mac readme file

git-svn-id: svn://svn.code.sf.net/p/fonttools/code/trunk@99 4cde692c-a291-49d1-8350-778aa11640f8

Mac/README.txt

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+TTX 1.0 alpha 6 -- Mac notes
+
+
+U S E R   I N T E R F A C E
+
+To decompile a TrueType font and dump it in XML format:
+
+- Drop a TrueType file (a Windows TTF, or a Mac suitcase) onto TTX. It
+will decompile the font and write it out as an XML text file. If you
+dropped a Mac suitcase containing multiple TT fonts onto TTX, it will
+generate an XML file for each font. The default destination for XML
+files is the folder "XML output" inside the TTX folder. Files will be
+silently overwritten.
+
+*** to change the default locations for converted files, you have to
+edit the "TTX preferences" file ***
+
+To convert a XML file into a TrueType font:
+
+- Drop an XML file onto TTX, it will parse the source, compile it and
+write it into the "TrueType output" folder. By default, a Mac suitcase
+will ge generated. ***This will fail if the font does not contain 'name'
+table entries for the Macintosh platform.*** You can change the output
+format to "flat" by setting the "makesuitcases" field in the "TTX
+preferences" file to "0".
+
+
+S Y S T E M   R E Q U I R E M E N T S
+
+This version of TTX only works on PowerMacs, running MacOS 7.5 or
+higher. Preferably a fairly fast machine.
+
+
+T A B L E   S U P P O R T
+
+TTX currently fully supports these tables:
+
+cvt, gasp, head, hhea, hmtx, loca, name, maxp, OS/2, LTSH and the VTT
+private tables TSI0, TSI1, TSI2, TSI3 and TSI5
+
+The glyf table is fully supported, but it will not disassemble the
+instructions; it dumps them as hex.
+
+The following tables are partially supported: post (format 1.0 and 2.0
+only, other formats *may* cause TTX to choke) cmap (format 0, 4 and 6,
+other formats dumped as hex) kern (format 0 only, other formats dumped
+as hex)
+
+Tables (or subtables) that TTX does not (yet) know about will be written
+out in hexadecimal form, so they won't get lost during the conversion.
+
+
+N O T E   A B O U T   G L Y P H   N A M E S   A N D   I N D I C E S
+
+TrueType fonts use glyph indices to refer to glyphs in most places.
+While this is fine in binary form, it is really hard to work with for
+humans. Therefore we use names instead.
+
+The names are derived from what is found in the 'post' table. It is
+possible that different glyphs use the same PS name. If this happens, we
+force the names to be unique by appending "#n" to the name (n being an
+integer number). The original PS names will still be maintained by the
+'post' table, so even though we use a different name internally, we are
+still able to write the 'post' table back in original form.
+
+Because the order in which glyphs are stored inside the TT font is
+important, the 'glyf' table keeps a list of glyph names.
+
+
+I C O N   D E S I G N
+
+Hannes Famira