When you enter the fontutil start-up command, the Font Utility window is displayed. See the figure for an illustration of the Font Utility window. Read the following to learn more about the Font Utility window and the four main areas found within it:
The menu bar is displayed across the top of the Font Utility window. The menu options displayed are from left to right: File, Refer, Extension, Information, and Exit.
The File option has three suboptions, Create, Read, and Save, as shown in the figure illustrating the File option.
The File suboptions perform the following functions:
The Create suboption allows you to create a new font file. If you choose to create a font file, the File Selection Dialog window pops up. See the figure for an illustration of the File Selection Dialog window.
Select one of the font files listed in the Files box from which to copy header information, then click on OK or press the Enter key. To return to the Font Utility window, select Cancel. If you click on OK, the Header Information window pops up for your file type. See the figure for an example of the header information window.
Verify the header information and click on OK or press the Enter key. To return to the File Selection Dialog window, click on Cancel.
If you choose to create a new file but have made changes to another file that you have not saved, a window is displayed that prompts whether to save the updated file. See the figure for an illustration of the window that reminds you to save an updated file.
Choose OK to update the file, No to close the file and lose your current work, or Cancel to return to the Font Utility window. If you select OK, the File Selection Dialog window appears. See the figure for an illustration of the File Selection Dialog window that is displayed.
Enter the name of the file to be saved in the Selection box. (To save a font file, one of the following file name extensions must be used: .snf, .bdf, .sym, .xgsl.) Then click on OK or press the Enter key. To return to the Font Utility window, select Cancel.
If you select OK, the Header Information window pops up for your file type. Verify the header information and click on OK or press the Enter key. To return to the File Selection Dialog window, click on Cancel.
The Read suboption allows you to create a new font file by editing specific characters within an existing font file. If you choose to read a font file, the File Selection Dialog window is displayed. See the figure for an illustration of the File Selection Dialog window.
Choose a file name from the list in the Files box. The file you choose is displayed in the Selection box. Click on OK or press the Enter key. To return to the Font Utility window, select Cancel. If you select OK, the Header Information window is displayed for your file type. Verify the header information and click on OK or press the Enter key. To return to the File Selection Dialog window, click on Cancel.
If you choose to read a font file but have made changes to another file that you have not saved, a window is displayed that prompts whether to save the updated file. The utility never allows you to open or edit two font files at the same time. See the figure for an illustration of the window that reminds you to save an updated file.
Choose OK to update the file, No to close the file and lose your current work, or Cancel to return to the Font Utility window.
The Save suboption saves a font file. When you select the Save suboption, the File Selection Dialog window is displayed. See the figure for an illustration of the File Selection Dialog window that is displayed.
Enter the name of the font file you want to save in the Selection box (you can also select the file from the list in the Files box). To save a font file, one of the following file name extensions must be used: .snf, .bdf, .sym, .xgsl.
The Refer option allows you to reference a font file that is different from the one you are editing or creating. For complete information on the Refer option, see Using the Reference Font Window .
The Extension option has three suboptions, Codeset, Format, and Size. See the figure for an illustration of the Extension option and its suboptions.
The Extension suboptions perform the following functions:
When you select the Codeset suboption, a pulldown menu is displayed. The menu options are PC and PC16. Click on the code set you want. After the code set is changed, the smallest code font is displayed in the upper left corner.
This suboption changes the format of the loaded font. When the Format suboption is selected, the Format Convert window is displayed. See the figure for an illustration of the Format Convert window.
The selections within the Format Convert window perform the following functions:
| Format Convert Function | Changes the suffix of the font file name to: |
|---|---|
| SNF_FORMAT | .snf |
| BDF_FORMAT | .bdf |
| graPHIGS_FORMAT | .sym |
| XGSL_FORMAT | .xgsl |
This suboption changes the size of the loaded font. When the Size suboption is selected, the Size Convert window is displayed. The window lists the current height and width, and gives you two ways to change the size. You can enter a new height or width in the NEW entry, or you can enter a sizing percentage in the percent entry. However, you must enter either an actual size or a percent, not both. See the figure for an illustration of the Size Convert window.
The Information option has the Information suboption, which displays the header IBM PC information for the character set you are editing. When selected, this suboption pops up the Header Information window. The window displayed depends on the type of font file you are editing. For examples of the windows displayed, see the figure illustrating the Header Information window for a raster font file and the figure illustrating the Header Information window for a vector font file.
The Exit option has two suboptions: Cancel and Exit.
The Exit suboption quits the font utility. The Cancel suboption cancels the Exit option and takes the user back to the Font Utility window.
The control panel runs down the left side of the Font Utility window. The functions available are Copy, Move, Delete, Edit, Mode, Undo, and Cancel.
