Do we have to copy Font TTF everytime we want to change font in application

Question

Previously, to make my app workable in Gingerbread device and above, I have to copy the Robotto font resource into asset folder. This is because Gingerbread doesn't come with Robotto font itself.

However, let say, I decide to deploy my app to Jelly Bean device only.

1. Do I still need to copy font resources into my asset folder manually? Can I use font resources from system itself? Is it something encourage-able? I was thinking, without supplying my own font files, I can make my app smaller.

2. This is the code to get TypeFace from asset folder.

   Typeface tf = Typeface.createFromAsset(getAssets(), "fonts/Roboto-Regular.ttf");

   If I want to get TypeFace directly from system itself, how?

Answer 1

The good news is, if you're supporting 4.1, it's dead simple. Check out this link and scroll down to fonts for the full details, but basically, you'll have three font families (Roboto, Roboto Light, RobotoCondensed) to choose from, and four styles for each (normal, bold, italic, bold italic).

In XML, you can just use the standard text attributes:

android:fontFamily="sans-serif"
android:fontFamily="sans-serif-light"
android:fontFamily="sans-serif-condensed"

android:textStyle="bold"
android:textStyle="italic"
android:textStyle="bold|italic"

Or programatically you can acquire them like so:

Typeface robotoLightItalic = Typeface.create("sans-serif-light", Typeface.ITALIC);