Having trouble changing fonts in JavaScript Photoshop using scripting on certain fonts

Question

Having trouble changing fonts in JavaScript Photoshop using scripting on certain fonts

I have created a script for photoshop that is designed to change the font family to a different type. However, I am experiencing some inconsistencies in its performance.

Here is the section of the script responsible for altering the font family:

var origDoc = activeDocument;
var fullName = origDoc.name; 

var myLayerRef = origDoc.artLayers.add();
myLayerRef.kind = LayerKind.TEXT;
myLayerRef.name = fullName ;
var myTextRef = myLayerRef.textItem;
myTextRef.position = new Array( 100, 100);
myTextRef.size = 35;
myTextRef.font = 'Calibri';  //Font family name
myTextRef.contents = myLayerRef.name;

While the script successfully changes fonts to Calibri and Verdana, it fails to do so for 'Arial' and 'Comic Sans MS', reverting back to the default font family which is Myriad pro.

Interestingly, setting the font family to 'Arial-BoldMT' works without any issues.

My objective is to make the script work with a barcode-like font, but even though the font is installed on my system, specifying its family name doesn't produce the desired result.

I am curious about the criteria based on which the script recognizes or fails to recognize certain fonts.

javascript photoshop extendscript photoshop-script

Answer 1

Answer №1

If you're looking for the right font, consider using ArialMT.

It's important to note the distinction between font names and postscript font names. In this case, the font name is ArialMT, while the postscript name is Arial.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/qdPvf.png

An option, albeit not the most elegant one, is to compare the postscript and font names to determine which is which. By running a script on a text layer that loops through your installed fonts and returns the names, you can identify the font accurately. However, please be aware that this method may not work well with non-text based layers.

var fontsInstalled = new Array();    
var psFontsInstalled = new Array();    

// Retrieve installed font names    
getInstalledFonts(fontsInstalled);    
    
// Fetch installed postscript font names    
getInstalledFonts(psFontsInstalled, true);    
    
var srcDoc = app.activeDocument;    
var currentFontLayer = srcDoc.activeLayer;    
getFontContents(currentFontLayer)    

function getFontContents(alayer)    
{    
  var info = new Array;    

  var textContents = alayer.textItem.contents;    
  // var fontSize = alayer.textItem.size;    
  var fontFace = alayer.textItem.font;    

  var postScriptFontFace = gimmePostScriptFontName(fontFace, fontsInstalled, psFontsInstalled)    

  info.push([fontFace, textContents, postScriptFontFace]); // pushing items onto an object    

  // Get the font contents    
  var tempFontFace     = info[0][0];    
  var tempFontContents = info[0][1];    
  var tempPSFontFace   = info[0][2];    

  // Display postscript font name only    
  var str = "Font: " + tempFontFace + "\n" + "PostScript: " + tempPSFontFace;    

  alert("Font info:\n" + str);
}    


function getInstalledFonts(arr, bool)    
{    
  if (bool == undefined) bool == false;    

  numOfFonts = app.fonts.length;    
  for (var i=0, numOfFonts; i < numOfFonts; i++)    
  {    
    // Utilize app.fonts[i].postScriptName for postscript names    
    // Use app.fonts[i].name for font names    

    // For postscritp names    
    if (bool)    
    {    
      arr.push(app.fonts[i].postScriptName);    
    }    
    else arr.push(app.fonts[i].name);    
  }    
  return arr    
}    


function gimmePostScriptFontName(str, arr1, arr2)    
{    
  for (var i = 0;  i < arr1.length; i++)    
  {    
    if (arr2[i] == str)    
    {    
      return arr1[i];    
    }    
  }    
}

Answer 2

If you're looking for the right font, consider using ArialMT.

It's important to note the distinction between font names and postscript font names. In this case, the font name is ArialMT, while the postscript name is Arial.

https://i.stack.imgur.com/qdPvf.png

An option, albeit not the most elegant one, is to compare the postscript and font names to determine which is which. By running a script on a text layer that loops through your installed fonts and returns the names, you can identify the font accurately. However, please be aware that this method may not work well with non-text based layers.

var fontsInstalled = new Array();    
var psFontsInstalled = new Array();    

// Retrieve installed font names    
getInstalledFonts(fontsInstalled);    
    
// Fetch installed postscript font names    
getInstalledFonts(psFontsInstalled, true);    
    
var srcDoc = app.activeDocument;    
var currentFontLayer = srcDoc.activeLayer;    
getFontContents(currentFontLayer)    

function getFontContents(alayer)    
{    
  var info = new Array;    

  var textContents = alayer.textItem.contents;    
  // var fontSize = alayer.textItem.size;    
  var fontFace = alayer.textItem.font;    

  var postScriptFontFace = gimmePostScriptFontName(fontFace, fontsInstalled, psFontsInstalled)    

  info.push([fontFace, textContents, postScriptFontFace]); // pushing items onto an object    

  // Get the font contents    
  var tempFontFace     = info[0][0];    
  var tempFontContents = info[0][1];    
  var tempPSFontFace   = info[0][2];    

  // Display postscript font name only    
  var str = "Font: " + tempFontFace + "\n" + "PostScript: " + tempPSFontFace;    

  alert("Font info:\n" + str);
}    


function getInstalledFonts(arr, bool)    
{    
  if (bool == undefined) bool == false;    

  numOfFonts = app.fonts.length;    
  for (var i=0, numOfFonts; i < numOfFonts; i++)    
  {    
    // Utilize app.fonts[i].postScriptName for postscript names    
    // Use app.fonts[i].name for font names    

    // For postscritp names    
    if (bool)    
    {    
      arr.push(app.fonts[i].postScriptName);    
    }    
    else arr.push(app.fonts[i].name);    
  }    
  return arr    
}    


function gimmePostScriptFontName(str, arr1, arr2)    
{    
  for (var i = 0;  i < arr1.length; i++)    
  {    
    if (arr2[i] == str)    
    {    
      return arr1[i];    
    }    
  }    
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

When working with Adobe Illustrator, you may encounter a common issue related to font names. The program uses specific 'internal' names for fonts, which can be different from their regular names. For instance, Arial is actually referred to as ArialMT, while Comic Sans MS is identified as ComicSansMS. This can make it challenging to determine the correct 'internal' name of a particular font. To help address this problem, I created a script that reveals the internal name of a selected text object:

 alert(String(app.activeDocument.selection[0].textRange.characterAttributes.textFont).slice(10,-1));

If you have access to Illustrator, feel free to give it a try. From my observations, barcode fonts in Illustrator are typically named as Free3of9 and Free3of9Extended.

Answer 4

When working with Adobe Illustrator, you may encounter a common issue related to font names. The program uses specific 'internal' names for fonts, which can be different from their regular names. For instance, Arial is actually referred to as ArialMT, while Comic Sans MS is identified as ComicSansMS. This can make it challenging to determine the correct 'internal' name of a particular font. To help address this problem, I created a script that reveals the internal name of a selected text object:

 alert(String(app.activeDocument.selection[0].textRange.characterAttributes.textFont).slice(10,-1));

If you have access to Illustrator, feel free to give it a try. From my observations, barcode fonts in Illustrator are typically named as Free3of9 and Free3of9Extended.

Having trouble changing fonts in JavaScript Photoshop using scripting on certain fonts

Answer №1

Answer №2

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