# The Hints Menu

This menu is only present in the outline character view and the font view.
A more detailed description of the hinting UI.

- AutoHint
- Hint Substitution Pts
- Auto Counter
- Don't AutoHint
- AutoInstr
- Edit Instructions...
- Debug...
- Edit fpgm...
- Edit prep...
- Edit cvt...
- Minimum Distance
  - Clear All MD
  - Clear Selected x MD
  - Clear Selected y MD
  - Add x MD
  - Add y MD
  - Round X
  - No Round X
  - Round Y
  - No Round Y
- Clear Hints
- Clear Instructions
- Clear HStem
- Clear VStem
- Clear DStem
- Add HHint
- Add VHint
- Add DHint
- Create HHint
- Create VHint
- Review Hints
- Histograms
  - HStem
  - VStem
  - BlueValues

AutoHint
  The Auto Hint command causes FontForge to throw away any existing hints for the character and guess an new ones. In the outline view this operates on the current character, in the font view it operates on all selected characters.
  FontForge will do a better job hinting a font if you have previously set the BlueValues, StdVW and StdHW fields in Element->Font Info->PS Private. These in turn depend on the hints so it is best to autohint the entire font, then set the above values, and then autohint the font again.
Hint Substitution Pts
  In the font view this figures substitution points for all selected characters. In the outline character view, this figures substitution points for the current character using the current hint set.
Auto Counter
  Attempt to figure out counter groups for the selected characters (font view) or the current character (outline character view).
Don't AutoHint
  Tells FontForge not to do any implicit hinting on the selected characters. (FontForge will normally perform an autohint on a character if the character's contours have changed since it was last hinted and the user has not explicitly changed the hints). The user may turn this flag off by invoking AutoHint explicitly.

  In the outline character view, behavior is a bit more complicated. This command will toggle the current setting of the "Don't AutoHint" flag. If the flag is currently on the menu entry will be checked.

AutoInstr
  The Auto Instr command is only available in quadratic fonts and is used to generate truetype instructions. It doesn't do a good job.
Edit Instructions...
  Only available in the outline and font views, and only in quadratic fonts. This dialog shows any truetype instructions associated with this glyph, and allows you to edit them.
Debug...
  Only available in the outline view, and only if you have linked with a version of freetype with the bytecode interpreter and only in quadratic fonts. This allows you to debug truetype programs.
Edit fpgm...
  Only available in the font view, and only in quadratic fonts. This dialog shows any truetype instructions in the 'fpgm' table, and allows you to edit them.
Edit prep...
  Only available in the font view, and only in quadratic fonts. This dialog shows any truetype instructions in the 'prep' table, and allows you to edit them.
Edit cvt...
  Only available in the font view, and only in quadratic fonts. This dialog shows the initial values in the 'cvt ' table, and allows you to edit them.
Clear Hints
  Clears all hints in all selected characters.
Clear Instructions
  Clears any truetype instructions associated with the selected characters.
Clear HStem
  Removes all Horizontal Stem hints from the current character.
Clear VStem
  Removes all Vertical Stem hints.
Clear DStem
  Removes all Diagonal Stem hints
Add HHint
  If there are two points selected (exactly two) and if they have different y positions, then this will create a Horizontal Stem Hint starting at the lower one of the two going up to the upper one.
Add VHint
  If there are two points selected (exactly two) and if they have different x positions, then this will create a Vertical Stem Hint starting at the leftmost one of the two going right to the rightmost one.
Add DHint
  If there are exactly two points selected, and if each is connected to a line, and the two lines are roughly parallel and not horizontal or vertical, then this will create a diagonal stem hint.
Create HHint
  Brings up a dialog allowing you to specify exactly where and how wide you want a Horizontal Stem Hint.
Create VHint
  Brings up a dialog allowing you to specify exactly where and how wide you want a Vertical Stem Hint.
Review Hints
  Brings up a dialog allowing you to examine (and modify) all horizontal/vertical stem hints. The currently active hint is picked out in either dark blue or dark green.

## The Minimum Distance SubMenu

Clear All MD
  Clears all minimum distance hints and all rounding hints in the character.
Clear Selected x MD
  Clears all x minimum distance hints for which at least one point is selected.
  Also all selected points are marked not rounding in the x direction.
Clear Selected y MD
  Clears all y minimum distance hints for which at least one point is selected.
  Also all selected points are marked not rounding in the y direction.
Add x MD / Add MD Here to Width
  If two points are selected creates a minimum distance hint from the first one to be selected to the second. If one point is selected, creates a minimum distance hint from that point to the width.
  If you attempt to create two minimum distance hints to the same point in the same direction, FontForge will only create the more restrictive of the two.
Add y MD
  If two points are selected creates a minimum distance hint from the first one to be selected to the second.
Round X
  If checked then all selected points are currently marked to round the x coordinate to the rasterized grid. If you select this entry then all selected points will be changed so that they round the x coordinate to the grid.
No Round X
  If checked then all selected points are currently marked not to round the x coordinate to the rasterized grid. If you select this entry then all selected points will be changed so that they will not round the x coordinate to the grid.
Round Y
  If checked then all selected points are currently marked to round the y coordinate to the rasterized grid. If you select this entry then all selected points will be changed so that they round the y coordinate to the grid.
No Round Y
  If checked then all selected points are currently marked not to round the y coordinate to the rasterized grid. If you select this entry then all selected points will be changed so that they will not round the y coordinate to the grid.

## The Histograms SubMenu

HStem
  Brings up a dialog displaying a histogram of the horizontal stem widths of all selected characters.
VStem
  Brings up a dialog displaying a histogram of the vertical stem widths of all selected characters.
BlueValues
  Brings up a dialog displaying a histogram of the vertical maxima and minima of all selected characters.

## Other menus

- File
- Edit
- Point
- Element
- Hints
- View
- Metrics
- CID
- MM
- Window
- Help
- Hot Keys

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