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Additional data formats

The fonts file

A fonts file can be specified by option -f fonts_file in the command line of the call of res2image, but its default is the file called fonts.txt, located in the same directory as the executable of res2image.

The fonts file consists of the following parts:

• The first line is e.g.:

  % encoding_apple_roman 0.15 0.03

  • The first character on the line is '%'.
  • Then follows either encoding_apple_roman or encoding_unicode, to indicate which encoding is used in the TrueType fonts.
  • Then follows the general 'sep' size of hieroglyphic, expressed in EM, here 0.15, and the 'sep' size for boxes, here 0.03.
• Then we have zero of more lines each containing the file name of a TrueType font, relative to the directory where the fonts file itself is located. This may for example look like:

  GlyphBasic1.ttf
  GlyphBasic2.ttf
  GlyphBasic3.ttf
  GlyphBasic4.ttf
  HieroglyphicAux.ttf
  CaslonRoman.ttf

  We assume these fonts are numbered 1, 2, 3, ...
• Then we have a line that looks like this:

  % 6 6

  • The first character on the line is '%'.
  • Then follows the number of a TrueType font that is to be used for modern characters in short_strings, i.e. as glyph_names. In the example above that would be CaslonRoman.ttf, the sixth TrueType font in the listing. The number 0 would mean we don't have a font of modern characters available.
  • Then follows the number of a TrueType font that is to be used for notes. In the example that is the same TrueType font. Again, this number may be 0.
  (Note: Roman fonts seem more appropriate for short_strings whereas italic fonts seem more appropriate for notes.)
• The remainder of the fonts file consists of lines each of which is either entirely blank (such lines are ignored) or of one of the following forms:
  • E.g.

    G42 2 186

    which specifies that the glyph for Gardiner code G42 is to be found in the second TrueType font, at index 186.
  • E.g.

    D33 161

    which specifies that the glyph for Gardiner code D33 is to be found in the first TrueType font, at index 161. This is convenient if we have stuffed the complete sign list in a single TrueType font.
  • E.g.

    open 5 35

    or

    close 5 36

    These specify the locations of the glyphs for the unconnected open and close brackets of cartouches, i.e. for the glyph_names 'open' and 'close'.
  • E.g.

    cartoucheopen 5 35

    or

    cartouchesegment 5 37

    or

    cartoucheclose 5 36

    Each type of box is represented by an 'open' glyph, a 'close' glyph and a 'segment' glyph, i.e. the part of which a sufficient number of copies is inserted between the open and close glyphs to match the size of the contents of the box. In the example, the box type is cartouche, and we refer to the three glyphs by that type followed by the strings open, segment and close. Within the constraints of the syntax of RES, one may freely add new box types.
  • E.g.

    hlr 5 49

    or

    hrl 5 50

    or

    vlr 5 51

    or

    vrl 5 52

    With the option -hlrspec, res2image puts a sign in front of the first image that indicates the direction specified within the encoding. These signs are referred to in the fonts file by hlr, hrl, vlr and vrl. If such signs are not available, one may either omit the corresponding lines from the fonts file, or specify the TrueType file number 0, which indicates non-existence of a sign.

The mnemonics

Each line of this file starts with a string consisting of one or more upper-case of lower-case letters or digits, then one or more characters of white space, and then a Gardiner code.