[comp.windows.x] meaning of BDF CHARS statement?

janssen@parc.xerox.COM (Bill Janssen) (10/30/89)

(`convertfont' is the font compiler for Sun's x11news X server.)

I have a .bdf file describing a particular font.  The .bdf file contains
a line with indicates how many character glyphs occur in the font file,
of the form

        CHARS 95

When I compile this file with the MIT X font compiler, then install the
font, and ask for its characteristics, I find that (correctly) the minimum
character is Space (32), and the maximum character is Tilde (126).  When
I compile it with convertfont, and install it into FCS 1.0 x11news, I find that
the minimum character is Nul (0), and the Maximum character is Underscore
(95).  I believe that convertfont is not properly interpreting the CHARS
declaration.  Any bdf experts care to comment?

Bill

c164-cb@hamlet.uucp (Olaf Brandt) (10/30/89)

>  (`convertfont' is the font compiler for Sun's x11news X server.)

>  I have a .bdf file describing a particular font.  The .bdf file contains
>  a line with indicates how many character glyphs occur in the font file,
>  of the form
>  
        >  CHARS 95
>  
>  When I compile this file with the MIT X font compiler, then install the
>  font, and ask for its characteristics, I find that (correctly) the minimum
>  character is Space (32), and the maximum character is Tilde (126).  When I
>  compile it with convertfont, and install it into FCS 1.0 x11news, I find that
>  the minimum character is Nul (0), and the Maximum character is Underscore
>  (95).  I believe that convertfont is not properly interpreting the CHARS
>  declaration.
>  

I believe the problem is that convertfont is not using the ENCODING
information correctly.  It seems that you have all the characters.
The value following the encoding describes where the character should go in
the charcater font.  This way, even though 'Space' may be the first character
described in the bdf file, the encoding is 32 and that's where it should end
up.  By the looks of bdftosnf, the order of characters n the compiled font
has nothing to do with their order in the bdf file, only their encoding.
Would anybody care to correct or comment on this?

olaf