Font::TTF::Table(3pm)					User Contributed Perl Documentation				     Font::TTF::Table(3pm)

NAME

       Font::TTF::Table - Superclass for tables and used for tables we don't have a class for

DESCRIPTION

       Looks after the purely table aspects of a TTF table, such as whether the table has been read before, locating the file pointer, etc. Also
       copies tables from input to output.

INSTANCE VARIABLES

       Instance variables start with a space

       read
	   Flag which indicates that the table has already been read from file.

       dat Allows the creation of unspecific tables. Data is simply output to any font file being created.

       INFILE
	   The read file handle

       OFFSET
	   Location of the file in the input file

       LENGTH
	   Length in the input directory

       CSUM
	   Checksum read from the input file's directory

       PARENT
	   The Font::TTF::Font that table is part of

METHODS

   Font::TTF::Table->new(%parms)
       Creates a new table or subclass. Table instance variables are passed in at this point as an associative array.

   $t->read
       Reads the table from the input file. Acts as a superclass to all true tables.  This method marks the table as read and then just sets the
       input file pointer but does not read any data. If the table has already been read, then returns "undef" else returns $self

   $t->read_dat
       Reads the table into the "dat" instance variable for those tables which don't know any better

   $t->out($fh)
       Writes out the table to the font file. If there is anything in the "data" instance variable then this is output, otherwise the data is
       copied from the input file to the output

   $t->out_xml($context)
       Outputs this table in XML format. The table is first read (if not already read) and then if there is no subclass, then the data is dumped
       as hex data

   $t->XML_element
       Output a particular element based on its contents.

   $t->XML_end($context, $tag, %attrs)
       Handles the default type of <data> for those tables which aren't subclassed

   $t->dirty($val)
       This sets the dirty flag to the given value or 1 if no given value. It returns the value of the flag

   $t->update
       Each table knows how to update itself. This consists of doing whatever work is required to ensure that the memory version of the table is
       consistent and that other parameters in other tables have been updated accordingly.  I.e. by the end of sending "update" to all the tables,
       the memory version of the font should be entirely consistent.

       Some tables which do no work indicate to themselves the need to update themselves by setting isDirty above 1. This method resets that
       accordingly.

   $t->empty
       Clears a table of all data to the level of not having been read

   $t->release
       Releases ALL of the memory used by this table, and all of its component/child objects.  This method is called automatically by
       'Font::TTF::Font->release' (so you don't have to call it yourself).

       NOTE, that it is important that this method get called at some point prior to the actual destruction of the object.  Internally, we track
       things in a structure that can result in circular references, and without calling '"release()"' these will not properly get cleaned up by
       Perl.  Once this method has been called, though, don't expect to be able to do anything with the "Font::TTF::Table" object; it'll have no
       internal state whatsoever.

       Developer note:	As part of the brute-force cleanup done here, this method will throw a warning message whenever unexpected key values are
       found within the "Font::TTF::Table" object.  This is done to help ensure that any unexpected and unfreed values are brought to your
       attention so that you can bug us to keep the module updated properly; otherwise the potential for memory leaks due to dangling circular
       references will exist.

BUGS

       No known bugs

AUTHOR

       Martin Hosken Martin_Hosken@sil.org. See Font::TTF::Font for copyright and licensing.

perl v5.10.1							    2009-01-21						     Font::TTF::Table(3pm)