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Working with font files


File-related commands in TrueEdit are similar to those in other Macintosh applications; this section concentrates on the differences.

File formats

TrueEdit can open, edit, and save TrueType sfnt data using the three file types described in TrueType GX Fundamentals: suitcases, font files, and bass files.

Whatever the format, the file must contain TrueType font data. Although QuickDraw GX supports other font data formats, TrueEdit may not be able to open or edit these fonts.

Using files from other tools

TrueEdit cannot create a new font. It works only with files created by other programs.

To edit a font with TrueEdit, the font must be in the sfnt format. Most font-creation tools use a proprietary file format for font development work and offer several options for producing finished font files using different data formats. Commands for building a "TrueType file" or a "TrueType suitcase" should produce the desired result.

[!]Use caution when switching between TrueEdit and other tools. Tools which are not aware of QuickDraw GX may throw out the GX tables when you open the font, destroying all your hard work.

It is also important to distinguish between tools which open the sfnt directly and those which allow you to "import" from the sfnt; the latter will almost certainly overlook your TrueEdit work.

Opening a font

To open a font for editing:

  1. Choose Open Outline Font File from the File menu, or press Command-O.
  2. The Open File dialog box appears. (It also appears automatically when you first open TrueEdit.)
  3. Choose a font file and click Open.
  4. You also can open a font directly from the Finder by dropping a font file or a suitcase (but not a bass file) onto the TrueEdit icon.
    [!]Don't open a font in the active System's Fonts folder, or one that is open with a font management utility.

     

  5. If you open a file containing multiple fonts, TrueEdit prompts you to identify which font to open. Choose one and click OK.

When you open a font, TrueEdit shows a Tables window listing all the tables present in the font. The list is arranged alphabetically according to the four-letter table tags. The size of each table in bytes is shown to the right of its tag.


The title of the Tables window is based on the name of the sfnt resource. You can change it with a resource editing tool such as Apple's ResEdit.

You can have several fonts open at once, but many other windows in TrueEdit do not show which font they belong to; you must keep track of which window belongs to which font.

For that reason, avoid opening two copies of the same font. TrueEdit will show two copies of the editing windows, confusing you and, eventually, itself.

Saving a font

[!]Save your font frequently!

Fonts are complex programs and it can be very hard to reconstruct lost work. TrueEdit is also a complex program, and some features may not always work as intended (i.e. they may crash the program or corrupt your font).

If you close a font (or quit TrueEdit) without saving your changes, TrueEdit reminds you to save.

To save your font, choose Save from the File menu, or press Command-S.


When you save, TrueEdit automatically checks for internal inconsistencies in the font, such as incorrect checksums. The program will advise you of these problems and offer a choice of fixing them, ignoring them, or canceling the save.

TrueEdit warns separately for each problem encountered, which can be disconcerting if there are 25 in a row. Don't worry, your font's alright.

Changing a font's name or format

To save the current file with a new filename or sfnt format:

  1. Choose Save As... from the File menu.


  2. The Save File dialog appears.
  3. Use the popup menu at the bottom to choose the file type.
  4. Choose a name and directory for the file and click OK.

Printing font data

Printing support in TrueEdit is very limited. You can use the Print command on the File menu to print:

(These items are described elsewhere in this manual.)

To print other font data:

  1. Take a picture of the window using the Macintosh's built-in screen shot function (Command-Shift-3) or a third party utility.
  2. Print out the picture using a graphics program.



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Arleigh Movitz (movitz@apple.com)
Dave Opstad (opstad@apple.com)
Kristian Walsh (walsh.k@euro.apple.com)