Phoca Font
This feature is supported by following browsers:
* Firefox 3.5 or any later
* Opera 10 or any later
* Safari 3.1 or any later
* IE6, IE7, IE8 (in case, eot file is included) or any later
Since version 2.0 (Joomla! 1.6) Google Fonts are supported - it means, the font can be loaded from Google Font Directory (this can be faster and there is no need to install the font on the server)
Demo Joomla! 1.5
http://www.phoca.cz/demo/phoca-font-demo
Demo Joomla! 1.7:
http://www.phoca.cz/joomlademo/phoca-font
Hi, thank you for your review. The guides were updated:
Using Phoca Font Component (Quick Guide):
http://www.phoca.cz/documents/55-phoca-font-component/262-using-phoca-font-component-quick-guide
Making Own Font Ready For Phoca Font:
http://www.phoca.cz/documents/55-phoca-font-component/560-making-own-font-ready-for-phoca-font
Jan
The other thing not explained is that you can only use one font family and it takes over your default. I was hoping to upload 2-3 fonts and easily use them on specifically classes. If this is possible, then again, it's not explained.
Functionally, the component does indeed work great. The poor documentation and description are where the points are lost in my review.
Hi,
I have spent all the freetime of year 2010 with overwriting extensions for Joomla! 1.6 and was asking for help regarding documentation, etc.
"Google it" was thought, you should find on Google how to make CSS fonts. It is a common issue, in fact not related to Phoca Font.
Regarding XML - you got my answer that you only copy the XML from current Phoca Font file and will change to your own (name, author, etc.)
Yes it is possible to use more fonts in different classes, see the demo:
http://www.phoca.cz/joomlademo/phoca-font (3 different fonts)
So instead you will do the following:
- looking on Google to see how CSS fonts are working
- copying and changing the XML
- looking at Phoca Demo site to discover how to use different fonts in different classes
you spent your time with writing such review.
I am really overloaded with releasing free extensions. You can help the project if you will write documentation but not the way that you will review some extension because the documantation is not complete :-(
Mostly users find the way how to do it, but instead they will write how they did it (some documentation or guide), they will make negative review.
I really don't understand it.
Not sure, if I should repeat it, but I am really overloaded and if you want to help the project, write documentation instead of writing negative review.
Thank you for understanding.
"to be modify, write XML, and re-zip for uploading to work"
Is this some kind of humor, you really don't expect that I will spend my freetime (which I can spend with adding new features into the component) with writing documentation, how to:
- modify text (XML) files
- ZIP (Re-ZIP) files
- etc. :-(
The basic premise is fantastic: you can set your site to display in a particular font and, even if the end user does not have that font installed locally, it will still display in the same font. That is awesome for those that have a publishing background. Personally, I'm not too bothered about the font that I see, but I know other people who are. When CSS was introduced around 15 years ago, there was great excitement that you could specify the font - but it only worked if the end-user had the font installed locally. That's why font-family became used instead. Obviously I missed out the declaration that fonts can be installed server-side . . . and so have a lot of others, otherwise it would be part of core Joomla and/or included in templates. So this extension is a fantastic concept.
Now the (minor) let-downs:-
1) I understand Jan's comment that he wants to concentrate on development rather than writing instructions that are already widely available on the internet. On the other hand, paul.mason's comment is fantastically succinct and saved me a lot of googling time. Only problem is that the instructions were basically to replace a pre-installed font (*.ttf and *.eot files). If you unzip com_phocafont_domesticmanners.zip you'll realise you need to package up the following files:-
* fontname.ttf
* fontname.eot (which paul.mason explains can be created from the *.ttf)
* fontname_license.txt (not absolutely essential)
* fontname.xml (at minimum needs customising to say which files are included)
* index.html (simple generic file)
This part is specific to the extension in order to upload a new font - it really does need to be included in the documentation.
2) The font that I was trying to use actually had four *.ttf files (normal, bold, italic, italic and bold). Didn't know how to do that it one Phoca Font Zip file, so I had four of them. Anyway, maybe because it was an old Joomla version (1.5.15), but the four fonts got presented side-by-side, rather than in a list downwards. It clearly wasn't how it should be, but that was presentation and didn't affect how it actually worked.
I can see this being a very useful and powerful extension. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to use it for the issue I was dealing with at the time, and there were two reasons for this:-
* the template being used seemed to overrule the extension (so had to name the new font in the template as well)
* more importantly - the font we were trying to use looked terrible (we used other presentation techniques instead)
Neither of these reasons is actually due to the extension! In most other circumstances it should be perfect - just being let down a bit on the documentation and a minor glitch that didn't affect how it actually worked. There's not much technically wrong with it!
P.S. To other native English-speakers: yes - Phoca Font Domestic Manners does actually exist!
Hi, thank you for the review.
Regarding documentation - yes, for now I am really overloaded (the whole year 2010 I only have been overwriting extensions to Joomla! 1.6 framework), so if somebody has experiences with Phoca Font and is able to write some documentation where possible problems will be listed, will be great and I will public it on Phoca.cz site.
Since version 2 (Joomla! 1.6) I think, the way to add a font into the site will be more easier as a font from Google font directory can be used, see:
http://www.phoca.cz/joomlademo/phoca-font
So changing the font will be more easier (just set other font name in admin)
Additional CSS form field was added, so e.g. the font can be styled by CSS too.
Regarding overwriting by template. Mostly this can be solved by some specific ID or class for parts you want to be styled by Phoca Font.
Anyway thank you for this review and for your ideas.
Jan
Here is a quick basic tutorial to save you those couple of hours:
1. Download the phoca font component,phoca font plugin, and phoca domestic manners font.
2. Install the component, and plugin.
3. Enable the plugin.
3. Install the phoca domestic manners through the phoca font component.
4. Download your desired font tff file, I used this site: http://www.dafont.com
5. Make a .eot version of the .tff file, I used this site: http://www.kirsle.net/wizards/ttf2eot.cgi
6. Go to the joomla folder /components/com_phocafont/fonts/ and copy your new tff & eot files into that folder.
7. Delete the Domestic_Manners.ttf and Domestic_Manners.eot and rename your new tff & eot to those Domestic_Manners.ttf & Domestic_Manners.eot respectively.
That's it. Hope it helps.
Hi, thank you for your review.
In the internet there are so many guides for creating a font-pack which can be used in CSS font face rule (use Google to search them) that it does not make any sense for me to write duplicate instructions. As all developers who make extensions in freetime, I too have not enough time to develop. So I would rather spend this time with developing new features than writing duplicate guides.
I hope you understand.
Thank you, Jan
However, the problem is, Chinese font files are always very big (there is a font file 18MB), it is very difficult to install Chinese fonts via Upload&Install method. Hope the author will add "install from folder/URL" methods, just like the Joomla Installer.
Thanks.
