FontLab Studio Changelog

What's new in FontLab Studio 6.0.8 Build 6790

Aug 6, 2018

Adds improvements in composite and auto glyphs handling, including a quick way to create auto layers for multiple glyphs and layers, and an extended syntax for glyph recipes that allows scaling and flipping; a new Glyphs Bar; improvements in working with Genius nodes; more control over outline conversion from PostScript to TrueType; a “guides” section in Font Info; manual sorting of classes in the Classes panel; auto-complete and drag-drop support in the Features panel. It also has assorted bug fixes, especially around glyphs and elements.
Further details on this release are available at:
http://help.fontlab.com/fontlab-vi/Release-Notes/#fontlab-vi-version-6086790

New in FontLab Studio 6.0.3 Build 6611 (Feb 8, 2018)

NEW FEATURES:
New Commands dialog & custom keyboard shortcut editing:
The new Help > Commands dialog box lists all commands available in the main app menus, including custom workspaces and scripts.
Use CmdShiftP to open the dialog, and type in a phrase to locate a command.
Then, navigate to the command with cursor keys and press Enter to execute that command. Inspired by similar solutions in apps like Sublime Text or Atom, this is a very fast way to invoke various commands which does not require to use the mouse or to remember keyboard shortcuts.
And (yes!) you can also customize (assign and change) the keyboard shortcuts associated with any of these commands. Use the shortcut field below the command list to remove an existing keyboard shortcut or assign a new one.
Note: there are some keyboard shortcuts, e.g. the single-letter keystrokes used to invoke the tools, which are not customizable. But most menu commands are now customizable, and you can export and import those customizations easily.
Tools > Swap Outline with Mask (CmdAltH Mac, CtrlAltH Windows):
Added this command familiar to FontLab Studio 5 users.
Node coloring with nearly-vertical and nearly-horizontal lines/handles preference:
Under Preferences > Glyph Window > Node Style there is a new setting (in the middle), which is also the new default. When this “auto fill” setting is selected, nodes will be rendered as fully filled or semi-transparently filled, depending on their position.
If a node is between curve segments and its handles are aligned perfectly vertically or horizontally, the node is fully filled (darker in color). If a node is between line segments and both segments are perfectly vertical or horizontal, the node is also fully filled. Otherwise, the node is semi-transparently filled (lighter in color).
This helps identify points that are not quite where you intended, or are not quite proper extrema.
Shift-double-click to align nodes and handles:
If you have a node or handle that is nearly aligned (in either X or Y) with an adjacent node, this will shift it to become aligned. When applied to extrema nodes with handles that are not perfectly aligned to X or Y direction, shift-double-click will fix that.
New Suggest Guides option:
When View > Suggest > Suggest Guides option is activated, hidden guides, hints, zones or font metrics temporarily appear when you move a node or contour near them. This only works with guides/hints/zones which have “snap to” allowed (View > Snap menu or in the View panel). This allows you to keep a clean workspace where guides, hints, zones or metric lines are invisible, but they become visible just when you need them.
This feature combines well with View > Metrics & Hinting Shadows option for easier navigation.
Nodes on alignment zones are optionally highlighted:
If you move a point into an alignment zone, the node is highlighted. The highlighting is in a different style when the node is on the zone line rather than within the zone.
This behavior is on by default, but can be turned off as the fourth option under Preferences > Editing, “Highlight nodes on alignment zones.”
Snap to glyph metrics:
This new option under View > Snap > Glyph Metrics causes snap to sidebearings, and applies to all operations where snap works.
Import of the Ikarus (.ik) Files:
Support for import of Ikarus font files (which typically come with .cha file containing glyph names and Unicode indexes) is back in this build of FontLab VI. To keep precision of the source data, low-error-tolerance approximation is applied to Ikarus contours when they get converted to cubic Bezier splines. This results in high accuracy but more points; consider Simplify or Clean Up operations after the import.
Codepages & Unicode ranges:
Font Info now has two new sections for setting code pages and Unicode ranges, much like FontLab Studio 5. You can still use the “auto” (diamond) button to have FontLab generate what it thinks are the right flags, and you can set them manually. The information will be stored in the OS/2 table of the exported OpenType font.
