bug#58335: 28.2; Default font 'not available' when running dictionary

bug#58335: 28.2; Default font 'not available' when running dictionary

[Alejandro Pérez Carballo]

I tried calling `dictionary` (just `M-x dictionary RET`) and got the following error:

    set-face-attribute: Font not available: #<font-spec nil nil default nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil ((:name . "default") (:user-spec . "default"))>

I do not get this error if I simply run `emacs -Q` and then call `dictionary`. But adding just

    (set-face-attribute 'default nil :font "Input")

suffices to reproduce the error on my system (after calling `emacs -Q -l file.el`, where 'file.el' contains just that one line).

Interestingly, the problem only seems to arise with this particular font (which I just obtained from https://input.djr.com and hasn't given me any trouble). I tried using Arial, Fira Mono, Menlo, Monaco, and PT Mono, and none of them resulted in this problem. 

The backtrace is here:

```
Debugger entered--Lisp error: (error "Font not available" #<font-spec
  nil nil default nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil ((:name .
  "default") (:user-spec . "default"))>)
  internal-set-lisp-face-attribute(dictionary-word-definition-face :font
  "default" #<frame *Minibuf-1* 0x7fedb205a230>)
  set-face-attribute(dictionary-word-definition-face #<frame *Minibuf-1*
  0x7fedb205a230> :font "default") apply(set-face-attribute
  dictionary-word-definition-face #<frame *Minibuf-1* 0x7fedb205a230>
  (:font "default")) face-spec-set-2(dictionary-word-definition-face
  #<frame *Minibuf-1* 0x7fedb205a230> (:font "default"))
  face-spec-recalc(dictionary-word-definition-face #<frame *Minibuf-1*
  0x7fedb205a230>) face-spec-set(dictionary-word-definition-face
  ((((supports (:family "DejaVu Serif"))) (:family "DejaVu Serif"))
  (((type x)) (:font "Sans Serif")) (t (:font "default")))
  face-defface-spec) custom-declare-face(dictionary-word-definition-face
  ((((supports (:family "DejaVu Serif"))) (:family "DejaVu Serif"))
  (((type x)) (:font "Sans Serif")) (t (:font "default"))) "The face
  that is used for displaying the definitio..." :group dictionary
  :version "28.1")
  byte-code("\300\301\302\303\304\305%\210\300\306\302\307\304\301%\210\310\311\312\313\314DD\315\304\301\316\317\320\321\322\323&\13\210\310\324\312\313\325DD\326\304\301\316\317\320\327\322..."
  [custom-declare-group dictionary nil "Client for accessing the dictd
  server based dictio..." :group hypermedia dictionary-proxy "Proxy
  configuration options for the dictionary cli..."
  custom-declare-variable dictionary-server funcall function
  #f(compiled-function () #<bytecode 0x1f400016fe914>) "This server is
  contacted for searching the diction..." :set dictionary-set-server-var
  :type (choice (const :tag "Automatic" nil) (const :tag "localhost"
  "localhost") (const :tag "dict.org" "dict.org") (string :tag
  "User-defined")) :version "28.1" dictionary-port #f(compiled-function
  () #<bytecode 0x1f4000164e954>) "The port of the dictionary
  server.\nThis port is pr..." number dictionary-identification
  #f(compiled-function () #<bytecode 0x146b32ea6ce40a76>) "This is the
  identification string that will be sen..." string
  dictionary-default-dictionary #f(compiled-function () #<bytecode
  0x1f400016f1854>) "The dictionary which is used for searching
  definit..." dictionary-default-strategy #f(compiled-function ()
  #<bytecode 0x1f400016f1d54>) "The default strategy for listing
  matching words." dictionary-default-popup-strategy
  #f(compiled-function () #<bytecode 0x1f40096442094>) "The default
  strategy for listing matching words wi..." (choice (const :tag "Exact
  match" "exact") (const :tag "Similar sounding" "soundex") (const :tag
  "Levenshtein distance one" "lev") (string :tag "User choice"))
  dictionary-create-buttons #f(compiled-function () #<bytecode
  0x1f400016fe5d4>) "Create some clickable buttons on top of the
  window..." boolean dictionary-link-dictionary #f(compiled-function ()
  #<bytecode 0x1f400016f1854>) "The dictionary which is used in
  links.\n* means to ..." (choice (const :tag "Link to all dictionaries"
  "*") (const :tag "Link only to the same dictionary" nil) (string :tag
  "User choice")) dictionary-mode-hook #f(compiled-function ()
  #<bytecode 0x1f400016fe914>) "Hook run in dictionary mode buffers."
  hook ...] 20) autoload-do-load((autoload "dictionary" 1071170 t nil)
  dictionary) command-execute(dictionary record)
  execute-extended-command(nil "dictionary" "diction")
  funcall-interactively(execute-extended-command nil "dictionary"
  "diction") call-interactively(execute-extended-command nil nil)
  command-execute(execute-extended-command)
```  


