Re: System fonts

[Adrian Robert]

> To still be able to display as many characters as possible on the  
> output device the Cocoa specification relies on the method  
> [NSMutableAttributeString fixFontAttributeInRange:] to correct the  
> font assigned to a character and on the text system, which should  
> generate an exisiting glyph for one or multiple characters by  
> selecting an apropriate font.
>
> Some of this is currently missing in GNUstep, which really is a shame  
> (and not the great fontconfig implementation in xlib by Derek Zhou).  
> If you really need this functionality don't complain about the NSFont  
> implementations, sit down and write this missing code.

I assume you are referring to this?

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Cocoa/Reference/Foundation/ 
Java/Classes/NSMutableAttributedString.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/ 
20000526/fixFontAttributeInRange_NSMutableAttributedString

When does this method get called, however?  Is there some Cocoa best  
practice for apps to call fixFontAttributeInRange before displaying  
text, or is this done automatically within AppKit itself?  Where do the  
"default fonts" to be substituted in times of need get specified?

Looking back on the list archives, I see this same issue discussed a  
year ago.  
(http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/discuss-gnustep/2003-08/ 
msg00035.html)  There was no definite resolution.  (One point that was  
made, though, was that GUI should handle this since this is the way the  
OpenStep architecture, with the DPS display model, was designed.)   
Maybe if we can get a complete set of links to relevant Cocoa /  
OpenStep docs posted here (or, absent sufficient guidance in said docs,  
a consensus) then someone can work on this, since those who understand  
the specs already and those who have time and/or care about this issue  
seem not to be the same..  ;-)