Drag font from font manager onto live type to convert to that font

Boldline

I learned of this trick on the Affinity forum where they were discussing the font manager, Typeface (which I use). If you have active type in Designer with the cursor blinking in the text and then drag a font from your font manager (Typeface), it will automatically convert it to that new font in designer and temporarily active it inside Typeface.

Someone had mentioned it in a thread and I was intrigued and tried it out - at first I was unsuccessful because I had the text box selected, but not the text with active blinking cursor. The developer of Typeface is on that forum and shared an article on how to do it
https://typefaceapp.com/help/articles/font-switch/affinity-designer

I tried the same thing with Vectorstyler after successfully making it work with Designer and did not have the same success.

I asked the Typeface developer if this handy tip could be accomplished in any vector editing program and he replied, "Any app that uses Rich Text (RTF) is supported out of the box. You can test that by copying some text from the vector app to for example, TextEdit. Does the pasted text have the same font & weight? Then it should work with Typeface.

If that doesn't work (the app might only support plain text), then Typeface needs a specific plugin to communicate with the app and change the font. Currently supported apps are listed here: https://typefaceapp.com/help/articles/font-switch

VectorStyler

@Boldline Added this to the backlog for future support.

BTW: if you drag a font file (from Finder) onto a selected text in VS, it will use that font for the text, even when the font is not installed.

Boldline

@VectorStyler Thanks! It's a small thing but seems handy to add.

That's really cool how that works from the finder in VS - just tried it.

b77

@VectorStyler said:

BTW: if you drag a font file (from Finder) onto a selected text in VS, it will use that font for the text, even when the font is not installed.

Cool!

VectorStyler

@b77 BTW: VS will not install the font into MacOS (Windows), just use the file as a font (so there is no font overload of the OS).

b77

@VectorStyler So the font gets embedded in the file when you save it?

VectorStyler

@b77 No, just linked.

b77

@VectorStyler I saved the VS file, deleted the font file from the Finder, emptied the Trash and
the editable text is still written in that font when reopening the file.

I'm not complaining, just wondering how is that accomplished?

Boldline

@b77 said in Drag font from font manager onto live type to convert to that font:

@VectorStyler So the font gets embedded in the file when you save it?

@VectorStyler is there an option to embed a font in a VS file? Either universally or from within the internal VS font manager? So it can be opened and edited in that font on a different computer for example?

Boldline

@VectorStyler said in Drag font from font manager onto live type to convert to that font:

@b77 BTW: VS will not install the font into MacOS (Windows), just use the file as a font (so there is no font overload of the OS).

It's really impressive how deeply you've thought of innovative ideas and solutions for VS. We need a "tips" section for all these little tips and tricks you've added that would be hard to find otherwise

b77

@VectorStyler Nevermind, there's no embedding — the font of the text is gone after I restarted the app.

Btw, in this case I think the app should display a 'Missing Fonts' dialog.

VectorStyler

@b77 said in Drag font from font manager onto live type to convert to that font:

emptied the Trash and the editable text is still written in that font when reopening the file.
I'm not complaining, just wondering how is that accomplished?

The font must have been substituted.

VectorStyler

@Boldline said in Drag font from font manager onto live type to convert to that font:

is there an option to embed a font in a VS file? Either universally or from within the internal VS font manager?

Not at this time. It is in the backlog as a new feature.

Boldline

@b77 said in Drag font from font manager onto live type to convert to that font:

Btw, in this case I think the app should display a 'Missing Fonts' dialog.

I agree - there could be confusion if the project is opened again at a later date as to why a font was available before but not now

Boldline

@VectorStyler said in Drag font from font manager onto live type to convert to that font:

@Boldline Added this to the backlog for future support.

BTW: if you drag a font file (from Finder) onto a selected text in VS, it will use that font for the text, even when the font is not installed.

I checked this not only on Finder, but also in Cocoatech's Pathfinder program that I use as a finder replacement and it worked there as well - I did notice I had to sometimes wait and let it hover over the text for a couple seconds before it converted.