This page explains what Smart Sets are and how to use them.

Smart Sets are an interface for visualizing collections of glyphs in the Font Overview.

They can be selected and edited using the Smart Sets panel.

Types of Smart Sets

Smart Sets can be of two different types:

List-based Smart Sets

Static sets defined by a list of glyph names.
Identified by a list icon.

Query-based Smart Sets

Dynamic sets defined by a query.
Identified by a gear icon.

Smart Set locations

Smart Sets can be stored in two different places:

Default Sets

Stored in the application defaults.
Available for all open fonts.

Font Sets

Stored in the font lib under a custom key: com.typemytype.robofont.smartSets Available only for this font.

Smart Set data format

A Smart Set is defined as a list of dicts.

Each dict in the list must follow the format below:

key description
smartsetName The name of the smart set as a string. required
query The query as a string. required
glyphNames Indicates that the Smart Set contains a list of glyph names (a string). The query is still required. optional
group Indicates that the Smart Set is a folder (a list of Smart Sets dicts). optional
uniqueKey Each set needs a unique key, which is stored in the Smart Set. autogenerated if not present

Editing Smart Sets

There are multiple ways to edit Smart Sets data:

  1. By double-clicking a set in the Smart Sets panel. This will open a sheet with a list of glyph names (for list-based sets) or the Search Glyphs panel (for query-based sets).

  2. By importing/exporting .robofontSets files using the options menu, or by dropping a .robofontSets file on top of one of the headers (Defaults Sets or Font Sets).

  3. By manipulating the data with code using the mojo.smartSet API.

  4. By manipulating the Smart Sets data directly in the ufo.lib or in the application defaults. (not recommended)

Query strings

Query strings in query-based Smart Sets are defined using Apple’s Predicate Format String Syntax, which is also implemented in the Search Glyphs panel.

The attribute names used to build the queries are the same as the names displayed in the Search Glyph panel’s glyph attributes menu, without spaces.

Here is an example query string:

Name CONTAINS ‘foo’ OR Contours >= 5 AND Unicode > 1234

This query will return all glyphs with a name containing foo or all glyphs with more than 4 contours and a unicode value bigger than 4D2.

Smart Sets vs. Groups

Smart Sets are similar in concept to groups: both represent collections of glyphs.

The table below outlines the main differences between groups and Smart Sets:

groups Smart Sets
implementation defined in the UFO format and in the FontParts Object map a special feature provided by RoboFont
data storage stored in font.groups stored in the application or in the font.lib
glyphs defined as a list of glyph names defined as a list of glyph names or as a search query
interface edited using the Groups sheet, which is modal edited within the Font Overview, works like a search performed with the Search Glyphs panel

To convert a Smart Set into a group, choose Export to a Font Group from the options menu at the bottom left of the Smart Sets panel.


Last edited on 01/09/2021