FontCreator Version:
FontCreator 16.0.0.3080 (64-bit)
Module:
OpenType Designer
Problem Description
There is a significant readability problem in the OpenType Designer when a glyph class is used in a rule.
As shown in the attached screenshots, glyphs/text that are represented through a class reference are displayed in red. This red text has poor contrast against the current background, making it difficult to read.
By comparison, when a glyph is entered without using a class, the text is displayed in black. FontCreator then appears to adapt the text/background presentation so that the text becomes white and remains clearly readable.
The problem is specifically the red text used for class-based entries. The contrast between the red text and the background is substantially worse than the contrast of the non-class text.
Screenshots
The two screenshots demonstrate the difference:
- Without class: the glyph/text is displayed in black and is subsequently rendered with a suitable high-contrast appearance, making it easy to read.
- With class: the class-based glyph reference is displayed in red, and the resulting red-on-background combination has insufficient contrast and becomes difficult—or on some displays almost impossible—to read.
This is especially noticeable on different monitors, display settings, brightness levels, and screen resolutions.
Steps to Reproduce
- Open FontCreator 16.0.0.3080 (64-bit).
- Open OpenType Designer.
- Create or open a rule containing glyphs.
- Add a glyph directly to the rule without using a class.
- Observe the text/glyph representation.
- Then use a glyph class in the rule.
- Compare the visual appearance of the class-based entry with the non-class entry.
Actual Behavior
Class-based glyph references are displayed using a red foreground color.
The red color does not provide sufficient contrast with the background, resulting in poor readability.
For example, in the attached screenshot, the class-based entries in the Input and Lookahead areas are clearly much harder to read than the corresponding non-class entries.
This is not merely a cosmetic preference. The text can become genuinely difficult to distinguish, particularly on displays where the contrast or brightness is less favorable.
Expected Behavior
Class-based glyph references should use a foreground/background combination with sufficient contrast to remain clearly readable.
The color coding can still be retained to distinguish class-based entries from ordinary glyph entries, but the selected color should have adequate contrast.
Possible solutions include:
- choosing a darker/brighter red with significantly better contrast;
- using a different color that provides adequate contrast;
- automatically adapting the foreground color according to the current background;
- or providing user-configurable syntax/highlighting colors.
The important requirement is that class-based text must remain clearly legible.
Important UI Consistency Issue
FontCreator already appears to handle contrast better for ordinary/non-class text. The non-class text is displayed in a way that results in a much more readable foreground/background combination.
Therefore, the problem seems to be that the class-specific red highlighting does not participate properly in the same contrast handling.
Ideally, all text in the OpenType Designer should remain readable regardless of whether the glyph is represented directly or through a class.
Request for a Permanent Fix
Please review the color/highlighting scheme used by the OpenType Designer for class-based glyph references.
I would strongly recommend changing the default class-reference color to a WCAG-compliant/high-contrast color, or otherwise ensuring that the foreground color has sufficient contrast against the current editor background.
The fix should apply consistently to:
- Input glyphs/classes
- Lookahead glyphs/classes
- Backtrack glyphs/classes
- Substitution tables
- and any other OpenType Designer fields where class-based glyph references are displayed.
The goal is not to remove the color distinction between classes and individual glyphs. The goal is to preserve that distinction while ensuring that the text remains clearly readable.
Additional Request
If possible, please make the syntax/highlighting colors configurable so users can customize the colors used for:
- individual glyphs,
- glyph classes,
- selected items,
- and other OpenType Designer elements.
This would provide a robust long-term solution for users with different display environments and accessibility requirements.
The attached screenshots clearly demonstrate the problem: ordinary/non-class text is readable, whereas class-based text rendered in red has insufficient contrast and becomes difficult to read. Please consider this a UI readability/accessibility bug and improve the default color scheme in a future FontCreator update.
