GNU Info

(groff)Font Positions

---

Next: Using Symbols Prev: Font Families Up: Fonts

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

Font Positions
--------------

   For the sake of old phototypesetters and compatibility with old
versions of `troff', `gtroff' has the concept of font "positions", on
which various fonts are mounted.

 - Request: .fp pos font [external-name]
 - Register: \n[.f]
 - Register: \n[.fp]
     Mount font FONT at position POS (which must be a non-negative
     integer).  This numeric position can then be referred to with font
     changing commands.  When `gtroff' starts it is using font
     position 1 (which must exist; position 0 is unused usually at
     start-up).

     The current font in use, as a font position, is available in the
     read-only number register `.f'.  This can be useful to remember the
     current font for later recall.  It is associated with the current
     environment (Note: Environments).


          .nr save-font \n[.f]
          .ft B
          ... text text text ...
          .ft \n[save-font]

     The number of the next free font position is available in the
     read-only number register `.fp'.  This is useful when mounting a
     new font, like so:


          .fp \n[.fp] NEATOFONT

     Fonts not listed in the `DESC' file are automatically mounted on
     the next available font position when they are referenced.  If a
     font is to be mounted explicitly with the `fp' request on an unused
     font position, it should be mounted on the first unused font
     position, which can be found in the `.fp' register.  Although
     `gtroff' does not enforce this strictly, it is not allowed to
     mount a font at a position whose number is much greater (approx.
     1000 positions) than that of any currently used position.

     The `fp' request has an optional third argument.  This argument
     gives the external name of the font, which is used for finding the
     font description file.  The second argument gives the internal
     name of the font which is used to refer to the font in `gtroff'
     after it has been mounted.  If there is no third argument then the
     internal name is used as the external name.  This feature makes it
     possible to use fonts with long names in compatibility mode.

   Both the `ft' request and the `\f' escape have alternative syntax
forms to access font positions.

 - Request: .ft nnn
 - Escape: \fN
 - Escape: \f(NN
 - Escape: \f[NNN]
     Change the current font position to NNN (one-digit position N,
     two-digit position NN), which must be a non-negative integer.

     If NNN is associated with a style (as set with the `sty' request
     or with the `styles' command in the `DESC' file), use it within
     the current font family (as set with the `fam' request or with the
     `family' command in the `DESC' file).


          this is font 1
          .ft 2
          this is font 2
          .ft                   \" switch back to font 1
          .ft 3
          this is font 3
          .ft
          this is font 1 again

     Note: Changing Fonts, for the standard syntax form.