Font Assistant: What Are .FIF Files? (110596)

SUMMARY

Font Assistant, which is included with the Microsoft TrueType Font Pack 2, manages all TrueType fonts on the system. Within Font Assistant, you can view historical and detailed information on individual fonts. This information is stored in font information files (.FIFs) in the Windows SYSTEM subdirectory.

These files are installed during installation of the TrueType Font Pack 2. If an .FIF file is removed, it does not affect performance of the associated font.

NOTE: Not all fonts have a corresponding .FIF file.

MORE INFORMATION

Font information files are in text format. To view the contents of these files in Font Assistant, select the Font Information button.

When you choose Print Samples in Font Assistant, a complete page is printed for each font, showing all the font information from the .FIF file as well as all the keyboard characters and sample lines of text in several point sizes.

The following is an example of an .FIF file:

[enu]
L1=Augsburger Initials
L3=The basic Augsburger typeface, first issued by at least two German
   foundries in the
L4=last century, contains the lower-case alphabet and numerals, as
   well as caps. The
L5=Initial variation has been limited to caps, however. To pander to
   modern sensibilities,
L6=we added accented caps as well.
L8=Although you are never likely to use more than a letter or two at
   a time, we've included
L9=Augsburger Initials in this font pack to show what can be done with
   TrueType. For when
L10=the original was made, nobody had any idea that Augsburger would
   some day be
L11=reproduced at a computer from a computer keyboard.
Lmax=12