Interface¶
Panels, tools, and the words the applications put on screen.
Use the entry for the relevant application. Draft terms require confirmation before publication.
Brush¶
Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-lines. Translatable: yes.
The Brush tool draws a stroke freehand, and what the stroke becomes differs by product. In FontLab and Fontographer the Brush keeps the path you drew as a centreline and generates the thick outline from it, so the drawing stays editable until you expand it into ordinary contours. In Vexy Lines the Brush paints masks by hand, and a mask decides where a layer's fills can draw rather than being artwork itself. Name the application in any sentence where a reader could take one tool for the other.
Write: In FontLab, the Brush tool keeps your path as a centreline until you expand the stroke.
Not: The Brush lets you paint your shapes.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab and Fontographer: a calligraphic drawing tool that keeps the drawn path as a centreline and generates the outline from it, becoming ordinary contours only when you expand it. FontLab adds a Brush panel for angle and width; Fontographer groups Brush with Pencil and Thickness on one toolbar button. Vexy Lines: a tool that paints masks freehand, not artwork. Name the app and say what the stroke becomes.
See also: Knife, contour, Fills, element, Masks
dialog¶
Applies to: all. Translatable: yes.
A dialog presents information, settings or a question for a particular interaction. A modal dialog restricts interaction with its parent until it is dismissed; a modeless dialog does not. Use the application's established name and reproduce its button labels exactly. If a procedure opens a dialog, explain the relevant choices and how to apply or cancel them.
Write: In the Overlay Fonts dialog, choose the font and click OK.
Not: Every dialog blocks the whole application until it closes.
See also: panel, property bar, Transform
Eraser¶
Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
The Eraser removes or simplifies points on a contour. In FontLab, its modes remove nodes and handles, select points for removal, or simplify a path. In Vexy Vextra, normal Eraser removes covered points; Soft Eraser removes a node only when a replacement curve is close enough to the original. That does not guarantee an identical outline. In Fontographer, Eraser shares a grouped toolbar button with Trowel. Name the application and mode when describing an operation.
Write: In FontLab, the Eraser removes the nodes and handles under its radius.
Not: Rub out the bit you do not want.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab and Vexy Vextra use Eraser for point removal and contour cleanup. Their modes and controls differ. Vextra's Soft Eraser uses a closeness test rather than promising exact shape preservation. Fontographer groups Eraser with Trowel, so a procedure needs to identify the active mode.
See also: Pencil, Knife, node, contour, Scissors
Fills¶
Also written: fill, fill mode. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-lines, vexy-linestra, vexy-playlines. Translatable: yes.
In FontLab, the Fill tool sets enclosed regions as filled or unfilled by changing contour direction or applying a live Fill filter. In Vexy Lines, Linestra and Playlines, a fill mode is a method for generating artwork from an image, such as Halftone or Stipple. Name the application and distinguish the tool, the filled region and the generative mode.
Write: In Vexy Lines, the Halftone fill turns the image into dots.
Not: Pick a fill and the image is filled in.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab: the Fill tool controls which regions appear opaque or transparent. Vexy Lines, Linestra and Playlines: a fill mode generates artwork from a source image. Use the product name when either meaning could be intended.
See also: fill mode, winding direction, Brush, Fill Grid
FontAudit¶
Applies to: fontlab. Translatable: no.
FontAudit is the FontLab panel that inspects outlines and reports the problems a proof will show later: unclosed contours, wrong winding directions, missing extreme nodes, near vertical segments, and the like. You run it over a glyph or a selection, read the findings, and fix what matters for the design rather than clearing every warning. The name is one word with two capitals, and it names a panel, so write the FontAudit panel on first mention.
Write: You open the FontAudit panel and review the findings on the selection.
Not: Font Audit will fix the outline problems for you.
See also: winding direction, extremum, contour, panel
Groups¶
Also written: group, styling group. Applies to: fontlab, transtype, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
A group collects several things and treats them as one, and the things differ by product. In FontLab the word most often means a kerning group, the set of glyphs that kern alike, which the documentation also calls a kerning class. In Vexy Vextra, following Illustrator, a group is selected artwork bound into one object. In Vexy Lines a group bundles layers and carries its own source image, working like a folder. TransType adds a styling group that ties a family's styles into a menu. Say which you mean.
Write: In FontLab, the kerning group holds every glyph that kerns like the o.
Not: Add the glyphs to a group so they kern the same.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab: a kerning group, the same idea as a kerning class. Vexy Vextra and Illustrator: artwork bound into a single object. Vexy Lines: a bundle of layers that carries its own source image and behaves like a folder in the Layers panel, with the document itself as the top-level group. TransType: a styling group that links the styles of a family. When context does not establish the sense, write kerning group, artwork group, layer group, or styling group.
