Import from FontLab

1

When I Export to Glyphs from FontLab7 it opens OK in Glyphs 2.
However, when the same file is opened in Glyphs 3 the kerning info is missing.

The way around this is to open in G2 and Save from G2, then open this file in G3 and the kerning is there. I presume this is a bug?

2

Can you send me the file that was exported from FL?

3

will do

4

The file is not a valid plist file. Glyphs 3 is more strict about that.

5

So then do you recommend passing through Glyphs2 before opening in Glyphs3 every time or will you be able to fix it?

6

Is the file OK for Glyphs 2?
or is ‘Export Font as Glyphs’ ability from FL7 not ideal even for Glyphs 2?

7

The parser in Glyphs 2 seems fine with the file. So that is a workaround for now.

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8

@Dezcom the just updated FontLab 7 exports to Glyphs 3.

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9

There was a bug in FL 7.1, fixed in 7.2

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10

Do you mean the Beta release? or have they come out with a final release version?

11

We just officially released FontLab 7.2: https://blog.fontlab.com/fontlab-7/fontlab-7-sale-6-dec-2020/ — this build 7622 makes better export of .glyphs v2 files. It can also open .glyphs v3 files (only flat files for now, not packages).

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12

I now have seen it and upgraded, Thanks, Adam!

13

I now have a question about the transition. Should I delete the Feature “Kern” brought in from FL and if so, will I retain the feature in some Glyphs way? asking for a friend

14

In FontLab, if the font has kerning and classes (defined in Classes panel), it’s what we call “visual kerning”. If you don’t have visual kerning in FontLab, but you have a “kern” feature, in FontLab 7.2, use Font > Kerning > Import from [kern] feature.

The rest mostly depends on whether the source is single-master or multi-master, but it’s generally better to only use the visual kerning and remove the “kern” feature.

  1. When you export that source file as a .glyphs file, FontLab will export the kerning and classes in a Glyphs-compatible way.

  2. For multi-master sources, keeping the “kern” feature in the feature definitions does not make much sense at all. For single-master sources, it also is not necessary. You can remove it in FontLab’s Features panel, or later in Glyphs Font Info.

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15

Thanks, Adam, Yury, and Georg. I am trying to write a more explanatory tutorial to get from FL to Glyphs, only because I can’t find one, but I will need plenty of oversight.

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