Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU!rws
From: rws@EXPO.LCS.MIT.EDU (Bob Scheifler)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: XLFD matching
Message-ID: <9002281631.AA00323@expire.lcs.mit.edu>
Date: 28 Feb 90 16:31:33 GMT
References: <2845074091-1038891@RIGI>
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 21


    It seems that the spec doesn't really get down and define how OpenFont is
    supposed to match font names containing wildcards.

The XLFD isn't supposed to "define" the semantics of OpenFont, it's supposed
to lay down conventions for its use.

    Are we to assume that ? and * are
    to be treated as they are in Unix file name matching?

The Protocol specification says explicitly:

The interpretation of characters ``?'' (octal value 77) and ``*''
(octal value 52) in the name is not defined by the core protocol,
but is reserved for future definition.

In a strict sense, you should treat the use of ? and * as implementation
dependent.  Most R3 and R4 based servers implement pattern matching, but
there are still some R2 based servers out there that don't.  However, I
should note that the ANSC X3H3.6 committee working on ANSI standardization
of the protocol has resolved that these should do pattern matching.