Font error when running X apps

[Heathe Kyle Yeakley]

Hello all -

Whenever I launch an X application (let's say dxaccounts), I always get this same conversion error.

# dxaccounts &
Warning: Cannot convert string "-*-Menu-Medium-R-Normal--*-120-*-*-P-*-ISO8859-1" to type FontStruct

Now, dxaccounts (or whatever) DOES launch and runs fine. I'm just trying to figure out why I always get that error and if maybe I need to fine tune my X configuration.

Thanks.

[Steven Schweda]

A few facts might be nice, like:

System type?

OS version and patch level?

Where are you sitting when you run these
things?

Around here, on my XP1000:

urtx# sizer -v
HP Tru64 UNIX V5.1B (Rev. 2650); Mon Feb 19 11:57:07 CST 2007

urtx# dupatch -track -type patch_level | grep -i "patch kit"
Gathering details of relevant patch kits...
Patch Kit 5: T64V51BB26AS0005-20050502 OSF540
Patch Kit 6: T64V51BB27AS0006-20061208 OSF540

Sitting at the workstation's own display
(_not_ at some Windows system with some X
server of unknown origin, with some
inadequate font supply):

urtx# xlsfonts | grep -i menu | grep 120
-bigelow & holmes-menu-medium-r-normal--16-120-100-100-p-92-iso8859-1

which would seem to match your "Cannot
convert" complaint, and probably explains why
I don't have your problem (which I don't).

urtx# xset -q
[...]
Font Path:
/usr/lib/X11/fonts/decwin/100dpi/,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/,/usr/lib/X11/font
s/misc/,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/
Type1/,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/user/100dpi/,/usr/lib/X11/fonts/user/misc/,/usr/dt/con
fig/xfonts/C/
[...]

I haven't looked, but I'll bet that the
"menu" fonts are in there somewhere.

> [...] maybe I need to fine tune my X
> configuration.

Or stop doing it, depending.

[Heathe Kyle Yeakley]

System
HP Tru64 UNIX V5.1B (Rev. 2650); Sun Jan 21 17:45:15 CST 2007

Patch Level
Patch Kit 4: T64V51BB25AS0004-20040616 OSF540
Patch Kit 5: T64V51BB26AS0005-20050502 OSF540
Patch Kit 6: T64V51BB27AS0006-20061208 OSF540

As far as how I'm connecting...
I use a SunBlade 150 workstation to connect to the systems in the datacenter. If I need to use graphics, I'll generally do one of two things:

1) From the login splash screen on my Solaris 10 workstation, I'll choose remote login and type in the name of the server I'm going to. Then my remote X session looks just like I'm sitting at the console logged in via CDE.

2) I'll log into Solaris 10 and use the -X option when I ssh to a box.
ssh -X user@box

I have tried running grachic utilities (like dxaccounts) from the local terminal and seem to remember that I get the exact same if not *very* similar error to the one I get using the last two methods I mentioned.

The last command you showed gives no output.

If it turns out that I'm simply missing an installed font, where would I go about finding the font I need, getting it and then installing it?

[Pieter 't Hart]

maybe Tru64 is case-sensitive here?

"-*-Menu-Medium-R-Normal--*-120-*-*-P-*-ISO8859-1" to type FontStruct

-bigelow & holmes-menu-medium-r-normal--16-120-100-100-p-92-iso8859-1


Pieter

[Steven Schweda]

I don't think that the font search stuff is
case-sensitive, but what do I know?

I'd worry more if you can't get anyone to
admit that there _is_ a font path.

You might look at what's in
/usr/lib/X11/fonts/... to see if the problem
is missing files, or if it's that no one is
looking for the fonts where they are. The
"xlsfonts" command should spew a long list
of available fonts (unless you have no font
path defined).

I can also run this stuff with no problems
from my VMS system (and its X server), where:

alp $ pipe xlsfonts | search /match = and sys$input menu, 120
-bigelow & holmes-menu-medium-r-normal--12-120-75-75-p-70-iso8859-1
-bigelow & holmes-menu-medium-r-normal--16-120-100-100-p-92-iso8859-1

which makes it look as if I have the 75
dot/inch fonts, too. On the VMS system, the
details are all non-UNIXy, but things still
work as expected:

alp $ xset -q
[...]
Font Path:
DECW$SYSCOMMON:[SYSFONT.DECW.CURSOR32],DECW$SYSCOMMON:[SYSFONT.DECW.CURSOR16],
DECW$SYSCOMMON:[SYSFONT.DECW.100DPI],DECW$SYSCOMMON:[SYSFONT.DECW.75DPI],DECW$SY
SCOMMON:[SYSFONT.DECW.COMMON],DECW$SYSCOMMON:[SYSFONT.DECW.SPEEDO],DECW$SYSCOMMO
N:[SYSFONT.DECW.TYPE1],DECW$SYSCOMMON:[SYSFONT.DECW.TRUETYPE],CDE$SYSTEM_DEFAULT
S:[CONFIG.XFONTS.C.100DPI],CDE$SYSTEM_DEFAULTS:[CONFIG.XFONTS.C.75DPI],CDE$SYSTE
M_DEFAULTS:[CONFIG.XFONTS.C]
[...]

If you can't get these kinds of font data
from your X server(s), then I'd say that
something major is hosed.

As for where to get the font files (if they
really _are_ missing), duh ... they just
came with the OS (or the DECwindows Motif
option for VMS). I don't know how _not_ to
get them, but there could be some OS
installation options which would leave them
out.

[jim owens_1]

In Tru64 the graphics fonts are an optional install. They don't get installed if you choose "mandatory only". From my own painful experiences, I now just use bigger disks and tell it to install everything.

To install missing packages using the OS CD:

# mount /dev/disk/cdrom0c /mnt
# setld -l /mnt

setld will present a menu of packages that are not currently installed for you to choose, which in your case should include these:
90) DECwindows 100dpi Fonts
91) DECwindows 75dpi Fonts

After installing any unpatched original packages, you should then apply the patch kit you are on to bring them up to date.