UP 7 ...well but ...missing system fonts [solved]

[xfrank]

I have just update LMDE to 7. All went fine (unbelievably!), I'm happy , but strangely the system don't "see" anymore the system fonts, only the fonts in the /home/.font folder are active. So, the default "sans" font has changed to a serif font.
I did check in synaptic, the missing fonts are indeed marked as installed. To be sure, I reinstalled some fonts (Droid, Liberation) but nothing, they are not recognized by the system. I did check also in usr/share/fonts and seems that fonts are all there.
Finally, gtk2fontsel (a font viewer) don't work properly.

¿How I can fix this?


*forgot to mention: Libreoffice "see" the system fonts.

[teatime]

Hi

Have you already tried to rebuild the font cache?

fc-cache -fv

[xfrank]

thanks teatime, but still no system fonts:

Code: Select all

 xflmde xfrank # fc-cache -fv
Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/53-monospace-lcd-filter.conf", line 10: Having multiple values in <test> isn't supported and may not work as expected
Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-droid-sans-fonts.conf", line 103: Having multiple values in <test> isn't supported and may not work as expected
Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/65-droid-sans-fonts.conf", line 135: Having multiple values in <test> isn't supported and may not work as expected
/usr/share/fonts: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 5 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/X11: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 4 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1: caching, new cache contents: 36 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/X11/encodings: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 1 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/X11/encodings/large: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc: caching, new cache contents: 95 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/X11/util: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/cmap: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 5 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-cns1: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-gb1: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-japan1: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-japan2: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/cmap/adobe-korea1: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/opentype: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 1 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/opentype/cantarell: caching, new cache contents: 2 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 11 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu: caching, new cache contents: 21 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/droid: caching, new cache contents: 18 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/freefont: caching, new cache contents: 12 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/gentium: caching, new cache contents: 4 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/gentium-basic: caching, new cache contents: 8 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/liberation: caching, new cache contents: 16 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/msttcorefonts: caching, new cache contents: 60 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/openoffice: caching, new cache contents: 1 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/ttf-dejavu: caching, new cache contents: 21 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/ttf-liberation: caching, new cache contents: 16 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/truetype/ubuntu-font-family: caching, new cache contents: 4 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/type1: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 2 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/type1/gsfonts: caching, new cache contents: 35 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/share/fonts/type1/mathml: caching, new cache contents: 1 fonts, 0 dirs
/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts: skipping, no such directory
/usr/local/share/fonts: caching, new cache contents: 0 fonts, 0 dirs
/root/.local/share/fonts: skipping, no such directory
/root/.fonts: skipping, no such directory
/var/cache/fontconfig: cleaning cache directory
/root/.cache/fontconfig: not cleaning non-existent cache directory
/root/.fontconfig: not cleaning non-existent cache directory
fc-cache: succeeded

[xfrank]

if this can help someone to help me, this is the content of my fonts.conf file:

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<!-- /etc/fonts/fonts.conf file to configure system font access -->
<fontconfig>

<!--
	DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE.
	IT WILL BE REPLACED WHEN FONTCONFIG IS UPDATED.
	LOCAL CHANGES BELONG IN 'local.conf'.

	The intent of this standard configuration file is to be adequate for
	most environments.  If you have a reasonably normal environment and
	have found problems with this configuration, they are probably
	things that others will also want fixed.  Please submit any
	problems to the fontconfig bugzilla system located at fontconfig.org

	Note that the normal 'make install' procedure for fontconfig is to
	replace any existing fonts.conf file with the new version.  Place
	any local customizations in local.conf which this file references.

	Keith Packard
-->

<!-- Font directory list -->

	<dir>/usr/share/fonts</dir>
	<dir>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts</dir> <dir>/usr/local/share/fonts</dir>
	<dir prefix="xdg">fonts</dir>
	<!-- the following element will be removed in the future -->
	<dir>~/.fonts</dir>

<!--
  Accept deprecated 'mono' alias, replacing it with 'monospace'
-->
	<match target="pattern">
		<test qual="any" name="family">
			<string>mono</string>
		</test>
		<edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="same">
			<string>monospace</string>
		</edit>
	</match>

<!--
  Accept alternate 'sans serif' spelling, replacing it with 'sans-serif'
-->
	<match target="pattern">
		<test qual="any" name="family">
			<string>sans serif</string>
		</test>
		<edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="same">
			<string>sans-serif</string>
		</edit>
	</match>

