Nerd Fonts Installer
In the world of programming, where every character counts and readability is paramount, the choice of font may seem like a minor detail. Yet, for those who spend countless hours staring at code editors, terminals, and documentation, the right font can make a significant difference in productivity and comfort. Enter Nerd Fonts – the unsung heroes of the programming world.
In this blog post, we'll explore how this installer simplifies the process of selecting and installing Nerd Fonts, revolutionizing the way programmers customize their coding environments.
A quick word about the motivation for this little project
I was hanging out in the #systemcrafters IRC channel on
libera.chat when David Wilson shared a cool idea: building slides
from scratch using Guile Scheme. The slides looked pretty slick, and
they were using the Iosevka font. Remembering my past fondness for
Iosevka and similar fonts geared towards programming, I thought it
might be time for a reunion.
Curious about what fonts others were into, I asked in the channel. The folks there, whose names I unfortunately didn't jot down (my bad for not saving the chat), mentioned they were big fans of Hack, Source Code Pro, and, of course, Iosevka.
Eager to get Iosevka back on my main machine, I started on a mission, only to hit a snag: there was no Debian 12 package available. After some thought and briefly considering creating my own Debian package, it hit me: Nerd Fonts! A collection of patched fonts I've relied on across all my apps.
And so, this project was born — a handy solution for grabbing, installing, and showcasing a range of fonts with minimal hassle.
Step 1: Obtain the Nerd Fonts Installer
To begin, download the Nerd Fonts Installer script from its official GitHub repository or the provided mirror link. This script serves as a gateway to effortlessly install the entire collection of Nerd Fonts onto your system.
Step 2: Review Dependencies
Before running the installer script, ensure that your system meets the necessary dependencies. These include:
- bash: The Bourne Again Shell, required to execute the script.
- wget: Used to download font files from the internet.
- unzip: Used to extract downloaded zip files.
You can install these dependencies using your system's package manager. For instance, on Debian-based systems like Ubuntu, execute the following commands:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install bash wget unzip
Or on MacOS with the brew package manager:
brew update
brew install bash wget unzip
Step 3: Customize Font Selection (Optional)
The Nerd Fonts Installer comes pre-configured with a list of fonts to install. However, if you wish to customize your font selection, you can do so by modifying the installer script. Simply comment out or remove the fonts you don't want to install and save the changes.
Please note each font have its own LICENSE, read it on the official NerdFonts repository, and mark only those you agree with. Also, marking more fonts, will take more time and disk space, so, be mindful.
Step 4: Run the Installer
Execute the installer script by navigating to the directory where it's located and running the following command:
./nerd-installer.sh
The script will download and install the complete Nerd Fonts collection effortlessly. Sit back and relax as it automates the process for you.
Step 5: Verify Installation
Once the installation is complete, verify that the fonts have been successfully installed on your system. You can do this by checking your system's font directory or using font management tools provided by your operating system.
Step 6: Integrate with Your IDE or Text Editor
Now that you've got Nerd Fonts installed, it's time to seamlessly integrate them into your preferred Integrated Development Environment (IDE) or text editor. Most modern IDEs and text editors offer customizable font settings. Simply navigate to the settings menu, select your desired Nerd Font from the list of available fonts, and apply the changes.
Here's an additional tip for GUI Emacs users: You can easily list all available fonts for Emacs using its own font as a reference line with a custom Elisp function:
(defun lemacs/all-available-fonts ()
"Create and visit a buffer containing a sorted list of available fonts."
(interactive)
(let ((font-list (sort (x-list-fonts "*") #'string<))
(font-buffer (generate-new-buffer "*Font List*")))
(with-current-buffer font-buffer
(dolist (font font-list)
(let* ((font-family (nth 2 (split-string font "-"))))
(insert (format "%s\n" (propertize font 'face `(:family ,font-family :height 110))))))
(goto-char (point-min))
(setq buffer-read-only t))
(pop-to-buffer font-buffer)))
Evaluating and calling this function will generate a buffer displaying all available fonts, providing a visual reference for your font selection process.
However, if you've ever found yourself on a font hunt before, you know that nothing beats actually seeing how a new font looks in your codebase. Some fonts offer more vertical space, others provide better horizontal alignment, and some may contrast better with your color scheme or monitor settings. Additionally, fonts may have varying heights, even if set to the same "height."
So, experimentation is key.
If you'd like to try font changes on the fly within Emacs, you can evaluate something like this:
(set-face-attribute 'default nil :family "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font" :height 100)
Notice how the font name seems a bit odd? That's because patched Nerd Fonts have slightly altered names. Feeling confused? Check out the next section for a handy table detailing the names you'll need to use for your font settings.
