GDEF - The Glyph Definition Table (OpenType 1.6)

The Glyph Definition (GDEF) table contains four types of information in four independent tables:

  • The GlyphClassDef table classifies the different types of glyphs in the font.
  • The AttachmentList table identifies all attachment points on the glyphs, which streamlines data access and bitmap caching.
  • The LigatureCaretList table contains positioning data for ligature carets, which the text-processing client uses on screen to select and highlight the individual components of a ligature glyph.
  • The MarkAttachClassDef table classifies mark glyphs, to help group together marks that are positioned similarly.
  • The MarkGlyphSetsTable allows the enumeration of an arbitrary number of glyph sets that can be used as an extension of the mark attachment class definition to allow lookups to filter mark glyphs by arbitrary sets of marks.

The GSUB and GPOS tables may reference certain GDEF table information. See, for example, the LookupFlag bit enumeration in “OpenType Layout Common Table Formats”.

Overview

A client may use any one or more of the five GDEF tables during text processing. This overview explains how each of the five tables are organized and used (See Figure 7a). The rest of this chapter describes the individual GDEF tables and the tables that they reference.

Block diagram of GDEF subtables
Figure 7a. High-level organization of GDEF table

Glyph Class Definition Table

The Glyph Class Definition (GlyphClassDef) table identifies four types of glyphs in a font: base glyphs, ligature glyphs, combining mark glyphs, and glyph components (see Figure 7b). GSUB and GPOS lookups define and use these glyph classes to differentiate the types of glyphs in a string. For example, GPOS uses the glyph classes to distinguish between a simple base glyph and the mark glyph that follows it.

Base, ligature and mark glyphs, and glyph components of a ligature
Figure 7b. A base glyph, ligature glyph, mark glyph, and glyph components

In addition, a client uses class definitions to apply GSUB and GPOS LookupFlag data correctly. For example, a LookupFlag may specify ignoring ligatures and marks during a glyph operation. If the font does not include a GlyphClassDef table, the client must define and maintain this information when using the GSUB and GPOS tables.

Attachment Point List Table

The Attachment Point List table (AttachmentList) identifies all the attachment points defined in the GPOS table and their associated glyphs so a client can quickly access coordinates for each glyph’s attachment points. As a result, the client can cache coordinates for attachment points along with glyph bitmaps and avoid recalculating the attachment points each time it displays a glyph. Without this table, processing speed would be slower because the client would have to decode the GPOS lookups that define attachment points and compile the points in a list.

Ligature Caret List Table

The Ligature Caret List table (LigatureCaretList), particularly useful in Arabic and other scripts with many ligatures, specifies coordinates for positioning carets on all ligatures in a font. The client uses this data to select and highlight ligature components in displayed text (see Figure 7c).

Arabic ligature glyph showing caret positions between component letters
Figure 7c. Proper ligature caret postioning

Each ligature can have more than one caret position, with each position defined as an X or Y value on the baseline according to the writing direction of the script or language system. The font developer can use any of three formats to represent a caret coordinate value. One format represents values in design units only, another fine-tunes a value based on a designated contour point, and the third uses a Device table to adjust values at specific font sizes.

Without a Ligature Caret List table, the client would have to define caret positions without knowing the positions of the ligature components. The resulting highlighting or hit-testing might be ambiguous. For example, suppose a client places a caret at the midpoint position along the width of a hyphothetical “wi” ligature. Because the “w” is wider than the “i,” that position would not clearly indicate which component is selected. Instead, for accurate selection, the caret should be moved to the right so that either the “w” or “i” could be clearly highlighted.

GDEF Header

The GDEF table begins with a header that starts with a version number (Version), currently only versions 0x00010000 and 0x00010002 are defined. A GDEF header also includes an Offset to a table defining the types of glyphs in the font (GlyphClassDef), an Offset to a list defining attachment points on the glyphs(AttachList), an Offset to a ligature caret list (LigCaretList) and an Offset to a list defining types of marks that can be attached (MarkAttachClassDef). The format used for the MarkAttachClassDef is the same as that for GlyphClassDef. Please refer the ‘LookupFlag bit enumeration’ section in the Common Table Formats for more on using lookup flags with the information in these fields.

