Creating an Exception

The toolbar has two delta tools, one for the X direction and one for the Y direction:

X Delta tool iconY Delta tool icon

Similarly, the toolbar has a move tool for each direction:

X Move tool iconX Move tool icon

The respective tool will be available only if the Show X Direction or Show Y Direction options are selected on the Display Options dialog. Similarly, Visual TrueType displays exceptions only for the selected direction(s).

Selecting the XDelta or YDelta tool changes the pointer into a horizontal or vertical double-headed arrow for the X or Y direction:

X Delta tool cursorY Delta tool cursor

The pointer also changes when you select either the XMove or YMove tool:

Y Move tool cursorY Move tool cursor

When you point on the control point you want to move, Visual TrueType displays a horizontal ruler (XDelta or XMove) or vertical ruler (YDelta or YMove) so you can measure exactly how far the point should move. The default rulers show a range of plus-or-minus one pixel, in fractions of 1/8 pixel:

X direction delta rulerX direction delta ruler

The delta rulers for the X and Y-directions.

However, the ruler has a range of plus-or-minus eight pixels, and increments can be as fine as 1/64 pixel or as coarse as one pixel. You drag the mouse to the desired increment in the ruler:

To apply a delta or move larger than one pixel, drag beyond the edge of the ruler, and the ruler will start scrolling. The further you drag, the faster the scrolling.

To display different increments in the ruler, tap the Alt key (finer) or Control key (coarser) as you hold down the mouse button.

As you drag in the ruler, the point moves accordingly on the screen. When you stop dragging, the resulting exception displays as white icon. Moves appear to the left or below the controlled point, and Deltas to the right or above it. The shape of the icon identifies the type of exception: triangular (post), flat (pre), or curved (inline). The direction of the triangle tells the direction of the exception and whether it is positive or negative: right (positive X delta or move), left (negative X delta or move), up (positive Y delta or move), or down (negative Y delta or move).

When the Grid Fit, Pixels, or both options are checked on the Display Options dialog, the pointed or rounded-tip triangle indicates an exception at the current ppem size. If you disable the Grid Fit and Pixels options, the triangle remains, indicating that the point has an exception at one or more ppem sizes.

At any time, you can select and delete an exception without affecting other hinting applied to the control point. Visual TrueType automatically recompiles the main window to show the effects of the change.

Tip When you’re not working with deltas and moves, you can hide them to make more room on the screen for other visual hinting. In the Display Options dialog, you can set the Links and Dists option to show or hide Link commands.

To select the XDelta or XMove tool

1.       In the Visual TrueType Options submenu of the Display menu, ensure that the Show X Direction, Gridfit, and Pixels options are enabled.

2.      Select the XDelta or XMove tool by clicking its icon in the toolbar. You may also select the XDelta tool by pressing the F8 key.

To select the YDelta or YMove tool

1.       In the Visual TrueType Options submenu of the Display menu, ensure that the Show Y Direction, Gridfit, and Pixels options are enabled.

2.      Select the YDelta or YMove tool by clicking its icon in the toolbar. You may also select the YDelta tool by pressing the F4 key.

To create an exception

1.       Select a delta or move tool (see above for details).

2.      Pointing to the point you want to control, hold down the mouse button.

3.      Watching the on-screen ruler, drag until the pixel value you want is highlighted in the ruler or until the outline has extended over a pixel center.
You may change the ruler increments as necessary, by pressing the Alt or Ctrl keys while the rulers are visible. When you release the mouse button, Visual TrueType compiles the changes and updates the screen so you can see the results of the exception.

4.     Press the Shift key, while holding the mouse button down, to toggle between inline, pre-, or post-instruction delta types.

To display or hide exceptions

1.       In the Visual TrueType Options submenu of the Display menu, select either the Deltas or Moves option.