Q76535: MyFont.exe - Creating a Custom Raster Font
Article: Q76535
Product(s): Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit
Version(s): 3.1
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s): kbfile kbsample kb16bitonly kbFont kbGDI kbSDKWin16
Last Modified: 21-APR-2001
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.1
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SUMMARY
=======
MyFont.exe is a sample file that demonstrates how to use the normal linker.
Fonts are stored as resources in resource-only Dynamic-Link Libraries (DLLs). The
process of creating a custom font library involves creating new font resources
and inserting them into a DLL that has no code. Fonts must be in a resource-only
library.
The Windows 3.x Font Editor supports editing raster fonts compatible with Windows
versions 2.x and Windows version 3.x.
It is also possible to create a font-resource DLL that does have a code segment,
which alleviates the problem of having to use a special linker.
MORE INFORMATION
================
The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download
Center:
MyFont.exe
For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click
the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services
Microsoft used the most current virus detection software available on the date of
posting to scan this file for viruses. Once posted, the file is housed on secure
servers that prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
Basic Steps (Overview)
----------------------
I. Create font files using the Font Editor. II. Create a font-resource script.
III. Create a dummy code module. IV. Create a module-definition file that
describes the fonts. V. Compile and link the sources.
NOTE: Read Chapter 18 of the "Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit Guide to
Programming." The following procedure is very similar.
Step I: Create a Font File
--------------------------
1. Invoke the Font Editor.
2. Open an existing font file (FNT).
3. Edit the cell arrays and attributes of the existing font.
4. Save the new font under a different name.
Note 1: It is not possible to generate a new font from scratch; an existing font
file must be edited. A font, VGASYS.fnt, is supplied with the Windows 3.x SDK to
provide a font on which to base new fonts.
Note 2: The names of the font formats are deceiving. Windows 3.0-compatible
format works only in 386 enhanced mode. Window 2.0-compatible format works in
all modes; therefore, it is usually better to save fonts in 2.0 format.
Step II: Create a Font Resource Script
--------------------------------------
1. Create a Resource Script (RC) file.
2. Add one FONT statement per font file created. For example:
MyFont1 FONT MYFONT1.FNT
MyFont2 FONT MYFONT2.FNT
Step III: Create a Dummy Code Module
------------------------------------
1. Write an assembly language procedure that generates no code.
2. Assemble the code to create an object file (OBJ). (This step may seem
unnecessary but it is required; otherwise, the linker will complain because
the linker creates an executable that does not have any object files.
Creating the dummy code module with its null code segment forces the linker
to create the required executable DLL).
The code for the dummy code segment might resemble the following:
.xlist
include cmacros.inc
.list
sBegin CODE
sEnd CODE
end
Step IV: Create a Module Definition File
----------------------------------------
1. Add a LIBRARY statement with the font resource title.
2. Add a DESCRIPTION statement that indicates the font characteristics.
3. Add a STUB statement in case the library is invoked from MS-DOS.
4. Add a DATA statement with the NONE attribute.
The DEF file for a font library might resemble the following:
LIBRARY FONTLIB
DESCRIPTION 'FONTRES 133, 96, 72: MyFont, Terminal (7 point)'
STUB 'WINSTUB.EXE'
DATA NONE
NOTE: The DESCRIPTION statement specifies a string that describes the font
attributes, and supplies a comment that is displayed by the Windows Control
Panel when the font is loaded.
WINSTUB.exe is a small file that prints the message "This application requires
Microsoft Windows" if the user tries to run the application under MS-DOS.
The NONE attribute indicates that the library does not require its own automatic
data segment.
The description string MUST begin with the FONTRES text so that Windows will know
that this is a font resource library.
(See the "Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit Guide to Programming" for
more information and examples.)
Step V: Building the Font Resource Library
------------------------------------------
1. Use MASM to assemble the dummy code into an object file.
2. Use LINK4 to generate the library body.
3. Use RC to insert the font into the library.
4. Rename the font library to have the FON extension.
The following is an sample makefile:
all: fontlib.exe
fontlib.obj: fontlib.asm
masm fontlib.asm;
fontlib.exe: fontlib.mak fontlib.def fontlib.obj \
fontlib.rc fontlib.fnt
link4 fontlib.obj, fontlib.exe, NUL, /NOD, fontlib.def
rc fontlib.rc
rename fontlib.exe fontlib.fon
Using LINK Instead of LINK4:
----------------------------
Important note: The specification of LINK4 in the sample above is not an error.
The standard linkers supplied with Microsoft C version 5.1 and Microsoft C
version 6.0 produce error messages when an attempt is made to create an
executable file that has no segments. LINK4.EXE is not shipped with the Windows
3.x SDK. However, it is shipped with the Windows 2.x SDK and with the Windows
3.x DDK.
If Steps III, IV, and V of the procedure given above are modified as follows,
LINK versions 5.12 and later can be used to create font files:
NEW Step III: Create a Dummy Code Module
----------------------------------------
Create a code segment in the dummy code module by creating an empty Windows Exit
Procedure (WEP). This code might resemble the following:
.xlist
include cmacros.inc
.list
sBegin CODE
cProc WEP,<FAR,PASCAL,PUBLIC>,<si,di>
parmW EntryCode
cBegin WEP
cEnd WEP
cEnd CODE
end
NEW Step IV: Create a Module Definition File
--------------------------------------------
Modify the DEF file provided above to add the following lines:
EXETYPE WINDOWS
CODE MOVEABLE DISCARDABLE
EXPORTS WEP @1 RESIDENTNAME
NEW Step V: Building the Font Resource Library
----------------------------------------------
Modify the makefile to refer to LINK instead of to LINK4.
Using MASM 6.0 Instead of MASM 5.1
----------------------------------
If the font file is built using version 6.0 of the Microsoft Macro Assembler
(MASM), use version 5.3 of the CMACROS.INC file included with MASM instead of
version 5.2 of the file included with the Windows SDK.
To access the fonts, use AddFontResource() with the DLL name, and
RemoveFontResource(). Use CreateFont() or CreateFontIndirect() to retrieve a
handle to a font with the specified attributes. Use SelectObject() to put the
font into a specified DC.
The face name of the font (for example, "System" or "Helv") can be specified when
the font is created using the Font Editor. This same face name is specified as
the lpFaceName parameter when calling CreateFont() or CreateFontIndirect(). The
face name can be any name desired.
Additional query words:
======================================================================
Keywords : kbfile kbsample kb16bitonly kbFont kbGDI kbSDKWin16
Technology : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbSDKSearch kbWinSDKSearch kbWinSDK310
Version : :3.1
Issue type : kbinfo
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