<!--
  Accept deprecated 'sans' alias, replacing it with 'sans-serif'
-->
	<match target="pattern">
		<test qual="any" name="family">
			<string>sans</string>
		</test>
		<edit name="family" mode="assign" binding="same">
			<string>sans-serif</string>
		</edit>
	</match>

<!--
  Load local system customization file
-->
	<include ignore_missing="yes">/etc/fonts/conf.d</include>

<!-- Font cache directory list -->

	<cachedir>/var/cache/fontconfig</cachedir>
	<cachedir prefix="xdg">fontconfig</cachedir>
	<!-- the following element will be removed in the future -->
	<cachedir>~/.fontconfig</cachedir>

	<config>
<!--
  These are the default Unicode chars that are expected to be blank
  in fonts.  All other blank chars are assumed to be broken and
  won't appear in the resulting charsets
 -->
		<blank>
			<int>0x0020</int>	<!-- SPACE -->
			<int>0x00A0</int>	<!-- NO-BREAK SPACE -->
			<int>0x00AD</int>	<!-- SOFT HYPHEN -->
			<int>0x034F</int>	<!-- COMBINING GRAPHEME JOINER -->
			<int>0x0600</int>	<!-- ARABIC NUMBER SIGN -->
			<int>0x0601</int>	<!-- ARABIC SIGN SANAH -->
			<int>0x0602</int>	<!-- ARABIC FOOTNOTE MARKER -->
			<int>0x0603</int>	<!-- ARABIC SIGN SAFHA -->
			<int>0x06DD</int>	<!-- ARABIC END OF AYAH -->
			<int>0x070F</int>	<!-- SYRIAC ABBREVIATION MARK -->
			<int>0x115F</int>	<!-- HANGUL CHOSEONG FILLER -->
			<int>0x1160</int>	<!-- HANGUL JUNGSEONG FILLER -->
			<int>0x1680</int>	<!-- OGHAM SPACE MARK -->
			<int>0x17B4</int>	<!-- KHMER VOWEL INHERENT AQ -->
			<int>0x17B5</int>	<!-- KHMER VOWEL INHERENT AA -->
			<int>0x180E</int>	<!-- MONGOLIAN VOWEL SEPARATOR -->
			<int>0x2000</int>	<!-- EN QUAD -->
			<int>0x2001</int>	<!-- EM QUAD -->
			<int>0x2002</int>	<!-- EN SPACE -->
			<int>0x2003</int>	<!-- EM SPACE -->
			<int>0x2004</int>	<!-- THREE-PER-EM SPACE -->
			<int>0x2005</int>	<!-- FOUR-PER-EM SPACE -->
			<int>0x2006</int>	<!-- SIX-PER-EM SPACE -->
			<int>0x2007</int>	<!-- FIGURE SPACE -->
			<int>0x2008</int>	<!-- PUNCTUATION SPACE -->
			<int>0x2009</int>	<!-- THIN SPACE -->
			<int>0x200A</int>	<!-- HAIR SPACE -->
			<int>0x200B</int>	<!-- ZERO WIDTH SPACE -->
			<int>0x200C</int>	<!-- ZERO WIDTH NON-JOINER -->
			<int>0x200D</int>	<!-- ZERO WIDTH JOINER -->
			<int>0x200E</int>	<!-- LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK -->
			<int>0x200F</int>	<!-- RIGHT-TO-LEFT MARK -->
			<int>0x2028</int>	<!-- LINE SEPARATOR -->
			<int>0x2029</int>	<!-- PARAGRAPH SEPARATOR -->
			<int>0x202A</int>	<!-- LEFT-TO-RIGHT EMBEDDING -->
			<int>0x202B</int>	<!-- RIGHT-TO-LEFT EMBEDDING -->
			<int>0x202C</int>	<!-- POP DIRECTIONAL FORMATTING -->
			<int>0x202D</int>	<!-- LEFT-TO-RIGHT OVERRIDE -->
			<int>0x202E</int>	<!-- RIGHT-TO-LEFT OVERRIDE -->
			<int>0x202F</int>	<!-- NARROW NO-BREAK SPACE -->
			<int>0x205F</int>	<!-- MEDIUM MATHEMATICAL SPACE -->
			<int>0x2060</int>	<!-- WORD JOINER -->
			<int>0x2061</int>	<!-- FUNCTION APPLICATION -->
			<int>0x2062</int>	<!-- INVISIBLE TIMES -->
			<int>0x2063</int>	<!-- INVISIBLE SEPARATOR -->
			<int>0x206A</int>	<!-- INHIBIT SYMMETRIC SWAPPING -->
			<int>0x206B</int>	<!-- ACTIVATE SYMMETRIC SWAPPING -->
			<int>0x206C</int>	<!-- INHIBIT ARABIC FORM SHAPING -->
			<int>0x206D</int>	<!-- ACTIVATE ARABIC FORM SHAPING -->
			<int>0x206E</int>	<!-- NATIONAL DIGIT SHAPES -->
			<int>0x206F</int>	<!-- NOMINAL DIGIT SHAPES -->
			<int>0x2800</int>	<!-- BRAILLE PATTERN BLANK -->
			<int>0x3000</int>	<!-- IDEOGRAPHIC SPACE -->
			<int>0x3164</int>	<!-- HANGUL FILLER -->
			<int>0xFEFF</int>	<!-- ZERO WIDTH NO-BREAK SPACE -->
			<int>0xFFA0</int>	<!-- HALFWIDTH HANGUL FILLER -->
			<int>0xFFF9</int>	<!-- INTERLINEAR ANNOTATION ANCHOR -->
			<int>0xFFFA</int>	<!-- INTERLINEAR ANNOTATION SEPARATOR -->
			<int>0xFFFB</int>	<!-- INTERLINEAR ANNOTATION TERMINATOR -->
		</blank>
<!--
  Rescan configuration every 30 seconds when FcFontSetList is called
 -->
		<rescan>
			<int>30</int>
		</rescan>
	</config>