The Copy function copies the specified characters from the Font Utility or Reference Font window. What is copied depends on the mode that is set.
If the Mode option is set to POINT, you can select and copy only one character. After setting the mode to POINT and selecting the Copy function, click on the character you want to copy with the left mouse button. Click the left mouse button again in an empty space in the font display area, and the character you copied is pasted in that space.
To copy individual characters from the Reference Font window into the Font Utility window, use the Copy function provided in the Font Utility window. The Reference Font window does not have a control panel.
If the Mode option is set to AREA, select and click on two points (start point and end point) with the left mouse button. Click the left mouse button a third time at the point you want the selected area to be positioned, and the area whose range is specified by the start and end points is copied to the third (destination) point.
If the Mode option is set to TOTAL AREA, the Copy function acts on the entire character set of a font file. You can copy all the characters from the Reference Font window to the Font Utility window. After setting the Mode option to TOTAL AREA, go to the Reference Font window and click your left mouse button on the point in the grid whose coordinates are 0x0. All characters are highlighted to indicate that all characters are to be copied. Next, go back to the Font Utility window and click the left mouse button in the 0x0 point in the grid in its display area. All the characters from the Reference Font window now also appear in the Font Utility window.
The Move function moves the specified characters from the Font Utility or Reference Font window. What is moved depends on the mode that is set.
If the Mode option is set to POINT, you can select and move only one character. After setting the mode to POINT and selecting the Move function, click on the character you want to move with the left mouse button. Click the left mouse button again in an empty space in the font display area, and the character you are moving is pasted in that space.
To move individual characters from the Reference Font window into the Font Utility window, use the Move function provided in the Font Utility window. The Reference Font window does not have a control panel.
If the Mode option is set to AREA, you can select and click on two points (start point and end point) with the left mouse button. Click the left mouse button a third time at the point you want the selected area to be positioned, and the area whose range is specified by the start and end points is moved to the third (destination) point.
If the Mode option is set to TOTAL AREA, the Move function acts on the entire character set of a font file. You can move all the characters from the Reference Font window to the Font Utility window. After setting the Mode option to TOTAL AREA, go to the Reference Font window and click your left mouse button on the point in the grid whose coordinates are 0x0. All characters are highlighted, indicating that all characters are to be moved. Next, go back to the Font Utility window and click the left mouse button in the 0x0 point in the grid in its display area. All the characters from the Reference Font window now appear in the Font Utility window.
Note: You can copy and move characters within the Font Utility window and from the Reference Font window to the Font Utility window, but you cannot copy and move characters from the Font Utility window to the Reference Font window.
The Delete function removes the specified characters. What is removed depends on the mode that is set.
If the Mode function is set to POINT, select one character to be removed by clicking on it with your left mouse button. Once the character is highlighted, click your left button again and the character is deleted. If the Mode option is set to AREA, select and click on two points (start point and end point), and then click the left mouse button once again; the characters within that area are deleted. If the Mode option is set to TOTAL AREA and you click the left mouse button in the upper left corner of the display area, all characters are deleted.
The Edit function calls the raster or vector editor, depending on the format of the font file (which can be changed with the Format suboption under the Extension option of the Font Utility window). If the font file ends with the .snf or .bdf suffix or the font format is changed to SNF_FORMAT or BDF_FORMAT, then the raster editor is initiated. If the font file ends with the .sym or .xgsl suffix or the font format is changed to graPHIGS_FORMAT or XGSL_FORMAT, the vector editor is initiated. Click on the Edit function, and then click on the character you want to edit. The window for the appropriate editor is displayed, and the selected character is displayed in the editing area.
The Mode option sets the mode to POINT, AREA, or TOTAL AREA. The selected mode determines how the other functions operate. You can switch among these three modes by clicking on the Mode button in the control panel. Each time you click, the next mode is displayed. After the TOTAL AREA mode, the selection goes back to POINT mode.
The Undo function undoes the last function selected (for example, Copy or Move). This option is available only when the last command entered has completed.
The Cancel function cancels the currently running command.
This area is a 10x10 grid square in the center of the Font Utility window. See the figure for an illustration of the Font Utility window.
The image for each character code is displayed in this area; as many as 256 character images can be displayed at one time. Each character image in the grid square is displayed after it is translated to the fixed size.
When displaying the character code, bits 0 through 3 represent the vertical line and bits 4 through 7 represent the horizontal line. For example, if CODE is set to 60 , the vertical line number is set to 8 , and the horizontal line number is set to A , the code of the font character is 608A .
The font display area has a scroll bar that is located directly below the displayed character set. You can use the scroll bar to move within the font file to access the character images you want to edit.
The message area appears across the bottom of the screen and has three lines. The top line lists the font file that is opened. The second line displays the current mode, code, and set. The bottom line displays any current messages.
