> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.otter-shell.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Fonts and text

> Font, TextSystem, ShapeScratch, and RTL/CJK text in otter-render.

FreeType rasterization and HarfBuzz shaping for Otter Shell text.

## Font (FreeType)

```zig theme={null}
const font = try render.Font.init(allocator, .{});
defer font.deinit();

font.drawText(&surface, "Hello", .{ .x = 0, .y = 20 }, 16, render.Color.white);
const width = font.measureText("Hello", 16);
```

Loading priority: explicit `font_path`, then `font_family` discovery, then bundled fallback (`IoskeleyMonoNerdFont-Regular.ttf`). Fallback faces mmap lazily on first missing glyph.

Glyph cache evicts at 8192 entries and on allocation failure.

## TextSystem

For RTL, CJK, and mixed-direction labels:

```zig theme={null}
var text_system = try render.TextSystem.init(allocator, &font);
defer text_system.deinit();

var scratch: render.ShapeScratch = .{};
const shaped = try text_system.shapeInto("مرحبا", &scratch, .{});
```

Helpers:

* `hasStrongRtlUtf8` / `hasStrongRtlCodepoints`: cheap bidi preflight
* `measure`, `wrap`, `truncate`, `cursorRect`: layout-facing APIs
* `draw`: FreeType fast path or shaped glyph rasterization

Pass `text_system` and `text_scratch` through `otter-ui` `FrameOptions`, or attach both to `CommandList` for direct rasterization.

## HiDPI text

* `drawTextScaled` / `measureTextScaled`: logical coords via `Surface`
* `measureTextAtScale`: explicit scale without a `Surface`

Build with `-Denable_text=false` to omit the text stack entirely.