Reading familyName from public.fontInfo and writing into variable font

[ryanbugden]

When I generate a variable font, the public.fontInfo['familyName'] doesn't seem to be considered during compilation.
I see there has been some work done on the fontTools side. Is there still some work to be done there, or is the ball in the fontmake court?
fonttools/fonttools#2606

I have a workflow set up wherein there is a working dated Beta variable font being distributed while a final font is being tested/developed/not distributed. I need these variable fonts to have different family names from each other, and ideally, I would like to not have to change the family name of the default source UFO during the generation workflow.

Thanks!

[ryanbugden]

Here is a small test setup. After running build.sh and looking at TestTest_Variable.ttx, "Foobar" still makes it into crucial nameIDs.

variable font name test.zip

P.S. Should this issue be placed in ufo2ft? Apologies if so!

[anthrotype]

thanks for the bug report and the reproducer. It is supposed to work, yes. Support for "public.fontInfo" key of <variable-font><lib> is implemented in ufo2ft, so the bug belongs there but it's ok, we can take a look.

[anthrotype]

ok so, the variable-font's public.fontInfo below

          <key>public.fontInfo</key>
          <dict>
            <key>familyName</key>
            <string>TestTest Variable</string>
            <key>styleMapFamilyName</key>
            <string>TestTest Variable</string>
            <key>styleMapStyleName</key>
            <string>regular</string>
            <key>styleName</key>
            <string>Regular</string>
          </dict>

currently generates the following name table:

  <name>
    <namerecord nameID="256" platformID="1" platEncID="0" langID="0x0" unicode="True">
      Weight
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="257" platformID="1" platEncID="0" langID="0x0" unicode="True">
      Foobar2
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="258" platformID="1" platEncID="0" langID="0x0" unicode="True">
      Foobar 1
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="1" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      TestTest Variable
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="2" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Regular
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="3" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      0.000;NONE;Foobar-Foobar2
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="4" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Foobar Foobar2
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="5" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Version 0.000
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="6" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Foobar-Foobar2
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="16" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Foobar
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="17" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Foobar2
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="18" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Foobar Foobar2
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="256" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Weight
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="257" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Foobar2
    </namerecord>
    <namerecord nameID="258" platformID="3" platEncID="1" langID="0x409">
      Foobar 1
    </namerecord>
  </name>

@ryanbugden just to confirm, is the expected result that all the occurrences of "Foobar" be replaced by "TestTest Variable" (i.e. the overridden value of familyName)?

[anthrotype]

I see what's going on. Basically the variable-font's public.fontInfo gets merged into the default UFO's fontinfo.plist, overriding those individual fields that are mentioned in the former, but the other ones that you do not override stay unchanged. The merged info is then used to build the various tables, including name table.
In your particular case, I see the string "Foobar" is also present in more name fields than the particular ones you are overriding in the public.fontInfo key, e.g. the openTypeNamePreferredFamilyName, postscriptFontName and others.
Either you have to override each of those with your desired string, or if you wish ufo2ft to generate the rest from a basic set of core name strings you have to remove the more specific ones from the default UFO's fontinfo.plist.
I hope this makes sense.

[ryanbugden]

Thank you for looking into this @anthrotype ! That all makes sense now. I'm curious as to how I can override nameID 16 and 17. Overriding all of the font info keys that are in the default UFO, as below, doesn't seem to remove Foobar and Foobar 2 as those two name IDs.

            <key>familyName</key>
            <string>TestTest Variable</string>
            <key>styleName</key>
            <string>Regular</string>
            <key>styleMapFamilyName</key>
            <string>TestTest Variable</string>
            <key>styleMapStyleName</key>
            <string>regular</string>
            <key>postscriptFontName</key>
            <string>TestTest-Variable</string>
            <key>postscriptFullName</key>
            <string>TestTestVariable</string>
            <key>postscriptWeightName</key>
            <string>Normal</string>
            <key>openTypeNameCompatibleFullName</key>
            <string>TestTest Variable</string>
            <key>openTypeNamePreferredFamilyName</key>
            <string>TestTest Variable</string>
            <key>openTypeNamePreferredSubfamilyName</key>
            <string>Regular</string>

Unrelated, but is there a standard for how to treat the style/subfamily name in a variable font? Follow the default instance? Fold that style name into FullNames as well?