[GRASSGUI] another idea for font setting

[Michael Barton]

How about a GRASS_FONTPATH variable set in init.sh (or an environmental
variable if that?s better). It could work like some of the other such path
variables.

Check to see if it?s already set (e.g., in .grassrc6 or .profile). If it?s
not already set, try some default settings: /Library/Fonts for Darwin
systems, a ?normal? linux font place, a ?normal? windows font place.

A font setting dialog could get this path from the variable and insert it
into a font path browse control. For many people, they would not need to do
anything but pick from the list of fonts in that directory. But the control
would still allow a user to browse for another locality if their fonts were
in a different place. This gives some degree of convenience for the many
people who have fonts in a standard location for their platform and provides
2 ways to deal with those who don?t?in a configuration file (for GRASS or
shell) or by browsing to the font location.

Trying to find a way to make this a bit easier for many, while dealing with
the considerable variability across systems.

Michael
__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution & Social Change
Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity
Arizona State University

phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton


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[William Kyngesburye]

This should be able to handle subfolders. While the system folders
are normally flat, when 3rd-party font activation tools are used,
it's common to organize extra fonts into subfolders.

On the down side of letting the user specify font folders external to
the system folders, there can be multiple versions of a font, though
only one may be active at a time. It could get confusing choosing a
font.

Post by Michael Barton
How about a GRASS_FONTPATH variable set in init.sh (or an
environmental variable if that?s better). It could work like some
of the other such path variables.
Check to see if it?s already set (e.g., in .grassrc6 or .profile).
If it?s not already set, try some default settings: /Library/Fonts
for Darwin systems, a ?normal? linux font place, a ?normal? windows
font place.
A font setting dialog could get this path from the variable and
insert it into a font path browse control. For many people, they
would not need to do anything but pick from the list of fonts in
that directory. But the control would still allow a user to browse
for another locality if their fonts were in a different place. This
gives some degree of convenience for the many people who have fonts
in a standard location for their platform and provides 2 ways to
deal with those who don?t?in a configuration file (for GRASS or
shell) or by browsing to the font location.
Trying to find a way to make this a bit easier for many, while
dealing with the considerable variability across systems.

-----
William Kyngesburye <kyngchaos*at*kyngchaos*dot*com>
http://www.kyngchaos.com/

"I ache, therefore I am. Or in my case - I am, therefore I ache."

- Marvin

[Michael Barton]

As I just proposed, the idea of having a font path variable would be a
convenience function to get a user in the general vicinity of fonts at
least--or in exactly the right place if he/she knows where they want to
look.

I agree about the potential for confusion. But this would reduce (though I
agree not eliminiate) it over the situation we have now.

Michael

Post by William Kyngesburye
This should be able to handle subfolders. While the system folders
are normally flat, when 3rd-party font activation tools are used,
it's common to organize extra fonts into subfolders.
On the down side of letting the user specify font folders external to
the system folders, there can be multiple versions of a font, though
only one may be active at a time. It could get confusing choosing a
font.

__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution & Social Change
Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity
Arizona State University

phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton