[TTFM] [C&P Notes] Generic font families in fontconfig

[self-trapped]

from http://www.xfree86.org/~keithp/talks/guadec2002/html/

    o Fontconfig is a library designed to provide a common system
      that can serve to ease application development and provide
      users with the ability to confidently install new fonts with
      the expectation that they will be used by most applications.

    o The library is designed to solve a specific set of tasks:
      Font Location, Font Identification, Font Customization

    o The central feature of the library is the configuration
      mechanism, font configuration files are in XML format.
      (fonts.conf file).

    o Applications present patterns to Fontconfig to request a
      matching font.

    o By convention, the names serif, sans-serif and monospace are
      bound by the configuration to the user's preferred fonts in
      that style.

from http://www.w3.org/TR/REC%2DCSS2/fonts.html#generic-font-families

  15.2.6 Generic font families

   Generic font families are a fallback mechanism, a means of preserving
   some of the style sheet author's intent in the worst case when none of
   the specified fonts can be selected. For optimum typographic control,
   particular named fonts should be used in style sheets.

    serif

   Glyphs of serif fonts, as the term is used in CSS, have finishing
   strokes, flared or tapering ends, or have actual serifed endings
   (including slab serifs). Serif fonts are typically
   proportionately-spaced. They often display a greater variation between
   thick and thin strokes than fonts from the 'sans-serif' generic font
   family. CSS uses the term 'serif' to apply to a font for any script,
   although other names may be more familiar for particular scripts, such
   as Mincho (Japanese), Sung or Song (Chinese), Totum or Kodig (Korean).
   Any font that is so described may be used to represent the generic
   'serif' family.

   Examples of fonts that fit this description include:

   Latin fonts Times New Roman, Bodoni, Garamond, Minion Web...
   Japanese fonts Ryumin Light-KL, Kyokasho ICA, Futo Min A101

    sans-serif

   Glyphs in sans-serif fonts, as the term is used in CSS, have stroke
   endings that are plain -- without any flaring, cross stroke, or other
   ornamentation. Sans-serif fonts are typically proportionately-spaced.
   They often have little variation between thick and thin strokes,
   compared to fonts from the 'serif' family. CSS uses the term
   'sans-serif' to apply to a font for any script, although other names
   may be more familiar for particular scripts, such as Gothic
   (Japanese), Kai (Chinese), or Pathang (Korean). Any font that is so
   described may be used to represent the generic 'sans-serif' family.

   Examples of fonts that fit this description include:

   Latin fonts MS Trebuchet, ITC Avant Garde Gothic, MS Arial, Helvetica

    monospace

   The sole criterion of a monospace font is that all glyphs have the
   same fixed width. (This can make some scripts, such as Arabic, look
   most peculiar.) The effect is similar to a manual typewriter, and is
   often used to set samples of computer code.

   Examples of fonts which fit this description include:

   Latin fonts    Courier, MS Courier New, Prestige, Everson Mono
   Japanese fonts Osaka Monospaced

from default fonts.conf

<!--
  Serif faces
 -->
        <alias>
                <family>Times</family>
                <family>Times New Roman</family>
                <family>Nimbus Roman No9 L</family>
                <family>Luxi Serif</family>
                <family>Kochi Mincho</family>
                <family>AR PL SungtiL GB</family>
                <family>Baekmuk Batang</family>
                <default><family>serif</family></default>
        </alias>
<!--
  Sans-serif faces
 -->
        <alias>
                <family>Helvetica</family>
                <family>Arial</family>
                <family>Verdana</family>
                <family>Nimbus Sans L</family>
                <family>Luxi Sans</family>
                <family>Kochi Gothic</family>
                <family>AR PL KaitiM GB</family>
                <family>Baekmuk Dotum</family>
                <default><family>sans-serif</family></default>
        </alias>
<!--
  Monospace faces
 -->
        <alias>
                <family>Courier</family>
                <family>Courier New</family>
                <family>Andale Mono</family>
                <family>Luxi Mono</family>
                <family>Nimbus Mono L</family>
                <default><family>monospace</family></default>
        </alias>
<!--
  If the font still has no generic name, add sans-serif
 -->
        <match target="pattern">
                <test qual="all" name="family" compare="not_eq">
                        <string>sans-serif</string>
                </test>
                <test qual="all" name="family" compare="not_eq">
                        <string>serif</string>
                </test>
                <test qual="all" name="family" compare="not_eq">
                        <string>monospace</string>
                </test>
                <edit name="family" mode="append_last">
                        <string>sans-serif</string>
                </edit>
        </match>

--
Yuan-Chung Cheng <yccheng@mit.edu>

.. because it can "dig" itself an attractive potential well by
polarizing and displacing the atoms surrounding it ...
--
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