I'd like to develop an app that creates TTF fonts. Please answer the following questions.
This app's main features:
Drawing letters by hand (alphabet letters)
Creating fonts from handwritten letters
Generating TTF files
Sharing TTF files via email
Testing fonts
Font creation & deletion functions
Buttons to go to the official SNS pages
That's all there is to it.
If you know App Inventor code for this feature, please leave a comment. If you have any additional questions, please leave a comment.
You won't be able to build a TTF font creation app with MIT App Inventor. This is because the platform lacks the fundamental capabilities required for this complex task, and I have found no extensions that can fill the gap.
Here are the specific problems and issues you'll face:
No TTF File Manipulation
A TrueType Font (TTF) file is a highly complex binary file, not a simple text or image. It contains multiple tables that define everything from the shape of each letter to the spacing between them. App Inventor is designed for high-level, block-based programming, not for low-level binary file creation.
Complex Binary Format: App Inventor doesn't have components or blocks that can understand, create, or modify the intricate data structures required for a TTF file.
No Native Library Support: Creating a TTF file requires a powerful library (like FontForge or fonttools in Python). App Inventor, being a web-based tool, has no way to integrate or run these native libraries.
Lack of Extensions: As far as I have seen, there are no extensions that can generate a TTF file. Building one from scratch would be an immense undertaking, as it would need to be written in Java and contain a full-fledged font creation library.
The Vectorization Problem
The process of turning handwritten drawings into a font is a multi-step process.
Bitmap vs. Vector: When you draw a letter on a Canvas component, you're creating a bitmap image—a grid of pixels. However, a font file requires vector graphics, which are mathematical descriptions of lines and curves. To go from a bitmap to a vector requires a complex process called vectorization or tracing.
No Built-in Tools: App Inventor has no built-in components to perform this complex vectorization. This process is computationally intensive and requires advanced algorithms that are far beyond the scope of a visual, block-based programming environment.
No Extensions for This, Either: This is a major technical hurdle, and no extension exists to perform the complex conversion from a bitmap drawing to a vector outline.
App Inventor's Overall Limitations
Beyond the technical challenges, App Inventor has general limitations that make this project impractical.
Performance Issues: The complex processing required for vectorization and file generation would likely cause the app to run very slowly or crash, as App Inventor is not optimized for such resource-heavy tasks.
Limited Customization: While you can design a user interface, you don't have the granular control needed for a professional app that creates, tests, and shares fonts.
In short, a TTF font creation app is simply beyond the scope of what MIT App Inventor was designed for.
