Create RPMs of Your Fonts

Optimal Use of Fonts on Linux
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# 6. Create RPMs of Your Fonts

Do not just throw `.ttf` files someplace on your system. It makes migrations more difficult, and makes a big mess in your computer. Package management software like RPM lets you easily install your fonts in an organized standard way, manage font upgrades, and make massive font distribution a piece of cake.

Here we'll provide templates and instructions for you to easily build RPM packages of your fonts. We'll accept contributions with instructions to build different types of packages.

## 6.1. Step 1: Prepare Your Environment to Build The Package

To build RPMs, you need a special structure of directories and some configurations on your environment. You should do everything as a regular user, in all steps. In fact, we recommend that you do not do this as root.

To create this directories, do this:

    bash$ cd ~
    bash$ mkdir -p src/rpm
    bash$ cd src/rpm
    bash$ cp -r /usr/src/redhat/* .
    bash$ ls
    BUILD/  RPMS/  SOURCES/  SPECS/  SRPMS/
    bash$

(the "~" is an alias to the current user's home directory name, and the command line knows it should interpret it this way)

Of course this is on a Red Hat system, but the important point is to have the following directories under `src/rpm`:

- `BUILD/`

- `RPMS/noarch/`

- `SRPMS/`

Then, you'll have to create the `.rpmmacros` file in you home directory, with this single line content:

    %_topdir        YOUR_HOME_DIR_HERE/src/rpm

And you should substitute `YOUR_HOME_DIR_HERE` with the absolute name of your `$HOME` directory. So as an example, my `.rpmmacros` file contains this line:

    %_topdir        /home/aviram/src/rpm

## 6.2. Step 2: Prepare the Fonts Files to Package

Now you must think about a name for your font collection. To make things easy in this documentation, we'll use the name `myfonts` from now on. Then you must create a directory named `~/src/myfonts/myfonts` (yes, `myfonts` two times) and put all your `.ttf` files right under it. So you'll have something like:

    bash$ cd ~/src
    bash$ find myfonts/myfonts/

    myfonts/myfonts/
    myfonts/myfonts/font1.ttf
    myfonts/myfonts/font2.ttf
    myfonts/myfonts/font3.ttf
    ...

## 6.3. Step 3: Create a `.spec` File With This Template

To build an RPM package you'll have to create a `.spec` file that provides instructions to the package builder on how to organize the files, package description, author, copyright, etc. We provide a template here that you can use to start your work. The template looks like this:

Example 1. The `.spec` file template

    Name: myfonts
    Summary: Collection of My Funny Fonts
    Version: 1.1
    Release: 1
    License: GPL
    Group: User Interface/X
    Source: %{name}.tar.gz
    BuildRoot: %{_tmppath}/build-root-%{name}
    BuildArch: noarch
    Requires: freetype
    Packager: Avi Alkalay <avi unix sh>
    Prefix: /usr/share/fonts
    Url: http://myfonts.com/

    %description
    These are the fonts used in our marketing campaign, designed by our marketing agency specially for us.
    The package includes the following fonts: Font 1, Font 2, Font 3, Font 4.

    %prep

    %setup -q -n %{name}

    %build

    %install
    mkdir -p $RPM_BUILD_ROOT/%{prefix}
    cp -r %{name}/ $RPM_BUILD_ROOT/%{prefix}

    %clean
    rm -rf $RPM_BUILD_ROOT

    %files
    %defattr(-,root,root,0755)
    %{prefix}/%{name}

    %post
    {
    	if test -x /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.fonts ; then
    		# This is a SUSE system. Use proprietary SuSE tools...
    		if test "$YAST_IS_RUNNING" != "instsys" ; then
    			if test -x /sbin/SuSEconfig -a -f /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.fonts ; then
    				/sbin/SuSEconfig --module fonts
    			else
    				echo -e "\nERROR: SuSEconfig or requested SuSEconfig module not present!\n" ; exit 1
    			fi
    		fi

    		if test -x /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.pango ; then
    			if test "$YAST_IS_RUNNING" != "instsys" ; then
    				if test -x /sbin/SuSEconfig -a -f /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.pango ; then
    					/sbin/SuSEconfig --module pango
    				else
    					echo -e "\nERROR: SuSEconfig or requested SuSEconfig module not present!\n" ; exit 1
    				fi
    			fi
    		fi
    	else
    		# Use regular open standards methods...
    		ttmkfdir -d %{prefix}/%{name} \
    			-o %{prefix}/%{name}/fonts.scale
    		umask 133
    		/usr/X11R6/bin/mkfontdir %{prefix}/%{name}
    		/usr/sbin/chkfontpath -q -a %{prefix}/%{name}
    		[ -x /usr/bin/fc-cache ] && /usr/bin/fc-cache
    	fi
    } &> /dev/null || :

