NAME

       sfddiff - compare two font files

SYNOPSIS

       sfddiff    [--help]    [--ignorehints]   [--ignorenames]   [--ignoregpos]   [--ignoregsub]
       [--ignorebitmaps] [--exact] [--warn] [--merge  outfile]  [--usage]  [--version]  fontfile1
       fontfile2

DESCRIPTION

       The  program  sfddiff compares two font files, which may be in any format fontforge(1) can
       read.  It will notice the following differences:

       1)     Characters are present in one font but not in the other.

       2)     Characters are present in both  fonts  but  have  different  sets  of  outlines  or
              references.   The outlines may be compared so that only exact matches are accepted,
              or so that a fuzzier match  is  used.   Similarly  references  may  need  to  match
              exactly, or may be matched after an unlink.

              This  fuzzy  comparison  is useful when comparing truetype and postscript fonts, or
              when comparing a font with references to one without.

       3)     The postscript hints or truetype instructions are different.

       4)     The font names (the truetype `name' table) differ.

       5)     The kerning (and other `gpos' information) differs.

       6)     The ligatures (and other `gsub' information) differ.

       7)     Any bitmap strikes present in one font but not in the other.

       8)     Any bitmap characters present in one strike of  one  font  but  in  the  equivalent
              strike of the other.

       9)     Any bitmap characters which differ.

OPTIONS

       --help Provide a description with a list of the available options.

       --ignorehints
              Suppress the reporting of hint/instruction differences.

       --ignoregpos
              Suppress the reporting of kerning (and other `gpos') differences.

       --ignoregsub
              Suppress the reporting of ligature (and other `gsub') differences.

       --ignorenames
              Suppress the reporting of name string differences.

       --ignorebitmaps
              Suppress the reporting of bitmap differences.

       --exact
              Require outlines to match exactly.

       --warn Warn if the outlines/references are slightly different.

       --merge outfile
              Store a merged version of the two fonts into the specified output file.  The merged
              data will be based on sfdfile1, as well as any characters present in  sfdfile2  but
              not  in  sfdfile1 will be added, and the outlines of sfdfile2 will be placed in the
              background.  Finally, for any characters with different outlines or references  the
              background  of  the  character  will contain the outlines from sfdfile2 (references
              will be unlinked into outlines and those outlines also will be added).

       --usage
              Display the usage description.

       --version
              Display the current version.

SEE ALSO

       fontforge(1)

       The HTML version of the fontforge manual at:

              http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/

AUTHOR

       Copyright  (C)  2000-2006  by  George  Williams  (gww@silcom.com).   Manual  page  heavily
       rewritten   and   modified   to   use   standard   -man(5)   macros   by   R.P.C.  Rodgers
       (rodgers@nlm.nih.gov), 23 October 2002.

                                           8 April 2006                                SFDDIFF(1)