[XeTeX] Malayalam typesetting using XeLaTeX

[Zdenek Wagner]

2013/11/13 NMPOST7 <nmpost7 at gmail.com>:
> Dear All,
>
> Earlier, I was using Latex on Linux and I used the Malayalam package from
> Sarovar to typeset my documents in Malayalam. The processing was running the
> code file (extenion *.mm) through a pre-processor mal (with a font option)
>
> I could use this on my Mac and hence I need to use Linux (Ubuntu Perfect
> Pangolin) for Malayalam and my Mac for all the rest!!
>
> I have, finally, managed to get Malayalam working on my Mac(Mountain Lion
> 10.5.8) using XeLaTeX. The issue in question is character rendering. Here are
> the details before I proceed.
>
> System: Mac Mountain Lion 10.5.8
> Editor: TeXShop 2.47
> Engine : xelatex
> Fonts used:
>
>     Rachana (my favourite) uses old script
>     Meera
>     AnjaliOldLipi
>
>
> Problems:
>
> -> Rachana: the numerals (arabic) are NOT rendered. Only boxes appear. This
> includes page numbers. The punctuation marks, too, are not rendered. Only boxes
> appear.
>
Which font version do you have? I have just installed v.5.0.1-4 and it
works. It seems that an older version did not contain numerals. I am
including my files, I have just replaced Times with FreeSerif (I have
not bought Times).

> -> Meera and AnjaliOldLipi: numbers are rendered but ligatures are terrible.
>
> -> cannot use \textbf{} with Malayalam script inside
>
None of these fonts contain boldface or italic, at least in the RPM
packages for Fedora 18.
>
> Example: (file is attached)
>
> Code: Select all  •  Open in writeLaTeX
>     \listfiles
>     \documentclass[a4paper,12pt]{article}
>     \usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
>     \usepackage{fontspec}
>     \defaultfontfeatures{Ligatures=TeX}     %[Mapping=tex-text]
>     \usepackage{polyglossia}
>     \setdefaultlanguage{malayalam}
>     \setotherlanguage{english}
>     \newfontfamily\malayalamfont[Script=Malayalam]{Rachana}
>     \newfontfamily\englishfont{Times}
>     \begin{document}
>     \lefthyphenmin=2
>     \righthyphenmin=2
>     %\thispagestyle{empty}
>     \setmainfont[Script=Malayalam]{Rachana}
>     %
>     \setlength{\baselineskip}{1.25\baselineskip}\addtolength{\parskip}{10pt}
>     %\textenglish{1,2,3.}
>     മലയാളം  ൽ ൾ ർ  3 .
>     \end{document}
>
>     \textbf{ പ്രാരംഭഃ}
>     \begin{verse}
>     \noindent
>     \hfill{\textenglish{0}}
>     \end{verse}
>     \end{document}
>
>
> The workaround is cumbersome.
>
> Code: Select all  •  Open in writeLaTeX
>     \textenglish{3}
>
>
> The same applies to punctuation marks. if the punctuation marks are inserted
> using the above command, the rendering is fine.
>
> The final problem. dashes are inserted when a word is broken at the end of the
> line and these dashes appear as boxes!!!
>
>
> Final point: is there a possibility to generate the Malayalam numerals?
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_numerals scroll down and you will see the
> table with the numbers)
>
Just type them on the keyboard, I have looked into AnjaliOldLipi and
Rachana and both of them contain them. If you want to change
automatically arabic numerals to the malayalam ones, you can write a
similar mapping as "devanagarinumerals" in the xetex-devanagari
package.

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