# update-fonts-alias - compile fonts.alias files - man(8) - [phpMan]

[_update-fonts-alias_(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/update-fonts-alias/8/markdown)                  System Manager's Manual                 [_update-fonts-alias_(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/update-fonts-alias/8/markdown)

## NAME
       update-fonts-alias - compile fonts.alias files

## SYNOPSIS
       **update-fonts-alias **[_OPTION_] _directory_ _..._

## DESCRIPTION
       **update-fonts-alias  **assembles  a  _fonts.alias_  file  in an X font directory using one or more
       alias files found in a subdirectory of _/etc/X11/fonts/_.  It is typically  invoked  only  from
       the  post-installation and post-removal scripts of a _package_ containing X Window System fonts
       that provide aliases for their XLFD names, but may be invoked  at  any  time  to  reconstruct
       _fonts.alias_  files.  For each _directory_, which is simply the last component of its path (such
       as ‘75dpi’ or ‘misc’),  **update-fonts-alias  **will  assemble  either  _/usr/lib/X11/fonts/_direc‐
       tory_/fonts.alias_  or  _/usr/share/fonts/X11/_directory_/fonts.alias_  from  the  files  found  in
       _/etc/X11/fonts/_directory_/_package_.alias_.

       This enables multiple packages to provide aliases for fonts in the same directory.   No  font
       package actually provides the _fonts.alias_ file in the X font directory itself, so there is no
       danger of overwriting one package's aliases with those of another.

       For  instance,  the  two packages ‘xfonts-base’ and ‘xfonts-base-transcoded’ may both install
       fonts into the directory _/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc_.  They each place their _fonts.alias_ files in
       _/etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base.alias_  and   _/etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base-transcoded.alias_
       (respectively).   **update-fonts-alias **concatenates these two files (as well as any others that
       match _/etc/X11/fonts/misc/*.alias_) into _/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.alias_.

       The format of _fonts.alias_ files is described in the [**mkfontdir**(1x)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mkfontdir/1x/markdown) manual page.

       An example of how to use **update-fonts-alias **in package maintainer scripts is provided in  the
       Debian Policy Manual.

## OPTIONS
### -h --help 

## OPERANDS
       **update-fonts-alias  **takes one or more X font directory names to operate on as operands.  Only
       the final path component of the directory name should be specified; e.g.,
              **update-fonts-alias 75dpi**
       is correct, while ‘**update-fonts-alias /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi**’ and ‘**update-fonts-alias**
       **/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi**’ are not.

## ENVIRONMENT
       **COLUMNS**
              indicates the width of the terminal device in character cells.  This value is used for
              formatting diagnostic messages.  If not set, the terminal is queried using [**stty**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/stty/1/markdown)  to
              determine its width.  If that fails, a value of ‘80’ is assumed.

## DIAGNOSTICS
### Errors
### usage error: one or more font directories must be provided
              **update-fonts-alias  **was invoked without operands.  Supply one or more X font directory
              names to operate on.

### usage error: unrecognized option
              **update-fonts-alias **was invoked with an unrecognized option argument.  Use only the op‐
              tions documented in “OPTIONS”, above.

### fatal error: path to X font directory must be used
              A directory name was supplied that was not an X font directory name.   Supply  X  font
              directory names only.

### Warnings
       **warning: absolute path _**directory_ **was provided**
              Usage of absolute paths is deprecated.  Use only the final component of the X font di‐
              rectory name for _directory_.

       **warning: _**directory_ **does not exist or is not a directory**
              The supplied _directory_ was invalid.  **update-fonts-alias **skipped it.

## EXIT STATUS
       0      **update-fonts-alias **ran successfully.

       1      **update-fonts-alias  **experienced  a fatal error; see the section on diagnostic messages
              above.

       2      **update-fonts-alias **was invoked with invalid arguments.

## BUGS
       See the Debian Bug Tracking System ⟨<https://bugs.debian.org/xfonts-utils>⟩.  If  you  wish  to
       report a bug in **update-fonts-alias**, please see _/usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt_ or the
       [**reportbug**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/reportbug/1/markdown) command.

## AUTHOR
       **update-fonts-alias **was written by Branden Robinson.

## SEE ALSO
       [**mkfontdir**(1x)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mkfontdir/1x/markdown)

Debian Project                               2004-11-11                        [_update-fonts-alias_(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/update-fonts-alias/8/markdown)