home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Original Shareware 1.1
/
The Original Shareware (WeMake CDs)(Volume 1.1)(CDs, Inc)(1993).iso
/
10
/
fnttools.zip
/
FNTTOOLS.DOC
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1987-12-13
|
3KB
|
77 lines
The FontTools program is a menu driven utility designed for use
with HP format softfont files. The program is designed to run on
an IBM or compatible equipped with a CGA/EGA or equivalent
display adapter.
The first function will display the characters contained in the
softfont file on the CRT. It is not necessary to have a printer
of any type connected to the computer. The characters are
displayed on the CRT one at a time along with a display of the
character code for the character in decimal and hex. Press the
space bar to advance to the next character or press the E key to
quit. If the character is over 200 units high (about 50 point)
only the topmost 200 units will be displayed.
The second function will display the characters contained in the
softfont file in hollow character form on the CRT. The characters
will be displayed one at a time along with the character code.
This function enables you to have a preview of what a font would
look like in hollow format. The space bar and E key function the
same way they do in function 1. Fonts larger than 20 points work
best for generating hollow fonts.
The third function enables you to create a partial font. You may
selectively copy characters from a font into a new font. This is
useful when you are working with large point size fonts. If the
font is being used for headlines you will most likely need only
the upper case letters. With this function you can reduce the
size of a font file by eliminating unneeded characters. The
characters from the input file will be displayed one at a time on
the CRT. If you press the A key the character will be added to
your output file and the next character will be displayed. If you
press the S key the character will not be added to the output
font file and the next character will be displayed. If you press
the E key the displayed character will not be added to the output
file and the function will terminate. The E key can be used to
easily remove the extended character set characters from a font
file.
With the fourth function you can create a partial font made up of
hollow characters. The characters from the input file will be
converted into hollow form and selectively written to your output
file as in the third function.
The fifth function generates a full hollow font which consists of
all the characters from the input file converted to hollow form.
TECHNICAL NOTES
---------------
The program uses BIOS calls to do all graphics functions so it
should work with most any graphics card or a Herc card and CGA
emulator software. This feature has not been tested.
The program has been tested with point sizes up to 60. It should
work with any font that does not use over 15K to store a single
character. A 72 point character can use around 10K for large
characters so the program should work with 'normal size' fonts.
The HP Tech Reference Manual for the LaserJet II implies that a
character descriptor can be something other than 14 bytes. I have
never seen a font containing anything but 14 byte descriptors. If
you have a font file with odd sized descriptors the program will
print an error message.
The program was written in assembly language which accounts for
the rather small size of the program.
Send comments to:
Thomas E. Doyle
5222 Big Bow Road
Madison, Wisconsin 53711
enclose an sase if you would like a reply.