MAN page from Old RedHat 5.X kbd-0.94-6.i386.rpm

SETFONT

Section: International Support (8)
Updated: 1 Feb 1994
Index

NAME

setfont - load EGA/VGA console screen font

SYNOPSIS

setfont[-o font.orig] [-fontsize] [font.new][-m cmap] [-om cmap.orig][-u umap] [-ou umap.orig][-v] [-V]

DESCRIPTION

Thesetfontcommand loads a font into the EGA/VGA character generator,and optionally outputs the previous font.This command reads an 8xH font from the file and loads itinto the character generator memory. Usually the font size Hwill be clear from the file size, but if the input file hascode page format, containing the three fonts 8x8, 8x14 and 8x16,the option -8 or -14 or -16 must be used to select one.If no args are given (or only the option-fontsize), then a default font is loaded.With the -v option,setfontwill be verbose.With the -V option, it prints its version.

As currently there is no mode switching support in the Linux kernel, setfonthas nothing to do with the current EGA/VGA mode. It's totally user'sresponsibility to choose a font matching the current video mode.

Font files are binary files of size 256*H bytes, containingbit images for each of 256 characters, one byte per scan line, andH bytes per character (0 < H <= 32).Also .psf files are accepted; these files have the same formatbut an additional 4 byte header.

The ordering of the symbols in the font is described by amapping table. Some fonts have a mapping table included inthe font file, andsetfontwill load such a mapping table. If no explicit mappingtable is included in the font, and no mapping table isprovided using the -m option, the `trivial' mapping is assumed.In any case the mapping table just loaded is activatedby outputting the string Esc ( K.Giving a-m noneargument inhibits the loading and activation of a mapping table.The previous mapping table can be saved to a file using the-om fileoption.These options of setfont render mapscrn(8) obsolete.

The correspondence between the glyphs in the font andUnicode values is described by a Unicode mapping table.Some fonts have a Unicode mapping table included inthe font file, and an explicit table can be indicated usingthe -u option.Setfontwill load such a Unicode mapping table, unless a-u noneargument is given. The previous Unicode mapping tablecan be saved to a file using the-ou fileoption.

One may add a Unicode mapping table to a psf font usingpsfaddtable(1).

FILES

/usr/lib/kbd/consolefonts is the default directory for fonts./usr/lib/kbd/consoletrans is the default directory for mappings.

AUTHORS

Eugene G. Crosser (crosserAATTpccross.msk.su)
Andries E. Brouwer (aebAATTcwi.nl)

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