mkfontdir(X)

mkfontdir -- create fonts.dir file from directory of font files

Syntax

mkfontdir [directory_names]

Description

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 depend 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 consists of 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 searched 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 a backslash:

   "magic-alias with spaces"       "\"font\name\" with quotes"
   regular-alias                   fixed

If the string FILE_NAMES_ALIASES stands alone on a line, each filename in the directory (stripped of its suffix) will be used as an alias for that font.

User considerations