</fontconfig> 

this is a serious problem, now my fonts are all messed up. I can't arrange a good combination of default fonts because the system don't see or render well them!

*update: I cannot find any solution by myself. This issue is not covered in the forum (maybe because is new, caused by UP 7?). Good proper fonts are too important to work daily with an OS. If I can't fix this problem, sadly, I will have to quit LMDE and install another distro.

[killer de bug]

Could you please read the point 4 from Monsta : http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=187&t=144198#p761238

I think it should help.

[xfrank]

thanks killer,
I tried to follow the Monsta's thread. I created a bash script modified to the new font config path:

Code: Select all

 #!/bin/sh

WHOAMI=`whoami`
if [ x$WHOAMI != xroot ]; then
    echo Please run me as root.
    exit 1
fi

cd /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail

ln -s ../conf.avail/10-antialias.conf 10-antialias.conf
ln -s ../conf.avail/10-hinting.conf 10-hinting.conf
ln -s ../conf.avail/10-hinting-slight.conf 10-hinting-slight.conf
ln -s ../conf.avail/11-lcdfilter-default.conf 11-lcdfilter-default.conf
ln -s ../conf.avail/53-monospace-lcd-filter.conf 53-monospace-lcd-filter.conf

...but nothing happens. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.
As Monsta indicate, there is a new path for the font configuration: /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail instead of /etc/fonts/conf.avail.
Is possible that the updated system don't "see" the new path? I'm just guessing. If so, what I have to change in order to fix that?

[killer de bug]

I will give you the exact path you should use as soon as I get back from work in some hours.
Now, fonts are stored in /usr/share/font but I think you need to create the link to the old folder.

Could you try with these kind of link ?
ln -s /etc/fonts/conf.avail/10-antialias.conf 10-antialias.conf

[killer de bug]

OK

Please create a link between the file present in /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail to /etc/fonts/conf.d

it should look like this :

Code: Select all

cd /etc/fonts/conf.d

ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/10-antialias.conf 10-antialias.conf

[xfrank]

hi killer,
I'm not sure I have done it correctly. I opened usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail, here there is NOT any archive "10-antialias.conf" nor a repeated (why?) "10-antialias.conf 10-antialias.conf". I created one empty with the name "10-antialias.conf", put in the text "cd/etc/fonts/conf.d" (but the archive is plain text, not xml). Nothing happens, apparently.

