Menus, Dialogs, and Controls
Once you know which surface you are working in, the next questions are how to issue a command and how to supply a value. FontLab uses familiar menus, dialogs, and fields, with several shared behaviors that are useful throughout the application.
Menus and Commands
The main menu groups commands by subject. File commands concern documents; Font and Glyph commands concern the font and its glyphs; other menus address drawings, text, tools, and the visible interface. The active window and selection determine which commands are available.
Panels also provide local menus for commands and options relevant to their subject. A panel's gear or menu control keeps those choices near the data they affect. A local menu does not necessarily contain every command available in the main menu, nor does its position alone establish whether a command affects one item or several.
Keyboard shortcuts provide another route to commands. The menu shows the current assignment where one exists. Shortcuts depend on context as well as platform, so a command's name is the more reliable reference when learning an unfamiliar workflow.
Edit > Repeat (Cmd+R on macOS, Ctrl+R on Windows) runs the last repeatable command again. Its menu label identifies that command, and it is available only when the command can run in the current context. Check the current selection before repeating an edit.
Finding a command by name
Choose Tools > Commands & Shortcuts, or press Cmd+Shift+P (Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows), to find commands by a typed name or phrase. With its search field empty, the dialog lists the three most recently run commands first. The Help menu and help resources are introduced in Help and Support. Narrowing the list lets you reach a command without first remembering its menu location.
This searchable route complements menus and shortcuts. Using it to find a command does not require assigning a shortcut. For changing and managing assignments, see Commands and Shortcuts.
Focused Menu
Help > Focused Menu provides a reduced set of interface choices for getting acquainted with FontLab. It hides selected advanced commands or options, presenting a smaller set to explore.
Focused Menu changes what is exposed; it does not change the underlying font model or remove the need to understand a task. This manual describes the full toolset. If a command mentioned here is missing, check whether Focused Menu is active before concluding that the feature is unavailable.
You can use the reduced mode temporarily while learning and turn it off as you need the broader set of commands.
Modal Dialogs
A modal dialog temporarily blocks interaction with the window or application it belongs to. You complete or dismiss the dialog before returning to that work. A panel, by contrast, normally stays available alongside the working area while you move between tasks.
Dialogs commonly serve three purposes:
| Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|
| Configure the application or workflow | Preferences, Export Profiles, Commands & Shortcuts, Manage Workspaces |
| Collect parameters for an operation | Export Font As, Build Glyphs, Add Component, Autotrace, Expand Contour, Actions |
| Set font information | Font Info, including the font’s names, dimensions, and other metadata |
The important distinction is what the dialog asks you to commit. Some fields describe settings for a later operation; other dialogs run an operation as soon as you confirm them. Read the action button and the surrounding explanation rather than treating every confirmation as equivalent.
An Apply button, where provided, can apply values while leaving the dialog open. OK commonly accepts the dialog and closes it. Cancel dismisses the pending interaction; it should not be treated as a general undo for actions already completed. The individual workflow explains any consequences that matter before you confirm.
Widgets
In this manual, a widget is a compact control overlay on the Glyph window's editing canvas. It brings a frequently used action or readout close to the drawing, for example a view adjustment or a control otherwise reached through a panel or bar.
Widgets help preserve space for the drawing while keeping those common side tasks accessible. They supplement the window and panel arrangement rather than defining a separate font-editing model. This canvas-widget category belongs to the Glyph window; it is not the same as a panel floating over a Font window or the Sketchboard.
Some widgets stay attached to a canvas edge. Others can be moved by a small title bar. A movable widget's close control hides it; after it has been moved, its pin control returns it to its default position. The Toolbox uses a dotted handle revealed on hover instead of the usual title bar.
After this widget is moved, its pin control is visible beside the close button. The pin returns it to its default position.
Controls and Numeric Inputs
Fields, buttons, and selectors are the smaller controls inside windows, panels, and dialogs. Text fields accept text, search fields find content, and code areas accept instructions. Dropdowns select alternatives; checkboxes enable options; radio buttons select one choice within a group.
Labels and context identify the target. A gear usually opens settings; Plus/Minus adds or removes items; Undo reverses a supported edit; Clear removes the relevant value or content. Load/Save concerns the panel's subject, not necessarily the entire font. Check the target before acting.
Numeric entry
A numeric input field accepts a value for its quantity. Select its text, enter a replacement, and press Enter. Use the associated unit: a size, angle, and interval give the same number different meanings.
Inactive fields may show fewer decimals than focused fields. That shortened display does not prove the stored value was rounded, but each field's precision and range still apply.
Many fields evaluate arithmetic with +, -, *, and /. For example, 300+50 gives 350, 300*1.2 gives 360, and 400/2 gives 200. To halve an existing 400, append /2; do not replace the selected number with the operator alone. Check the complete expression before confirming.
Some guide, hint, or zone thickness fields accept an end position prefixed by =. With a starting position of 700, =720 gives thickness 20. This meaning belongs to those thickness fields, not every numeric input.
Stepping and sliders
In fields supporting steps, Up/Down changes the value by one and Shift+Up/Down by ten. The field must have focus. A small arrow can open a slider; drag it while watching the result. Ctrl-drag gives finer adjustment in the standard slider.
A numeric field can open a labeled slider popup. This example adjusts an element’s X offset.
Icons and expressions
An integrated icon often identifies a field; a neighboring button performs an action. Some integrated icons also support adjustment gestures. Use Quick Help for the particular control instead of deciding from the icon's position alone.
Linked expressions have workflow-specific syntax; they may retain a relationship rather than calculate once. See Expressions and Parameters and Relational Spacing.