
ALLEGTTF FAQ for version 1.9                                  16:36 29-05-2000 

Questions or comments to:
Doug Eleveld <deleveld@dds.nl> <delev@anest.azg.nl>


--- FAQ Contents ---

Section 1: Installing
Section 2: Rebuilding
Section 3: Bugs
Section 4: Using Allegttf
Section 5: Resources


--- Section 1: Installing ---

Q: How do I install Allegttf?

A: That depends on your platform.

   --DJGPP--

   Just run fixdjgpp.bat and then the other batches in the library root
   directory. Of course, you can go to the source and examples directories
   and run make by hand.  Then copy the lib/libalttf.a to your DJGPP lib
   directory and include/allegttf.h to your DJGPP include directory.

   --Linux--

   Run ./fixlinux and then you can use the sh-versions of the scripts
   (possibly useable with any platform that can run bash or any sh). You must
   have the Allegro library and the 'allegro-config' script available for the
   examples to compile. 

   --MinGW32 static version--

   Run fixmings.bat and then go to the source directory and run make with the
   location of your MinGW installation. An example command line looks like

   make MINGDIR=c:/mingw32

   To make the examples, go to the examples directory and run make with the
   option -k ( make -k ). This will keep going, no matter what errors are
   experienced during linking. ex0 and ex1, for example, can't be linked
   because of some variables found only inside the Allegro DLL and there are
   no functions to get their values. The current troublemaker is _color_conv,
   if there was an get_color_conversion() function in Allegro we would be
   problem free.

   <Dan Bogdanov>
   WARNING! MinGW profile.exe runs some of the tests and then hangs (at least
   on my system) - reason unknown... The only idea I have is that it's got
   something to do with video hardware/drivers. I have a 1MB S3 on the box
   that I did the testing on and it hanged after testing 640x480x16.
   Maybe there's a problem with 24 bit graphics? 1 MB should be able to draw
   640x480x24 to my knowledge...


--- Section 2: Rebuilding ---

Q: After I installed the latest version of Allegro, Allegttf doesn't work 
   anymore..

A: Allegttf depends on the Allegro header files.  If Allegro gets a new
   version you have to rebuild Allegttf.  


Q: I installed a new version of Allegro and now I want to rebuild Allegttf.
   How do I do this?

A: Go to the Allegttf directory, run CLEANUP.BAT and then MAKEALL.BAT.  Then
   go to the examples directory and make sure the examples work correctly.
   If the examples work like they should, then copy the ALLEGTTF.H to your 
   djgpp/include directory and LIBALTTF.A to your djgpp/lib directory.


Q: When building Allegttf I get the following:
   f:/djgpp/bin/ld.exe: cannot open -lstdcx: No such file or directory

   If you have C++ properly installed, this is probably a long filename (LFN)
   problem.  Read the DJGPP FAQ it should tell you everything you need to know.
   Basiclly the linker can't find the libstdcx.a file.  What is it called on 
   your system?  It might me libstdcxx.a or maybe libstd~1.a, so just change 
   the makefile to link to the right library, or make a copy of the file and 
   name it libstdcx.a.

   I have recently removed any linking to libstdcx.a, so this should not 
   happen with Allegttf version 1.7 or later.


--- Section 3: Bugs ---

Q: I think I found a bug.  How do I get you to fix it?

A: Well, you have to tell me as much as possible about where the bug occurs
   and under what conditions it shows up.  There are three approaches:

   1: Rebuild the library with debugging info and then send me the symify'd 
      stack trace.

   2: Run and build the Rhide project in the examples directory (debugging is
      by default on) and make it crash.  Then send me the text in crash 
      window so I can see where it it crashing.

   3: Send me the smallest amount of code that procuces the bug.

   4: Fix it yourself and send me the fixed source code.

   Of course I'd prefer that you did all of these things, especially number 4.
   You can send the bug to my email address, which is mentioned elsewhere in 
   the docs.


Q: The linker complains that it cannot find some Allegro variables while I 
   really did link with Allegttf library and the Allegro library.

A: Did you make sure that you linked to libalttf.a before liballeg.a?  Just 
   remember that the low-level libraries get linked last.  Since libalttf.a
   relies on stuff from liballeg.a and therefore must be linked first.  If
   in doubt, look at the order of the libraries in the examples.

Q: I downloaded a font from the web and Allegttf doesn't print it out 
   correctly.

A: I really don't know.  Some fonts are pretty poor quality and probably 
   use some weird unicode stuff that I don't understand. sorry.


--- Section 4: Using Allegttf ---

Q: How to I print a font in bold or italics.

A: You can't yet.  You go find a font that looks like the font, but is bolder
   and use that.  I don't know of any algorithm that bolds/italicices fonts and 
   still lets the font look good.  Of course if you know how to do this you can
   send me some info on the algorithm (or send me some code) and I'll include 
   it in the next version along with a great big thanks to you.


--- Section 4: Resources ---

Q: Where can I find freeware and shareware truetype fonts to use with Allegttf?

A: Oh man, there are thousands of them.  Do a web search (I use
   www.altavista.com) with the words "free font ttf resource developer"
   (without the quotes, of course) and you should find enough links to make
   you sick.


End of ALLEGTTF FAQ...

