py311-fontfeatures

Python library for manipulating OpenType font features

OpenType fonts are "programmed" using features, which are normally authored in Adobe's feature file format. This like source code to a computer program: it's a user-friendly, but computer-unfriendly, way to represent the features. Inside a font, the features are compiled in an efficient internal format. This is like the binary of a computer program: computers can use it, but they can't do else anything with it, and people can't read it. The purpose of this library is to provide a middle ground for representing features in a machine-manipulable format, kind of like the abstract syntax tree of a computer programmer. This is so that: - features can be represented in a structured human-readable and machine-readable way, analogous to the XML files of the Unified Font Object format. - features can be more directly authored by programs (such as font editors), rather than them having to output AFDKO feature file format. - features can be easily manipulated by programs - for example, features from two files merged together, or lookups moved between languages.