Introduction to the 'fc-cache' Command

fc-cache Command Guide

Introduction to the command

The fc-cache command is used to create font information cache files for X font servers. It scans the font directories and creates font information cache files for applications using fontconfig for their font handling.

Basic usage and syntax

The basic syntax of the fc-cache command is as follows:

fc-cache [options] [directories]

The options and directories are optional. If no options or directories are specified, fc-cache will scan all font directories.

Examples of common use cases

• Creating font information cache files:

  fc-cache -f

• Creating font information cache files for a specific directory:

  fc-cache /usr/share/fonts/truetype

• Creating font information cache files for all font directories:

  fc-cache -fv

Advanced options and flags

• -f: Force the update of font information cache files.
• -v: Verbose output.
• -r: Recursively scan directories.
• -s: Scan directories only, do not update font information cache files.
• -p: Print the font paths.
• -u: Update font information cache files only.

Examples in real-world scenarios

Let's say you have just installed a new font and want to create font information cache files for it. You can use the fc-cache command to do this:

fc-cache -f /usr/share/fonts/truetype/myfont

This will create font information cache files for the myfont font in the /usr/share/fonts/truetype directory.

Troubleshooting tips and potential errors

If you encounter any errors while running the fc-cache command, you can use the -v option to get more detailed output. This will help you identify the cause of the error and how to fix it.