Fonty Python help

FontyPython (FP) is a TTF (at the moment) for Gnu/Linux. Use it to view, gather and manage fonts. You can also install and uninstall fonts to your ~/.fonts folder for temporary use in other apps.

The interface works from left to right. You select a 'view' on the far left (1), then you select fonts from the middle section (4) and finally you choose a target "Pog" (3) where you want to store them.

I invented the word "pog". It comes from "typography". It means "collection" or "group" or "bunch" or "box" or "case" or "stack" or "pile" - you get the picture.


This section lets you choose the TTF fonts you want to look at. You can choose a folder or another pog, simply choose the appropriate tab. Keep your eyes on section 2 to see what the current selected "view" is.
This section informs you about what is selected in the "view" and "target" portions of the interface. Be sure it's saying what you want it to.
The fonts in the folder or pog you chose on the left will show here.
Please note: TTF fonts that cannot load for whatever reason will not be shown, a "bad font" marker will appear instead.
This section has various behaviours, depending on what you have selected:
  1. Folder or Pog to TARGET: Will let you tick fonts and then store them in the target pog.
  2. Folder only: Will not let you tick anything, you can only look.
  3. Pog only: Will let you cross-out fonts that you want to remove from the pog you are looking at:


  4. Inactive fonts:



    This greyed-out font indicates that it's already in the target pog, so you can't select it.
This section is where you deal with the actual pogs. You can choose a target pog by clicking one.
The "Select Nothing" button is a quick way to clear your selection, the same thing as clicking a selected item a second time.

They look like this:

The colours indicate which are currently installed. You cannot use an installed pog as a target!
This is the "filter". You can type partial words here and the list of fonts will change to reflect the search. For example, if you only want the italic fonts, then type
italic
(And press ENTER)
When you want all the fonts again, clear the box and press ENTER.
Tip:If you want to search for bold or italic (i.e fonts with either term) then type in
bold|italic
That line (|) is the key near ENTER, above the backslash (\) character on a US-English keyboard. It means "OR" so: "bold OR italic" is what you are saying to the filter.
This is the "main button". It will change it's functionality as you select various combinations. The text of the button ought to give a clear indication of what it will do. Read it in conjunction with the heading (2).
These controls (and the Back button on the left) allow you to navigate between "pages" of fonts. You can choose any page from the pull-down, or you can step forward/back one at a time. Please go to File->Settings (or hit Ctrl+S) where you can change the number of fonts in a page.
The buttons in this section all act upon the currently selected target pog. You can variously delete, install, uninstall and purge the selected pog. You can also create new pogs from here.

NOTES:
  1. You can change the sample text, the font-size and the number-in-a-page from the Settings menu. File->Settings or Ctrl+S
  2. Try to use FP from the command-line (from a console). It's easy, simply type:
    fp --help
  3. If you get errors, copy them and email them to the author. This is easy to do when the error is on the command line.
  4. When FP starts-up it checks your pog files (in your home folder under .fontypython). If there are any pogs that cannot be read for whatever reason, then they are renamed to .badpog. You should go in there and do some sleuthing.
  5. Pog files are merely text files. They are very, very simple and this was intentional. Here are some things you can do with them:
REQUESTS:
  1. I know nothing at all about Type-1 fonts and all the other weird fonts out there. I can include support for other formats only if I get some help/code/information about them.