Unicode font for swing components

Question

Hi all,
I'd like to set a Swing component (a JLabel) to a particular font so it will properly display Unicode Greek text. I've been reading all about physical vs. logical fonts, and I've read through the various Sun docs/faqs on Internationalization, Fonts, and Unicode, but I just can't get this to work. I think I'm missing something more basic here about selecting my font. My test word is the Greek "khairete," with an accent over the iota. Here is the Unicode:
\u03c7\u03b1\u1f77\u03c1\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5
The trick is that accented iota.
I can launch an xterm that shows the characters I want like this:
$ xterm -fn -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-120-100-100-c-90-iso10646-1 &
That tells me that if I can get Java to use that font, then I'm all set. I'm trying the following test program:
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;
import java.io.*;
public class GUI extends JFrame {
public static final String MESSAGE = "\u03c7\u03b1\u1f77\u03c1\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5";
public GUI() throws Exception {
super();
Font[] fonts;
Container container;
JLabel label;
fonts = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment().getAllFonts();
for (int j=0;j<fonts.length;j++) {
System.out.println(fonts[j]);
container = getContentPane();
container.setLayout(new GridLayout(0, 1));
// try with the default font
label = new JLabel(MESSAGE);
container.add(label);
printFont(label.getFont());
// see what the default font looks like when PLAIN (to compare with fonts below)
label = new JLabel(MESSAGE);
label.setFont(label.getFont().deriveFont(Font.PLAIN, 12));
container.add(label);
printFont(label.getFont());
// this looks the same as the default font, meaning we didn't find what we asked for.
label = new JLabel(MESSAGE);
label.setFont(new Font("-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-120-100-100-c-90-iso10646-1", Font.PLAIN, 12));
container.add(label);
printFont(label.getFont());
// this also falls back to the default.
label = new JLabel(MESSAGE);
label.setFont(Font.getFont("-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-120-100-100-c-90-iso10646-1"));
container.add(label);
printFont(label.getFont());
// this (of course) falls back to the default.
label = new JLabel(MESSAGE);
label.setFont(Font.getFont("not a font name"));
container.add(label);
printFont(label.getFont());
// try every font we've got!
for (int j = 0; j < fonts.length; j++) {
label = new JLabel(fonts[j] + ": " + MESSAGE);
label.setFont(fonts[j].deriveFont(Font.PLAIN, 12));
container.add(label);
setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
pack();
show();
public static void printFont(Font f) {
System.out.println(f);
if (f != null) {
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
GUI me = new GUI();
But nothing in this code succeedings in printing \u1f77. As I've said, the plain old xterm can do it. I think my problem is that I haven't successfully referenced the desired font in the Java code. But how do I do this? These are the fonts available to me, according to the code above:
java.awt.Font[family=Bitstream Charter,name=Bitstream Charter,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Bitstream Charter,name=Bitstream Charter Bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Bitstream Charter,name=Bitstream Charter Bold Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Bitstream Charter,name=Bitstream Charter Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Courier,name=Courier,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Courier 10 Pitch,name=Courier 10 Pitch,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Courier 10 Pitch,name=Courier 10 Pitch Bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Courier 10 Pitch,name=Courier 10 Pitch Bold Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Courier 10 Pitch,name=Courier 10 Pitch Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Courier,name=Courier Bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Courier,name=Courier Bold Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Courier,name=Courier Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Cursor,name=Cursor,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Bright,name=Lucida Bright Demibold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Bright,name=Lucida Bright Demibold Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Bright,name=Lucida Bright Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Bright,name=Lucida Bright Regular,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Sans,name=Lucida Sans Demibold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Sans,name=Lucida Sans Demibold Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Sans,name=Lucida Sans Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Sans,name=Lucida Sans Regular,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Sans Typewriter,name=Lucida Sans Typewriter Bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Sans Typewriter,name=Lucida Sans Typewriter Bold Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Sans Typewriter,name=Lucida Sans Typewriter Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Lucida Sans Typewriter,name=Lucida Sans Typewriter Regular,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Mono,name=Luxi Mono Bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Mono,name=Luxi Mono Bold Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Mono,name=Luxi Mono Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Mono,name=Luxi Mono Regular,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Sans,name=Luxi Sans Bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Sans,name=Luxi Sans Bold Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Sans,name=Luxi Sans Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Sans,name=Luxi Sans Regular,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Serif,name=Luxi Serif Bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Serif,name=Luxi