    %preun
    {
    	if [ "$1" = "0" ]; then
    		cd %{prefix}/%{name}
    		rm -f fonts.dir fonts.scale fonts.cache*
    	fi
    } &> /dev/null || :

    %postun

    {
    	if test -x /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.fonts ; then
    		# This is a SUSE system. Use proprietary SuSE tools...
    		if test "$YAST_IS_RUNNING" != "instsys" ; then
    			if test -x /sbin/SuSEconfig -a -f /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.fonts ; then
    				/sbin/SuSEconfig --module fonts
    			else
    				echo -e "\nERROR: SuSEconfig or requested SuSEconfig module not present!\n" ; exit 1
    			fi
    		fi

    		if test -x /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.pango ; then
    			if test "$YAST_IS_RUNNING" != "instsys" ; then
    				if test -x /sbin/SuSEconfig -a -f /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.pango ; then
    					/sbin/SuSEconfig --module pango
    				else
    					echo -e "\nERROR: SuSEconfig or requested SuSEconfig module not present!\n" ; exit 1
    				fi
    			fi
    		fi
    	else
    		# Use regular open standards methods...
    		if [ "$1" = "0" ]; then
    			/usr/sbin/chkfontpath -q -r %{prefix}/%{name}
    		fi
    		[ -x /usr/bin/fc-cache ] && /usr/bin/fc-cache
    	fi
    } &> /dev/null || :

    %changelog
    * Sun Apr 15 2007 Avi Alkalay <avi unix sh> 1.1
    - Added support to SUSE on installation scriptlets
    * Thu Dec 14 2002 Avi Alkalay <avi unix sh> 1.0
    - Tested
    - Ready for deployment
    * Thu Dec 10 2002 Avi Alkalay <avi unix sh> 0.9
    - First version of the template

You must change the following items to meet your package characteristic's (leave everything else untouched):

  Put the name of your package or font collection here.
  Put a brief summary about your package here.
  The version of the package.
  The usage license of your package here.
  The name of the person responsible for this package here.
  URL to get more info about this package or fonts here. This entire line can be removed if there is no URL to point to.
  A more detailed description about this fonts here.
  The evolution history of this package here. Must follow this layout.

This file must be named as the name of the package - `myfonts.spec` in our example. And you must put it under the main directory of the package. So in the end we'll have something like this:

    bash$ cd ~/src
    bash$ find myfonts
    myfonts/
    myfonts/myfonts.spec
    myfonts/myfonts/
    myfonts/myfonts/font1.ttf
    myfonts/myfonts/font2.ttf
    myfonts/myfonts/font3.ttf
    ...

## 6.4. Step 4: Build It

We are almost ready to go. Next steps:

    bash$ cd ~/src
    bash$ tar -czvf myfonts.tar.gz myfonts
    bash$ rpmbuild -ta myfonts.tar.gz

Done (after seeing a lot of messages about the building process). So we basically created a `.tar.gz` containing all our font files and `myfonts.spec`, and then we used rpmbuild on it, that will look for `myfonts.spec` inside the archive and follow its instructions.

You'll find the generated RPM under `~/src/rpm/RPMS/noarch/` directory, and this is the file you'll deploy and install. Under `~/src/rpm/SRPMS/` you'll find the source RPM file, which you should backup if you need to regenerate the deployable RPM again in the future. When you'll need it, you should do:

    bash$ rpmbuild --rebuild myfonts-1.0-1.src.rpm

And the RPM file will be generated again.

For more information and advanced RPM packaging, read the Maximum RPM book, available in many formats in the rpm.org site.

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