sIFR – Use custom fonts in your website safely
UPDATE: The sIFR WordPress plugin is now available!
This is probably one of the most amazing scripts I've seen nowadays. It was developed by Mike Davidson and Mark Wubben, and what it does is it allows you to change the fonts used in your website to custom fonts without having to worry about them changing in the user's computer.
How this is accomplished is actually very simple. First of all you need a folder with all your fonts (.ttf files), then a JavaScript file has to be called from your html pages which will first check if Flash is enabled, and then if it is it will read through the code and determine where it should insert the flash movies.
Those flash movies take the font you selected and the text that the script found and create a static "animation" with the same text and size but with the new font. Since they are overlayed exactly over the original text, no change is noticed.
The only thing I'm afraid won't work fine is the background color. If you have a solid background it will work perfectly probably, but what if you use a textured background, like I do in this blog? I haven't tested it yet, but their test page works perfectly on solid backgrounds...
As a piece of advice don't over-use it, it is intended only for headlines, quotes, and other small bits of text.
Visit sIRF's homepage for more information on this subject
Visit their demo page
Future planning
Right after I found this tool I thought to my self, "I have to create a WP plugin that will automatically change selected tags or ids to themed fonts!". So well, I am developing now the plugin.
I started today so I guess it will take me no longer that this Sunday. I have about three days, considering that here in Spain we are on holidays... Yea I know, Spain is always on holidays
So that is pretty much it, I'll keep on posting about the plugin status, and if you want me to notify you simply post a comment saying so and when I'm done I'll email you
Enjoy sIFR!
This entry was posted by alex on May 1, 2008 at 8:59 pm, and is filed under Javascript, PHP, Plugin development, Programming, Web-related, WordPress. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.
Sweet fancy Moses! A WP plugin for this functionality would be absolutely fantastic! (And would be IMMENSELY successful.) Best of luck with that and keep us posted on your progress!
Thanks!
I’ve already started with the development and I think I should have a working version by this Friday, I’ll need some testing and feedback before official release, so if you want you could help me with that.
I’ll post an article asking for volunteers to test it when I’m done!
Интересно написано. Даже за душу берет, заставляет поразмышлять над собственным блогом. С уважением, Елена.
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it looks like a nice site, but it would better with multi language support, for example spanish.. but thanks..
The main website is in both Spanish and English, but I don´t have enough time to publish every article in both languages. If you have a blog and want to publish translated articles feel free to do so, I would appreciate it a lot.
Thanks for the interest!
it would be better with other languages support, but thanks..
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