[scribus] Trouble getting text into frames; characters display as boxes

["Christoph Schäfer"]

Hi Bill,
-------- Original-Nachricht --------
> Datum: Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:59:40 -0400
> Von: Bill Flanagan <bill at flanaganphoto.com>
> An: scribus at lists.scribus.net
> Betreff: [scribus] Trouble getting text into frames;	characters display as boxes

> Hello,
> 
> Volunteered to prepare a mailer for a local museum.  Scribus 1.4.1 seems 
> like the best tool on my OpenSuse Linux (11.4, 32-bit) machine with KDE
> 4.6.
> 
> No trouble inserting 9 images in image frames.  I like the "adjust image 
> to frame feature."
> 
> Text is a problem.  Using default font settings the Story Editor doesn't 
> respond to anything but spaces after assigning the default style.  The 
> cursor stays in place when letter keys are pressed.  If a space is 
> pressed, the cursor moves and changes from a font-height line to a 
> shorter vertical line positioned as a superscript.  Double L-clicking on 
> the frame moves the cursor inside the frame where it behaves similarly.

While I'm not absolutely sure what you were trying to do, you should be aware of the fact that the Story Editor is in need of a rewrite, but I doubt that this is the source of your problem. A more detailed description of the issues would be appreciated to solve them. However, at first glance this looks to me like an issue with crappy fonts. Also note that the font you choose in the SE is only the display font in this dialogue, not the font being actually used in the text frame (and if both are broken or inadaequate -- see below --, you have a problem).

> 
> Tried several times to import text from a file, using file/import/Get 
> text.  This sometimes worked, but the text displayed as a series of 
> check boxes, one per character.  In direct edit, I could delete these 
> symbols but could not enter new text, not even more boxes.

The first part (i.e. small red rectangles) is to be expected, simply because your chosen font doesn't contain the necessary glyphs (and Adobe Pi doesn't, as it is a Math font). As to the second part, yes, there seems to be an issue (need to check the bugtracker if it has already been filed).

> 
> Went to File/Preferences/Fonts and unchecked the first entry, Adobe Pi 
> Std Regular.  Now nothing displays, not even boxes.

Go to File > Preferences > Tools (for new documents) or to File > Document Setup > Tools (for the already existing document) to specify a new default font for text. 

While I was writing this, it occured to me that maybe (just maybe) Scribus should offer an option to choose a font for the general default style during installation (Windows) or first launch (the other OSes), as well as an option to choose such a font in the New Document dialogue...


HTH,

Christoph