Example 1 at the end of this chapter shows a GDEF Header table.

The format 0x00010000 of the GDEF header is organized as follows:

Type Name Description
ULONG Version Version of the GDEF table-currently 0x00010000
Offset GlyphClassDef Offset to class definition table for glyph type-from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)
Offset AttachList Offset to list of glyphs with attachment points-from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)
Offset LigCaretList Offset to list of positioning points for ligature carets-from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)
Offset MarkAttachClassDef Offset to class definition table for mark attachment type-from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)

The format 0x00010002 of the GDEF header contains an additional Offset to a list defining mark glyph set definitions (MarkGlyphSetDef):

Type Name Description
ULONG Version Version of the GDEF table-currently 0x00010002
Offset GlyphClassDef Offset to class definition table for glyph type-from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)
Offset AttachList Offset to list of glyphs with attachment points-from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)
Offset LigCaretList Offset to list of positioning points for ligature carets-from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)
Offset MarkAttachClassDef Offset to class definition table for mark attachment type-from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)
Offset MarkGlyphSetsDef Offset to the table of mark set definitions - from beginning of GDEF header (may be NULL)

Glyph Class Definition Table

The GSUB and GPOS tables use the Glyph Class Definition table (GlyphClassDef) to identify which glyph classes to adjust with lookups.

The table uses the same format as the Class Definition table (for details, see the chapter, Common Table Formats ). However, the GlyphClassDef table uses class values already defined in the GlyphClassDef Enumeration list:

GlyphClassDef Enumeration List

Class Description
1 Base glyph (single character, spacing glyph)
2 Ligature glyph (multiple character, spacing glyph)
3 Mark glyph (non-spacing combining glyph)
4 Component glyph (part of single character, spacing glyph)

The font developer does not have to classify every glyph in the font, but any glyph not assigned a class value falls into Class zero (0). For instance, class values might be useful for the Arabic glyphs in a font, but not for the Latin glyphs. Then the GlyphClassDef table will list only Arabic glyphs, and-by default-the Latin glyphs will be assigned to Class 0. Component glyphs can be put together to generate ligatures. A ligature can be generated by creating a glyph in the font that references the component glyphs, or outputting the component glyphs in the desired sequence. Component glyphs are not used in defining any GSUB or GPOS formats.

Example 2 at the end of this chapter defines a GlyphClassDef table with a sample glyph for each of the assigned classes.

Attachment List Table

The Attachment List table (AttachList) may be used to cache attachment point coordinates along with glyph bitmaps.

The table consists of an offset to a Coverage table (Coverage) listing all glyphs that define attachment points in the GPOS table, a count of the glyphs with attachment points (GlyphCount), and an array of offsets to AttachPoint tables (AttachPoint). The array lists the AttachPoint tables, one for each glyph in the Coverage table, in the same order as the Coverage Index.

AttachList table

Type Name Description
Offset Coverage Offset to Coverage table - from beginning of AttachList table
uint16 GlyphCount Number of glyphs with attachment points
Offset AttachPoint[GlyphCount] Array of offsets to AttachPoint tables-from beginning of AttachList table-in Coverage Index order

An AttachPoint table consists of a count of the attachment points on a single glyph (PointCount) and an array of contour indices of those points (PointIndex), listed in increasing numerical order.

Example 3 at the end of the chapter demonstrates an AttachList table that defines attachment points for two glyphs.

AttachPoint table

Type Name Description
uint16 PointCount Number of attachment points on this glyph
uint16 PointIndex[PointCount] Array of contour point indices -in increasing numerical order

Ligature Caret List Table

The Ligature Caret List table (LigCaretList) defines caret positions for all the ligatures in a font. The table consists of an offset to a Coverage table that lists all the ligature glyphs (Coverage), a count of the defined ligatures (LigGlyphCount), and an array of offsets to LigGlyph tables (LigGlyph). The array lists the LigGlyph tables, one for each ligature in the Coverage table, in the same order as the Coverage Index.

