fstobdf

fstobdf [-s server] [-id font-id]

-s server
    Specifies the X font server to connect to. The server is typically given as hostname:port (e.g., localhost:7100). If omitted, fstobdf checks the FONTSERVER environment variable or defaults to unix:7100.

-id font-id
    Specifies the X Logical Font Description (XLFD) of the font to be extracted. If this option is not provided, fstobdf uses a default font (e.g., -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--10-100-75-75-c-60-iso8859-1).

fstobdf is a utility program from the X.Org font server (xfs) suite. Its primary function is to extract a font directly from an X Font Server and output it to standard output in the Bitmap Distribution Format (BDF). This is particularly useful for scenarios where the original BDF file for a specific font is not readily available, but the font is accessible via an X Font Server. It also serves as a diagnostic tool, allowing users to inspect the glyphs and properties of fonts served by xfs.

The command connects to a specified font server, requests a font using its X Logical Font Description (XLFD), and then generates the BDF representation. This capability facilitates the archiving, sharing, or re-creation of BDF files from fonts managed by an X Font Server.

Not all X Font Servers fully support the GetFont request for all font properties, which might lead to incomplete BDF output for certain fonts or servers. This command is part of the older X.Org font server utilities and might not be present by default on modern Linux distributions that primarily rely on Fontconfig/FreeType for font management.

The FONTSERVER environment variable can be used to specify the default font server if the -s option is not provided. Its value should be in the format hostname:port.

The output generated by fstobdf is in the Bitmap Distribution Format (BDF), a standard ASCII representation of bitmap fonts. This format can then be used by other font utilities or for direct inclusion in font packages.

The fstobdf command emerged as part of the X Window System's font infrastructure, specifically tied to the X Font Server (xfs). In the early days of X, fonts were managed centrally by font servers, and utilities like fstobdf were crucial for manipulating and converting these server-side fonts. Its development aligns with the X11R5 and X11R6 eras of the X Window System when xfs was a prominent component for serving bitmap fonts to X clients. While modern X environments often rely more on client-side font rendering libraries like FreeType and Fontconfig, fstobdf remains available for legacy systems or specific use cases involving X Font Servers.

xfs(1), bdftopcf(1), showfont(1), xlsfonts(1)