Re: utf-8-string

[Janek Warchoł]

2012/2/6 address@hidden <address@hidden>:
> Hey all,
>
> I see a shortcut for utf-8-strings in pango-font.cc.  This is all well and 
> good except that it is hard to do box approximations on these guys (it'd 
> require adding lots of code).  How mad would LilyPond be if I just deleted 
> all of the utf-8-string business?  I don't think it'd change the visual 
> output...it'd just get rid of a shortcut.  Does anyone have any justification 
> for keeping this shortcut?

This is just a wild guess: would deleting it mean that Pango would
treat all text on a letter-per-letter basis?  If so, there could be
problems with kerning; see how kerning is not applied to letters which
are in separate lyric syllabes:

\markup \sans { LTA <- proper kerning }
\repeat unfold 4 a'4
\addlyrics {
  \override LyricText #'font-family = #'sans
  LLLLLL -- TTTTTT -- AAAAAA }
\markup "lyric syllabes are treated as separate strings and even when
they touch, kerning is not applied"

hope this helps,
Janek