MKFONTDIR(1) X Version 11 (Release 5) MKFONTDIR(1)
NAME
mkfontdir - create fonts.dir file from directory of font
files
SYNOPSIS
mkfontdir [directory-names]
DESCRIPTION
Mkfontdir For each directory argument, mkfontdir reads all
of the font files in the directory searching for properties
named "FONT", or (failing that) the name of the file
stripped of its suffix. These are used as font names, which
are written out to the file "fonts.dir" in the directory
along with the name of the font file.
The kinds of font files read by mkfontdir depends on
configuration parameters, but typically include PCF (suffix
".pcf"), SNF (suffix ".snf") and BDF (suffix ".bdf"). If a
font exists in multiple formats, mkfontdir will first choose
PCF, then SNF and finally BDF.
SCALABLE FONTS
Because scalable font files do not usually include the X
font name, the fonts.dir file in directories containing such
fonts must be edited by hand to include the appropriate
entries for those fonts. However, when mkfontdir is run,
all of those additions will be lost, so be careful.
FONT NAME ALIASES
The file "fonts.alias" which can be put in any directory of
the font-path is used to map new names to existing fonts,
and should be edited by hand. The format is straight
forward enough, two white-space separated columns, the first
containing aliases and the second containing font-name
patterns.
When a font alias is used, the name it references is search
for in the normal manner, looking through each font
directory in turn. This means that the aliases need not
mention fonts in the same directory as the alias file.
To embed white-space in either name, simply enclose them in
double-quote marks, to embed double-quote marks (or any
other character), precede them with back-slash:
"magic-alias with spaces" "\"font\name\" with quotes"
regular-alias fixed
If the string "FILE_NAMES_ALIASES" stands alone on a line,
each file-name in the directory (stripped of it's suffix)
will be used as an alias for that font.
Licensed material--property of copyright holder(s) Page 1
MKFONTDIR(1) X Version 11 (Release 5) MKFONTDIR(1)
USAGE
Both the X server and the Font Server look for "fonts.dir"
and "fonts.alias" files in each directory in the font path
each time it is set (see xset(1)).
SEE ALSO
X(1), Xserver(1), fs(1), xset(1)
Licensed material--property of copyright holder(s) Page 2