A more detailed explanation of how FontLab applications use the Python macro language and some examples of scripts by users.

The Python macro language is a really powerful tool that can save you loads of time in performing tedious tasks. Need to add a bevel to all the characters in your font? A Python macro can do it in a flash. Want to rename all your fonts to add your foundry intials? Do the whole library in seconds with a macro. Got an idea for a new FontLab tool? Write it in Python and add it to the FontLab menus.

The Unofficial FontLab/Python API Reference documents the FontLab/Python scripting API

FontLab Scripting described at Wikibooks

FontLab Macro Setup at Wikibooks

RoboFab extensive documentation

---

Useful Python-based software

• RoboFab by Tal Leming, Erik van Blokland and Just van Rossum
  Python library that provides an independent font development environment that integrates with FontLab Studio and can be used for font, glyph and metrics manipulation. Free for Mac OS X and Windows. RoboFab requires NumPy (Mac installer on PythonMac) and FontTools TTX.
• FontTools TTX by Just van Rossum
  “Low-level” OpenType table editing package written purely in Python. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• Adobe FDK for OpenType (AFDKO) by Adobe Systems
  Set of high-quality OpenType conversion, editing, production and quality assurance tools, partly written in Python and integrated with FontLab Studio. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• FontQA by FontShop International
  Font quality assurance framework and test suite for FontLab Studio written in Python and published by FontShop International, allows performing consistency checks across fonts within a font family. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• Autopsy by Yanone
  A FontLab Studio add-on written in Python for analyzing design consistency across multiple fonts. It visualizes a selection of letters side by side and puts it into a PDF for visual comparison. If visual comparison isn’t enough for you, it dissects what’s there and what’s not and puts that into simple graphs. Free for non-commercial use, licenses 69–399 EUR, for Mac OS X and Windows. Requires ReportLab.
• FeatureProof by Tal Leming
  FeatureProof is an application for testing built on top of Compositor that makes it easy for type designers to test OpenType Layout features in fonts. Free for Mac OS X.
• Font Remix Tools by Just Another Foundry
  A set of plug-ins for FontLab Studio written in Python that allow scaling of glyphs without affecting the stroke weight.Free for non-commercial use, licenses 99–396 EUR, for Mac OS X and Windows.
• Superpolator by Erik van Blokland
  Professional typedesign is complex enough as it is: Superpolator breaks free from the conceptual constraints of Multiple Master: work with any number of axes, insert masters where you need them and define, generate all the weights you want. Glyph specific axes, split locations, intermediates, powerful extrapolation. Licenses 250 EUR and up, for Mac OS X. Requires RoboFab.
• PixelBrush by Gustavo Ferreira
  A simple tool to draw outline pixel fonts in FontLab Studio. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• Compositor by Tal Leming
  An OpenType Layout engine. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• feaTools by Tal Leming
  A collection of tools for working with OpenType Layout feature definition source files in AFDKO .fea format. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• Scripts and tools by Tal Leming
  A collection of useful FontLab Studio scripts and Python tools. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• Scripts by Typo.cz
  Two sets of macros for FontLab Studio by Typo.cz (Filip Blazek), written in Python. The OpenType features set automates generating of special OpenType functions. OpenType kerning simplifies the setting of kerning pairs for accented characters. Both sets contain some handy scripts for relabelling of glyphs and for control of the process. The macros are will available in the end of 2008.
• Scripts by Ben Kiel
  Scripts for Accents will aid in building accents, placing anchors, and removing anchors. Scripts for generating test fonts will make a copy of the font you are working on, remove its overlaps and decompose its characters, then give you the choice of font type to generate. Scripts for dealing with Guidelines show how one can add and remove guidelines to a vfb file. Scripts for working with font metrics make it easy to copy the sidebearing values of one vfb file to another. Scripts for MultipleMaster VFBs will quickly generate any number of instances of a MM face, either as font files or vfb files (or both). Free for Mac OS X and Windows, optional donation.
• SVH Helper Script for RoboFab by Brook Elgie
  Python script that integrates SVN version control with RoboFab. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• RemoteTCP for RoboFab and FontLab by William Lamberta
  RemoteTCP is a cross-platform implementation of the RoboFab Remote package that allows FontLab to respond to calls from other applications over a network connection.
• Python Imaging Library by Pythonware
  Essential image processing package for Python. Free for Mac OS X and Windows. Mac installer on PythonMac. Windows installer on Pythonware.
• FontLab on Steroids macros by Adam Twardoch
  Script for FontLab Studio written in Python, includes Rename glyphs by scheme macro. Free for Mac OS X and Windows.
• Macro by Roger Dawkins
  Macro to create an outline version of a font: development, script.
• Macro by Vince Fitter
  Some nice little macros for special effects: Windows version, Macintosh version

---

Python Background

Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented programming language. It is often compared to Tcl, Perl, Scheme or Java. Originally developed by Guido van Rossum in 1990 it is an open source language and has gained popularity rapidly. For this reason we chose it as the scripting language for FontLab 4 macros.

www.python.org is the official Python website

Python Books and Resources:

Macro Programming, FontLab Studio manual

Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner

FontLab Scripting discussion list

The Python Bookstore