See also: kerning class, styling group name, Layers, Transform, Fills
Knife¶
Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
The Knife tool works along a line you drag across a shape, and what it leaves behind differs by product and by sub-tool. In FontLab it adds nodes where the line crosses a contour, breaks a closed contour into open paths, or slices one contour into two closed shapes, depending on which of its three sub-tools is active. In Fontographer it cuts through contours along the drawn path. In Vexy Lines it inserts points and splits curves. Say which app, which mode, and what the cut leaves.
Write: In FontLab, the Knife tool slices the contour into two closed shapes.
Not: Use the Knife to cut things up.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab: one tool with three sub-tools, Add nodes, Break contour, and Slice contour, so only Slice leaves two closed shapes and Break leaves open paths. Fontographer: cuts through contours along a drawn path, sharing the grouped cutting toolbar button with Scissors, and it can create more geometry than you expect. Vexy Lines: inserts points and splits curves on Handmade fills and mask contours. Vexy Vextra: adds nodes and breaks a path at a node. Name the app and the mode.
See also: Brush, contour, Transform, node, Scissors
Layers¶
Also written: layer, Layers and Masters. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
Layers hold the separate drawings a glyph or a document carries at once. In FontLab a glyph layer holds one master, a mask, or a background, and you manage them in the Layers and Masters panel, where switching layers switches which drawing you edit. In Vexy Lines a layer is a transparent sheet holding one or more fills, and it is the basic unit of a document, since artwork needs at least one. The two meanings sit close enough to be mistaken, so a sentence about layers names the application.
Write: In FontLab, the Layers and Masters panel lists the layers of the glyph.
Not: Open the Layers panel and pick a layer.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab: a layer of a glyph, holding a master, a mask, or a background, listed in the Layers and Masters panel. Vexy Lines: a transparent sheet holding one or more fills, the basic unit of a document, and the thing a group bundles. Vexy Vextra, following Illustrator: a stacking level of artwork. Name the app in any sentence where a reader could take one for the other.
See also: Masks, master, element, Groups, Fills
Masks¶
Also written: mask, mask layer. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-lines. Translatable: yes.
A mask holds a second drawing, and what it does with that drawing differs by product. In FontLab a mask is a glyph layer carrying a previous version or a reference shape, so you can compare the live outline against it and copy between them; it hides nothing. In Vexy Lines a mask is a vector stencil that decides where a layer's fills can draw, letting the fill through its transparent areas and holding it back elsewhere. Name the application, and in FontLab prefer the full phrase mask layer.
Write: In FontLab, you put the old outline on a mask layer and compare.
Not: Put the old outline on a mask so it gets hidden.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab: a mask is a glyph layer carrying a reference drawing you edit against, and it conceals nothing. Vexy Lines: a mask is a stencil that decides where a layer's fills can draw, so its transparent areas reveal and its opaque areas hold back. Illustrator's clipping mask is a third sense again. Name the application when the surrounding context does not establish the intended sense.
See also: Layers, master, element, contour, Fills
Matchmaker¶
Applies to: fontlab. Translatable: no.
Matchmaker is a FontLab tool for examining and correcting correspondence between glyph masters. It helps align contour order and start points for interpolation. Matching structures does not guarantee that intermediate outlines look right. Inspect the resulting interpolation; changing contour order or a start point can change correspondence without changing the outline's geometry at the master location.
Write: You open Matchmaker and pair the contours across the masters.
Not: Reordering contours always changes their geometry.
See also: master compatibility, master, interpolation, node
panel¶
Applies to: all. Translatable: yes.
A panel groups related controls or information within an application's interface. It may be docked or floating, depending on the application. Use its displayed name followed by panel in lowercase, as in the Kerning panel. Distinguish panels, windows, dialogs and panes by their role and established product terminology, not solely by whether they float, dock or contain tabs.
Write: You set the value in the Kerning panel.
Not: If it floats, it cannot be a panel.
See also: property bar, dialog, Layers, Transform
Pencil¶
Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
The Pencil tool draws freehand, and what it draws on differs by product. In FontLab it converts a freehand gesture into curves and line segments without asking you to think about node types. In Fontographer it is one of three outline drawing tools, beside Pen and Rapid. In Vexy Lines it creates and edits Handmade fills as vector lines. In Vexy Vextra it is the Correcting Pencil, which redraws part of an existing path as readily as it starts a new one.
Write: In Vexy Vextra, the Correcting Pencil redraws the part of the path you trace over.
Not: Use the Pencil to sketch the shape.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab and Fontographer: a freehand tool that draws glyph contours, grouped in Fontographer with Brush and Thickness on one toolbar button. Vexy Lines: draws the vector lines of a Handmade fill. Vexy Vextra: the Correcting Pencil, which redraws part of an existing path rather than only starting a new one. Name the app, and in Vextra use the full name Correcting Pencil.
