Can you get a list of OSX fonts somehow?

thomthom

If you want a list in ruby

 fontList=(`osascript -e 'tell application "Font Book"' -e ' set fontList to name of every font family' -e 'end tell'`)

Tried it on my Mac Mini - I started this Font Book application which appeared in the dock (not something I'd really want.)

And it was also very slow. Took about 2-3 seconds.

thomthom

Of course, running it a second time it's much faster. So it's the overhead of starting the Font Book app.

TIG

How about [MAC]:
fontList=system(/usr/bin/fc-list : file family | grep /Library)
??

thomthom

Returned false

TIG

How about:
fontList=system("#!/bin/bash/usr/bin\n/fc-list : file family | grep /Library")

thomthom

false

thomthom

In normal Console:
/usr/bin/fc-list : file family | grep \/Library
Return:
-bash: /usr/bin/fc-list: No such file or directory

cd /usr/bin/ fc-list : family
Return:
List of just font names.

fc-list : file family | grep \/Library
Returns:
Nothing

But getting the result of system call under SketchUp, with the system method - all I get is false.

thomthom

http://stackoverflow.com/a/3159997/486990

Either:
system('foobarCommand')

foobarCommand``

The latter will return the output - the former will output to standard output but return true/false.

` >> system('echo hi')
hi
=> true

echo hi
=> "hi\n"`

fc-list : family`` returns a list of font names.

(This was using IRB from a system console)

However, using Ruby Console:
echo hi`` returns "hi\n"

but fc-list : family`` returns ""

thomthom

System IRB console:

>> system 'echo hi' hi => true

SketchUp Console:

` > system 'echo hi'
true

system 'fc-list'
false`

What gives?

TIG

How about something like...
fontList = system(fc-list : family)
??
Do you need to specify the 'shell-type' in the line like ?
fontList=system(#!/bin/bash usr/bin/fc-list : family)
When it works, then is it fast enough ?

thomthom

@tig said:

How about something like...
fontList = system(fc-list : family)
??

See my previous post - the commands work in native consoles, but not in in SketchUp console - it doesn't appear to capture the output.

TIG

But the surely surrounding ` ``` '' "" etc can produce different results ??
So... are they all foobar?

My other example tried to force it to run as a 'bash' shell... Is that possible?

Not having a MAC available does somewhat curtail my help in this area

Jim

@thomthom said:

the commands work in native consoles, but not in in SketchUp console

Maybe they are using stderr instead of stdout? You could test on the command line:

fc-list : family > out fc-list : family 2> err

thomthom

@tig said:

But the surely surrounding ` ``` '' "" etc can produce different results ??
So... are they all foobar?

My other example tried to force it to run as a 'bash' shell... Is that possible?

They all return false.

thomthom

@jim said:

Maybe they are using stderr instead of stdout? You could test on the command line:

fc-list : family > out fc-list : family 2> err

nada

thomthom

Tried to output to file:

fc-list : family >> ~/Desktop/fonts.txt

Empty when run from within SketchUp, populated when run in a native console.

Something is messed up with the messaging system!

TIG

system(fc-list : family | out) ?
running out of permutations...

thomthom

Won't that just list fonts with "out" in them?

TIG

The 'grep' is for pattern matching...
The | pipes/passes the output to something else ['out'].
What do you call the 'output' on a MAC ??
The > puts the output into a file.
The >> appends the output to a file.
How do you 'pass/send' something ?

driven

TT
what osx are you running.
'shell' change to AT&T version with 10.5 , so the syntax needs to be checked

FontBook has had lots of revisions/additions
and those osascripts run it in the background, take miliseconds on my mac.

the nice thing is people could set a 'SU 3D Font Collection in fontbook and you can allow them to use just those
john