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The Challenge: Cross-Platform Development

FontCreator's mission is to make font creation as intuitive and accessible as possible, but the transition from Windows to Mac posed a significant challenge. The goal was to preserve the robust functionality and user-friendly interface that FontCreator users rely on, while ensuring a smooth experience on both platforms.

This process involved migrating the application from Delphi's VCL framework to FMX, a cross-platform solution designed to support both Windows and macOS. The transition came with technical challenges, particularly in replicating the advanced features FontCreator is known for—such as precise glyph editing, OpenType support, and customizable fonts—on a different operating system.

The Solution: TMS Software Components

To streamline and optimize this transition, they sought our solution. In particular, the TTMSFNCGrid and TTMSFNCTreeView components were pivotal in enhancing FontCreator’s cross-platform capabilities.

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The TTMSFNCGrid is used in FontCreator to display glyphs in a grid layout. This component’s ability to handle complex rendering efficiently and offer a visually appealing interface made it an ideal choice. It ensured that users could quickly browse and manipulate fonts without compromising on performance or design.

The TTMSFNCTreeView is another key component integrated into FontCreator, providing a versatile and dynamic way to organize font categories. Whether displaying a list of glyphs or offering support for icons and columns, this component helped enhance the overall user interface. By replacing list boxes with the flexible treeview, they were able to provide a more intuitive experience for users working with large sets of glyphs.

Thanks to the responsiveness and reliability of these components, they were able to bring FontCreator to Mac with ease while preserving its full functionality.

The Outcome: A Seamless Cross-Platform Experience

As a developer, working with TMS Software has been a rewarding experience. Their components are well-documented, making the integration process straightforward, and their support team has been exceptionally helpful, offering quick resolutions to any issues we encountered. We wholeheartedly recommend TMS Software’s components to any developer working on cross-platform applications with Delphi. Their products have been a game-changer for us, and we’re thrilled with the results.

More About FontCreator

• Create New Fonts: Design original fonts from scratch, perfect for branding and creative projects.
• Modify Existing Fonts: Customize and improve existing fonts to meet specific design needs.
• Support for OpenType Features: Implement advanced typographic features like ligatures, kerning pairs, and stylistic alternates.
• Import Vector Graphics: Bring in vector outlines from other design software to create unique glyphs.
• Batch Processing: Automate repetitive tasks to streamline the font creation process.