In GNU Emacs 28.2 (build 1, x86_64-apple-darwin21.6.0, NS appkit-2113.60 Version 12.5 (Build 21G72))
 of 2022-09-13 built on APCiMacwork.local
Windowing system distributor 'Apple', version 10.3.2113
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bug#58335: 28.2; Default font 'not available' when running dictionary

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Alejandro Pérez Carballo <apc@umass.edu>
> Date: Thu, 06 Oct 2022 08:38:09 -0400
> 
> I tried calling `dictionary` (just `M-x dictionary RET`) and got the following error:
> 
>     set-face-attribute: Font not available: #<font-spec nil nil default nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil ((:name . "default") (:user-spec . "default"))>
> 
> I do not get this error if I simply run `emacs -Q` and then call `dictionary`. But adding just
> 
>     (set-face-attribute 'default nil :font "Input")
> 
> suffices to reproduce the error on my system (after calling `emacs -Q -l file.el`, where 'file.el' contains just that one line).

What happens if you invoke Emacs like this:

  emacs -Q -fn Input

I suspect that Input font is not good for Emacs, so it rejects it.

Nevertheless, I think the definition of
dictionary-word-definition-face is problematic: it shouldn't use font
names such as "default", because it will always fail like this:

> Debugger entered--Lisp error: (error "Font not available" #<font-spec
>   nil nil default nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil ((:name .
>   "default") (:user-spec . "default"))>)

bug#58335: 28.2; Default font 'not available' when running dictionary

[Alejandro Pérez Carballo]

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Thanks for writing back. 

If I try

emacs -Q -fn Input

I get Emacs to open with Input as the default font just fine. 



I’ve been using Input with Emacs for over two years without any trouble. In what sense is Emacs rejecting it? 

> On Oct 6, 2022, at 1:27 PM, Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> wrote:
> 
>> From: Alejandro Pérez Carballo <apc@umass.edu>
>> Date: Thu, 06 Oct 2022 08:38:09 -0400
>> 
>> I tried calling `dictionary` (just `M-x dictionary RET`) and got the following error:
>> 
>>    set-face-attribute: Font not available: #<font-spec nil nil default nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil ((:name . "default") (:user-spec . "default"))>
>> 
>> I do not get this error if I simply run `emacs -Q` and then call `dictionary`. But adding just
>> 
>>    (set-face-attribute 'default nil :font "Input")
>> 
>> suffices to reproduce the error on my system (after calling `emacs -Q -l file.el`, where 'file.el' contains just that one line).
> 
> What happens if you invoke Emacs like this:
> 
>  emacs -Q -fn Input
> 
> I suspect that Input font is not good for Emacs, so it rejects it.
> 
> Nevertheless, I think the definition of
> dictionary-word-definition-face is problematic: it shouldn't use font
> names such as "default", because it will always fail like this:
> 
>> Debugger entered--Lisp error: (error "Font not available" #<font-spec
>>  nil nil default nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil ((:name .
>>  "default") (:user-spec . "default"))>)


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bug#58335: 28.2; Default font 'not available' when running dictionary

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Alejandro Pérez Carballo <apc@umass.edu>
> Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2022 13:33:49 -0400
> Cc: 58335@debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> If I try
> 
> emacs -Q -fn Input
> 
> I get Emacs to open with Input as the default font just fine. 
> 
> 
> 
> I’ve been using Input with Emacs for over two years without any trouble. In what sense is Emacs rejecting it? 

Not Emacs (forgive me my inaccurate wording), but dictionary.el: it
wants a serif font, AFAIU, whereas Input is a sans-serif font.

I don't understand why dictionary insists on a serif font.  But the
fallback used there should not use a non-existent font family name.

bug#58335: 28.2; Default font 'not available' when running dictionary

[Alejandro Pérez Carballo]

I see. Somehow it accepts Arial, though… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

At any rate, I think the real problem is what you point out—it should take as fallback whatever is the default face, and not a font called ‘default’!

> On Oct 6, 2022, at 2:06 PM, Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> wrote:
> 
>> From: Alejandro Pérez Carballo <apc@umass.edu>
>> Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2022 13:33:49 -0400
>> Cc: 58335@debbugs.gnu.org
>> 
>> If I try
>> 
>> emacs -Q -fn Input
>> 
>> I get Emacs to open with Input as the default font just fine. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I’ve been using Input with Emacs for over two years without any trouble. In what sense is Emacs rejecting it? 
> 
> Not Emacs (forgive me my inaccurate wording), but dictionary.el: it
> wants a serif font, AFAIU, whereas Input is a sans-serif font.
> 
> I don't understand why dictionary insists on a serif font.  But the
> fallback used there should not use a non-existent font family name.