Glyph Window Modes
The Glyph window adapts to the work you are doing. Selecting a drawing tool exposes outline controls; selecting the Metrics tool gives you spacing controls; selecting the Text tool lets you enter text. These working states are called modes.
Tools and Modes
Choose a tool from the Toolbar to enter its associated mode. There is no separate step for selecting a mode before selecting the tool. Tool-specific shortcuts are covered with their workflows.
A mode affects three things you can observe immediately: the overlays on the canvas, the controls in the property bar, and the meaning of mouse and keyboard actions. A click that selects a node with the Contour tool can position a text cursor with the Text tool. When an action produces an unexpected result, check the active tool before trying it again.
Several tools share the same general working environment. Drawing and editing tools all work with the glyph's drawing, while Metrics, Kerning, and Text each provide a distinct way to work with the displayed sequence. Matchmaker and TrueType Hinting provide specialized environments.
| Mode | Select |
|---|---|
| Drawing and editing | Contour, Element, Eraser, Brush, Pencil, Rapid, Pen, Knife, Scissors, Attach, Thickness, Stem, Fill, Guides, Rotate, Scale, Slant, Ellipse, or Rectangle |
| Metrics | Metrics tool |
| Kerning | Kerning tool |
| Text | Text tool |
| Matchmaker | Matchmaker tool |
| TrueType Hinting | TrueType Hinting tool |
Switching modes does not convert the font or create another version of the glyph. It changes how you work with the same data. Drawing, Metrics, Kerning, and Text can retain different view settings, so a guide or overlay can appear in one working context and be hidden in another.
Modes Overview
The six modes provide different working contexts.
Drawing and editing
This default mode contains the largest tool group and supports most outline work. Stem and Thickness belong here; their distinct workflows are taught in The Stem Tool and The Thickness Tool. PostScript hinting also uses this environment.
Metrics
The Metrics tool presents spacing controls and the Metrics Table for working with advance widths and sidebearings in text.
Kerning
The Kerning tool presents pair controls and values for adjustments beyond ordinary glyph spacing. The Metrics Table can also show these values.
Text
Text mode is a quality-checking environment rather than a production stage. Its cursor, sample text, tracking, leading, and shaping preview help inspect the font in use.
Matchmaker
Matchmaker compares master structures for interpolation. Color-coded contours reveal mismatches; automatic and manual matching tools help resolve them. Selecting the mode alone does not establish compatibility.
TrueType Hinting
This mode has its own property-bar controls, waterfall preview, and TrueType Hinting panel for examining and editing small-size rendering instructions.