Font not displaying properly in window.

[mtamaccio]

Hi,
I am working with a textured font and when I type in the design window a bunch of random incorrect characters appears.  However, in the Text Formatting palette (under the "T"button) the texts appears correctly.  Any ideas as to why this is happening?  See the attached screenshot.  I typed "2 times" as a test. on the left you see what shows up in the window, and on the right you see it correctly displaying...
Thanks for your time,
Megan

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

For some reason, your attachment didn't work.  Would you please try again?

[mtamaccio]

screenshot uploaded.
Thanks

[brynn]

Thanks 

Oh yes, that's strange indeed!  And I have not seen this problem before.

I mean, the symbols don't even seem to correspond to the text.  There seems to be spaces between some of the symbols, but no space in the text.

The only clue I can notice at the moment, is that you also have the Glyphs dialog open.  I can't see the whole thing.  But I wonder if there might have been a focusing problem, where you didn't realize you had the Glyphs dialog active....  Although that would not explain how the text is typed correctly in the Text and Font dialog.

Hhmm.....  I can't see the whole Glyphs dialog, but did you have the same font highlighted (selected) in the Glyphs dialog?  Maybe Inkscape is somehow confused about that?

Meanwhile, I'm testing myself.

[brynn]

Well, so far, I haven't found any problems.  But then, I'm using Inkscape version 0.92.2.  So if there was a bug in 0.91, it might have been fixed.  Plus, I'm on Windows.  So it's not a perfect comparison.

I think I do still have a copy of 0.91.  So I'll try that.  You could also try to to upgrade your....oh no, I guess you might not be able to.  Inkscape has limited ability to upgrade on Mac, for 0.92.  https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92/mac-os-x/  (I can't remember the reason why we don't have a DMG version of 0.92....not being a Mac user, I have not paid close attention.)  But I'll try with 0.91.  I'll be back shortly.

[mtamaccio]

Could I send you tht font file and you see what results you get with it??

[brynn]

Well, unfortunately, whenever I have the Glyphs dialog open, in version 0.91, and the Text and Font dialog open at the same time, as soon as I scroll the font menu, Inkscape crashes.  I don't have that behavior in 0.92.2.

I'd be glad to test with your font using version 0.92.2, but it wouldn't be a fair test, as far as potentially sniffing out a bug.  Well, but then, developers would not be interested in bugs in 0.91 anyway, since it's no longer the current version.

Sure, I'd be glad to test with your font.  Do you have some clue that the problem might be with the font itself?  We would not be able to rule out a potential bug.  But we might get a clue about the font stability itself.

Unless....if you have the same problem whether the Glyphs dialog is open or not, then I could still test with version 0.91.

If you put the OTF or TTF file in a ZIP file,  you should be able to attach it.  Or else just upload wherever you want, and give us the link.

[mtamaccio]

I created this font and we haven't had any other performance complaints about it.  I know its heavily textured, so Im thinking Inkscape might be having trouble with it.  Let me know if you have the same issues.  Do you have more success with ttf files over otf usually??
Also, can you tell me whn you've downloaded the files so I can remove them from the site?  Thanks.

PS - we tried again without the glyphs panel open and got the same problem..

[brynn]

Hhm...I don't know a lot about how fonts are created.  But I don't see why having it heavily textured should be a problem.  But again, I'm not terribly knowledgeable about it.

Also, I don't use fonts enough to have ever noticed whether I have more problems with ttf or otf.  Or whether Inkscape does.

Ok, I have the file.  But if I can't solve the problem, then you'll either want to leave it uploaded, so others can try it, or be ready to upload it again.  Or maybe upload it somewhere where it can be password protected.  Then you can just privately share the password, and not worry about someone taking it.

Oh, I see you made both a ttf and otf versions.  Why is the otf so much larger?  (Just curious )

[brynn]

I might have just found the problem...well, at least "a" problem....before I ever open Inkscape!

In the zip file there are one OTF and one TTF file.  But when I open the TTF file, Windows identifies it as OTF, and warns me that it's already installed.  So I can only test the OTF version.

Ok, let's see what Inkscape does with it.

[mtamaccio]

Its something to do with the way the data is stored which makes .otf able to render circles and curves better. The .ttf create rounded shaped by a lot of short straight lines whereas the otf will read a curve.  And since our texture is round, we were originally only selling the otf file.  But if ttf works better for Inkscape, then I'll created those too.
Here's a super-techy quote:

"The main difference between both flavours being that .ttf style fonts use quadratic Bézier splines whereas .otf style fonts use cubic Bézier splines. (Historically, quadratic Bézier curves have been used for the ‘legacy’ TrueType format; cubic Bézier curves have come from a PostScript background.) Cubic Béziers are potentially more accurate (every quadratic Bézier curve can be exactly reproduced with a cubic Bézier curve) but may be approximated with smaller segmented sequences of quadratic Béziers. (Also note that neither cubic nor quadratic Bézier splines may exactly reproduce a circle. There is always some approximation error.)"

