepSkyBlue	4	Unknown
85	mailbox	item	Red	12	Joan G. Stark
86	marbles	animal, pet	Brown	10	Unknown
87	marmot	animal	DarkGoldenrod	12	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
88	maryPoppins	cartoon, character, cinema, disney	Black	17	Unknown
89	monaLisa	art, character	Sienna	17	Unknown
90	monkey	animal	Brown	12	Joan G. Stark
91	mountain	christmas, nature	SlateGray	9	Unknown
92	mouse	animal, pet	Gray	5	Unknown
93	mushroom	nature, plant	Red	5	Donovan Baker
94	parrot	animal, bird, flying, pet	DodgerBlue	16	Unknown
95	pig	animal	Pink	9	Unknown
96	pinguin	animal, bird	Black	6	Unknown
97	pinkPanther	cartoon, character	Pink	12	Unknown
98	plane	flying, vehicle	Red	8	Joan G. Stark
99	production	message	LimeGreen	4	Unknown
100	puzzle	game, item	Yellow	7	Unknown
101	r2d2	character, cinema, space, starWars	Blue	8	snd
102	rain	nature, weather	DodgerBlue	6	Unknown
103	rainbow	nature, weather	MediumPurple	6	Brian T. Odom
104	ready	message	DodgerBlue	4	Unknown
105	robot	character, space	Blue	14	Joan G. Stark
106	rocket	space, vehicle	OrangeRed	9	Joan G. Stark
107	rowlf	cartoon, character, sesameStreet	Brown	6	Unknown
108	santaClaus	character, christmas	Red	10	B.D.S. "Don" McConnell
109	sherlockHolmes	character	MediumSeaGreen	8	Harry Mason
110	shield	item, medieval, weapon	Gold	8	Joan G. Stark
111	skeleton	character, halloween	White	14	Ultramarine Rain, Lunatic 42
112	snail	animal	SeaGreen	5	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
113	snoopy	cartoon, character, pet	Black	15	Win Kang
114	snowman	character, christmas	White	6	Laura Brown
115	sonic	character, videoGame	Blue	9	Unknown
116	spaceInvader	character, space, videoGame	Chartreuse	8	Unknown
117	squidward	cartoon, character, spongeBob	Gray	15	LGB
118	squirrel	animal	Brown	9	Rowan Crawford
119	stage	message	DarkOrange	4	Unknown
120	stopSign	item	Red	8	Joan G. Stark
121	sunFace	character, space, symbol	Gold	13	Joan G. Stark
122	sword	item, medieval, weapon	Gold	7	Veronica Karlsson
123	tank	vehicle, weapon	Green	4	Chad Racine
124	teapot	drink, item	Sienna	11	Stephane Abello
125	teckel	animal, pet	Chocolate	8	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
126	telescope	item, space	SlateGray	14	David Riley
127	television	item, retro	SlateGray	14	Joan G. Stark
128	thumbsUp	symbol	Goldenrod	7	Sebastian Stöcker
129	toiletPaper	item	White	6	Ojosh!ro
130	tombstone	halloween, item	Gray	5	Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
131	turtle	animal	LimeGreen	6	Unknown
132	tweetieBird	bird, cartoon, character, looneyTunes, pet	Orange	9	Unknown
133	warning	message	DarkOrange	4	Unknown
134	wasp	animal, flying, insect	Yellow	5	Stef00
135	welcome	message	DeepSkyBlue	4	Unknown
136	whale	animal, sea	RoyalBlue	6	Riitta Rasimus
137	wine	drink, item	Purple	11	John Frick
138	yosemiteSam	cartoon, character, looneyTunes	Red	13	Unknown
139	zeppelin	flying, vehicle	Blue	7	Joan G. Stark

Credits

I didn't make the arts. At best, I just tweaked them. Here are the names of the authors (when I could find them):

• B.D.S. "Don" McConnell
• Brian T. Odom
• Bungle
• Chad Racine
• Cyberfox
• David Riley
• Donovan Baker
• gnv
• H.P. Barmario
• Hamilton Furtado
• Harry Mason
• Hayley Jane Wakenshaw
• Joan G. Stark
• John Frick
• l42
• Laura Brown
• LGB
• Ojosh!ro
• P.J. LaBrocca
• Paul Martin Howard
• Randy Ransom
• Riitta Rasimus
• Robert Craggs
• Rowan Crawford
• Seal do Mar
• Sebastian Stöcker
• Shanaka Dias
• Silver Saks
• snd
• Stef00
• Stephane Abello
• Ultramarine Rain, Lunatic 42
• Veronica Karlsson
• Win Kang

Files

• build/ascii-printer.min.js is the recommended file to use in a page. Current size: ~40.3 KB.
• build/ascii-printer.js is the readable build. Current size: ~44.8 KB.
• demo/index.html is the browser demo page.
• demo/styles.css contains the demo styling.
• demo/main.js contains the demo interactions.
• source/ascii-printer-functions.js contains the public API and internal helpers.
• source/ascii-printer-lib.js contains the ASCII library.
• LICENSE contains the code license.

The build files are generated manually, so update both source and build when changing the library or helpers. Build sizes are approximate and will move as the catalog grows.

License

The JavaScript code is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE.

The ASCII arts are credited in this README when the author is known.