FontConfig feature request

James Richard Tyrer <[email protected]>
Newsgroups gmane.comp.xfree86.forum
Message-ID <[email protected]>
IIUC, this is the place to drop in your $0.02 about features for 
future XFree86 implementations.

I hope that I understand correctly that the purpose of FontConfig 
is so that developers can stop reinventing the wheel.

As I understand KP's brief dox, it is possible to retrieve the 
name and location of the font file through calls to FontConfig. 
This is needed.  So, If I didn't understand correctly, this is a 
needed feature.

Other features might be needed to integrate with 
PostScript/GhostScript.

The PostScript drivers in programs that print using fonts need to 
have the PostScript font name.  I understand that this *can* be 
added to the: fonts-cache-1 files since values have names. 
Unless other features make this redundant, I suggest that: 
"psname" be added as a font property and to the list of named 
values in the: "fonts.cache-1" file.  And that it can be obtained 
with a call to FontConfig.

GhostScript works best if the font directories have a Fontmap 
file and the directories are added to the: GS_LIB path. 
Currently, I use scripts that I have written/copied/hacked that 
require the ttf2pt1 package for TrueType.  This is very slow for 
TrueType.

Since the FontConfig package provides: mkfontdir & mkfontscale 
commands, it also needs a: mkfontmap command.

I don't know if it would be a good thing if: fc-cache also added 
entries as needed to the GS_LIB path.  This is complicated by the 
fact that it is *not* necessary to add a directory if it is 
already on the GS_LIB_DEFAULT path which is compiled in.  But, 
"gs -h" provides the complete search path which fc-cache could 
use to see if any of the directories which contain a Fontmap need 
to be added to: GS_LIB.  Clearly, this is a low priority issue.

There may be other support issues for PostScript/GhostScript 
including those necessary to produce Type 42 fonts from TrueType 
fonts.

--
JRT
lmpx.com only provides a reader for public news (NNTP) servers. It is not affiliated with the servers or forums shown here and is not responsible for the content of articles, which is written by their respective authors.