Fonts.tbl

This feature requires FreeSpace Open

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FSO Git Commit: Date: 2016-08-02 SHA: b4db345

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The fonts.tbl is a recent addition to the SCP allowing the definition of non-standard fonts. The number of possible fonts is unlimited. The HUD gauges, show-subtitle-text sexp and the fiction viewer can be manually set to any font in fonts.tbl. The rest of the fonts used in FSO (e.g. techroom text) are hardcoded to one of the first three fonts that are parsed.

This table is one of the Modular Tables and can be extended with xxx-fnt.tbm

List of Tables

General Info

• Begins with #Fonts
• Consists of at least 3 entries
• Ends with #End

Currently, there are two different types of supported fonts. The old "VFNT" type (which probably means Volition Font) and the new TrueType Fonts. The old font use the usual $Font: option while the new fonts use $TrueType:.

$Font:

• Lists a font file to use.
• This font type is not supported if the engine is in Unicode text mode!
• Syntax: String

+Name:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Sets the name of this font. Defaults to the specified filename if not provided.
• Syntax: String

+Default Special Character Index:

FS2 Open, 3.7.2:

• Specifies the index of the first special character (e.g., infinity symbol, "match speed" icon) in the font. Must be within the range of 0-249. Does not apply to language entries below that use +Special Character Index:.
• Syntax: Integer

Note: If this parameter is used with the first font, it will override all uses of +Special Character Index: in strings.tbl.

+Language:

FS2 Open, 3.7.2:

• Specifies the name of a language.
• Currently used for overriding the value of +Default Special Character Index:.
• Syntax: String

+Special Character Index:

• Overrides the value of +Default Special Character Index: for this language.
• Syntax: Integer

+Top offset:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Specifies the top offset for this font. See Top and Bottom offsets for more information.
• Syntax: float

+Bottom offset:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Specifies the bottom offset for this font. See Top and Bottom offsets for more information.
• Syntax: float

$TrueType:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Lists a font file to use.
• Syntax: String

+Name:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Specifies the name of this font, defaults to <fontFilename>-<fontSize>
• Syntax: String

+Size:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Specifies the size of the font, defaults to 8.
• Syntax: float, must be greater than 0

+Top offset:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Specifies the top offset for this font. See Top and Bottom offsets for more information.
• Syntax: float

+Bottom offset:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Specifies the bottom offset for this font. See Top and Bottom offsets for more information.
• Syntax: float

+Letter spacing:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Specifies the letter spacing. Defaults to 0.
• Syntax: float, must be greater or equal to 0.

+Special Character Font:

FS2 Open, 3.8:

• Specifies the VFNT file to use for the special characters. FSO uses a few special characters for a few things that are not present in standard TrueType fonts. To fix this you can specify a VFNT file from which these characters are loaded. This defaults to font01.vf which is a default font file from FS2 retail.
• This option not needed and not supported if the engine is in Unicode text mode!
• Note! Pointing this to the fifth font entry or later can cause crashes, especially on standalones. See Cyborg for questions until this limit is removed.
• Syntax: String

Top and Bottom offsets

The top and bottom offsets can be used to influence the line spacing for a specific font. Before rendering top offset vertical pixels are skipped. Then the text is rendered and then another bottom offset pixels are skipped.

Sample Entry

#Fonts

$Font: font01.vf
$Font: font02.vf
$Font: font03.vf

$TrueType: arial.ttf
 +Name: Arial
 +Size: 12

#End

Sample Entry (Fiction Viewer)

#Fiction Viewer

$File: [text file]
$Font: [font file]

References

1. "Re: Feature Request: 4th font (especially for fiction viewer)", Hard Light Productions Forums, Hard Light Productions, 24-12-2009. Retrieved on January 28, 2011.