Re: [Foxgui-users] unexpected behavior with FXFontSelector

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It looks like I have a bit more to learn on this…

I’m not really fixated on Arial, its just that it is missing some Unicode characters but still displays them in the FXFontSelector. To be honest, I had never before heard of font substitution before.

“To me it looks like you are brute force rolling your own method of changing the default font.“

No offence taken…

When I use: “this->forceRefresh();”

The font does not change until I interact with the UI (i.e., click somewhere on it). When I use my routine the font changes instantly without having to interact with the UI. It looks nicer.

Also, for this application I have windows, linux and OSX versions. The Linux and OSX works as I expected since there is no font substitution. It’s the Windows version that confused me.

Thanks,

js

From: Roland Hughes <ro...@lo...> 
Sent: Tuesday, July 4, 2023 3:58 PM
To: joh...@ja...
Cc: fox...@li...
Subject: Re: [Foxgui-users] unexpected behavior with FXFontSelector

Let me preface this answer with: 

I haven't touched Foxgui for development in quite some time. I also quit doing Windows development with Windows 3.1, 1) because the OS absolutely sucks  2) the Registry is a debacle.

I have spent over 30 years in software development, both on real computers and x86 stuff. Part of your confusion comes from a fixation on Arial and the fact that it is different under Windows.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/globalization/input/font-technology

=====

Font substitution

Font substitution is implemented by an application to replace a request for a font that is not available into one that is available. In general, applications use PANOSE information (a set of numeric values summarizing the font’s style) to find the most appropriate matching font.

The Windows operating system allows enabling font substitution but this should be considered a last resort approach. Windows substitution logic is also sensitive to charsets, so that a request for Arial with Western charset (0) can be translated into a request for Arial with Greek charset (161), for instance. Windows font substitution is set with the registry entries under the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontSubstitutes. The registry entry of “Helvetica” with the value of “Arial”, for instance, indicates to substitute Helvetica font with Arial font; and the registry entry of “Arial,0” with the value of “Arial,161” will substitute Arial with ANSI_CHAERSET to Arial with GREEK_CHARSET.

=====

If you were fixated on a font the OS didn't use in a ton of places you would have an easier time.

I assume you have already read the Font documentation (especially Matching and Substitution) for fox-toolkit, correct?

http://www.fox-toolkit.org/fonts.html

Can I ask a really stupid question now? I do not mean this as condescending or belittling in anyway.

Why are you doing this?

To me it looks like you are brute force rolling your own method of changing the default font.

In the class reference documentation for FXApp

void 

 <http://www.fox-toolkit.org/ref/classFX_1_1FXApp.html#af9e24b2b523a9eb07d924b4a3e480f27> setNormalFont ( <http://www.fox-toolkit.org/ref/classFX_1_1FXFont.html> FXFont *font)

Change default font.

void 

 <http://www.fox-toolkit.org/ref/classFX_1_1FXApp.html#ae833688b2cd5a0ce8fc6a8d5684041e1> refresh ()

Schedule SEL_UPDATE refreshes on the entire widget tree, to be performed at some future time.

void 

 <http://www.fox-toolkit.org/ref/classFX_1_1FXApp.html#a0b9b15e5df4a7a6dc82ff56b6c0abf91> forceRefresh ()

Perform SEL_UPDATE refreshes on the entire widget tree immediately.

Hope this helps.

On 7/4/23 14:27, John Selverian wrote:

OK, I read a bit more...still confused...

In the registry key: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\FontLink\SystemLink

There are many fonts specified with their fallbacks but is no entry for Arial.

When I look at the Fox source for FXFontSelector and FxFontDialog I don’t see anything related to Uniscribe.

In my code when I change the font, I get the font from the FXFontSelector and pass it to the function below to change the font of all of the widgets.

I don't see how I would implement Uniscribe especially for something  like FXList.

/***************************************************************************************/
void Utilities_jhs1::updateUIFont(FXWindow * w, FXFont * font)
{
  if (w != nullptr)
  {
         FXString classname;
         classname.format("%s", w->getClassName());

         if (classname == "FXList")
         {
                 FXList* widget = dynamic_cast<FXList*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXLabel")
         {
                 FXLabel* widget = dynamic_cast<FXLabel*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXTextField")
         {
                 FXTextField* widget = dynamic_cast<FXTextField*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXButton")
         {
                 FXButton* widget = dynamic_cast<FXButton*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->update(); // only needed for FXButton
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXToolTip")
         {
                 FXToolTip* widget = dynamic_cast<FXToolTip*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXMenuTitle")
         {
                 FXMenuTitle* widget = dynamic_cast<FXMenuTitle*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXMenuCommand")
         {
                 FXMenuCommand* widget = dynamic_cast<FXMenuCommand*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXCheckButton")
         {
                 FXCheckButton* widget = dynamic_cast<FXCheckButton*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXMenuCheck")
         {
                 FXMenuCheck* widget = dynamic_cast<FXMenuCheck*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXRadioButton")
         {
                 FXRadioButton* widget = dynamic_cast<FXRadioButton*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }
         else if (classname == "FXMenuCascade")
         {
                 FXMenuCascade* widget = dynamic_cast<FXMenuCascade*>(w);
                 if (widget)
                 {
                         widget->setFont(font);
                         widget->recalc();
                 }
         }

