Python Scripting

I assume you have a working knowledge of Python. FontForge implements two Python modules – one great huge one called fontforge which provides access to as much of FontForge’s functionality as I’ve had time to write, and one tiny one called psMat which provides quick access to some useful transformations expressed as PostScript matrices.

In python terms fontforge embeds python. It is possible to build fontforge so that it is also a python extension.

FontForge Modules

• fontforge
  • Module attributes
    • hooks
    • splineCorner
    • splineCurve
    • splineHVCurve
    • splineTangent
    • fontforge.spiroG4
    • fontforge.spiroG2
    • fontforge.spiroCorner
    • fontforge.spiroLeft
    • fontforge.spiroRight
    • fontforge.spiroOpen
    • fontforge.unspecifiedMathValue
  • Module functions
    • getPrefs()
    • setPrefs()
    • hasSpiro()
    • savePrefs()
    • loadPrefs()
    • defaultOtherSubrs()
    • readOtherSubrsFile()
    • loadEncodingFile()
    • loadNamelist()
    • loadNamelistDir()
    • preloadCidmap()
    • printSetup()
    • nameFromUnicode()
    • UnicodeAnnotationFromLib()
    • UnicodeBlockCountFromLib()
    • UnicodeBlockEndFromLib()
    • UnicodeBlockNameFromLib()
    • UnicodeBlockStartFromLib()
    • unicodeFromName()
    • UnicodeNameFromLib()
    • UnicodeNamesListVersion()
    • UnicodeNames2FromLib()
    • scriptFromUnicode()
    • SpiroVersion()
    • version()
    • loadPlugins()
    • getPluginInfo()
    • configurePlugins()
    • runInitScripts()
    • scriptPath()
    • fonts()
    • activeFont()
    • activeGlyph()
    • activeLayer()
    • fontsInFile()
    • open()
    • parseTTInstrs()
    • unParseTTInstrs()
    • unitShape()
    • registerGlyphSeparationHook()
  • User Interface Module Functions
    • hasUserInterface()
    • registerMenuItem()
    • registerImportExport()
    • logWarning()
    • postError()
    • postNotice()
    • openFilename()
    • saveFilename()
    • ask()
    • askChoices()
    • askString()
    • askMulti()
  • Point
    • point
  • Contour
    • contour
  • Layer
    • layer
  • Glyph Pen
    • glyphPen
  • Glyph
    • glyph
    • glyph.mathKern.bottomLeft
    • glyph.mathKern.bottomRight
    • glyph.mathKern.topLeft
    • glyph.mathKern.topRight
  • Selection
    • selection
  • Private
    • private
  • Math
    • math.ScriptPercentScaleDown
    • math.ScriptScriptPercentScaleDown
    • math.DelimitedSubFormulaMinHeight
    • math.DisplayOperatorMinHeight
    • math.MathLeading
    • math.AxisHeight
    • math.AccentBaseHeight
    • math.FlattenedAccentBaseHeight
    • math.SubscriptShiftDown
    • math.SubscriptTopMax
    • math.SubscriptBaselineDropMin
    • math.SuperscriptShiftUp
    • math.SuperscriptShiftUpCramped
    • math.SuperscriptBottomMin
    • math.SuperscriptBaselineDropMax
    • math.SubSuperscriptGapMin
    • math.SuperscriptBottomMaxWithSubscript
    • math.SpaceAfterScript
    • math.UpperLimitGapMin
    • math.UpperLimitBaselineRiseMin
    • math.LowerLimitGapMin
    • math.LowerLimitBaselineDropMin
    • math.StackTopShiftUp
    • math.StackTopDisplayStyleShiftUp
    • math.StackBottomShiftDown
    • math.StackBottomDisplayStyleShiftDown
    • math.StackGapMin
    • math.StackDisplayStyleGapMin
    • math.StretchStackTopShiftUp
    • math.StretchStackBottomShiftDown
    • math.StretchStackGapAboveMin
    • math.StretchStackGapBelowMin
    • math.FractionNumeratorShiftUp
    • math.FractionNumeratorDisplayStyleShiftUp
    • math.FractionDenominatorShiftDown
    • math.FractionDenominatorDisplayStyleShiftDown
    • math.FractionNumeratorGapMin
    • math.FractionNumeratorDisplayStyleGapMin
    • math.FractionRuleThickness
    • math.FractionDenominatorGapMin
    • math.FractionDenominatorDisplayStyleGapMin
    • math.SkewedFractionHorizontalGap
    • math.SkewedFractionVerticalGap
    • math.OverbarVerticalGap
    • math.OverbarRuleThickness
    • math.OverbarExtraAscender
    • math.UnderbarVerticalGap
    • math.UnderbarRuleThickness
    • math.UnderbarExtraDescender
    • math.RadicalVerticalGap
    • math.RadicalDisplayStyleVerticalGap
    • math.RadicalRuleThickness
    • math.RadicalExtraAscender
    • math.RadicalKernBeforeDegree
    • math.RadicalKernAfterDegree
    • math.RadicalDegreeBottomRaisePercent
    • math.MinConnectorOverlap
    • math.exists()
    • math.clear()
  • Font
    • font
• psMat
  • identity()
  • compose()
  • inverse()
  • rotate()
  • scale()
  • skew()
  • translate()

Command line convenience

For convenience, Python commands given as a -c argument on the command line have the following code prepended:

from sys import argv; from fontforge import *

Hence, the trivial script to convert a font can be written:

fontforge -c 'open(argv[1]).generate(argv[2])'

Trivial example

import fontforge                                 #Load the module
amb=fontforge.open("Ambrosia.sfd")               #Open a font
amb.selection.select(("ranges",None),"A","Z")    #select A-Z
amb.copy()                                       #Copy those glyphs into the clipboard

n=fontforge.font()                               #Create a new font
n.selection.select(("ranges",None),"A","Z")      #select A-Z of it
n.paste()                                        #paste the glyphs above in
print n["A"].foreground                          #test to see that something
                                                 #  actually got pasted
n.fontname="NewFont"                             #Give the new font a name
n.save("NewFont.sfd")                            #and save it.

FontForge as a python extension

In addition to embedding Python, FontForge typically installs a Python module accessible to the system’s python executable, which can be accessed using:

>>> import fontforge