{ "mode": "man", "parameter": "update-fonts-scale", "section": "8", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/update-fonts-scale/8/json", "generated": "2026-10-07T22:38:25Z", "synopsis": "update-fonts-scale [OPTION] directory ...", "sections": { "NAME": { "content": "update-fonts-scale - generate fonts.scale files\n", "subsections": [] }, "SYNOPSIS": { "content": "update-fonts-scale [OPTION] directory ...\n", "subsections": [] }, "DESCRIPTION": { "content": "update-fonts-scale assembles a fonts.scale file in an X font directory using one or more\nscale 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 scalable fonts usable\nby the X Window System whose X LFD font names are not in the font files themselves, but may\nbe invoked at any time to reconstruct fonts.scale files. For each directory, which is either\nan absolute path to an X font directory or (preferably) simply the last component of its path\n(such as ‘75dpi’ or ‘misc’), update-fonts-scale will assemble either /usr/lib/X11/fonts/di‐\nrectory/fonts.scale or /usr/share/fonts/X11/directory/fonts.scale from the index files found\nat /etc/X11/fonts/directory/package.scale, where package is the name of the package in‐\nstalling the fonts.\n\nThis enables multiple packages to provide names for fonts in the same directory. No font\npackage actually provides the fonts.scale file in the X font directory itself, so there is no\ndanger of overwriting one package's font names with those of another.\n\nFor instance, the two packages ‘xfonts-scalable’ (real) and ‘xfonts-nifty’ (hypothetical) may\nboth install fonts into the directory /usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1. They each place their\nfonts.scale files in /etc/X11/fonts/Type1/xfonts-scalable.scale and\n/etc/X11/fonts/Type1/xfonts-nifty.scale (respectively). update-fonts-scale concatenates\nthese two files (as well as any others that match /etc/X11/fonts/Type1/*.scale) into\n/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/fonts.scale.\n\nThe format for fonts.scale files is given in the mkfontdir(1x) manual page.\n\nAn example of how to use update-fonts-scale 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-scale 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-scale 75dpi\nis correct, while ‘update-fonts-scale /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi’ and ‘update-fonts-scale\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\nDEBUG determines whether low-level diagnostic messages are issued to standard error output.\nA null (empty) or unset value indicates that they are not, and a non-null value indi‐\ncates that they are.\n", "subsections": [] }, "DIAGNOSTICS": { "content": "", "subsections": [ { "name": "Errors", "content": "" }, { "name": "usage error: one or more font directories must be provided", "content": "update-fonts-scale was invoked without operands. Supply one or more X font directory\nnames to operate on.\n" }, { "name": "usage error: unrecognized option", "content": "update-fonts-scale 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-scale skipped it.\n" }, { "name": "Notes", "content": "Notes are only displayed under special circumstances; see “ENVIRONMENT”. above.\n\nnote: index references nonexistent font file filename\nThe index file /etc/X11/fonts/directory/package.scale, refers to a nonexistent font\nfile, filename. This is normal when package has been removed, but not purged from the\nsystem. In other circumstances, it likely indicates an error in package.\n" } ] }, "EXIT STATUS": { "content": "0 update-fonts-scale ran successfully.\n\n1 update-fonts-scale experienced a fatal error; see the section on diagnostic messages\nabove.\n\n2 update-fonts-scale 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-scale, please see /usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt or the\nreportbug(1) command.\n", "subsections": [] }, "AUTHOR": { "content": "update-fonts-scale was written by Branden Robinson.\n", "subsections": [] }, "SEE ALSO": { "content": "mkfontdir(1x)\n\nDebian Project 2004-11-12 update-fonts-scale(8)", "subsections": [] } }, "summary": "update-fonts-scale - generate fonts.scale 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" } ] }