         for (FXWindow* c = w->getFirst(); c; c = c->getNext())
         {
                 if (c != nullptr)
                 {
                         updateUIFont(c, font);
                 }
         }
  }
}
/***************************************************************************************/

-----Original Message-----
From: Roland Hughes  <mailto:ro...@lo...> <ro...@lo...> 
Sent: Monday, July 3, 2023 8:20 AM
To: John Selverian  <mailto:joh...@ja...> <joh...@ja...>
Cc: fox...@li... <mailto:fox...@li...> 
Subject: Re: [Foxgui-users] unexpected behavior with FXFontSelector

Read the instructions/text at the bottom of the GitHub page. Don't actually use the thing and tweak your fallback information without fully understanding.

While Windows ships with many fonts, Arial is one of the few System fonts. That means it is used by the OS as a default for menus, message text, etc. It will be one of the few you find configured for fallback in the Registry.

Windows also has Font linking.

https://superuser.com/questions/396160/how-to-change-configure-font-fallback

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/globalization/input/font-technology

On 7/3/2023 7:08 AM, John Selverian wrote:

Font substitution only happens with Ariel font not others. I thought 
it would work for all or none. I guess I still don’t fully understand.

Kind regards,

js

On Jul 3, 2023, at 7:30 AM, Roland Hughes via Foxgui-users 
 <mailto:fox...@li...> <fox...@li...> wrote:

You don't understand because you didn't read the link I sent about 
Font Fallback.

There is a font fallback registry in windows. Here is a bit of 
reading on that.

https://github.com/Jamesits/windows-10-font-fallback-reg

Here is the original link about font fallback.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/intl/using-font-fallb
ack

Font fallback doesn't happen by default.

Without looking at the code I will state FXFontSelector enables font 
fallback in its configuring of the font and rendering of text but 
your application does not.

Windows is different front Linux here.

https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/254423/unicode-fallback-font

Most everything uses fontconfig library which defaults to the 
configured font fallback.

On 7/2/2023 2:37 PM, John Selverian wrote:

I understand this. The "problem" is that Arial does not have a the 
"subscript 2" character but it gets displayed properly in the 
FXFontSelector. How does it do this? It does not display properly in 
FXFontSelector for several other fonts which do not have the 
"subscript 2" character...I just see the empty square character, 
this is what I expect.

js

-----Original Message-----
From: je...@fo... <mailto:je...@fo...>   <mailto:je...@fo...> <je...@fo...>
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2023 1:18 PM
To: joh...@ja... <mailto:joh...@ja...> 
Cc: fox...@li... <mailto:fox...@li...> 
Subject: Re: [Foxgui-users] unexpected behavior with FXFontSelector

On 2023-06-30 08:51, John Selverian wrote:

I'm seeing something strange with FXFontSelector (Fox v1.7.50)

I've added Unicode for a subscript 2 (\\u2082 <file://u2082>   <file://u2082> <file://u2082> )

to the

preview text.

I select Arial and it displays fine. Back in my program the

subscript

2 shows as an empty box indicating that the character does not

exist.

My program should be correct since it displays the subscript 2

fine

with other fonts (like Segoe UI).

I've also check with MS Word that the subscript 2 does not

exist in

the Arial.

My question is how/why does it display fine in the preview in 
FXFontSelector even though it does not exist in Arial? It even

looks

like the Arial font. I see the same with other fonts not just

Arial.

Make sure both are using the same font and pitch.  Not all fonts 
have the full unicode repertoire in them; in fact, most fonts have 
only a fraction of the full repertoire of glyphs.

    -- JVZ

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Roland Hughes, President
Logikal Solutions
(630)-205-1593  (cell)
http://www.theminimumyouneedtoknow.com
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_______________________________________________
Foxgui-users mailing list
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--
Roland Hughes, President
Logikal Solutions
(630)-205-1593  (cell)
http://www.theminimumyouneedtoknow.com
http://www.infiniteexposure.net
http://www.johnsmith-book.com

-- 
Roland Hughes, President
Logikal Solutions
(630)-205-1593

http://www.theminimumyouneedtoknow.com
http://www.infiniteexposure.net
http://www.johnsmith-book.com
http://www.logikalblog.com
http://www.interestingauthors.com/blog