Thanks so much for your help!
M

[brynn]

No problems with version 0.92.2.  Let me now try with version 0.91.

My point is that the file name actually has .ttf on the end.  But it's not a TTF file.  Apparently it doesn't matter, at least not to Windows.  But it seems to me like that could cause some problem somewhere.

[mtamaccio]

I went back to the person who originally found the problem and she said that she could use one of the files, but when she switched to the second style, that's when the letters got mixed up.
Could you also install this font and try switching back and forth between the two styles and see what happens?
Thanks a million.

[brynn]

Ok, I'm not seeing this problem with either version, or whether the Text and Font dialog is open or not.  (I literally never use the Text and Font dialog, because until recently, everything I need is on the control bar.  In recent Inkscape versions, they are adding new features to the Text and Font dialog.  Maybe I'll need to use those features someday.)

But anyway, I can't reproduce your problem.  Maybe it's related to using Inkscape on the Mac system?  I don't think we have any....or at least not any regular members who provide support, who are Mac users.

I'm thinking we should report this as a bug.  But let's get at least one more opinion on that, before we start the report.  Someone else may know if it's already been reported.  Or they may even know how to fix it.

If you type the same text a few different times, does it always show the same symbols?  I wonder what the Unicode for those symbols are?  Maybe somehow Inkscape thinks you're entering unicode (which is another way of creating symbols with text, in Inkscape).

Oh!  Well there are some special issues for Mac users, especially regarding the Alt key, and Cmd key too, are common problems.  Let me give you a link to that info, in case you aren't familiar.  Maybe something there will explain the problem?  Oh yes, and as I look at it, I see there's at least one issue with fonts.  Maybe this will fix it:  https://inkscape.org/en/learn/faq/#mac-os-x-specific-issues

You posted while I was typing.  I can't install both OTF and TTF...or 2 OTF.  But since I remembered about the Mac specific issues, you should look into that first.  If that doesn't fix it, I'll try uninstalling the first OTF file and install the 2nd one.

[mtamaccio]

I'll look into that link right away.  My user installed only the OTF of the Block and Sans.  And when she switches between them the letters get jumbled.  All of the letters are assigned the same Unicode values, so that shouldn't be it. 
The first font I uploaded to you was the Sans and this last one is just the OTF of the Block.
The plot thickens....

[mtamaccio]

Oh, and my user is on Windows and I'm on a Mac.  We both are seeing the problem when we switch between Block and Sans...

[brynn]

Ok, I tried the 2nd file and I didn't have the problem.  But I had deleted the first one first, because I thought you meant they were 2 different files of the same font, and I couldn't install them both.  So let me reinstall them both at the same time, and I'll try switching back and forth.

[brynn]

Ok, I tried with both 0.92.2 and 0.91, but I can switch back and forth (I switched 4 or 5 times in each version) without any problems.

But in the Block file, there was a folder called __MACOSX with an OTF file in it, so of course I didn't try to install that one.  Not sure if I would be able to.

Sorry, I don't seem to be able to reproduce the problem.  The only thing I haven't tried, is the OTF file which is called a TTF file (in the Sans version).

Are both you and your friend using version 0.91?

[mtamaccio]

I'll ask her. Thanks so much for your help.

[mtamaccio]

Also, if we continue to have problems do you know who at Inkscape I should contact?

[brynn]

Because if your friend the Windows user is using a version different from 0.91 or 0.92.2, then there's a glimmer of a chance I could reproduce the problem, if I just use the same version they're using.

Just check back on this topic.  Other users will answer, if they have anything to add.  I just haven't seen many of our regular members around today.

After a few days, if there aren't any more helpful answers, you'll either want to contact developers (via mailing list, is the best way) or maybe just directly file a bug report.  We'll see if others have some different ideas, and they might have an idea whether to go straight for the bug report, or ask developers for help first.  As I mentioned, I'm not terribly knowledgeable about text.

We can give you links for these later, when we know more about which way to go.  But first, give others a chance to answer (weekends tend to be slower).

Edit
Plus, just realized this is Easter Sunday.

Edit #2
Plus, it also could matter which version of Windows.  I'm using Windows 7.

[Moini]

Right, it's Easter (Happy Easter to everyone who cares )

Yes, before contacting anyone about bugs, make sure you're using the latest Inkscape version that is available for your system - in your case on a Mac, that would be Inkscape 0.92.2. On Windows, that would be the current 0.92.3.

A lot of work has been done on fonts, so the update might already solve the problem.

If it persists after an update, please create a bug report where you attach your font file for inspection by a developer, and where you give all details about your operating system (and the one of the user that has the same issue). I suspect there's either something in the font that is a bit 'off-standard', or there could really be a remaining Inkscape bug (there are lots of those, that are currently being tackled one by one).

You can post bug reports at https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape .

[Moini]

Latest Mac download: https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.2/mac-os-x/
Latest Win download: https://inkscape.org/en/release/0.92.3/windows/