Font Generator in GTTProject

[mtpace]

We have been having some issues using the Font Generator in GTTProject (all versions). When trying to save any new font, the program either give the "Error compiling font!" dialog or crashes the whole program. Has anyone else had success using this portion of the tool? Thanks!

[Ray]

just of out curiosity can you install/copy the tool outside the program files folder does the error go away?

[mpetty]

just of out curiosity can you install/copy the tool outside the program files folder does the error go away?

When he did, it went away. Don't know why he didn't post an update Thanks for the fix.

[mpetty]

just of out curiosity can you install/copy the tool outside the program files folder does the error go away?

When he did, it went away. Don't know why he didn't post an update Thanks for the fix.

Yea, that fix isn't working on our computer that we have our displays hooked up to. I've tried multiple different fonts, and I always get a crash. I've tried it in directory, out of directory, etc.

[Clark]

Hi Mike,

Sorry to hear the previous fix is not working. We do have a new release of GTT Tools out today, in addition to the firmware release. Please download revision 1.0.0.40 and install outside of your program files.

If you can post each basic step you take before the program crashes, we'll have a chance to duplicate here. I believe you're using firmware 1.0.2.3066, if that's not the case let me know.

Thanks,
~Troy

[mpetty]

Hi Mike,

Sorry to hear the previous fix is not working. We do have a new release of GTT Tools out today, in addition to the firmware release. Please download revision 1.0.0.40 and install outside of your program files.

If you can post each basic step you take before the program crashes, we'll have a chance to duplicate here. I believe you're using firmware 1.0.2.3066, if that's not the case let me know.

Thanks,
~Troy

Uninstall all previous versions. Installed 1.0.0.40 to C:\MO. Run the Project, click on Font Generation tab. Select Write Font To Disk, select C:\ and watch it crash. Got the debugger hooked in to give me this error.

It also does it for any other font type I select or output directory.

No matter what I do, whether selecting a new font or clicking checkboxes, etc I never get anything to happen in the start and end character table, which I assume that it should....

Code: Select all

************** Exception Text **************
System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception (0x80004005): The system cannot find the file specified
   at System.Diagnostics.Process.StartWithShellExecuteEx(ProcessStartInfo startInfo)
   at System.Diagnostics.Process.Start()
   at System.Diagnostics.Process.Start(ProcessStartInfo startInfo)
   at GTTCore.Fonts.FontBuilder.GenerateTinyFont()
   at GTTCore.Fonts.FontBuilder.Run(String filename)
   at GTTCore.Fonts.FontPanel.SaveFont(String filename)
   at GTTCore.Fonts.FontPanel.button2_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.OnClick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.OnMouseUp(MouseEventArgs mevent)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WmMouseUp(Message& m, MouseButtons button, Int32 clicks)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.ButtonBase.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Button.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnMessage(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

[mpetty]

Are these just renamed tiny fonts? Because if so, I can just generate my fonts with the ,Net Micro framework tools. I've tested those, and the tiny font tool GUI works to create tiny fonts for me.

[Ray]

They are and they are not, The microframework lacks the ability to load fonts from the SD card, so we had to wrap them in a small assembly.

Since you seem like a guy who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty, I'll attach a small project with the bits of the GTT Project tool that does the work needed. As long as you are able to generate a .fontdef file for TFConvert you should be good to go.

Does this project work for you?

[mpetty]

They are and they are not, The microframework lacks the ability to load fonts from the SD card, so we had to wrap them in a small assembly.

Since you seem like a guy who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty, I'll attach a small project with the bits of the GTT Project tool that does the work needed. As long as you are able to generate a .fontdef file for TFConvert you should be good to go.

Does this project work for you?

That would work. I can also create the tinyfont too if necessary.

I would say that Microsoft should fire the creator of TFConvert.exe because it's such a horrible tool, but then again, it looks like they probably did considering the lack of updates and bug fixes...

[Ray]

Hey its not nearly crashing as much as it did with 2.x or 3.x

[mpetty]

Hey its not nearly crashing as much as it did with 2.x or 3.x

Well, that's good. Too bad it doesn't really produce any output to tell you what's happening. Running it from the command line, I can pretty much type whatever I want and it just silently either does or does not do something.

While you're on the forums, I'll bug you some more Since this is a .Net Micro device, is it possible to get a load to set it up as a sideshow enabled device? Just a SideShow Bitmap Driver mode would be pretty nice. I'm already rendering everything I need locally at the proper resolution, so just sending that out as a bitmap would be cool. Don't know how fast it is though...I also don't know how much extra the SideShow SDK for the NMF costs in terms of firmware space and processing power, but that would be pretty cool. Especially if there's enough RAM to load up two 480x272 images it could double-buffer nicely. That leads me on one of my other tangents though, with respect to generating and caching jpgs or bmps of adjacent screens that I could tack them on and make the swiping between screens scroll across as they swipe, much more like you see in the mobile phone world's home screen swiping.

I'd really like to get my hands dirty and actually write some .Net Micro code for the guy and create and compile my own images, but you guys probably have a lot proprietary code locked up in there, well at least in the CLR and base class library layer (although parts of the base class are really what I'm wanting to dive in and mess with).

[Ray]

Actually the MF does a rather good job at seperating the actual hardware driver code and the managed application you don't have to worry about the TFT at all in managed code, just new up a bitmap and off you go.

We do want to allow customers at some point in the future to write their own C# applications and replace the stock GTT code we ship. However given our primary customers are ones with small embedded systems that want an easy way to provide gui from their limited resources (mostly small embedded cpu's as pics and atmega's that sort of stuff) this was not a priority.

So official support for that we're planning to provide in the future (time table not set yet) unoficially I can't promise anything but lets take this conversation off the forums.

[mpetty]

sounds good.