Trouble the Font Editor

[StaticCode]

Ello. I'm trying to start work on a font, but I'm having a sizing issue with the font editor. Whenever I imput a character, it is really small and is aligned in the left hand corner. I don't know what's it's basing this off of so I can't really fix it myself.

The set width of the font is at 1024 (1024 what? This may be the problem, but even then I don't know how it's being aligned). The canvas size is 1000x1000 px. If you look in the image below at the sample text area you can see what I mean.

EDIT: The font width seems to be in MM. So the sizing is fixed, but the alignment is still a problem.

What's going on here?

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

I don't know much about making regular fonts, and nothing about SVG Fonts, or using Inkscape's SVG Font Editor.  And unfortunately, the manual has not been updated to include use of the SVG Font Editor.  I would also say that not very many people do know how to use it.  So that makes me curious.  Are you following a tutorial?  Or are you otherwise familiar with SVG Fonts?  In case you have gotten off track trying to make a regular font, I just found this article (while trying to learn more about SVG fonts myself)  https://creativemarket.com/blog/the-missing-guide-to-font-formats  It explains about the different font formats.

For general info about making fonts, look up the guide on this site:  http://openfontlibrary.org/  Or search for tutorials about making fonts.

My best guess about your concerns.  I don't think the fact it is small or in the left corner is a problem.  I mean, if you expect it to be the size of the star shape on the canvas, well, it doesn't look like there would be room for it there.

Where do you see that the width of the font is 1024?  Also, where do you see it's mm?  I'm not sure why you would think that units being mm resolves the question of what units 1024 is, because 1024 mm is well over a yard, actually almost exactly one meter. 

Something I read just now, doing some quick research, gave me the idea that the width of an SVG font includes all the characters, not just one character.  But now I can't find whatever I read that gave me that impression 

In any case, if you really do want to make an SVG OpenType Font, I'd suggest doing an internet search.  If that is what you want, I'll be glad to ask developers if they know of any tutorials.  Or someone else in this forum might know.

Good luck 

[flamingolady]

StaticCode,
well, I wrote a lengthy reply and it got obliterated because of the attachment, so, one more time....
First, I haven't figured out the Font Editor, so didn't use it.  So am just taking a stab here in case something 'sticks'. 

I'm currently working on making a font as well.  Are you using Fontforge (FF) by any chance, if so, there's some guidance in their manual, and, you have to set Inkscape's View Box at 1000, 1000.   Switch your glyph to pixels too.   I use 1000 x 1000 PIXELS, not MM.  I am including a scrn print of what I use.  When I do another font, I will move the guide lines up a bit - oh, and there's a guide glitch, they do not stay locked.  I found that getting the nodes to integers is the hardest part - and they don't seem to stay put in Inkscape, not sure why, but it's the biggest pain when making a font.  When importing I never got it to the exact position, so I always move it a little in FF.  Keep in mind to leave room for line gap (spacing).  My caps go to a little over 700 ascent, and include the descent as well (for pjyq, etc).    If you are new at this and working with power stroke, you can read thru my thread on this site.  Off the bat it looks like the star is too large.  Good luck.


Brynn, 1024 is the standard size (em size) for creating most fonts.  In the old, old, method of typesetting where the faceplate was attached to a block (to create say a newspaper) used em as a standard measure.  So, we're using digital these days, therefore use pixels, but still refer to the em measure.  They are typically EM 1024, 2048 and 4096, with 1024 being the most common size.  There are writeups about it, but really that's all I need to know!

BTW Brynn, when I got the attachment error notice on the preview page, I clicked on the 'back' button located just below the message box, and it had 'eaten' most of my reply when it went back, seems like it should be saving the entire message that I wrote.... I'm copying it this time, ha!

scrn prt 9-28.svg
(419.37 kB - downloaded 309 times)

dee

[brynn]

Sorry for the difficulty, dee.  Yes, I think a lot of people are in the habit of copying long messages before posting or preview or adding attachments, in forums.  It only takes a wrong or even accidental click, or sometimes a hiccup from the server, (or maybe a hiccup in your internet connection, I guess) to lose the message.