Features checkbox in the content sidebar:
The Features checkbox in the content sidebar not only allows you to enable and disable OpenType Layout features, but also activates the HarfBuzz-based Unicode text preprocessing (script itemization, bidirectional support and Unicode normalization).
Previously, you could only enable the Features checkbox if you had features defined in the Features panel. Now, you can enable the checkbox even if you don’t have any features defined, so you can use the Unicode preprocessing and bidirectional support.
Note: Bidirectional/RTL support is still flaky in this release, we’re working on it!
CID-keyed glyph names:
When importing CID-keyed PostScript fonts, there is a new option for whether glyphs should be named based on FontLab’s regular glyph naming heuristics, or by CID number, in Preferences > Open Fonts: “Change CID names to Unicode names when Unicode index is known”. This preference is on by default.
ENHANCEMENTS:
Previously, with mask layer visible and Edit Across Layers mode off, nodes from the mask layer were visible while editing outlines on another layer. Now, if you select nodes on the mask layer and switch back to another layer with Tools > Edit Mask, the associated handles from the mask layer are still visible (as in FontLab Studio 5). Handles on your drawing layer can then snap to the handles from the mask layer.
Edit > Find Outline search can be done for all glyphs or just for glyphs with a given tag.
Contour direction no longer affects the reported angle of node handles (visible on mouse hover or when handles are selected).
Free Transform now has a proxy to select the origin of the transformation, like the other transform modes/tools.
Guides:
You can now select different elements with the Guide tool, which is useful for quickly editing element guides.
When Element tool is active and Edit Across Elements mode is on, all element guides are visible.
Stroke:
FontLab applies strokes to elements after element transformations, similar to most drawing programs.
Expand operation produces more predictable results, works with element groups, and can be applied in the font window.
New Element > Remove Stroke command will remove stroke from the currently active element, or from all glyphs selected in font window.
BUG FIXES:
Scripts listed in Scripts menu work properly, including submenus for folders.
When opening an existing font in OTF format, FontLab maintains the existing glyph index (GID) order.
In text sidebar, fixed interaction between escaped glyph names using “/” in main area, and glyphs entered in “left” and “right” fields.
Preferences for distances moved by cursor keys now also apply to moving guides, anchors and pins.
Right handle for sidebearing shows the resulting metrics live, while it is being moved.
Glyph position and zoom in glyph window are better preserved while cycling between glyphs with comma and period keys, including empty glyphs.
Zooming/scrolling in the glyph window works correctly even with unusually large elements.
Recompile OpenType features works even when ssXX features are named.
PythonQT nested widgets within widgets now have correct behavior for error messages and print commands, in the inner widget (directing stdout/stderr).
An “Instance font” created in variations panel retains glyph flags.
Text no longer “jumps” when its size is changed in a glyph window in metrics mode, but remains more centered/visible.
Improved centering of glyph when cycling through different glyphs in a Glyph Window.
Changing the OpenType class of a glyph is saved correctly in VFC files.
Changing glyph advance width to zero is saved correctly in VFC files.
Minimized glyph window does not become unreachable.
Edit > Paste Glyph Reference now correctly pastes a glyph reference instead of an unlinked glyph.
Placing a guide over a locked alignment zone no longer allows the locked zone to be moved.
Unusual/arbitrary weight values (usWeightClass) such as “401” are preserved in exported fonts.
Improved/fixed snap behavior with vector guides.
Glyph metrics now processed correctly when horizontal mirroring is applied to glyphs in the Font Window.
No longer causes a crash:
Importing SVG artwork into more than one glyph cell at a time no longer causes a crash.
Tracing some particular image elements no longer causes a crash.
Repeatedly deleting elements no longer causes a crash.
Removing glyphs from an OpenType class no longer causes a crash.
Guides:
Tags for guides are properly saved with the font, avoiding changes in guide colors.
No crash when adding several tags to guides using pop-up field from property bar.
Copy and paste are accepted in guide tag fields.
Typing is not slowed in guides pop-up field from property bar.
Element guides don’t move while editing contour.

