[9sep2024] fontconfig+nix: getting fonts via nix

Problem
Strategy
Investigation
Solution
- Add fontconfig dir
- Tweak .emacs

Problem

Setting up new desktop PC running windows 11 + WSL2 + nix.

Invoking emacs from xo-nix2 flake (https://github.com/rconybea/xo-nix2/flake.nix) reveals that emacs doesn't get inconsolata from nix as I thought – .emacs complains that Inconsolata isn't available, and reverts to some non-fixed-width font (probably Ubuntu Sans or something).

Previous PC not immediately accessible (it's in NYC, and I'm writing this from Chicago); but from memory had installed an ubuntu package to make this work.

Since I couldn't quickly find ubuntu package, looked into incorporating nixpkgs-provided fonts into my WSL2/ubuntu account setup.

Strategy

Want to use something like

  nix-env -i inconsolata-lgc

to make a font available. This command populates ~/.nix-profile/share/fonts, but need something more to get ubuntu to see them.

Investigation

Arch linux wiki https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Font_configuration has good writeup on fonts.

Solution

Add fontconfig dir

Need to provide .config/fontconfig/fonts.conf :

  <?xml version="1.0"?>
  <!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "urn:fontconfig:fonts.dtd">

  <!--
      After changing this file:
      $ fc-cache -fv

      List available fonts:
      $ fc-list
  -->

  <fontconfig>
      <!-- also pull in any fonts provided via nix package manager -->
      <dir>~/.nix-profile/share/fonts</dir>

      <dir>~/.local/share/fonts</dir>
  </fontconfig>

fontconfig already knows to look in this location

Tweak .emacs

With this change, add to ~/.emacs:

  (set-frame-font "Inconsolata LGC 9" nil t)

That's all!

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