Programming Ligatures (Partial Support)
Limited ligature rendering for supported character clusters.
Availability
Partially implemented in stable. Read the limits below before relying on this workflow.
Reviewed against stable v0.5.1. Rust candidate additions are labeled separately. Release status.
The pain this solves
- Programming fonts may shape common operators into ligatures.
- Users need to know when shaping support is a subset.
What ships with it
- Stable Metal renderer includes limited ASCII-cluster ligature formation.
- The rendering-parity audit marks ligatures partial.
- Full OpenType and all-font support is not established.
Questions this answers
- Does Chau7 form programming ligatures?
- Is full OpenType shaping supported for every font?
- Is ligature parity complete?
How it works
The stable Metal renderer has a ligature cache and a formation path for printable ASCII clusters. The audited logic limits the cluster shape and length.
That is narrower than full OpenType shaping across every font and text sequence. The rendering-parity audit marks ligature parity as partial.
Font tables, non-ASCII text, contextual shaping, cursor placement, and selection can affect results. Do not claim all fonts are supported or that enabling ligatures adds no measurable overhead.
Why it matters
Programming ligatures can improve common operators, but a limited renderer path should not be presented as full OpenType layout support.
Frequently asked questions
Are all OpenType ligatures supported?
No. The stable Metal renderer has a limited ASCII-cluster path and the parity audit marks ligatures as partial.
Will every programming font render the same?
No. Coverage depends on the font and character sequence.