the software you're using has to implement these features. so far, only Adobe CS products (and InDesign 2.0) support automatic substitution of OT features.

If you're hoping to see automatic ligature substitution in Microsoft apps or in Quark, you'll have to wait until they release software that supports these things.

So there is no way to have OT features work automatically... Is there instead any workaround or trick to have the desired result displayed in any application that at least supports ttf?

Many thanks.

On Windows the Uniscribe component (usp10.dll) handles the application of OpenType features - traditionally it's only been used for the so-called complex script languages. Automatic features for are supported by the latest version of Uniscribe, supplied with XP SP2, so in notepad and elsewhere fonts like Zapfino and Bickham Script have their default OTL features applied.

Office uses its own version of Uniscribe, and also bypasses Uniscribe for all but complex script languages due to the performance issues.

Not sure about the Mac but I think there's a similar situation there too.

If you want them to be permanent and not optional, have you tried to put them in 'rlig'?

Problems with custom ligature creation in FontLab

This is a thread started in the GENERAL area which I thought might get a few more useful eyeballs on it if it were here in the BUILD area.