The ftxdiff command is a tool provided by Apple to compare the differences between two fonts. It can be useful for font designers and developers who want to analyze and understand the differences between font files.

Use case 1: Output differences to a specific text file

Code:

ftxdiff --output path/to/fontdiff_file.txt path/to/font_file1.ttc path/to/font_file2.ttc

Motivation: The motivation for using this example is to specify a specific text file to store the differences between the two font files. By using the --output option followed by the path to a text file, the command will write the differences to that file instead of printing them on the console.

Explanation:

• --output: This option specifies the path to the output text file where the differences will be written. The command will create the file if it doesn’t exist or overwrite it if it already exists.
• path/to/fontdiff_file.txt: This is the path to the text file where the differences will be outputted.
• path/to/font_file1.ttc and path/to/font_file2.ttc: These are the paths to the two font files that will be compared.

Example output: The command will compare the two font files and write the differences to the specified text file path/to/fontdiff_file.txt.

Use case 2: Include glyph names in output

Code:

ftxdiff --include-glyph-names

Motivation: The motivation for using this example is to include the glyph names in the output when comparing the font files. Glyph names are identifiers for individual characters in a font, and including them in the output can provide more detailed information about the differences between the fonts.

Explanation:

• --include-glyph-names: This option instructs the command to include the glyph names in the output. By default, the command does not include glyph names in the output.

Example output: The command will compare the two font files and print the differences along with the glyph names.

Use case 3: Include unicode names in output

Code:

ftxdiff --include-unicode-names

Motivation: The motivation for using this example is to include the unicode names in the output when comparing the font files. Unicode names provide standard names for characters based on the Unicode standard, and including them in the output can be helpful for understanding the differences between the fonts.

Explanation:

• --include-unicode-names: This option tells the command to include the unicode names in the output. By default, the command does not include unicode names in the output.

Example output: The command will compare the two font files and display the differences along with the unicode names.

Conclusion:

The ftxdiff command is a useful tool for comparing differences between font files. By using different options, such as specifying an output file or including glyph and unicode names in the output, users can customize their analysis and gain a deeper understanding of the font differences.