Preserve empty glyphs when applying defcon sort order through script

[StephenNixon]

Re: Can I apply a "smart sort" for Glyph Order via script?

I have a script to make suffixed (alternate) glyphs into non-suffixed ("default") glyphs.

However, without a sorting step, this places the new "default" glyph at the end of the glyph order.

When I apply a new glyph order, as suggested in the earlier thread posted above, it removes A) all template glyphs, and B) the /space glyph.

This is quite disruptive to a UFO, and means that I keep deleting spaces.

One workaround I can think of is:

• save the current glyphOrder as a list
• create a dictionary for empty glyphs
• checking through glyphs of a font
  • if a glyph has no contours
    • save its data to the dictionary. unicodes, width, inclusion in groups, inclusion in kerning pairs, maybe more (?)
• perform the glyph swap
• apply the sort order
• re-add the glyphs from the empty-glyphs dictionary
• re-assert the saved glyphOrder, and add the new glyph at the end

However, this feels a bit easy to mess up and possibly inefficient.

So, this leaves me with two questions:

1. Is there a way to cue the built-in "smart sort" feature from a script, as per the old, original question?

2. If not, is there a smarter way to save and restore the empty glyphs?

Thanks so much for any pointers!

[StephenNixon]

@gferreira said in Preserve empty glyphs when applying defcon sort order through script:

newGlyphOrder = f.naked().unicodeData.sortGlyphNames(f.templateGlyphOrder, sortDescriptors=[dict(type="cannedDesign", ascending=True, allowPseudoUnicode=True)])
f.templateGlyphOrder = newGlyphOrder

Oh, interesting!

Sure enough, changing glyphOrder to templateGlyphOrder fixed my script. It now works just as hoped. :)

Thanks so much for point out that difference to me!

[gferreira]

hi @StephenNixon,

try using f.templateGlyphOrder instead of f.glyphOrder for sorting:

f = CurrentFont()
newGlyphOrder = f.naked().unicodeData.sortGlyphNames(f.templateGlyphOrder, sortDescriptors=[dict(type="cannedDesign", ascending=True, allowPseudoUnicode=True)])
f.templateGlyphOrder = newGlyphOrder

see FontParts > RFont.templateGlyphOrder

ps. there are other RFont attributes related to template glyphs:

• f.templateGlyphs
• f.templateSelectedGlyphNames
• f.templateKeys