*The Show Must Go FOND* shows all the typefaces on a drive or in selected parts of a drive. One does not have to install typefaces in order to view them, and one does not even have to know where they are. *The Show Must Go FOND* is an excellent way to preview large collections of fonts such as those on CD-ROMs.
The program has two basic commands, one to scan and show the fonts it finds, and the other to set up the rules of the scan. When one chooses to show the fonts, the program presents an open-file dialog so that the user can select where one wants to look for fonts. If one selects a folder, the program will search that folder. If one selects a file, the program looks for fonts in that file.
The program displays the fonts it finds by printing a text sample using that font, and then waits for a while. During the wait the user can pause the program by pressing the P key, which will make the program stay where it is until a key or the mouse is pressed. Or the user can mark a typeface by pressing the M key. When all the fonts have been shown, marked fonts will be listed with full path names. To make the program move as quickly as possible, hold down a key, or set the caps lock key. If one decides that one has seen enough and wants to stop the showing of fonts, press the command and period key. This action may not have immediate results, but do not give up. Keep these two keys depressed until the loop is broken. (However, make sure that you do not have the caps lock key down, or else the program will not notice that you have the command and period keys down.)
When all the typefaces have been displayed, *The Show Must Go FOND* will list all of the FOND resources it found with their ids. Because a FOND resource can contain more than one font, there may be fewer FONDs found than typefaces displayed. (A normal family of plain, bold, italic, and bolditalic all fit into one FOND.) This list may be valuable as a way to find FOND id conflicts, which can be a problem if one installs fonts remotely using utilities such as Suitcase, MasterJuggler, or Carpetbag. (The simplest way to get rid of a conflict is to merge the two conflictors into one suitcase. The finder will give one a new ID. Of course, this new ID may conflict with some other font.)
The options command gives one control over the search and display. One can decide what sample text and point size should be used. One can also set the number of seconds one wants to have the program wait after it displays a font, and whether one wants only suitcase files searched or all files. (Sometimes there are fonts within applications and other types of files.) If one is searching a really big collection, one might want to look at only a few of the typefaces at a time. A way to do this is to set of range of names to display, such as only fonts that begin with letters A through D. The way in which the program sorts the results at the end can be changed from id-based to alphabetically based. Finally one can set the search so that it does not look inside subfolders.
*The Show Must Go FOND* is Copyrighted by Robert Schenk. If you find it useful, consider buying the two CD-ROMs of typefaces I have designed, Font Pro 2 and Font Pro 3, published by Wayzata Technology, Inc, 2515 East Highway 2, Grand Rapids, MN 55744. Their phone is 218-326-0597.
The standard software disclaimers about liability apply. Those basically are that you use this program at your own risk and I am not liable for anything.
Report any bugs or suggestions for improvement to Robert Schenk. Contact him at
bobs@saintjoe.edu
This version of *The Show Must Go FOND* is a demo version and may be distributed freely as long as NO CHANGES are made to it or any of the files which come with it. The demo version is fully featured with two exceptions. First, the user cannot change the sample text, and second, it has an expiration date. These limitations may seem cruel, but I feel they are necessary.
The little money I make with software development (and it is little—my goal is to someday earn minimum wage on the time I have devoted to development) come from royalties on the two CDs of typefaces mentioned earlier and mentioned repeatedly in the program. These products compete with a multitude of CDs of public domain and shareware fonts, products which are much more popular with computer users than with font developers. (How many of those shareware fees have you paid?) *The Show Must Go FOND* has the potential of making these CDs more valuable, and if it were not crippled, would undoubtedly end up as the main viewer on some of them. I really have no desire to undermine my own products and meager income from them. If you wish to use an unrestricted version of this program to view your CDs of public-domain and shareware fonts, rather than bitch at me, contact the publisher of these products and tell them to license the unrestricted version from me.
I really am not interested in collecting shareware fees from individuals and giving them full working copies of this program. My experience with distribution has not been all that positive. (It takes too much time, and that I do not have.) I am much more interested in licensing unrestricted versions of this program to those who would find it worthwhile to include on CD-ROMs. If you have a CD with a large collection of fonts, why don't you talk to me.
January 1995
Other unique programs from Robert Schenk
The Maze Construction Set
Includes MazeMaker 3.3 and over 70 specialized Maze fonts. Is the most sophisticated computer maze generator on any platform. This is by far the most sophisticated and interesting of my programs. (This is a commercial product available on Font Pro 3. A demo version of this is available on-line as Make-A-Maze.)
Frankenstein's Helper 3.0
A math game for late grade school or early high school. (This is a commercial product available on Font Pro 3. Version 1 is available on-line various places.)
Be Fruitful and Multiply 1.4
A simple multiplication drill which also illustrates what the purpose of multiplication is. (Available on-line various places.)
Kerning Master
A specialized type tool that lets one compare the kerning sets of two fonts, or scan fonts for various attributes. Requires presense of AFM files. (This is a commercial product available on Font Pro 2, the reprinted edition of late 1994. It is not on the original edition.)
ChessEdit
A chess utility which allows one to quickly draw chess boards for export to other programs. (Available on-line various places.)
Census Taker (beta)
A utility which allows one to learn about the inhabitants of directories or drives. (Beta version available on-line various places.)
Andy's Letters
A simple game to help preschoolers learn the alphabet. (Version 1 available on-line various places; version 1.01 is a commercial product on Font Pro 3.)
MacTykoon 1.1.2
A simulation game in which you try to make a profit running a business. Requires a lot of thought and no hand-to-eye coordination. (Available on-line various places.)
Well over 300 original and distinctive typefaces in Adobe PostScript Type 1 and Apple TrueType formats. (Commercial products available on Font Pro 2 and Font Pro 3. Several of my early faces are available as shareware or demo-ware on-line.)
