🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1gqa6tINNham@menudo.uh.edu> sears@tree.egr.uh.edu (Paul S.  
Sears) writes:
> I guess that everyone misunderstood my question.  I know
> how to use   buildafmdir and cacheAFMData to install new
> fonts.  I also know about   FontInstaller.app from Adobe. 
> Apparently they do not do exactly the same   thing, because
> after I install fonts with FontInstaller.app, the
> following   directories are created: 
> 
> afm
> bitmap
> outline
> 

These are old directories - this is the way the NeXTSTEP
had these files organized prior to NeXTSTEP 2.0. I don't
know of any app that requires these directories to be
there (except perhaps FrameMaker which has some sort of
anlternate font installation scheme - I can't say). 

If an app uses the standard AppKit stuff to access fonts,
these additional directories aren't required. 

> However, when I run buildafmdir on any new fonts, those
> directories are   not created.  My question is basically,
> which is better to use?    buildafmdir is much faster, but it
> *seems* that FontInstaller.app does a   better job in
> installing fonts.  

What FontInstaller from Adobe is probably doing in
addition to creating these folders, is what our Font
Installer does. We found that the only reliable way to
install fonts is to: 

1. Completely delete .afmcache, .fontdirectory and .fontlist

2. Run buildafmdir

3. Run cacheAFMData

The advantage of having an automated installer is that it
ensures that these three steps are completed correctly
every time. 

> What FontInstaller does is to separate the afm bitmaps
> and outlines from   each font.  Is this the better way of
> doing it?  or is buildafmdir the   better way? 

I don't think the seperate directories have any
advantage. I think that the Adobe installer simply does
the right combination of deletion and running
utilities. 

Gordon

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Van Huizen           vox: 619.488.9411  fax: 619.488.3045
Metrosoft                   gvh@metrosoft.com [NeXTmail welcome]
----------------------------------------------------------------