Font problem with LabVIEW for Linux

[GabrielaK]

Hello,
I have problems with my VIs under Linux. In LabVIEW for Windows, I am using "Arial" as the font for all indicators, controls and text boxes on the front panel because I realized that using the "Application", "System" or "Dialog" font resulted in text overlaps on different computers. I am aware of the fact that NI recommends to use these fonts to prevent such problems, but in my case using "Arial" does always give the correct front panel view on all computers that I tested so far.
Now, when I open my VIs under Linux, the normal font is displayed correctly, but all bold text is not readable at all. There are only boxes displayed instead of letters. How can I prevent this without switching the font to "Application", "System" or
"Dialog"? Is there a general way to tell LabVIEW for Linux which font to use if Arial is not present, maybe by using kind of an .ini file or something?
Please help.
Thanks a lot in advance,
best regards,
Gabs

[Robert H.]

Hello

do you have the "msttcorefonts" package installed?
if not try this. it belongs do the distribution, how you get it. in debian for example simply with "apt-get install msttcorefonts"
here is a tutorial for suse:
msttcorefonts for suse

hope this helps,
robert h.
national instruments

[GabrielaK]

Hello Robert,
thanks for your answer. Unfortunately, our Linux specialist is on holiday now for two weeks. I will let you know if your suggestion solves our problem or not when he is back.
Best regards,
Gabs

[GabrielaK]

Uh - LATE reply, I am so sorry that I missed to respond as promised. Actually, Roberts hint was very helpful, as this package really has a Arial type font. But it didn't solve our problem, because our VIs still looked and look terrible. The fonts are just much too large and overlap. I am aware that I should have used "Applications" font instead of Arial, but then we would have had those annoying problems under Windows. So, still, after 3 years, no real solution for that except changing the font for each single VI...

Gabs

[tst]

You wouldn't have to have those problems under Windows, because you can set the application font to be Arial in the INI file.

For what it's worth, you can write a VI which will go over all the strings in a front panel and change their font to the app font, but I would warn against that, because you might have some custom font sizes.

[GabrielaK]

Hi,

that's the problem. Almost all VIs use at least a bold headline, and some custom font sizes. I don't think that this is something very special about my VIs, as this is a normal way to customize your front panel. So, the idea with the .ini file is good but it does not help here. Also, it would affect ALL LabVIEW VIs (as we do not distribute an application which could have its own .ini file) and I am not sure if our customers would like this... So it looks like every solution has its own problems and drawbacks. For Windows we decided many years ago that using Arial as a fixed font would be best. Now we have the problem with Linux...

Gabs

[Wiebe@CARYA]

Perhaps this has nothing to do with the subject, but I'll tell it anyway.


We had problems installing true type font on LabVIEW / Linux. Linux had no problems with the fonts, all packages except LabVIEW could use the fonts.


After hours of debugging (not done by me, I know little about Linux), we found LabVIEW could not use the fonts because of a paging fault (?). The fonts where converted with postscript, I think, and then worked.


(LabVIEW 8.2, CentOS 4)


Regards,


Wiebe.