---
name: "update-fonts-alias"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "xfonts-utils"
version: "1:7.7+7"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/update-fonts-alias"
---

# update-fonts-alias(8)

compile fonts.alias files

## NAME

update-fonts-alias - compile fonts.alias files

## SYNOPSIS

**update-fonts-alias** \[*OPTION*\] *directory ...*

## DESCRIPTION

**update-fonts-alias** assembles a *fonts.alias* file in an X font directory using one or more alias files found in a subdirectory of */etc/X11/fonts/*. It is typically invoked only from the post-installation and post-removal scripts of a *package* containing X Window System fonts that provide aliases for their XLFD names, but may be invoked at any time to reconstruct *fonts.alias* files. For each *directory*, which is simply the last component of its path (such as ‘75dpi’ or ‘misc’), **update-fonts-alias** will assemble either */usr/lib/X11/fonts/*directory*/fonts.alias* or */usr/share/fonts/X11/*directory*/fonts.alias* from the files found in */etc/X11/fonts/*directory*/*package*.alias*.

This enables multiple packages to provide aliases for fonts in the same directory. No font package actually provides the *fonts.alias* file in the X font directory itself, so there is no danger of overwriting one package's aliases with those of another.

For instance, the two packages ‘xfonts-base’ and ‘xfonts-base-transcoded’ may both install fonts into the directory */usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc*. They each place their *fonts.alias* files in */etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base.alias* and */etc/X11/fonts/misc/xfonts-base-transcoded.alias* (respectively). **update-fonts-alias** concatenates these two files (as well as any others that match */etc/X11/fonts/misc/\*.alias*) into */usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.alias*.

The format of *fonts.alias* files is described in the [**mkfontdir**(1x)](/mkfontdir/1x.md) manual page.

An example of how to use **update-fonts-alias** in package maintainer scripts is provided in the Debian Policy Manual.

## OPTIONS

**-h, --help** displays a brief usage message and exits.

## OPERANDS

**update-fonts-alias** takes one or more X font directory names to operate on as operands. Only the final path component of the directory name should be specified; e.g.,

**update-fonts-alias 75dpi**

is correct, while ‘**update-fonts-alias /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi**’ and ‘**update-fonts-alias /usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi**’ are not.

## ENVIRONMENT

- **COLUMNS**

  indicates the width of the terminal device in character cells. This value is used for formatting diagnostic messages. If not set, the terminal is queried using [**stty**(1)](/stty/1.md) to determine its width. If that fails, a value of ‘80’ is assumed.

## DIAGNOSTICS

### Errors

- **usage error: one or more font directories must be provided**

  **update-fonts-alias** was invoked without operands. Supply one or more X font directory names to operate on.

- **usage error: unrecognized option**

  **update-fonts-alias** was invoked with an unrecognized option argument. Use only the options documented in “OPTIONS”, above.

- **fatal error: path to X font directory must be used**

  A directory name was supplied that was not an X font directory name. Supply X font directory names only.

### Warnings

- **warning: absolute path** *directory* **was provided**

  Usage of absolute paths is deprecated. Use only the final component of the X font directory name for *directory*.

- **warning:** *directory* **does not exist or is not a directory**

  The supplied *directory* was invalid. **update-fonts-alias** skipped it.

## EXIT STATUS

- 0

  **update-fonts-alias** ran successfully.

- 1

  **update-fonts-alias** experienced a fatal error; see the section on diagnostic messages above.

- 2

  **update-fonts-alias** was invoked with invalid arguments.

## BUGS

See the Debian Bug Tracking System ⟨URL: https://bugs.debian.org/xfonts-utils ⟩. If you wish to report a bug in **update-fonts-alias**, please see */usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt* or the [**reportbug**(1)](/reportbug/1.md) command.

## AUTHOR

**update-fonts-alias** was written by Branden Robinson.

## SEE ALSO

[**mkfontdir**(1x)](/mkfontdir/1x.md)