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From: pugh@svax.cs.cornell.edu (William Pugh)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: X font files - is there any method to the madness?
Message-ID: <1529@svax.cs.cornell.edu>
Date: Tue, 4-Aug-87 13:29:57 EDT
Article-I.D.: svax.1529
Posted: Tue Aug  4 13:29:57 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Aug-87 02:14:59 EDT
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept. Ithaca NY
Lines: 67

We are attempting to set up a system which uses many different font
styles and sizes.  The X window system, unfortunately, does not support
concepts such as font families, sizes or styles.  All that is supported
is a directory containing files for different fonts.  Somebody
attempted to set up a naming convention, but it is nowhere documented
and has a number of holes in it.  Below I've listed what I've been able
to piece together, and some of the holes I've found.

    For most files, the following naming convention is used:

	[family][size][style][type].onx

	family - for example, "timrom" or "helv"

	size - the height of the character set - for example, "10" or "12"

	style -
		empty string - no modifications
		"b" - bold
		"i" - italic
		(what should be used for bold-italic? "bi" or "ib")

	type -
		empty string - proportional font
		"fx" - fixed width, width spacing
		"sx" - ?? fixed width, narrow spacing??
		"ssx" - ??fixed width, very narrow spacing??


	For example,  to specify 12 point times-roman bold with fixed
	width spacing, use "timrom12bfx.onx".

    We have found a couple of problems:

	In most of the large proportional fonts, a space is defined to have
	zero width, which makes the font unusuable.  Why???

	In most fonts, the stored value for the baseline is incorrect.  In 
	some fonts it is zero, in others it is measured from the top of the 
	character, in some it is measured from the bottom of the character, 
	and in others it does not seem to correspond to anything.  The X 
	manual says that the baseline is measured from the bottom of the 
	character.

	In the standard distribution, some of the fonts are named wrong.  In
	particular, helv10.onx contains a times-roman 12 point italic font,
	and there does not appear to be any correct helvetica 10 font.  

	There are a lot of holes in the supplied fonts.  I can understand
	this for some of the special purpose fonts, but why are there no 
	10 point italic helvetica fonts?


    The things I'm particularly looking for opinions and information on are:

	What does "sx" and "ssx" mean when it occurs in the font name?

	How should a bold-italic font be named?

	Why do some fonts have zero width spaces?

	Is anybody in charge of X fonts and attempting to see that a 
	consistent collection is put together, or are fonts files simply
	an uncoordinated collection of submissions?


Bill Pugh