It doesn't activate some of the fonts

Bugs
1

Windows 10 Pro - v. 2009, build 19045.5965
FontBase 2.22.4

Hi there, when I open an InDesign project file, it doesn’t auto-activate all the fonts in the project. For example, it doesn’t activate Panton Narrow SemiBold and Panton Narrow Regular.
That was working before exactly in this InDesign project, so something with the latest version of FontBase. The settings are the same.

2

Hello Florian, thank you for your post :folded_hands:
Would it be possible to check if these two fonts are present in FontBase? It’s possible that the updated version of fonts provided by Google does not include them anymore for some reason. If that’s the case, downloading the missing fonts should return everything back to normal.

Thank you again,

3

Of course I have checked this before posting here. And yes, they are there, I can activate them manually.
By the way Panton font family is from Fontfabric, they are not Google fonts.

4

Thank you for the quick reply and the additional info, Florian :folded_hands:
To better understand the situation:
Did anything else besides the FontBase version change between when there was no auto-activation issue and when it started occurring?
Any system updates, file permission changes etc?
What FontBase version were you using before the update to 2.22.4?

And just to clarify - some fonts are auto-activated ok, while others are not? I.e. is this happening only to some of the fonts?

Thank you again,

5

Hi there,
Yes, there were updates to Windows, Adobe applications and FontBase since the last time I checked this project was a year ago.
No any file permission changes.
I don’t know which version of FontBase I’ve been using at that time.
And yes, some fonts auto-activate, while others don’t. This happens only to some of the fonts.

6

Hello Florian, thank you for your reply and the additional info :folded_hands:
Based on all the data you’ve provided, FontBase seems to be working as expected, the plugin works as well. The cause might be in the Adobe app updates given the time since the project was last opened. Could you please try to do the following on one of the fonts experiencing the auto-activation issue:

  • in a respective Adobe CC document, find an element (or all elements, if possible) using the problematic font;
  • change the element’s font to any other font;
  • change the font to the one used previously (the one with the issue at the moment), activating it in FontBase beforehand if needed;
    This could potentially help in case the CC app cached some obsolete font information and is now sending it to FontBase and it’s not being recognised.

Thank you again,

7

I tried, but it didn’t help.
What’s more, I saw this bug in Adobe Illustrator as well. With some other fonts. They just don’t activate. None of them.
So it’s time to take a look at your software and stop blaming Adobe or Windows or whatever other software.
Please take some action!

8

Hello Florian, thank you for your reply and for trying this :folded_hands:
Deeply sorry for the inconvenience this situation is causing, I truly understand how frustrating it can be :pensive_face:
Please believe me when I write this - looking at our software and possible underlying root cause is the first thing we did and still haven’t excluded the possibility that it is indeed the app that’s causing this :folded_hands:
The screen recording below is from a test we ran with one of the fonts in question and the same FontBase version you’re using. Every part of the process works as expected:
auto_activation
I do understand the app and the font working on a different setup is a poor consolation and does not alleviate the issues you’re having and does not remedy the negative impact on your workflow, I really do. However, this strongly suggests that it is exactly the other variables, e.g. the OS (less likely) or the CC Apps themselves (more likely), that may be causing this unwanted behaviour.
Have you had any luck also contacting the Adobe support regarding this? Not instead, but in addition to us investigating the issue, as they are far better versed in the inner workings of their apps :folded_hands:
Again, this is by no means a statement that the blame, as you’ve put it, lies on the OS or other software instead of our app. Just trying to understand why this is happening and how to return everything back to normal as soon as possible.

Another thing that might help in the meantime is removing the plugins from their respective CC app Plug-Ins folders, then re-installing them via FontBase’s Settings page.
If that won’t change the situation, resetting the settings and data using this guide Reset Settings — FontBase Tutorials might be the next step, if that’s an option, of course.

Thank you again,