<comment>
Hi, I just downloaded Main Type to try out. By far the nicest-*looking* font program I've ever encountered. At first glance it appears to be very well thought out and implemented. I'm going to play around with it and see what I find.
</comment>
<issue>
Clicking CTRL++, as per Windows convention, is supposed to adjust all the columns in the focused window to optimal width. Invoking this command in any of the the 'Fonts' window tabs in MainType shrinks all the columns save for the first one down to nothing. Try it and see.
</issue>
<question>
None of my bitmapped (*.FON) fonts appear in the Fonts window lists. How cometh?
</question>
Piyono
One Comment, One Issue, One Question
-
Erwin Denissen
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Hello Piyono,
Thanks for your feedback. I hope more people have the same positive first impression. Do let me know your overall impression when you've seen all features.
The issue you mention is indeed something I overlooked, I never knew about that shortcut. It will be fixed in the next upcoming release. I'm certainly going to use it (and CTRL+-, CTRL-* and CTRL-/) with other software as well
The answer to your question is located in the Filter window. By default Raster, Vector and Type 1 PostScript fonts are not shown, but can be easily included through the Filter window.
Thanks for your feedback. I hope more people have the same positive first impression. Do let me know your overall impression when you've seen all features.
The issue you mention is indeed something I overlooked, I never knew about that shortcut. It will be fixed in the next upcoming release. I'm certainly going to use it (and CTRL+-, CTRL-* and CTRL-/) with other software as well
The answer to your question is located in the Filter window. By default Raster, Vector and Type 1 PostScript fonts are not shown, but can be easily included through the Filter window.
-
Bhikkhu Pesala
- Top Typographer
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-
Erwin Denissen
- Moderator
- Posts: 11160
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- Location: Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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Actually I meant these shortcuts:
Ctrl + Subtract
restores the with of all column to the previous state. It works like a single undo feature. However doesn't always work the way I expect it to work though.
* display (expand) all sub groups under the selected group in the Groups tree view.
/ hide (collapse) all sub groups under the selected group in the Groups tree view.
Ctrl + Subtract
restores the with of all column to the previous state. It works like a single undo feature. However doesn't always work the way I expect it to work though.*
display (expand) all sub groups under the selected group in the Groups tree view./
hide (collapse) all sub groups under the selected group in the Groups tree view.Navigation Ideas
Erwin, while we're on the topic of keyboard shortcuts, I have a suggestion which will make selecting multiple fonts by keyboard rapid and accurate.
My proposed method uses the arrow keys in combination with the SPACE, CTRL and ALT keys. Here's how it goes:
Unmodified arrow keys work as expected, moving the row highlight up or down.
Holding CTRL while using the arrow keys moves the row *focus* (dotted outline) but *not* the highlight. To highlight (i.e. select) the focused row, press SPACE. To UN-highlight (deselect) it, press SPACE again. This effectively turns SPACE into a toggle to turn the selection of the focused file, as long as CTRL is held down.
To highlight multiple files, simply hold down CTRL and SPACE while navigating up or down with the arrow keys.
Highlighting a block of files and want to skip just one? Easy. Just lift your thumb off of the spacebar for one selection and then replace it.
To move the selection block relative to the files hold down the ALT key.
The key difference between this method and simply holding down SHIFT to select mulitple files is that the SHIFT method selects only blocks of contiguous files, where as the CTRL+SPACE method can easily select disjointed blocks.
You may well be blown away by the simplicity and elegance of this solution and want to heap praise upon me, but know that the idea is not fully my own: ACDSee has been using a similar method for quite some time, although it's not quite as flexible as what I've outlined because in their implementation holding down SPACE does not allow the selection to be extended with repeated presses of the arrow key, and they don't use the ALT modifier key to move the selection block.
Still I can select files faster in ACDSee than I can in practically any other program. The standard SHIFT-to-select-contiguous-files method can still be used with no conflicts, but we power users can go one level deeper.
Of course, it has to be programmed in.
Whaddaya think?
Piyono
My proposed method uses the arrow keys in combination with the SPACE, CTRL and ALT keys. Here's how it goes:
Unmodified arrow keys work as expected, moving the row highlight up or down.
Holding CTRL while using the arrow keys moves the row *focus* (dotted outline) but *not* the highlight. To highlight (i.e. select) the focused row, press SPACE. To UN-highlight (deselect) it, press SPACE again. This effectively turns SPACE into a toggle to turn the selection of the focused file, as long as CTRL is held down.
To highlight multiple files, simply hold down CTRL and SPACE while navigating up or down with the arrow keys.
Highlighting a block of files and want to skip just one? Easy. Just lift your thumb off of the spacebar for one selection and then replace it.
To move the selection block relative to the files hold down the ALT key.
The key difference between this method and simply holding down SHIFT to select mulitple files is that the SHIFT method selects only blocks of contiguous files, where as the CTRL+SPACE method can easily select disjointed blocks.
You may well be blown away by the simplicity and elegance of this solution and want to heap praise upon me, but know that the idea is not fully my own: ACDSee has been using a similar method for quite some time, although it's not quite as flexible as what I've outlined because in their implementation holding down SPACE does not allow the selection to be extended with repeated presses of the arrow key, and they don't use the ALT modifier key to move the selection block.
Still I can select files faster in ACDSee than I can in practically any other program. The standard SHIFT-to-select-contiguous-files method can still be used with no conflicts, but we power users can go one level deeper.
Of course, it has to be programmed in.
Whaddaya think?
Piyono
-
Erwin Denissen
- Moderator
- Posts: 11160
- Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2002 12:41 am
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Piyono, your proposed method of selecting multiple fonts sounds interesting, but I'm afraid it would require a lot of programming. I rather spent my time on adding new features, other enhancements and new software. People are also looking forward to a new Font Creator update. So for now I've put it on the wish list.
I have to agree. I'm not sure if many designers are piano players at the same time and use the keyboard shortcuts to such an extensive way. (Altought I did know a person who barely touched the mouse...) Personally I rather see new features added than more keyboard shortcuts, which probably not many people would use to such an extent.
=LES=
I guess that shows how much I know about programming.
<blushes>
I thought it was an extension of the standard windows API (I just realized that Windows explorer works *exactly* like ACDSee when it comes to selecting files).
Well, keep it down at the bottom of the 'to-do' list and maybe one day it'll surface on it's own.
Piyono
<blushes>
I thought it was an extension of the standard windows API (I just realized that Windows explorer works *exactly* like ACDSee when it comes to selecting files).
Well, keep it down at the bottom of the 'to-do' list and maybe one day it'll surface on it's own.
Piyono