New in FontLab Studio 6.0.1 Build 6558 (Dec 20, 2017)

Drawing & IMporting:
Draw outline-based glyphs using the Brush, Pencil, Rapid, Pen, Ellipse, and Rectangle tools, in a fractional coordinate space with live rounding into integer coordinates.
Use upright and slanted grids, flexible guidelines, snapping suggestions and live measurement tools for consistent and precise vector drawing.
Paste and import vector artwork, scanned character sets or color bitmap glyphs, and turn them into monochrome fonts via customizable autotracing, and into color fonts.
Draw calligraphic letterforms using a live, adjustable PowerBrush tool, assign and expand strokes.
Editing:
Natively edit cubic PostScript Bézier curves and quadratic TrueType curves, including overlapping open paths, using the Contour, Knife, Scissors and Fill tools. Convert between the curve types with adjustable precision.
Find and fix outline problems with FontAudit. Automatically clean up and optimize outline drawings, balance segments and modify curve tension, harmonize G2 curvature, create and remove overlapping paths, apply non-destructive ink traps and rounded corners.
Automatically change weight, create contour versions, apply effects to outline and bitmap glyphs.
Composites:
Blend, interpolate and extrapolate fonts, create intermediate weights and styles, build extensive font families and variable OpenType fonts with intermediate font and glyph masters, and automatic masters matching for point-compatible outlines.
Variation:
Blend, interpolate and extrapolate fonts, create intermediate weights and styles, build extensive font families and variable OpenType fonts with intermediate font and glyph masters, and automatic masters matching for point-compatible outlines.
Spacing & Kerning:
Space entire phrases and kern according to planned pair lists. Apply tracking, modify widths, sidebearings and kerning globally or for selected glyphs.
Automatically or manually link metrics between glyphs using complex expressions.
Kern between classes and glyphs in a UFO- and OpenType-compatible way, with exceptions.
Automatically build kerning classes.
Automatically calculate metrics and kerning, or use autokerning suggestions as you kern manually.
FontS:
Create, open, edit and export monochrome outline fonts with single masters (desktop and web) and multiple masters (variable), color fonts (with multi-layer editable glyphs, SVG glyphs or bitmap glyphs).
Compare fonts, merge and split font glyph sets and variations. Modify fonts, glyphs, metrics, kerning and technical font information. Convert between font formats, improve screen appearance with automatic and manual hinting. Exchange font source with other font creation apps.
Technology:
Full Unicode support.
Advanced OpenType Layout features creation with FEA format and Adobe FDK for OpenType.
Kern feature optimization by KLTF.
Feature preview with the HarfBuzz world-ready engine.
Windows screen preview with genuine Microsoft ClearType (even on the Mac).
Variations with MutatorMath and fontTools.varLib.
Formats:
Open and export OpenType-PS/CFF (OTF), OpenType TT / TrueType (TTF), Variable OpenType TT (TTF+gvar), Color OpenType (TTF+SVG, +COLR, +CBDT, +sbix), PostScript Type 1 (PFB/PFA), Web fonts (WOFF2, WOFF, EOT), FontLab (VFB, VFC, VFJ), UFO, designSpace.
Also open BitFonter Photofont (PHF+PNG, +SVG), Fontographer (FOG), Glyphs, Ikarus, and any of the above in ZIP files.

