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macromedia players flash : Fonts in flashplayer for Linux


viriketo
2/16/2005 2:38:41 PM
Hi! In my computer I've always had problems with flash and fonts. The same
problem happened in flash 6, and also in 7.

In many flash applications I cannot see text strings. For example, even in the
'Settings' dialog, I cannot see any text string. I see like there wasn't text.

I have a good configuration of font-config (with many fonts), and I use a
remote X font server (also with lots of fonts).

Can someone give a clue about solving that?

- I'm using flash in Firefox and in Opera 7.54. The problem appears in both of
them.

Thanks!
mrgoose
2/26/2005 6:15:49 PM
This is not a solution... but a little help in trying to solve the problem.

[ A user has experienced the problem with "wimpy player" which utilizes
dynamic text, and is unable to see the text in the player.
(www.wimpyplayer.com) ]

Hmm. Interesting. Flash handles text in two ways: 1) you can "embed" the font
into the swf. 2) you can cause the swf to use a kind of "default" text -- much
like in HTML, where you can specify "Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif." Wimpy
utilizes the latter. Under this type of font display method, the swf/plugin is
dependent on comparable fonts within the end-users system. I have no idea how
the plugin actually makes the connection to the system to grab the proper
font... One would think that there is a default action in the plugin to use a
"fail-safe" font in the case that the requested font is not available -- i know
this type of behavior is in the windows and mac plugins.

What i might do to troubleshoot is ensure that "Arial", "Helvetica" or
"sans-serif" is defined within the OS... paying special attention to the upper
/ lower case of the font definitions and/or the dash between the sans-serif.
You might want to do a little testing with straight HTML. WHat i mean by this
is create some basic HTML that references "Arial", "Helvetica" or "sans-serif"
-- such as:

<p><font face="Arial">Test Type - Arial</font>
viriketo
2/28/2005 12:17:39 AM
I know about that... in my system there is Arial, Helvetica, and sans-serif.
Arial, for example, is in multiple styles font-config and in the X server.
Also Helvetica. Pri 'sans-serif'... mi havas "Microsoft Sans Serif".
All of them, in fc and in the x server.

I don't know where the error can be. As I said, even the dialog for
configuring flash has no text.

Thanks for your answer!
raulb
5/17/2005 12:00:00 AM
The same for me, some fonts appear to be invisble. Im sure that I have fonts, a
lot of fonts, perhaps the problem is that I have too many fonts.

Some page doen't render the text, and the flash config panel doesnt show text
too.

I use debian linux and galeon (mozilla)
zucker4
5/30/2005 7:54:45 AM
Hi all!

I expirience the same problem too ! For example macromedia's site menu don't
show text.... And some other sites too.
Have also many fonts installed, do not have any problems except of this.

I use Debian Sarge, Mozilla latest, Flash 7...

:-(
mikygee
10/21/2005 12:00:00 AM
Hello, I have the same problem too, I use debian with firefox.
I cannot see anything from this page

http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_man
ager04.html
So i'm unable to configure this flash player
zucker4
10/21/2005 12:00:00 AM
Well, i tried your link - and I still have the problem.
Heh...
But, it don't troubled me the whole time :-)
mikygee
10/21/2005 12:00:00 AM
I think I have found the solution

# strings /usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/plugins/libflashplayer.so | grep fonts
/fonts.dir
find /usr/share/fonts/ -name fonts.dir
find /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts -name fonts.dir
winfonts

As you see we need winfonts

I use debian therefore
apt-get install msttcorefonts

I restarted the xfs server in case i had to.

Things work now.

Let me know if this solved the problem for you. :beer;
viriketo
10/21/2005 10:12:55 PM
Cool that you could solve the problem... I already said that I do have
'corefonts' installed and working, but I still don't get the flash player text
working.

Do you use fontconfig or only x server fonts?

Thanks!
mikygee
10/22/2005 12:00:00 AM
viriketo
10/22/2005 8:30:46 AM
SOLVEEED!!!!!!!!!

The solution was posted in the Gentoo forums:
http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-196111-highlight-flash+fonts.html

It seems that the Flash Player cannot understand the file "/etc/X11/fs/config"
if there is a new line after "catalonge =". So, next to the = sign, there MUST
be the first directory.
mikygee, I bet your debian automatic installation changed that 'config' file
that way. :)

It works it works it works! It's like miracle, after so mane years ;)

zucker44
11/23/2005 8:43:48 PM
Indeed, that was the solution to all problems... :-)
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