Serif Bold Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Serif,name=Luxi Serif Oblique,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Luxi Serif,name=Luxi Serif Regular,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Utopia,name=Utopia Bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Utopia,name=Utopia Bold Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Utopia,name=Utopia Italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=Utopia,name=Utopia Regular,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=dialog,name=dialog,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=dialog,name=dialog.bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=dialog,name=dialog.bolditalic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=dialog,name=dialog.italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=dialoginput,name=dialoginput,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=dialoginput,name=dialoginput.bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=dialoginput,name=dialoginput.bolditalic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=dialoginput,name=dialoginput.italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=monospaced,name=monospaced,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=monospaced,name=monospaced.bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=monospaced,name=monospaced.bolditalic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=monospaced,name=monospaced.italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=sansserif,name=sansserif,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=sansserif,name=sansserif.bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=sansserif,name=sansserif.bolditalic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=sansserif,name=sansserif.italic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=serif,name=serif,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=serif,name=serif.bold,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=serif,name=serif.bolditalic,style=plain,size=1]
java.awt.Font[family=serif,name=serif.italic,style=plain,size=1]
javax.swing.plaf.FontUIResource[family=Dialog,name=Dialog,style=bold,size=12]
java.awt.Font[family=Dialog,name=Dialog,style=plain,size=12]
java.awt.Font[family=dialog,name=-misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-120-100-100-c-90-iso10646-1,style=plain,size=12]
javax.swing.plaf.FontUIResource[family=Dialog,name=Dialog,style=plain,size=12]
javax.swing.plaf.FontUIResource[family=Dialog,name=Dialog,style=plain,size=12]
Apparently, I need to use the correct "name" to specify the font. So my next try was this:
$ xlsfonts -ll -fn -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-120-100-100-c-90-iso10646-1
name: -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-120-100-100-c-90-iso10646-1
direction: left to right
indexing: matrix
rows: 0x00 thru 0x30 (0 thru 48)
columns: 0x00 thru 0xff (0 thru 255)
all chars exist: no
default char: 0x0000 (0)
ascent: 14
descent: 4
font type: Character Cell
bounds: width left right asc desc attr keysym
min 9 0 0 -3 -13 0x0000
max 9 8 9 14 4 0x0000
properties: 23
FONTNAME_REGISTRY
FOUNDRY Misc
FAMILY_NAME Fixed
WEIGHT_NAME Medium
SLANT R
SETWIDTH_NAME Normal
ADD_STYLE_NAME
PIXEL_SIZE 18
POINT_SIZE 120
RESOLUTION_X 100
RESOLUTION_Y 100
SPACING C
AVERAGE_WIDTH 90
CHARSET_REGISTRY ISO10646
CHARSET_ENCODING 1
COPYRIGHT Public domain font. Share and enjoy.
XMBDFEDINFO 654
CAP_HEIGHT 10
X_HEIGHT 7
FONT -Misc-Fixed-Medium-R-Normal--18-120-100-100-C-90-ISO10646-1
WEIGHT 10
RESOLUTION 138
QUAD_WIDTH 9
name: -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--18-120-100-100-c-90-iso10646-1
direction: left to right
indexing: matrix
rows: 0x00 thru 0x30 (0 thru 48)
columns: 0x00 thru 0xff (0 thru 255)
all chars exist: no
default char: 0x0000 (0)
ascent: 14
descent: 4
font type: Character Cell
bounds: width left right asc desc attr keysym
min 9 0 0 -3 -13 0x0000
max 9 8 9 14 4 0x0000
properties: 23
FONTNAME_REGISTRY
FOUNDRY Misc
FAMILY_NAME Fixed
WEIGHT_NAME Medium
SLANT R
SETWIDTH_NAME Normal
ADD_STYLE_NAME
PIXEL_SIZE 18
POINT_SIZE 120
RESOLUTION_X 100
RESOLUTION_Y 100
SPACING C
AVERAGE_WIDTH 90
CHARSET_REGISTRY ISO10646
CHARSET_ENCODING 1
COPYRIGHT Public domain font. Share and enjoy.
XMBDFEDINFO 654
CAP_HEIGHT 10
X_HEIGHT 7
FONT -Misc-Fixed-Medium-R-Normal--18-120-100-100-C-90-ISO10646-1
WEIGHT 10
RESOLUTION 138
QUAD_WIDTH 9
(Yes, xlsfonts prints two entries.)
Here is a bit more data:
[pjungwir@mccurdy unicode_gui]$ uname -a
Linux mccurdy.nfic.com 2.4.18-14 #1 Wed Sep 4 13:35:50 EDT 2002 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
[pjungwir@mccurdy unicode_gui]$ cat /etc/redhat-release
Red Hat Linux release 8.0 (Psyche)
[pjungwir@mccurdy unicode_gui]$ java -version
java version "1.4.2_01"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_01-b06)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2_01-b06, mixed mode)
If anyone has any suggestions, I would really appreciate it. I'd like to find an answer that doesn't involve editing the font.properties file.
Thanks,
--Paul

Answer 1

Hi Sojan,
first up, forget the notion of even tinkering with the font.properties file if you can. It's an old, outdated method of setting up the fonts that Sun doesn't even support any more. Use setFont() where you can, and die trying in the process! ;-)
One thing I would check is which font each AWT component currently thinks it has. It's easy enough to set the font system wide with Swing components, but I'm not sure if that capability extends to AWT components (I've certainly had trouble with it in various places in the past). While you've set up the Chinese font correctly, your AWT components might still be stuck with the Java default (Helvetica, or whatever it is, which is incapable of displaying Chinese), and hence displaying the rectangles because they don't know how to handle the foreign characters. You might need to set SimSun as the font for each of your AWT components individually at a worst-case scenario.
Hope that helps,
Martin Hughes