Problem with Fontconfig and TrueType Fonts in Unstable?

[Scott Thatcher <thatcher@truman.edu>]

Hi, 

I'm writing with a question that I believe concerns fontconfig in 
unstable.  I've searched every combination of keywords in Google and
Google Groups that I can think of, but haven't found anything that can help
me.  Here's my situation:

I've tried to insert endashes, emdashes, curly quotes and other punctuation
using Insert Special Character... in KWord, and they show up as empty boxes
(regular characters are fine).  Other programs such as OpenOffice work fine. 

Here's a summary of the various systems on which I've tried this:

  Woody + KDE 3.1 + KWord 1.2.1 (both KDE and KWord from debs on KDE web site)
    xfree86: 4.1.0-16woody1 (using the built-in TrueType handling)
    KDE packages: 4:3.1.3-0woody1
    KWord:  1:1.2.1-0woody1
    OpenOffice 1.1.0
    Result:  I can find and insert these characters in KDE and in OpenOffice.

  Testing + enough Unstable to run KDE 3.1 from the official Debian debs
    xfree86: 4.2.1.2
    fontconfig: 2.2.1-1
    KDE packages: 4:3.1.3-1
    KWord: 1:1.2.92-1
    OpenOffice: 1.0.?
    Result:  KDE programs can't find the special characters, but OpenOffice
    can.

  Knoppix 3.3
    xfree86: 4.3.?
    fontconfig: 2.2.?
    KDE, KWord, OpenOffice: same as above
    Result:  KDE programs can't find the special characters, but OpenOffice 
        can.

Here's a longer explanation:

On my computer running Woody, KDE 3 and KWord 1.2.1 (both from the debs at the
KDE web site), I find the special punctuation characters for the Times New
Roman TrueType font (and other TrueType fonts as well) on Table 32 in the
"Select Character" dialog box in KWord.  I think they have codes like x2013,
x2014, etc.  The same kind of thing works in OpenOffice.org and other
applications. 

However, on my computer running a mixture of testing and unstable, which is
running KWord 1.2.92 from the official Debian unstable, the same characters
show up as empty squares on Table 32 of the "Select Character" dialog box.  I
can insert the empty squares, and when I print a document, the correct
characters appear, but with the wrong spacing.  OpenOffice has no problem
inserting the characters or printing them correctly.  In fact, I can cut an
emdash from my OpenOffice document and paste it into my KWord document,
and it will display and print correctly in KWord.  But, if I try to copy the
same character from one point to another inside my KWord document, the copy
appears again as a blank square.

I have the same problem running Knoppix 3.3, which also has KWord 1.2.92 and
OpenOffice.

Here's what I think might be going on:

It appears to me that there is some problem with how fontconfig (version
2.2.1-3) in unstable recognizes characters in TrueType fonts. 

The big difference between KWord and OpenOffice seems to be how they get their
font information from X.  In Knoppix 3.3, KWord and other KDE
applications appear to use fontconfig and Xft to get their font
information, while OpenOffice seems to use the built-in TrueType
handling in X.  The same appears to be true in my testing/unstable mixed
installation, except that my testing/unstable installation runs xfree86
4.2, which I don't believe relies on Xft.  On the other hand, there is
no fontconfig in my Woody installation, and it works fine.  That's why I
think it's a problem with fontconfig.

So, at this point, I'm stuck.  Is there anyone out there who has encountered
this problem, or---better yet---has a solution?  I'd really like to be able to
put the correct symbols in my document, and KWord 1.2.92 seems to be the only
open source software that has the combination of features I need to do my
project.  Thanks!

Scott Thatcher

-- 
Scott Thatcher
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Truman State University
thatcher@truman.edu