New in FontLab Studio 5.1.3 Build 4655 Beta (Oct 12, 2012)

New in FontLab Studio 5.1.2 Build 4567 (Aug 2, 2012)

003 Wrong string rendering in TrueType hinting preview
009 No alert while opening .ttc
080 Crash when trying to open any font after performing "Quit" command while "Open" dialog is open
094 input of none ASCII lettersn
103 Mismatch of colors in the Glyph window
115 Number keys to select tools do not work
118 English characters aren't displayed in "Metrics Window" for STSSong font
132 "Go to ... page" button doesn't open URL from the linked text input field in "Font Info" window
153 Existing characters in multiple Masters
170 System "Arial" font generated in OTF format has chinese name if OSs on which file was generated and installed are not the same
182 Crash while opening VFB with .enc files containing header names with "é" symbol
184 Crash when trying to resize Glyph or Metrics Windows over 2 screens
196 Crash, opening/closing glyph windows with 2+ fonts open
204 Metrics window: wrong color of glyphs when unfilled
207 Glyphs Window: Neighbor outlines appear in two colors
225 FLS crashes when trying to select search result
238 copy/paste of start node shapes causes corruption
258 Faulty auto glyph sorting
260 Copy classes from a font
270 FLS crashes when trying to simultaneously use "Drawing" tool and "Run macro" command
288 Text input fields appearance update errors
291 Crash on closing file
292 Rename class crashes FL
295 Mark problems macro causes crash
318 "Font Info" window becomes corrupted when using scroll in "Font Info>Font Note"
326 Crash when typing in textbox in Metrics Window (Kerning mode)
344 FLS crashes after pressing "Font Info" button from "Save Macintosh Suitcase" dialog
349 FLS crashes while click "Reset Macro" when macro started in the "Edit Macro" window
350 FLS crashes while adding/deleting new menus in the "Customize" dialog
355 Export OTF kills OT kern data
360 Crash in Metrics Window
365 New 10.7 method for entering characters with diacritics works incorrectly
366 Missing "name" table entries in OTF: fonts cannot be installed on Mac OS X!
373 Not able to generate .otf fonts from many .vfb files
374 The Action Sets doesn't work
375 Serious problem exporting OTF
384 Expand Strokes crashes on single nodes
386 Cannot generate OpenType PS (.otf) font
396 Knife tool causes crash
397 Rename anchors conflicts with already assigned shortcut
400 Dragging Metrics Window modes toolbar cause app to hang for a while
405 Wrong bytes in intermediate ~t1 file when building OTF
415 Crash when trying to execute "Remove Hints / Vertical" command
417 Wrong/inconsistent contour direction between VFB and OTF results
423 stored TrueType tables have tags in reversed order between 5.0.4 and 5.1
425 Text disappears from the second pop-up menu in the "Macro" toolbar after dragging
427 Garbages in the "Hinting Preview Options" window
428 "Delta PPM range" text input field has broad focus ring while changing "Delta offset" value
449 Scroll bar in the "Note" window becomes corrupted after dragging
452 Crash on 10.7 when compiling features, success or graceful fail on 10.6
455 Text input fields in the "Assign Mask" window allow out-of-range values
459 "Programs" and its contents missing from the main data folder, user data folder should contain full subfolder tree
463 Opening an older file problems
495 FLS crashes on closing "Metrics" window
507 After dragging columns in the [cmap] table column title loses all the chars but first
509 Junk clones of selection remain visible while selecting fonts in the File>Generate All dialog
514 Naming table - problem with Style Name
519 Crash during generation of .ttf fonts if partition has no free space
520 Crash during printing text string when 'Print>Font Sample>Filloutlines' checkbox is turned off.
521 Crash during printing text string when the 'Enter a string...' text input fiels contains 'space' char
523 Printing 'Glyph Sample' - "Print all glyphs in string" - Crash
524 Missing function in metrics: Strikeout
535 Can't paste text in Load Text window
536 Crash during font generation with the enabled "Generate digital signature..." checkbox
537 Impossible to interrupt quit sequence
539 Pasting in Metrics window causes removal of chars
541 Keyboard editing metrics values in the table at the right of the MW is impossible
542 FLS crashes at 97% when exporting TTF or Mac TrueType Suitcase
543 Crash after pressing "Cancel" button of "Printing" dialog if "Enter a string of glyphs to print" text input field from "Glyph Sample" pane contains accented non-ASCII chars
545 Trying to print glyph from the newly created empty font causes crash
548 Component accents are not shifted vertically when composite glyphs are created
554 Two radiobuttons can be turned on simultaneously
561 "Optimize" command crashes on single node
568 Incorrect char becomes highlighted while using keystrokes in the "Font Window"
571 Crash after dragging any toolbar on the "Status bar"
579 Crash during trace pixels