Example 4 at the end of this chapter shows a LigCaretList table.

LigCaretList table

Type Name Description
Offset Coverage Offset to Coverage table - from beginning of LigCaretList table
uint16 LigGlyphCount Number of ligature glyphs
Offset LigGlyph[LigGlyphCount] Array of offsets to LigGlyph tables-from beginning of LigCaretList table-in Coverage Index order

Ligature Glyph Table

A Ligature Glyph table (LigGlyph) contains the caret coordinates for a single ligature glyph. The number of coordinate values, each defined in a separate CaretValue table, equals the number of components in the ligature minus one (1).

The LigGlyph table consists of a count of the number of CaretValue tables defined for the ligature (CaretCount) and an array of offsets to CaretValue tables (CaretValue).

Example 4 at the end of the chapter shows a LigGlyph table.

LigGlyph table

Type Name Description
uint16 CaretCount Number of CaretValues for this ligature (components - 1)
Offset CaretValue[CaretCount] Array of offsets to CaretValue tables-from beginning of LigGlyph table-in increasing coordinate order

Caret Values Table

A Caret Values table (CaretValues), which defines caret positions for a ligature, can be any of three possible formats. One format uses design units to define the caret position. The other two formats use a contour point or Device table to fine-tune a caret’s position at specific font sizes and device resolutions. Caret coordinates are either X or Y values, depending upon the text direction.

CaretValue Format 1

The first format (CaretValueFormat1) consists of a format identifier (CaretValueFormat), followed by a single coordinate for the caret position (Coordinate). The Coordinate is in design units.

This format has the benefits of small size and simplicity, but the Coordinate value cannot be hinted for fine adjustments at different device resolutions.

Example 4 at the end of this chapter shows a CaretValueFormat1 table.

CaretValueFormat1 table: Design units only

Type Name Description
uint16 CaretValueFormat Format identifier-format = 1
int16 Coordinate X or Y value, in design units

CaretValue Format 2

The second format (CaretValueFormat2) specifies the caret coordinate in terms of a contour point index on a specific glyph. During font hinting, the contour point on the glyph outline may move. The point’s final position after hinting provides the final value for rendering a given font size.

The table contains a format identifier (CaretValueFormat) and a contour point index (CaretValuePoint).

Example 5 at the end of this chapter demonstrates a CaretValueFormat2 table.

CaretValueFormat2 table: Contour point

Type Name Description
uint16 CaretValueFormat Format identifier-format = 2
uint16 CaretValuePoint Contour point index on glyph

CaretValue Format 3

The third format (CaretValueFormat3) also specifies the value in design units, but it uses a Device table rather than a contour point to adjust the value. This format offers the advantage of fine-tuning the Coordinate value for any device resolution. (For more information about Device tables, see the chapter, Common Table Formats.)

The format consists of a format identifier (CaretValueFormat), an X or Y value (Coordinate), and an offset to a Device table (DeviceTable).

Example 6 at the end of this chapter shows a CaretValueFormat3 table.

CaretValueFormat3 table: Design units plus Device table

Type Name Description
uint16 CaretValueFormat Format identifier-format = 3
int16 Coordinate X or Y value, in design units
Offset DeviceTable Offset to Device table for X or Y value-from beginning of CaretValue table

Mark Attachment Class Definition Table

A Mark Attachment Class Definition Table defines the class to which a mark glyph may belong. This table uses the same format as the Class Definition table (for details, see the chapter, Common Table Formats ).

Example 7 in this document shows a MarkAttachClassDef table.

