RE: [ft] otf autohint/nohint problem

[Roger Flores]

> > and email to the freetype list is too costly.  I think that  use of
a 
> > font that needs a module that has been removed should result in an 
> > error code.
> 
> Normally, it does.  The exception is the hinter which isn't needed.


Are you saying that pshinter is not needed to render the font?  I think
it is for the trade gothic font because the hint data is for the
pshinter and not using the pshinter at small sizes results in a
poor/wrong appearance.  If FT_LOAD_NO_HINTING was used then no error
code should have been returned by the lack of the pshinter module
because the hint data that requires it is supposed to be ignored.

Where are the error codes for needed but removed modules listed?
Ftmodule.h seems like an obvious place, per module.  Something like:

/* If a font needs pshinter_module then FT_Load_Char() returns
FT_ERROR_PSHINTER_MODULE_NEEDED. */
FT_USE_MODULE(pshinter_module_class)

Looking through fterrdef.h, I don't see any module or driver not
configured errors, so I'm not sure why you say such errors codes are
normally returned.  Is there a number of such an error, in case I missed
it?


Ultimately, I'm trying to say that I should have just gotten a non zero
number from FT_Load_Char, looked the error up, and fixed the
configuration, instead having to bug the freetype list experts. :)



> > 2. I was/am confused about hinting in ft.  I was under the
impression 
> > that I had configured the code to run in a no hinting mode, and that

> > that was not working.  But apparently the code was using the
pshinter 
> > and not finding it.
> 
> What's the problem with FT_LOAD_NO_HINTING?

I somehow didn't notice it.  It functionality seems good.  Perhaps you
can group the hint choice options together to make them clear? None of
the hint options appear next to each other in freetype.h or refer to
each other.  Maybe making them all have similar base names like
FT_LOAD_HINT_NONE, FT_LOAD_HINT_AUTO and FT_LOAD_HINT_DEFAULT, and group
them together in freetype.h, would clearly express how you've designed
them to work?


-Roger