[XeTeX] Malayalam typesetting using XeLaTeX

[Zdenek Wagner]

2013/11/14 NMPOST7 <nmpost7 at gmail.com>:
> On 13/11/2013 23:41, Herbert Schulz wrote:
>> Howdy,
>>
>> I've changed the \setmainfont command to be Times and added the \textbf command.
>
> Thank you Herb,
>
>> One thing I found was that there was some unknown character in the \textbf command.
>
> That seems to be a problem in TeXShop. I noticed the error message when I
> compiled and edited the space but the mistake remained and I could not see the
> unknown character.
>
> After cleaning that up it compiles. However, it appears that the Rachana font
> doesn't have
> the appropriate bold-extended font.
>
> You may have to define that font manually as an option to the the setting of the
> malayalamfont.
>
> How do I define that option? That is something completely new to me.
>
You cannot. Sometimes the boldface fonts have such names that fontspec
is not able to find them automatically. In such a case you have to
define the right name. However, in case of these three malayalam fonts
the boldface variants do not exist.

> As far as the numerals are concerned, I had a look at polyglossia, but it does
> not seem to have that option.
>
> What I tried was to get Malayalam numbers by using
>
> \renewcommand{\thesection}{\malayalamnumeral{section}}
> so that I could use \section{പ്രാരംഭഃ}
>
> Apparently, that option is illegal as the package does not offer that possibility
>
This option is not available. Have a look at the
devanagarinumerals.map. Save it eg as malayalamnumerals.map and
replace the codes of the devanagari digits with the malayalam ones
(just change the bloch, positions in all indic blocks are the same).
Compile it with teckit-compile and then use Mapping=malayalamnumerals
when defining the font (I use it regularly in my Hindi texts).

> Best regards
> Suren
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Zdeněk Wagner
http://hroch486.icpf.cas.cz/wagner/
http://icebearsoft.euweb.cz