New in FontLab Studio 5.1 Build 4311 (Oct 26, 2011)

New and updated encodings and data files - FLS 5.1 ships with updated versions of the Unicode-to-glyphname mapping files (standard.nam and several others), updated vendors.dat, updated tags.txt, as well as a largely revamped set of standard encoding files. Included is a set of new "OpenType" encoding files ("OpenType Standard", "OpenType LatPro", "OpenType LatPro SC", "OpenType LatCyrGrk" etc.) which are suitable as a basis for designing OpenType fonts. Rather than the old "afii" naming scheme, all the encoding files use the new "uni" naming scheme.
Application speed - On Intel Macs, FLS 5.1 runs much faster than 5.0.4. For example, Action Sets run approx. 2.5 times faster in 5.1 than in 5.0.4, running on Mac OS 10.6.8.
Creating OpenType fonts with up to 65,535 glyphs - FontLab Studio 5.1 has no longer the 6,400 glyph limit. It allows you to open, save and generate fonts with up to 65,535 glyphs.
Improved OpenType Layout support through FEA 2.5 - The Adobe FDK for OpenType (AFDKO) version 2.5 library is integrated in 5.1 (as opposed to 1.6 in 5.0.4). This means that you can use FEA 2.5 syntax that supports mark attachment or "sub fi by f i" type of statements, as well as "script DFLT". Note: some changes may be required in your OpenType feature definition code to make them compile.
New Clean up paths feature - The "Clean up paths" algorithm from Fontographer is integrated. It's available through the Action / Action Set dialogs (in the Contour group of the dialogs as "CleanUp"). This algorithm is not MM-compatible, unlike "Optimize". For single-master fonts, however, it will deliver different, sometimes better, results, than "Optimize".
Windows-native TrueType hinting preview - In the TrueType Hinting / TrueType Preview panel, the little chequer icon lets you switch between additional rasterizers. One highlight is the addition of the native Microsoft TrueType rasterizers, which will let you preview the TrueType hinting exactly as it will appear on Windows in non-ClearType mode. The MS B&W rasterizer is the same as used in the black-and-white Windows rendering mode. The MS Grayscale rasterizer is the same as used in the grayscale rendering mode. Note that those rasterization modes are not sensitive to the "gasp" table settings in Font Info. If you have hand-hinted fonts, please go ahead and test these rasterizers. The MS rasterizers run much faster so any changes to the manual TrueType hinting are instantly visible.
Improved Python integration - FLS 5.1 build 4311 integrates with the "current" version of Python, i.e. 2.5 on Mac OS X 10.5, 2.6 on 10.6, and 2.7 on 10.7, while PP1 integrated with Python 2.5, and FLS 5.0.4 integrated with Python 2.3.

FontLab Studio Changelog

What's new in FontLab Studio 6.0.8 Build 6790

New in FontLab Studio 6.0.3 Build 6611 (Feb 8, 2018)

New in FontLab Studio 6.0.1 Build 6558 (Dec 20, 2017)

New in FontLab Studio 5.1.3 Build 4655 Beta (Oct 12, 2012)

New in FontLab Studio 5.1.2 Build 4567 (Aug 2, 2012)

New in FontLab Studio 5.1 Build 4311 (Oct 26, 2011)

New in FontLab Studio 5.0.4 Build 2741 (Jul 7, 2010)