Unfortunately, in SMF forums, attachments can't be previewed.  You just see the message that you aren't allowed to see it (or something like that).  But the file still will be attached.  (Just had a thought to ask the mod developer if that error msg can be removed.  Cross fingers  )

I thought I had a mod which every so many seconds saves the message, so that if you accidentally browse away, the message will still be there.  So I'll review that situation.

However, a back button below the message box is a bit of a mystery.  I can't find.  Are you using a different theme, maybe?  The default theme is called Aqua Style, and at the moment, we have way too many themes availabe, haha.  I'll probably pare that down one of these days.  But anyway - if you're using a different theme, which one.  Or otherwise, maybe a screenshot of that back button?

Oh yes, I've heard of em for font or text sizes.  I know about that from the little bit of html that I know.  I'm not sure if StaticCode really wants to make an SVG font, or just a regular font.  We'll see 

Thanks for the feedback!

[brynn]

Update on the mod that prevents losing a message if you accidentally browse away.  I don't think it's worth using.  Not unless the author will agree to update it.

I wanted to leave it installed long enough for several people to test.  But it was so obnoxious, I couldn't stand it, and had to uninstall it!  It does save the message.  The problem is, it saves it permanently, until you type a new message.  Permanently!  Well, I didn't try restarting the browser, but I wouldn't be surprised if it would still be there.

So what happened, is that after I posted the message, both the Quick Reply and the full editor both still have the message in their respective fields.  The problem is that when I open a new topic, that same message from the other topic is still there!.  No matter how many topics I open, the last message I typed was still there! 

In my opinion, it doesn't need to be saved after the message is posted, because you could simply click Modify to copy it, if you needed to.  But since you posted it, you don't really need to save it anymore.

I don't want to have to delete my last message from the editor before I type a new one.  And plus, when I went to a new topic, and clicked Reply, I would see the warning that a new message has been posted already!  If I kept the mod installed, that warning would always be there, because it still has the last message I typed, any new topic is going to look like all the messages in it were posted while I was typing.

I don't know if that mod ever worked well, but certainly it doesn't work very well now.  Not unless the author will update it.  I asked.  Cross fingers.

(According to the mod's author, browsers are supposed to save messages.  However, I think he must mean when you allow saving of the Form History.  I don't use that for security reasons.  Otherwise, I've never heard of browsers saving the forum messages.)  (Hhmm, maybe there's a different mod - I'll search further....)

[flamingolady]

Brynn, oh good grief, what a mess.  Thanks for looking into it, didn't think it would be a huge ordeal.   It's really not worth the effort to save the last post - that would be SO annoying. 
I should have known better than to have hit 'send' on a long post without saving it.  lesson learned.
  I say (singing to the Beatles Song - Let It Be). 
thanks.

[brynn]

There hasn't been any response to my request for "fixing" the mod.  And I can't find another one that does it better.

But I wanted to mention another mod that we have that might help.  If you use the full editor, notice the button to the right of Post and Preview, Save as Draft.  This saves your message for as long as you want to save it.  (not in the editor, like the other one)  You can open it and continue editing, save it again, or post it at any time.  When you go to post a new message, you'll be asked if you want to use any draft that you might have saved.

It's not exactly the same thing.  But I use this when I'm in the middle of a long post but I get interrupted with something.  So I save the draft and I can come back to it later.  The reminder about the draft every time I want to post is a bit annoying to me, so I typically don't save drafts for very long.  Not that the reminder has an annoying appearance, and others might not find it annoying.  That's just me.

It's relatively intuitive to use it.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know about it.

[flamingolady]

Yes, that's probably the way to go, save as draft.   It just irritates me to have to go figure out where the draft 'lives'.  I have used it before.  thanks. 

[brynn]

You don't have to figure it out.  The next time you go to post a message, you'll see the list of drafts just below the Post button and Attachments area.  Just click Edit Draft, beside the draft that you want to use.  But again, I think it's only with the full editor.  I don't think you can access drafts from the Quick Reply.

Actually I think it works a little differently in phpBB (InkscapeForum).  But it's pretty easy here.