Is there a way...

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pwillard
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Is there a way...

Post by pwillard »

I have an graphics application that allows me to use custom font's for graphical text on a technical drawing. I'd like to make my own custom font for use with this application... but I may not need to create all the glyphs possible.

It seems there are no special language toggles and no apparent unicode support built into the application at the the present time. I'm not sure about any special character insertion, even with default "arial" font.

Is there a way I can access an extended character set symbol like the "omega" symbol for insertion into a text input field along with regular text or am I stuck? Im wondering if I can ever insert that character because the application isn't coded to allow it.

ideas?
Pete
Dick Pape
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Symbols and PPT

Post by Dick Pape »

Hi Pete

I just created a (symbol) font for a friend who was translating a Powerpoint presentation to Spanish and needed to convert the graphs without messing up the curves.

I copied the PPT into a glyph; severed off the English and copied in the Spanish legends. Along the way I also embolded the curves.

Ended up with one glyph for each graph. Was cute! She could make them any size she needed.

All by using the powerful tools of The FontCreator! She loved me for my technical prowess too.

Dick
Bhikkhu Pesala
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Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

As long as the application supports the ANSI character set, you can just remap Omega in the font you wish to use, to another character such as é which is not required. Additional ANSI characters like áéíóú can be typed easily with the International Keyboard. Or try a Greek Keyboard and see what that types, if anything, in that application.

αβψδεφγηιξκλμνοπ;ρστθωςχυζ ΑΒΨΔΕΦΓΗΙΞΚΛΜΝΟΠ;ΡΣΤΘΩΣΧΥΖ
My FontsReviews: MainTypeFont CreatorHelpFC15 + MT12.0 @ Win 10 64-bit build 19045.2486
Dave Crosby
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Converting Graphs to Glyphs

Post by Dave Crosby »

Converting Graphs to Glyphs! Where do these ideas come from?

Dick, your amentaceous mind never ceases to astound me!
Aut nunc aut nunquam
Dick Pape
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Whut's the Word?

Post by Dick Pape »

Hi Dave

I'm not sure I should take that from you, but I'm not certain!

am·en·ta·ceous (am'?n-ta'sh?s, a'm?n-)
adj. Resembling or consisting of a catkin. Bearing catkins.

catkin - A usually dense, cylindrical, often drooping cluster of unisexual apetalous flowers found in willows, birches, and oaks.

I don't think I like that "usually dense", "often drooping", "unisexual apetalous flowers" ... The other two hold, but I'm clearly not apetalous... (used to be apetalous but as I got older...) Dick
William
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Post by William »

> ideas?

Are you aware of the Alt method entering a character? It may or may not work with your graphics application, however, it is worth a try. It may be a good idea to try it in Microsoft WordPad first where it is known to work.

For anyone who does not know the technique one needs to do the following.

Make sure that the Num Lock key has been used to switch on Number Lock.

Put the cursor line where the character is needed.

Hold down the Alt key

Using the numbers at the right of the keyboard, key a number.

Release the Alt key.

Provided a suitable number has been chosen for keying, a character will appear provided that there is a glyph for it in the font which is being used.

If the number starts with a 0 or is above 255, then the number is the decimal equivalent of the Unicode hexadecimal code for the character: this can be found using Microsoft Calculator using the View | Scientific mode.

If it is below 256 and does not start with a 0 the number refers to a place in a Microsoft code page. Try 130 and a é character will hopefully appear. Try 142 and a Ä character will hopefully appear.

A few tests will hopefuly determine whether the graphics application works at all with the Alt method and if so, to what extent.

If it does not, it is worth trying keying the text in WordPad and then using copy and paste.

It is good to know that you want to make your own custom font for use with this application.

As you mention that it is a technical drawing, you might like to have a try with one of my fonts to observe how it looks.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/GALILEOL.TTF

It is one of a set of fonts.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/fonts.htm

Many years ago I devised a scenario to encourage people to learn how to enter words with accented characters in them even if they did not know the language. I called it The Café Äpfel and the idea was that text from ingredients lists from multilingual food packaging could be keyed. The Café Äpfel would have menus in English, French, German and the language of the musicians and singers who were performing in the café that evening. I had this idea of a television show series with each episode combining cookery, computing and music with actors playing the continuing characters and guest musicians and singers arriving as guest stars.

Well, a Portuguese band and singer would be fairly straightforward.

Once the musicians come from further afield the computing gets rather more complicated! :-)

William Overington
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Post by Erwin Denissen »

You can also try to use MainType to insert characters into the graphics application.

Do let us know your results.
Erwin Denissen
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pwillard
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Post by pwillard »

Yes, I'll let you know how I get on with it.

It seems to me at this point that I may need to resort to BP's method of taking unused, uncommon glyphs, locating their Keycode (thanks William) and then replacing them with my own custom technical symbols.

It became painfully clear to me that even though the ARIAL font contained the symbol I WANTED, there was no way I was ever going to be able to retrieve it from the font and use it inside the application.

Now, if I were the author of the application... I'd consider that a FLAW and I'd remedy it... but I'm not.

Thanks for the advice.
Pete
William
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Post by William »

> locating their Keycode

Just in case you, or indeed some other readers, do not know where to find the Unicode charts.

http://www.unicode.org/charts/

The charts are in pdf format.

If the graphics application will only accept codes up to 255, the ones to look at are Basic Latin and Latin-1. There are links on the left-hand side of the above web page.

William
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Post by William »

I decided to have a go myself and produced the following font.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/GALILEOZ.TTF

This is Galileo Lettering Special version 0.16.

This version is a copy of Galileo Lettering version 0.16 with glyphs for Omega added in the places which are in Unicode reserved for the multiplication and division signs. This is to support a graphics application which does not support code points above 255.

Alt 0215 ×
Alt 0247 ÷

In the Galileo Lettering Special font the × and the ÷ positions have glyphs for capital Omega and a small capital Omega respectively.

I produced the capital Omega by adapting a copy of capital O.

William
pwillard
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Post by pwillard »

William!

Thanks... That seems to be the way to do it!
Pete
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