See also: Brush, Knife, Eraser, contour, Fills
Power Nudge¶
Applies to: fontlab, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
Power Nudge distributes a move through a larger part of a contour by adjusting other nodes as well as the selected ones. FontLab and Vextra provide this editing mode. It differs from Nudge, which adjusts nearby handles. Power Nudge changes the geometry; inspect the result rather than promising an exactly preserved outline or a finished curve.
Write: Use Power Nudge to distribute the move through more of the contour.
Not: Power Nudge preserves the exact original outline.
See also: node, handle, Tunni line, Smart Corner
property bar¶
Applies to: fontlab. Translatable: yes.
The property bar is FontLab's context-sensitive strip of controls for the current tool or selection. Name the required selection or tool before referring to a control that appears only in that context. Use property bar for this product element; do not invent a universal rule that all toolbars have fixed contents.
Write: With the node selected, set the coordinate in the property bar.
Not: Set the coordinate in the toolbar at the top.
See also: panel, dialog, node, Transform
Remove Overlap¶
Applies to: fontlab, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
Remove Overlap combines overlapping filled contour regions and removes their internal boundaries. It changes contour structure, so keep an editable source when the construction matters. Variable fonts can contain overlaps; removing them independently from masters can break point correspondence and interpolation. Apply the command or export option for the intended format and workflow, rather than treating it as mandatory for every font.
Write: Keep overlaps in the interpolation masters when removing them would break compatibility.
Not: A variable font cannot contain overlapping contours.
See also: contour, winding direction, autotrace, element
Scissors¶
Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
The Scissors tool works on the joins in a path, and what it does with them differs by product. In FontLab it disconnects nodes into overlapping contours, creates overlaps, adds simple ink traps, and builds looped corners, with a toolbox of sub-tools under the Q shortcut. In Fontographer it breaks contours at selected points or segments, the targeted counterpart to Knife. In Vexy Vextra it extends and rebuilds path parts, building loop corners and joining open ends.
Write: In Fontographer, Scissors breaks the contour at the point you select.
Not: Cut the shape with the scissors.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab: disconnects nodes, creates overlaps, adds ink traps, and builds looped corners. Fontographer: breaks a contour at a chosen point or segment, sharing the grouped cutting toolbar button with Knife. Vexy Vextra: extends and rebuilds path parts, joining open ends and building loop corners rather than only cutting. The name suggests cutting in every app and means something different in each, so name the app.
See also: Knife, node, contour, Eraser, Pencil
Sigma¶
Applies to: fontographer. Translatable: no.
Sigma is the Fontographer tool for variable font interpolation paths, sitting in the toolbar beside Transform and Meter. You use it to work with how a design moves through its variation space rather than to edit a single outline. The name is a single capitalized word and it does not take the word tool inside its name: write the Sigma tool. It is a Fontographer term with no counterpart in the other products.
Write: You open the Sigma tool to work on the interpolation path.
Not: The sigma tool can be used for interpolation purposes.
See also: Fontographer, interpolation, variable font, Matchmaker
Sketchboard¶
Applies to: fontlab. Translatable: no.
The Sketchboard is FontLab's unlimited canvas, a working surface where you can place glyphs, drawings, and reference images side by side outside the fixed frame of a glyph window. You use it to compare shapes, to sketch before committing, and to lay out material that has no single glyph to live in. The name is one word, capital S, and it is a FontLab term: no other product in the family has the surface or the word.
Write: You place the reference drawings on the Sketchboard and compare them.
Not: The sketchboard can be used for the comparing of shapes.
See also: panel, element, glyph, Layers
Smart Corner¶
Also written: Smart Corners. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
A Smart Corner is a live treatment applied at a node, so a corner can be rounded, cut, or turned into an ink trap without the outline being redrawn. The treatment stays editable: change the value and the corner updates, and the underlying contour keeps its nodes. You apply it at the node rather than to the whole contour. FontLab groups it with Ink Traps among its live filters, and Vextra carries the same name.
Write: You apply a Smart Corner at the node and set the radius.
Not: Smart Corners are applied so that corners can be rounded.
See also: node, Power Nudge, contour, Live Effect
Transform¶
Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra. Translatable: yes.
Transform moves, scales, rotates, slants, or flips a selection. In FontLab the Transform panel applies a numeric transformation to glyphs, elements, or a selection, and it can run across a whole font. In Fontographer the Transform tool sits in the toolbar beside Meter and Sigma. In Vexy Lines the Transform tool manipulates artwork on the canvas. A panel, a tool, and a tool again: name the app and name the surface.
Write: In FontLab, the Transform panel scales every selected glyph by the same factor.
Not: Use Transform to scale your glyphs.
Shared noun. Name the application.
FontLab: the Transform panel, a numeric transformation applied to a selection or across a font. Fontographer and Vexy Lines: a Transform tool on the canvas. Say whether you mean the panel or the tool, and name the application, since the same word points at three different surfaces.