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.
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.
To open a font for editing:
bass
file) onto
the TrueEdit icon.
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.
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.
To save the current file with a new filename or sfnt
format:
Printing support in TrueEdit is very limited. You can use the Print command on the File menu to print:
cmap
table
(These items are described elsewhere in this manual.)
To print other font data: