LiveDocs Comments - flash - 9.0 - ActionScriptLangRefV3 - flash/text/TextFormat.html

flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/text/TextFormat.html

2008-04-16T12:10:50

How to include special characters into dynamically created TextField?

flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/text/TextFormat.html

mhoskins — 2007-09-12T11:57:58

var myFont = new FontClassName(); // automatically subclassed from flash.text.Font
format.font = myFont.fontName;

The font is stored and identified by the linkage identifier, it's just a class name like anything else exported from the library in ActionScript 3. Instantiating the class is an easier way than trying to remember the actual name of the font, especially if it's something like 'Univers 47 CondensedLight'.

You could still use the font name string, but it's all about encapsulation, similar to using flash.events.Event.COMPLETE rather than the string literal 'complete'.

flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/text/TextFormat.html

AMPO webdesign&multimedia — 2007-05-22T14:43:28

When you want to use a font, which won't be found on the user's system, you need to embed that font in the library, creating a font symbol and giving it a linkage identifier.

Don't be confused though. No matter what symbol name or linkage identifier you give to your font symbol, you won't use those identifiers anyway. When specifying the font using the 'font' property of the TextFormat object, you should give it the actual font name, as specified by your system (like seen on the fonts list in the Properties panel). You don't specify it using the library linkage identifier.
It is strange and I caused me a few hours of searching and frustration - all other symbols in the library always were and are identified by the linkage identifier, only Fonts aren't. Still this is the way it finally worked for me, so save your searching time folks :)