Reverse Stack Typing Order in FontForge: A Comprehensive Guide
FontForge is a powerful and versatile font editor, enabling users to manipulate glyphs, create new fonts, and much more. One less-known feature is the ability to reverse the stack typing order, which can be quite useful in certain scenarios. This guide will delve into understanding and utilizing this feature effectively.
What is Stack Typing Order?
Before diving into reversal, let's first grasp the concept of stack typing order. This refers to the order in which individual glyphs are stacked or layered within a composite glyph. Think of it as a sequence of layers, with each glyph drawn on top of the previous one.
For instance, consider a glyph combining a base letter "A" with an accent mark placed on top. In the default stack typing order, the base letter "A" would be drawn first, and the accent mark would be placed atop it. This is often the desired behavior, ensuring that accents don't obscure underlying glyphs.
Why Reverse the Stack Typing Order?
Reversing the stack typing order becomes beneficial when you need to achieve a specific visual effect or work with glyphs that require an unconventional stacking arrangement. For example, consider a glyph where the accent needs to appear visually underneath the base letter. Reversing the stack typing order allows you to accomplish this.
How to Reverse the Stack Typing Order in FontForge
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Select the Glyph: Begin by selecting the composite glyph whose stack typing order you wish to reverse. This could be a glyph with multiple components or a glyph using an accent mark.
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Access the Stacking Options: Within FontForge, navigate to the Element > Components menu. This will display the Component panel, containing various stacking options.
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Reverse the Order: Locate the Reverse checkbox within the Component panel. Check this box to reverse the stack typing order of the selected glyph.
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Visual Inspection: After reversing the order, carefully inspect the glyph's appearance. Ensure that the visual effect is as intended and that no overlapping or undesirable positioning occurs.
Example: Reversing the Stack Order for an Accent
Imagine a glyph combining a base letter "A" with an accent mark, where you desire the accent to be visually placed underneath the letter "A." Reversing the stack typing order allows you to achieve this.
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Select the Composite Glyph: Select the glyph containing the base letter "A" and the accent mark.
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Reverse the Order: Navigate to Element > Components and check the Reverse checkbox.
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Visual Verification: Observe the glyph. The accent mark should now appear visually underneath the base letter "A," achieving the desired effect.
Tips and Considerations
- Visual Inspection is Key: Always visually inspect your glyphs after reversing the stack typing order to ensure the desired visual effect.
- Experimentation is Encouraged: Experiment with different glyphs and stack arrangements to fully grasp the power of reversing the stack typing order.
- Documenting the Order: Keep a note of the stack typing order for complex glyphs to ensure consistency and ease of editing later.
Conclusion
The ability to reverse the stack typing order in FontForge is a valuable tool for advanced font editing. By understanding this feature, you gain control over the layering of glyphs within composite characters, enabling you to achieve unique and visually compelling effects. This empowers you to design fonts with greater precision and creative freedom.