[Script] Koboify Fonts

[rtiangha]

OK, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I don't think the GUI is respecting my choices. I have kern table unchecked and Clear PANOSE checked, and my resulting file has a kern table and full PANOSE data. But it also complains about fontforge not being in my path, even though I do have its bin directory set in my environment variables (and so I use the prompt to point to it manually and it must be invoking fontforge in the end because it is indeed adding a legacy kern table to a font that previously had none so I think that works). Is this a Windows thing?

Good news is invoking on the command line works, so there's that. I just don't want to have to type in all those font names, lol.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by sherman

Can you let me know what the error is? I just tried with a freshly installed FontForge, and I have Python 3.7 installed, and it showed the help fine.

I ran the command line for the help from a batch file and got the following output:

fontforge -script ReadifyFontCLI.py -h

Copyright (c) 2000-2019. See AUTHORS for Contributors.
 License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
 with many parts BSD <http://fontforge.org/license.html>. Please read LICENSE.
 Version: 20190801
 Based on sources from 09:32 UTC  1-Aug-2019-ML-TtfDb-D-GDK3.
 Based on source from git with hash: 09e9429f765698a57ce1f7751977533f0ed2ec67
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "ReadifyFontCLI.py", line 13, in <module>
    from helper import *
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'helper'

[sherman]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I ran the command line for the help from a batch file and got the following output:

fontforge -script ReadifyFontCLI.py -h

Copyright (c) 2000-2019. See AUTHORS for Contributors.
 License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
 with many parts BSD <http://fontforge.org/license.html>. Please read LICENSE.
 Version: 20190801
 Based on sources from 09:32 UTC  1-Aug-2019-ML-TtfDb-D-GDK3.
 Based on source from git with hash: 09e9429f765698a57ce1f7751977533f0ed2ec67
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "ReadifyFontCLI.py", line 13, in <module>
    from helper import *
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'helper'

The only thing I can think of is that the current directory is not set to where the ReadifyFont files can be found.

[radius]

Originally Posted by sherman

Hi all

This script is basically depreciated. I should probably make a note of that somewhere

I created a replacement called ReadifyFont, but I don't know if I ever really advertised it here on MobileRead

D'oh!

I'll try ReadifyFont. Thanks for the work you put into these!

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by sherman

The only thing I can think of is that the current directory is not set to where the ReadifyFont files can be found.

After I shutdown my laptop last night and then powered it back up today, the script works to display the help. Now to try testing font modifiction.

"We don't believe in miracles, we just depend on them."

[AnimalOfArt]

Everything went fine for me using the latest FontForge version and python 3.8, at least the program did not crash but I don't know if it did what it you should have done.
So how can I check if PANOSE is removed and kern table is available or not?

[rtiangha]

Originally Posted by AnimalOfArt

Everything went fine for me using the latest FontForge version and python 3.8, at least the program did not crash but I don't know if it did what it you should have done.
So how can I check if PANOSE is removed and kern table is available or not?

Open the generated font in Fontforge and go to Element-> Font Info->OS/2->Panose. If all the values DON'T say 'Any' then it didn't clear anything.

For kern table, you can use https://fontdrop.info to compare the font before and after to see if it has a kern slider or not.

[AnimalOfArt]

Originally Posted by rtiangha

Open the generated font in Fontforge and go to Element-> Font Info->OS/2->Panose. If all the values DON'T say 'Any' then it didn't clear anything.

For kern table, you can use https://fontdrop.info to compare the font before and after to see if it has a kern slider or not.

Ok, thank you!
I did not checked fontdrop yet, so all I can is that it didn't clear Panose!

EDIT: Checked the generated font on fontdrop and it does have a kern slider although I unchecked it in your App

[rtiangha]

Originally Posted by AnimalOfArt

Ok, thank you!
I did not checked fontdrop yet, so all I can is that it didn't clear Panose!

EDIT: Checked the generated font on fontdrop and it does have a kern slider although I unchecked it in your App

So we got the same result then. At least I know it's not just me! The command line version seems to work, though. If you're desperate, try using that instead.

[AnimalOfArt]

Originally Posted by rtiangha

So we got the same result then. At least I know it's not just me! The command line version seems to work, though. If you're desperate, try using that instead.

You mean using the ReadifyFontCLI.py with fontforge on cmd should work?

[rtiangha]

Originally Posted by AnimalOfArt

You mean using the ReadifyFontCLI.py with fontforge on cmd should work?

It did for me. Less convenient, though.

[sherman]

Hi all, just to let you know, I'm working on an update to ReadifyFont (I'm basically re-writing it). I can't guarantee how long it will take, but it is happening...

I'm also planning on ditching PyQT5 in favor of tkinter. Not because I particularly like tkinter, but it is in the standard library, and on initial glance, the fontforge embedded python also includes it.

[AnimalOfArt]

Originally Posted by sherman

Hi all, just to let you know, I'm working on an update to ReadifyFont (I'm basically re-writing it). I can't guarantee how long it will take, but it is happening....

thank you very very much!

[Alanon]

I play around with fonts a lot, and sadly these tools stopped working for me or worked inconsistently. I believe the only variant that worked perfectly was an old version of the Koboify script paired with one specific (old) version of FontForge. Which is a shame, because a fully working tool would be a huge time-saver! (Fingers crossed for Sherman.)

In the end, the most reliable method is to install FontForge and learn its quirks. You can always check that PANOSE is properly cleared and that font names are the same. Depending on glyph size and the degree to which one emboldens fonts, it is possible to bork certain glyphs. FontForge will display a preview so you can actually fix the issues, or at least diminish them.

[NiLuJe]

A quick bit of necromancy to mention that some/most of this should also be doable via fontTools/gftools, if @sherman or anyone else were to want to take this up again.

This might be a cleaner/faster/less destructive/easier to embed approach than fontforge .

At a quick glance, fix-vertical-metrics can be used to tweak linegaps & other vertical metrics (yum, my favorites! ;D), while nametable-from-filename will deal with most of the OS/2 & TTF Names tables family/weight/style issues.
That mainly leaves the Panose stuff, list-panose should be a good start, but I'm pretty sure with a little bit of digging someone's already written something that can deal with it via fontTools.


(This was brought on by today's various shenanigans when testing Literata 3 ).