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How to Install a Font programmatically in C#?

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Fonts play a crucial role in the visual appearance of any application, and the right font can significantly enhance the user experience. You can do this directly in the application code, as I will demonstrate, but I will also show you how to do it when generating configuration files for your application in Visual Studio. In this article, we will discuss how to programmatically install a font in C#.

Steps to Install Font in C#

Step 1: Importing required namespaces

The first stage is to add the required namespaces. The System.Drawing.Text namespace is required to work with fonts programmatically. The System.IO namespace is required to access the font files.

C#




using System.Drawing.Text;
using System.IO;


Step 2: Creating a PrivateFontCollection Object

Next, we need to create a PrivateFontCollection object. This object is used to manage a collection of private fonts. We will use this object to add the font we want to install.

C#




PrivateFontCollection fontCollection = new PrivateFontCollection();


Step 3: Adding the font to the PrivateFontCollection

After creating the PrivateFontCollection object, we need to add the font to the collection. To do this, we will use the AddFontFile method of the PrivateFontCollection object. This method takes the font file path as an argument and adds the font to the collection.

C#




string fontFilePath = @"C:\Fonts\MyFont.ttf";
fontCollection.AddFontFile(fontFilePath);


Step 4: Installing the font

Once the font is added to the PrivateFontCollection object, we can install it programmatically. To do this, we will use the AddMemoryFont method of the PrivateFontCollection object. This method takes a byte array as an argument and installs the font.

C#




if (fontCollection.Families.Length > 0)
{
    byte[] fontData = File.ReadAllBytes(fontFilePath);
    IntPtr fontPtr = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(fontData.Length);
    Marshal.Copy(fontData, 0, fontPtr, fontData.Length);
    fontCollection.AddMemoryFont(fontPtr, fontData.Length);
    Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(fontPtr);
}


Step 5: Verifying the font installation

We can verify the installation of the font by checking the length of the Families property of the PrivateFontCollection object. If the length is greater than 0, it means the font has been installed successfully.

C#




if (fontCollection.Families.Length > 0)
{
    // Font installed successfully
}
else
{
    // Font installation failed
}


Here is the complete code to install a font programmatically in C#:

C++




using System.Drawing.Text;
using System.IO;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
  
// ...
  
PrivateFontCollection fontCollection = new PrivateFontCollection();
string fontFilePath = @"C:\Fonts\MyFont.ttf";
fontCollection.AddFontFile(fontFilePath);
  
if (fontCollection.Families.Length > 0)
{
    byte[] fontData = File.ReadAllBytes(fontFilePath);
    IntPtr fontPtr = Marshal.AllocCoTaskMem(fontData.Length);
    Marshal.Copy(fontData, 0, fontPtr, fontData.Length);
    fontCollection.AddMemoryFont(fontPtr, fontData.Length);
    Marshal.FreeCoTaskMem(fontPtr);
}
else
{
    // Font installation failed
}


In conclusion, programmatically installing a font in C# can enhance the user experience of your application. By following the above steps, you can easily install a font programmatically in your C# application.



Last Updated : 12 Mar, 2023
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