Customizing the Workspace

A workspace preserves the arrangement of your working surfaces. Use different layouts for drawing, spacing, feature editing, or proofing so that the relevant panels are available without rebuilding the interface each time.

Workspaces

Arrange panel visibility, positions, and docking, then choose Window > Workspaces > Save Workspace... to save the layout under a descriptive name. FontLab ships predefined workspaces, including Default for returning to the standard arrangement. Start with a supplied workspace close to the task and save adjustments as a custom one.

To build a task workspace:

  1. Open the panels the task needs and close those that obscure the work.
  2. Arrange and dock them at useful sizes.
  3. Save the workspace with a name such as Drawing or Kerning.
  4. Switch to another workspace and back to confirm the arrangement you intended to retain.

Choose Window > Workspaces > Manage Workspaces... to organize saved layouts. Select a workspace and click Activate to switch to it. The Save selected workspace to the file button exports the selected layout as a .fl_workspace file; Open workspace file imports one. Assign a shortcut through Tools > Commands & Shortcuts when rapid switching is useful.

An imported layout can provide a starting point, but display size and operating-system differences may require adjustment.

A workspace primarily records interface arrangement. Do not treat it as a source-font backup or assume that every current glyph, selection, and unsaved edit is stored in it.

On Windows, docking and panel behavior can differ between the Tabs and Windows interface configurations. Choose that broader interface mode before fine-tuning a layout you intend to reuse.

Compact Toolbar

To reduce the space occupied by individual tool buttons, use a horizontal Toolbar and double-click an empty area to enable compact mode. Tool groups and View options replace the full strips of buttons. Double-click an empty area again to return to regular mode.

A docked compact Toolbar can use its spare left and right space for controls from the active Font or Glyph window. Changing the active window changes that context; resizing the Toolbar can move controls between the Toolbar and the window bars. The main tool groups stay centered, and the grab area remains available at the left. See Glyph Window Anatomy for the control placement and overflow sequence.

The compact-mode choice is remembered by FontLab. A saved workspace and the active-window controls serve different purposes: the workspace arranges surfaces, while the Toolbar's available width and active window determine which extra controls it can display.

Configuring the Interface

Preferences > General contains the settings that shape the application's overall environment: Workspace layout (Tabs, Both, or Windows), theme, automatic panel activation when an object is selected, focus highlighting, Sketchboard startup/autosave behavior, updates, drawing acceleration, and the user data folder.

Choose a theme and focus indication that make the active working surface clear. An attractive layout is less useful if it is difficult to tell which panel will receive the next keyboard command.

General preferences showing appearance, workspace layout, startup, and environment settings.

General groups application-wide choices such as appearance and workspace layout. These preferences complement saved panel arrangements; they do not replace a font-source backup.

The Language setting in Preferences > General > Appearance selects the interface language or follows the system language. Restart FontLab to apply a change. Quick Help, Help panel articles, and welcome tips use that language when a translation is available; missing translations fall back to English. German, French, Spanish, and Polish translations have been reviewed. Other offered preview translations are machine drafts still under review, so consult the English label when a preview translation is unclear.

Review drawing acceleration if a graphics-driver combination produces an incorrectly refreshed canvas. Use the supported rendering setting rather than treating a display problem as evidence that the font's outlines are damaged.

The update channel and startup-check preferences determine how you receive new builds. Keep a stable production environment when reproducibility matters, and record the build used for a release.

The initScript.py interface customization described in Automation Hooks and Direct Data Access can restyle UI fonts or palettes, but it is unofficial and unsupported, distinct from supported workspace/theme controls. Keep such customizations recoverable and documented.