{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "update-fonts-alias",
    "section": "8",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/update-fonts-alias/8/json",
    "generated": "2026-10-06T04:08:21Z",
    "synopsis": "update-fonts-alias [OPTION] directory ...",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "update-fonts-alias - compile fonts.alias files\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "update-fonts-alias [OPTION] directory ...\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "update-fonts-alias  assembles  a  fonts.alias  file  in an X font directory using one or more\nalias files found in a subdirectory of /etc/X11/fonts/.  It is typically  invoked  only  from\nthe  post-installation and post-removal scripts of a package containing X Window System fonts\nthat provide aliases for their XLFD names, but may be invoked  at  any  time  to  reconstruct\nfonts.alias  files.  For each directory, which is simply the last component of its path (such\nas ‘75dpi’ or ‘misc’),  update-fonts-alias  will  assemble  either  /usr/lib/X11/fonts/direc‐\ntory/fonts.alias  or  /usr/share/fonts/X11/directory/fonts.alias  from  the  files  found  in\n/etc/X11/fonts/directory/package.alias.\n\nThis enables multiple packages to provide aliases for fonts in the same directory.   No  font\npackage actually provides the fonts.alias file in the X font directory itself, so there is no\ndanger of overwriting one package's aliases with those of another.\n\nFor  instance,  the  two packages ‘xfonts-base’ and ‘xfonts-base-transcoded’ may both install\nfonts into the directory /usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc.  They each place their fonts.alias files in\n/etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base.alias  and   /etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base-transcoded.alias\n(respectively).   update-fonts-alias concatenates these two files (as well as any others that\nmatch /etc/X11/fonts/misc/*.alias) into /usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.alias.\n\nThe format of fonts.alias files is described in the mkfontdir(1x) manual page.\n\nAn example of how to use update-fonts-alias in package maintainer scripts is provided in  the\nDebian Policy Manual.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-h --help",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-h",
                    "long": "--help"
                }
            ]
        },
        "OPERANDS": {
            "content": "update-fonts-alias  takes one or more X font directory names to operate on as operands.  Only\nthe final path component of the directory name should be specified; e.g.,\nupdate-fonts-alias 75dpi\nis correct, while ‘update-fonts-alias /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi’ and ‘update-fonts-alias\n/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi’ are not.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "ENVIRONMENT": {
            "content": "COLUMNS\nindicates the width of the terminal device in character cells.  This value is used for\nformatting diagnostic messages.  If not set, the terminal is queried using stty(1)  to\ndetermine its width.  If that fails, a value of ‘80’ is assumed.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DIAGNOSTICS": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "Errors",
                    "content": ""
                },
                {
                    "name": "usage error: one or more font directories must be provided",
                    "content": "update-fonts-alias  was invoked without operands.  Supply one or more X font directory\nnames to operate on.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "usage error: unrecognized option",
                    "content": "update-fonts-alias was invoked with an unrecognized option argument.  Use only the op‐\ntions documented in “OPTIONS”, above.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "fatal error: path to X font directory must be used",
                    "content": "A directory name was supplied that was not an X font directory name.   Supply  X  font\ndirectory names only.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "Warnings",
                    "content": "warning: absolute path directory was provided\nUsage of absolute paths is deprecated.  Use only the final component of the X font di‐\nrectory name for directory.\n\nwarning: directory does not exist or is not a directory\nThe supplied directory was invalid.  update-fonts-alias skipped it.\n"
                }
            ]
        },
        "EXIT STATUS": {
            "content": "0      update-fonts-alias ran successfully.\n\n1      update-fonts-alias  experienced  a fatal error; see the section on diagnostic messages\nabove.\n\n2      update-fonts-alias was invoked with invalid arguments.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "BUGS": {
            "content": "See the Debian Bug Tracking System ⟨https://bugs.debian.org/xfonts-utils⟩.  If  you  wish  to\nreport a bug in update-fonts-alias, please see /usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt or the\nreportbug(1) command.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHOR": {
            "content": "update-fonts-alias was written by Branden Robinson.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "mkfontdir(1x)\n\nDebian Project                               2004-11-11                        update-fonts-alias(8)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "update-fonts-alias - compile fonts.alias files",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "-h",
            "long": "--help",
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        }
    ],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "mkfontdir",
            "section": "1x",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mkfontdir/1x/json"
        }
    ]
}