Mark Glyph Sets Table

Mark glyph sets are used in GSUB and GPOS lookups to filter which marks in a string are considered or ignored. Mark glyph sets are defined in a MarkGlyphSets table, which contains offsets to individual sets each represented by a standard Coverage table:

MarkGlyphSetsTable

Type Name Description
uint16 MarkSetTableFormat Format identifier == 1
uint16 MarkSetCount Number of mark sets defined
ULONG Coverage [MarkSetCount] Array of offsets to mark set coverage tables.

Mark glyph sets are used for the same purpose as mark attachment classes, which is as filters for GSUB and GPOS lookups. Mark glyph sets differ from mark attachment classes, however, in that mark glyph sets may intersect as needed by the font developer. As for mark attachment classes, only one mark glyph set can be referenced in any given lookup.

Note that the array of offsets for the Coverage tables uses ULONG, not Offset.

GDEF Table Examples

The rest of this chapter describes examples of all the GDEF table formats. All the examples reflect unique parameters described below, but the samples provide a useful reference for building tables specific to other situations.

The examples have three columns showing hex data, source, and comments.

Example 1: GDEF Header

Example 1 shows a GDEF Header definition with offsets to each of the main tables in GDEF.

Hex Data Source Comments
  GDEFHeader

TheGDEFHeader
GDEFHeader table definition
00010000 0x00010000 Version
000C GlyphClassDefTable offset to GlyphClassDef table
0026 AttachListTable offset to AttachList table
0040 LigCaretListTable offset to LigCaretList table
005A MarkAttachClassDefTable offset to Mark Attachment Class Definition Table

Example 2: GlyphClassDef Table

The GlyphClassDef table in Example 2 specifies a glyph for the each of the glyph classes predefined in the GlyphClassDef Enumeration List.

Hex Data Source Comments
  ClassDefFormat2
GlyphClassDefTable
ClassDef table definition
0002 2 ClassFormat
0004 4 ClassRangeCount
ClassRangeRecord[0]
0024 iGlyphID Start
0024 iGlyphID End
0001 1 Class, 1 = base glyphs
ClassRangeRecord[1]
009F ffiLigGlyphID Start
009F ffiLigGlyphID End
0002 2 Class, 2 = ligature glyphs
ClassRangeRecord[2]
0058 umlautAccentGlyphID Start
0058 umlautAccentGlyphID End
0003 3 Class, 3 = mark glyphs
ClassRangeRecord[3]
018F CurvedTailComponentGlyphID Start
018F CurvedTailComponentGlyphID End
0004 4 Class, 4 = component glyphs

Example 3: AttachList Table

In Example 3, the AttachList table enumerates the attachment points defined for two glyphs. The GlyphCoverage table identifies the glyphs: “a” and “e.” For each covered glyph, an AttachPoint table specifies the attachment point count and point indices: one point for the “a” glyph and two for the “e” glyph.

Hex Data Source Comments
  AttachList
AttachListTable
AttachList table definition
0012 GlyphCoverage offset to Coverage table
0002 2 GlyphCount
0008 aAttachPoint AttachPoint[0]
000C eAttachPoint AttachPoint[1]
  AttachPoint
aAttachPoint
AttachPoint table definition
0001 1 PointCount
0012 18 PointIndex[0]
  AttachPoint
eAttachPoint
AttachPoint table definition
0002 2 PointCount
000E 14 PointIndex[0]
0017 23 PointIndex[1]
  CoverageFormat1
GlyphCoverage
Coverage table definition
0001 1 CoverageFormat
0002 2 GlyphCount
001C aGlyphID GlyphArray[0]
0020 eGlyphID GlyphArray[1]

Example 4: LigCaretList Table, LigGlyph Table and CaretValueFormat1 Table

Example 4 defines a list of ligature carets. The LigCoverage table lists all the ligature glyphs that define caret positions. In this example, two ligatures are covered, “ffi” and “fi.” For each covered glyph, a LigGlyph table specifies the number of carets for the ligature and their coordinate values. The “fi” ligature defines one caret, positioned between the “f” and “i” components; the “ffi” ligature defines two, one positioned between the two “f” components and the other positioned between the “f” and “i.” The CaretValue tables shown here use Format1, where values are specified in design units only.