Additional Resources
For more information about Nerd Fonts and to explore the available fonts, visit the official website: Nerd Fonts.
Below is a correlation table between the Nerd Font names and their corresponding Original Font Names and Repositories:
| Font Name | Original Font Name |
|-----------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| 0xProto Nerd Font | 0xProto |
| 3270 Nerd Font | 3270 |
| Agave Nerd Font | Agave |
| AnonymicePro Nerd Font | Anonymous Pro |
| Arimo Nerd Font | Arimo |
| AurulentSansMono Nerd Font | Aurulent Sans Mono (Stephen G. Hartke) |
| BigBlueTerminal Nerd Font | BigBlueTerminal (VileR) |
| BitstromWera Nerd Font | Vera Sans Mono (Bitstream Inc) |
| BlexMono Nerd Font | IBM Plex Mono |
| CaskaydiaCove Nerd Font | Cascadia Code |
| CaskaydiaMono Nerd Font | Cascadia Mono |
| CodeNewRoman Nerd Font | Code New Roman (Sam Radian) |
| ComicShannsMono Nerd Font | Comic Shanns Mono |
| CommitMono Nerd Font | Commit Mono |
| Cousine Nerd Font | Cousine |
| D2Coding Nerd Font | D2Coding |
| DaddyTimeMono Nerd Font | DaddyTimeMono |
| DejaVuSansMono Nerd Font | DejaVu |
| DroidSansMono Nerd Font | Droid Sans Mono (Ascender Corp) |
| EnvyCodeR Nerd Font | Envy Code R |
| FantasqueSansMono Nerd Font | Fantasque Sans Mono |
| FiraCode Nerd Font | Fira Code |
| FiraMono Nerd Font | Fira Mono |
| GeistMono Nerd Font | Geist Mono |
| GoMono Nerd Font | Go-Mono |
| Gohu Nerd Font | Gohu TTF, Gohu |
| Hack Nerd Font | Hack |
| Hasklug Nerd Font | Hasklig |
| HeavyDataMono Nerd Font | HeavyData (Vic Fieger) |
| Hurmit Nerd Font | Hermit |
| iM-Writing Nerd Font | iA-Writer |
| Inconsolata Nerd Font | Inconsolata |
| InconsolataGo Nerd Font | InconsolataGo |
| Inconsolata LGC Nerd Font | Inconsolata LGC |
| IntoneMono Nerd Font | Intel One Mono |
| Iosevka Nerd Font | Iosevka |
| IosevkaTerm Nerd Font | Iosevka Term |
| IosevkaTermSlab Nerd Font | Iosevka Term Slab |
| JetBrainsMono Nerd Font | JetBrains Mono |
| Lekton Nerd Font | Lekton |
| Literation Nerd Font | Liberation |
| Lilex Nerd Font | Lilex |
| MartianMono Nerd Font | MartianMono |
| Meslo Nerd Font | Meslo |
| Monaspice Nerd Font | Monaspace |
| Monofur Nerd Font | Monofur (Tobias B Koehler) |
| Monoid Nerd Font | Monoid |
| Mononoki Nerd Font | Mononoki |
| M+ Nerd Font | MPlus Fonts |
| Noto Nerd Font | Noto |
| OpenDyslexic Nerd Font | OpenDyslexic |
| Overpass Nerd Font | Overpass |
| ProFont Nerd Font | ProFont |
| ProggyClean Nerd Font | ProggyClean (Tristan Grimmer) |
| RecMono Nerd Font | Recursive Mono |
| RobotoMono Nerd Font | Roboto Mono |
| SauceCodePro Nerd Font | Source Code Pro |
| ShureTechMono Nerd Font | Share Tech Mono |
| SpaceMono Nerd Font | Space Mono |
| Terminess Nerd Font | Terminus TTF |
| Tinos Nerd Font | Tinos |
| Ubuntu Nerd Font | Ubuntu Font |
| UbuntuMono Nerd Font | Ubuntu Font |
| UbuntuSans Nerd Font | Ubuntu Sans |
| VictorMono Nerd Font | Victor Mono |
| ZedMono Nerd Font | Zed Mono |Conclusion
Integrating Nerd Fonts into your development environment opens up a world of customization and aesthetic enhancement. Whether you're coding in your favorite IDE or text editor, experimenting with different fonts can greatly impact your coding experience.
So, dive in, explore different fonts, and elevate your coding experience with Nerd Fonts today!