Derek Simkowiak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> I have some easy questions about using fonts in X (using Gdk).
> I'm hoping this documentation is online somewhere, if so please just give
> me the URL. I don't mean to seem like an idiot, but I've read what I
> could find and I'm new to font handling in X.
>
X comes with a file called XLFD.PS (or something like that, it
contains "xlfd") explaining the X font stuff. Also in the Xlib book by
Nye, and very briefly summarized in my book.
> Regarding underlining, I take it that underlining is not part of
> the font and I need to draw the line underneath the text myself?
>
Yes.
> What are "TrueType" fonts (I've seen them on Microsoft computers
> before)? Are they anyhow different from "scalable" fonts in X? Is it
> possible to use "TrueType" fonts with Gdk?
>
TrueType is an on-disk font format, and X can read them and make them
available as scalable or non-scalable X fonts. Typically you use a
font server for this. All on-disk font formats are accessed via XLFD
by X programs.
> Is it possible to display scaled fonts with anti-aliasing? If so,
> how?
>
No.
> Let's say I let the user choose a font (by "family") to display
> text in my application. Something like, "Babelfish" or "Brand New". I
> also want them to be able to click on in "i" button to turn on italics, or
> a "b" button to turn on bold. And they should be able to choose the size
> of the font. Imagine something like Microsoft's Write program.
>
> Now, on my system, I only have the following installed:
>
> -macromedia-babelfish-medium-r-normal--0-0-0-0-p-0-iso8859-1
> -macromedia-brand new-medium-r-normal--0-0-0-0-p-0-iso8859-1
>
> I do not have "-i-" or "-b-" (italics or bold) versions of these
> fonts on my system. Does that mean I cannot display an italicized version
> of this font? I would have to remove both "Babelfish" and "Brand New"
> from the font drop-down list in my application?
>
Yep.
> Is it true that the *only* fonts I could let my user choose from
> would be those which have "-b-" and "-i-" versions installed on their
> system?
Yes.
> Is it like that with TrueType fonts?
>
It is if you're using TrueType via the X font API. I think Windows can
"make up" italic and bold versions of fonts by leaning the original
font over or beefing it up, but the computer-generated bold/italic
versions are sort of ugly. Anyway, there is no X feature to do that.
> And regarding scaling: If the font type is not "scalable", does
> that mean the only font sizes the user can choose from are the ones they
> have installed?
Yes.
> Can I "scale" a bitmap font?
GnomeCanvasText does the following:
- draws all characters in the bitmap font to a Pixmap
- copies the Pixmap to an XImage
- grabs the pixels from the XImage
- scales the whole font as a single huge bitmap
- draws characters by copying out regions of the huge bitmap
So, I guess "yes" but it is a) butt slow and b) butt ugly and c) the
most gruesome hack imaginable.
> I've seen some really
> horrid (blocky, mis-sized) fonts in Netscape under Linux, implying that
> you could scale bitmap fonts but that they will look like crap. Is that
> true?
>
I'm not sure which aspect of X font suckiness causes this particular
sucky effect.
Anyway, congratulations - you've discovered that X fonts suck.
Havoc
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