Hex Data Source Comments
  LigCaretList
LigCaretListTable
LigCaretList table definition
0008 LigCoverage offset to Coverage table
0002 2 LigGlyphCount
0010 fiLigGlyph offset to LigGlyph table[0]
0014 ffiLigGlyph offset to LigGlyph table[1]
  CoverageFormat1
LigCoverage
Coverage table definition
0001 1 CoverageFormat
0002 2 GlyphCount
009F ffiLigGlyphID GlyphArray[0]
00A5 fiLigGlyphID GlyphArray[1]
  LigGlyph
fiLigGlyph
LigGlyph table definition
0001 1 CaretCount, equals the number of components - 1
000E CaretFI CaretValue[0]
  LigGlyph
ffiLigGlyph
LigGlyph table definition
0002 2 CaretCount, equals the number of components - 1
0006 CaretFFI1 CaretValue[0]
000E CaretFFI2 CaretValue[1]
  CaretValueFormat1
CaretFI
CaretValue table definition
0001 1 CaretValueFormat design units only
025B 603 Coordinate X or Y value
  CaretValueFormat1
CaretFFI1
CaretValue table definition
0001 1 CaretValueFormat design units only
025B 603 Coordinate X or Y value
  CaretValueFormat1
CaretFFI2
CaretValue table definition
0001 1 CaretValueFormat design units only
04B6 1206 Coordinate X or Y value

Example 5: CaretValueFormat2 Table

Example 5 shows a CaretValueFormat2 table that specifies a ligature caret coordinate in terms of a contour point index on a specific glyph. The final position of the caret depends on the location of the contour point on the glyph after hinting.

Hex Data Source Comments
  CaretValueFormat2
Caret1
CaretValue table definition
0002 2 CaretValueFormat contour point
000D 13 CaretValuePoint contour point index

Example 6: CaretValueFormat3 Table

In Example 6, the CaretValueFormat3 table defines a caret position in design units, but includes a Device table to adjust the X or Y coordinate for the point size and resolution of the output font. Here, the Device table specifies pixel adjustments for font sizes from 12 ppem to 17 ppem.

Hex Data Source Comments
  CaretValueFormat3
Caret3
CaretValue table definition
0003 3 CaretValueFormat design units plus Device table
04B6 1206 Coordinate X or Y value, design units
0006 CaretDevice offset to Device table
  DeviceTableFormat2
CaretDevice
Device Table definition
000C 12 StartSize
0011 17 EndSize
0002 2 DeltaFormat
  1 increase 12ppm by 1 pixel
  1 increase 13ppm by 1 pixel
  1 increase 14ppm by 1 pixel
1111 1 increase 15ppm by 1 pixel
  2 increase 16ppm by 2 pixels
2200 2 increase 17ppm by 2 pixels

Example 7: MarkAttachClassDef Table

In Example 7, the MarkAttachClassDef table specifies an attachment class for the each of the glyph ranges predefined in the GlyphClassDef Enumeration List as marks.

Hex Data Source Comments
  ClassDefFormat2
theMarkAttachClassDefTable
ClassDef table definition
0002 2 ClassFormat
0004 4 ClassRangeCount
ClassRangeRecord[0]
0268 graveAccentGlyphID Start
026A circumflexAccentGlyphID End
0001 1 Class, 1 = top marks
ClassRangeRecord[1]
0270 diaeresisAccentGlyphID Start
0272 acuteAccentGlyphID End
0001 1 Class, 1 = top marks
ClassRangeRecord[2]
028C diaeresisBelowGlyphID Start
028F cedillaGlyphID End
0002 2 Class, 2 = bottom marks
ClassRangeRecord[3]
0295 circumflexBelowGlyphID Start
0295 circumflexBelowGlyphID End
0002 2 Class, 2 = bottom marks