[xfrank]

update:
I tried in the terminal. In
/etc/fionts/conf.d
I entered
ln -s /etc/fonts/conf.avail/10-antialias.conf 10-antialias.conf

still nothing happens.
------------------------------

update.
I did search in the directory etc/fonts/conf.d
there are 38 symlynks that poin to the directory /etc/fonts/conf.avail
Then, I searched in this directory and there are indeed 38 files with the same names. For example, there is 10-antialias.conf. This file contain this text:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
<!-- Use the Antialiasing -->
<match target="font">
<edit name="antialias" mode="assign"><bool>true</bool></edit>
</match>
</fontconfig>

[killer de bug]

hi killer,
I'm not sure I have done it correctly. I opened usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail, here there is NOT any archive "10-antialias.conf"

That's the problem. Font configuration files should be there !
Are they stored in

Code: Select all

/etc/fonts/conf.avail

Could you please check that these package are installed ?

Code: Select all

fonconfig fontconfig-config

nor a repeated (why?) "10-antialias.conf 10-antialias.conf".

Obviously you don't understand what you are doing. Could you please read monsta post carefully ?
In a terminal type :

Code: Select all

man ln

and read carefully.

[killer de bug]

Perfect !

As a root, could you please copy the content of

Code: Select all

/etc/fonts/conf.avail

in

Code: Select all

usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail

[xfrank]

Perfect !

As a root, could you please copy the content of

Code: Select all

/etc/fonts/conf.avail

in

Code: Select all

usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail

I did it (except the indian fonts like "Telugu" or "Gujarati")

[xfrank]

Could you please check that these package are installed ?

Code: Select all

fonconfig fontconfig-config

yes they are
installed

[killer de bug]

And ? Did you restarted ? Is it better ?

at the end of this page : https://wiki.debian.org/Fonts
Section sub-pixel hinting. Do this help ?


edit : stupid question but... did you selected the right option in the font parameter menu in the config center ?

[xfrank]

And ? Did you restarted ? Is it better ?

at the end of this page : https://wiki.debian.org/Fonts
Section sub-pixel hinting. Do this help ?


edit : stupid question but... did you selected the right option in the font parameter menu in the config center ?

No, I restarted twice and nothing improved.
I checked the debian wiki (hinting subpixel), but I can't see any help to fix this problem.

If I open the config center, appearance, fonts, I have my preferences (translated from spanish):
font rendering supixel is on.
Typography for the applicaton: Droid Sans Light SemiExtended
Typography for the documents: Droid Sans Light SemiExtended
Typography for the escritory: Droid Sans Light SemiExtended
Typography for the window: Arial Black
Fixed widht typograpy: Monospace

Now, if I try to change that fonts, I have only few options: Droid Sans, Monospace, Sans, Serif. All the other fonts are not showed, they are not "seen" by the system.
-----------------
update. I did search in the usr/share/fonts directory. The fonts are indeed there! If I open any of the subdirectory (opentype, truetype, type1) the fonts appears and if I click on each them, they are showed.
Apparently the system for some reason can't "see" properly the fonts in this directory, and use only few default fonts (also bad rendering them, expecially the monospace).

[xfrank]

still trying to fix this problem, no good. This is beyond the logic, or I'm missing something.
----------------

well... solved (apparently). How? I renamed font.conf to font.conf.old, then reinstalled by synaptic all fontconfig packages, and finally, renamed again font.conf.old to the original name.
Now the fonts are showed again properly.

Just persist one issue: apparently not all the fonts in .fonts directory in /home are "seen" by the system. For example openlogos.ttf is not recognized by conky.
*update: in fact, several fonts either in the /home/.fonts directory or in the /usr/share/fonts, are not recognized by the system. Strange. LibreOffice sees everything, LMDE not.

[killer de bug]

Could you please watch this file

Code: Select all

/etc/fonts/fonts.conf

And see in the section font directory if /usr/share/font is mentioned ?

I must admit I am running out of ideas...

[xfrank]

Thanks killer, this is the part of the file that refers to directories:

Code: Select all

<!-- Font directory list -->

	<dir>/usr/share/fonts</dir>
	<dir>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts</dir> <dir>/usr/local/share/fonts</dir>
	<dir prefix="xdg">fonts</dir>
	<!-- the following element will be removed in the future -->
	<dir>~/.fonts</dir>

...seems that the home .fonts directory is missing

[killer de bug]

I have the same file...