API Reference: Font & Management

The Font class controls how text is rendered, while FontMgr handles font discovery and FontFeature enables advanced OpenType features.

Font

A Font takes a Typeface and adds size, scale, skew, and rendering attributes.

Creation

// Default font (usually 12pt sans-serif)
Font font = new Font();

// Custom typeface and size
Font font = new Font(typeface, 24f);

// Condensed/Expanded or Oblique text
Font font = new Font(typeface, 24f, 0.8f, -0.25f);

• new Font(): Initializes with default values.
• new Font(typeface): Initializes with a specific typeface and default size.
• new Font(typeface, size): Initializes with specific typeface and size.
• new Font(typeface, size, scaleX, skewX): Full constructor.

Metrics & Spacing

• getSize() / setSize(value): Typographic size in points.
• getScaleX() / setScaleX(value): Horizontal scale (1.0 is normal).
• getSkewX() / setSkewX(value): Horizontal skew (0 is normal).
• getMetrics(): Returns detailed FontMetrics.
• getSpacing(): Recommended line spacing (sum of ascent, descent, and leading).

Rendering Flags

These affect how glyphs are rasterized.

• setSubpixel(boolean): Requests sub-pixel positioning for smoother text.
• setEdging(FontEdging): Controls anti-aliasing (ALIAS, ANTI_ALIAS, SUBPIXEL_ANTI_ALIAS).
• setHinting(FontHinting): Controls glyph outline adjustment (NONE, SLIGHT, NORMAL, FULL).
• setEmboldened(boolean): Approximates bold by increasing stroke width.
• setBaselineSnapped(boolean): Snaps baselines to pixel positions.
• setMetricsLinear(boolean): Requests linearly scalable metrics (ignores hinting/rounding).
• setBitmapsEmbedded(boolean): Requests using bitmaps in fonts instead of outlines.

Measuring Text

// Simple width measurement
float width = font.measureTextWidth("Hello");

// Get precise bounding box
Rect bounds = font.measureText("Hello");

// Measure width with specific paint effects
float width = font.measureTextWidth("Hello", paint);

• measureText(string) / measureText(string, paint): Returns the bounding box.
• measureTextWidth(string) / measureTextWidth(string, paint): Returns the advance width.
• getWidths(glyphs): Retrieves advances for each glyph ID.
• getBounds(glyphs) / getBounds(glyphs, paint): Retrieves bounding boxes for each glyph ID.

Glyph Access

• getStringGlyphs(string): Converts text to an array of glyph IDs.
• getUTF32Glyph(unichar): Returns the glyph ID for a single character.
• getUTF32Glyphs(uni): Returns glyph IDs for an array of characters.
• getStringGlyphsCount(string): Returns the number of glyphs represented by the text.
• getPath(glyph): Returns the outline Path for a single glyph.
• getPaths(glyphs): Returns outlines for an array of glyphs.

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FontMgr

FontMgr (Font Manager) manages the discovery and loading of font files.

Accessing the Manager

• FontMgr.getDefault(): Returns the global default font manager.

Finding Typefaces

FontMgr mgr = FontMgr.getDefault();

// Match by name and style
Typeface inter = mgr.matchFamilyStyle("Inter", FontStyle.BOLD);

// Match with system fallbacks for specific characters (e.g., Emoji)
Typeface emoji = mgr.matchFamilyStyleCharacter(null, FontStyle.NORMAL, null, "🧛".codePointAt(0));

• matchFamilyStyle(familyName, style): Finds the closest matching typeface.
• matchFamiliesStyle(families[], style): Tries multiple family names in order.
• matchFamilyStyleCharacter(familyName, style, bcp47[], character): Finds a font that supports a specific Unicode character.
• getFamiliesCount(): Returns the number of font families available on the system.
• getFamilyName(index): Returns the name of a font family.

Loading Fonts

• makeFromFile(path) / makeFromFile(path, ttcIndex): Loads a font from a file.
• makeFromData(data) / makeFromData(data, ttcIndex): Loads a font from memory.

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FontFeature

FontFeature enables OpenType features like ligatures, kerning, or alternates.

// Enable specific features
FontFeature[] features = FontFeature.parse("cv06 cv07 +liga");

// Create manually
FontFeature kernOff = new FontFeature("kern", 0);

• FontFeature.parse(string): Parses features from a string (e.g., "+liga -kern").
• new FontFeature(tag): Enables a feature (value = 1).
• new FontFeature(tag, value): Sets a feature to a specific value.
• new FontFeature(tag, value, start, end): Applies a feature to a specific range of text.

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FontMetrics

Detailed measurements scaled by the font's size.

• getTop() / getBottom(): Extents above/below baseline (maximum).
• getAscent() / getDescent(): Average extents (ascent is negative).
• getLeading(): Recommended space between lines.
• getCapHeight(): Height of capital letters.
• getXHeight(): Height of lowercase letters.
• getThickness() / getUnderlinePosition(): For drawing underlines.