wmf2XXX tools fail due to defoma font issue

[Steve Beattie]

When attempting to run any of the wmf2XXX, these fail on maverick with the following error:

   /usr/bin/wmf2eps -o /tmp/well-formed.eps data/well-formed.wmf
  ERROR: font.c (1334): wmf_ipa_font_map: failed to load *any* font!

You can use the example file from http://bazaar.launchpad.net/%7Eubuntu-bugcontrol/qa-regression-testing/master/annotate/head%3A/data/well-formed.wmf to reproduce with.

This failure only occurs on maverick; lucid works properly. Looking at the differences between the two versions, the maverick version no longer includes /usr/share/defoma/scripts/libwmf0.2-7.defoma (perhaps in preparation to fix debian bug http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=542336 ?) and thus the defoma files in /var/lib/defoma/libwmf0.2-7.d are not generated. Oddly, the directory /var/lib/defoma/libwmf0.2-7.d *is* included in maverick's libwmf0.2-7 package.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.10
Package: libwmf-bin 0.2.8.4-7ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.35-19.26-generic 2.6.35.3
Uname: Linux 2.6.35-19-generic x86_64
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Sep 2 16:00:32 2010
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Alpha amd64 (20100827)
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: libwmf

[Bartek Celary (karaphka)]

Is there a workaround?

This bug also affects imagemagick's convert program. It is throwing the same message (probably due to its usage of the mentioned library).

[Bartek Celary (karaphka)]

Looks like this should help for wmf2* programs:

wmf2eps --wmf-fontdir=/usr/share/fonts/type1/gsfonts filename.wmf

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Paddy Landau (paddy-landau)]

I confirm that I get this result with Natty 11.04. It also affects GIMP and Inkscape.

I have seen threads about this problem with GIMP not only in Ubuntuforums but also in Mint forums, but so far no solution.

Interestingly, Libre Office can open WMF files.

[Paddy Landau (paddy-landau)]

This is even worse with Precise 12.04, because even the work-around no longer works.

Please, this needs to be fixed! It used to work on 10.04, so this is a regression.

[Paddy Landau (paddy-landau)]

This problem still exists in 12.10 Quantal.

[Gergely Csépány (cheoppy)]

I can confirm the bug on 11.10, but luckily the workaround works for me.

[Paddy Landau (paddy-landau)]

@Gergely: The problem is that Canonical ceases support for 11.10 April 2013. What then? This bug needs fixing.

[Gergely Csépány (cheoppy)]

It needs fixing, I never said that it's unnecessary. I just concluded that I can currently work around this bug on my system, but I'll have problems doing so when I upgrade Ubuntu.

Is this an Ubuntu or Debian specific bug, or does it come from upstream?

[Paddy Landau (paddy-landau)]

Gergely, sorry, I didn't mean to sound aggressive. I just felt frustrated.

I don't know the answer to your question. How could we find out?

[Gergely Csépány (cheoppy)]

I think the solution would be to have a libwmf version which does not depend on defoma files. However, as I saw on the page of libwmf (which is part of wvWare, see http://sourceforge.net/projects/wvware/), it has not been in development since 2005. I doubt that they would release a new version independent from defoma.

But the Debian developers may release such a version, then it should be picked by Ubuntu to be used later on. The bug referred in the description has some advances, one could contact them and the appropriate Ubuntu maintainer to see if they can come up with a solution.