Automating HTML font embedding PHP backend

Question

Hi, I understand that css3.0 supports the Font-Face tag, correctly in the latest Opera, Safari, and Firefox browsers, but that Internet Explorer still requires the microsoft .eot format.

Is there a reliable way to generate an eot file server side from a .ttf given that the hosting server may not be Windows?

I need the entire process automated, to provide a bit of background it is a print product website, part of the process involves designers building templates and uploading fonts for printable products, some of these have editable regions which are rendered to a customer as HTML form elements, however without providing the font it is impossible to provide an accurate real-time preview of the edit.

Flash and Javascript techniques wont work as the text is in a textarea or text input field and has to remain editable.

So I need a Font-Face linking to the ttf file for compatible browsers, and something else for i.e The question is, how to automate that something else for i.e.

Thanks

Answer 1

EOT files are a strange format. They are supposed to be locked down to a certain domain, to prevent copying, and the original conversion app is old and barely functioning.

The only way I can think of to automate TTF->EOT is to use the command line program ttf2eot found here. In PHP, you can use the function system() to run command line programs, assuming that your web host allows it.

I hope that helps you.