From text to PDF (php-pdf), excel macro needs to measure glyph weights

[Err]

Hi,

I'm writing a short macro that rewrites a text file to put part of it into a pdf.

The problem that I'm having (besides possibly, using the wrong tool) is that the widths of individual characters change depending on the character. So it is not sufficient to merely count the length of a string because a capital o "O" is so much wider than a lowercase i "i".

I was wondering if anyone has a function that can give different weights for characters.

I started one myself; but while I'm writing it -I'd thought that someone else might have already invented it.

Thanks

 

[Err]

I've got this function which I eyeballed to put the width of characters into 3 categories.

Public Function char_weight(ByVal string_To_eval As String) As Integer

    Dim myChar As String
    Dim myCharNum As Integer
    
    myChar = Left(string_To_eval, 1)
    
    myCharNum = Asc(myChar)
    
    Select Case myCharNum
       Case 32, 33, 39, 44, 46, 49, 58, 59, 96, 105, 108, 124, 127, 129, 130, _
            141, 143, 144, 145, 146, 157, 160, 161, 166, 170, 173, 180, 183, 184, _
            185, 186, 236, 237, 238, 239
            

            char_weight = 1

        Case 34, 40, 41, 42, 47, 48 To 57, 63, 91 To 94, 97 To 104, 106, 107, _
            110 To 118, 120 To 123, 125, 131, 132, 134 To 136, 139, 147 To 150, _
            152, 154, 155, 158, 162 To 164, 167 To 169, 171, 172, 176, 178, 179, _
            181, 182, 187, 191, 215, 224 To 229, 231 To 255


            char_weight = 2



          Case Else
                char_weight = 3
        End Select
        
    
    
End Function

 

[Err]

Public Function char_weight(ByVal string_To_eval As String) As Integer

    Dim myChar As String
    Dim myCharNum As Integer
    
    myChar = Left(string_To_eval, 1)
    
    myCharNum = Asc(myChar)
    
    Select Case myCharNum
       Case 32, 33, 39, 44, 46, 49, 58, 59, 96, 105, 108, 124, 127, 129, 130, _
            141, 143, 144, 145, 146, 157, 160, 161, 166, 170, 173, 180, 183, 184, _
            185, 186, 236, 237, 238, 239
            

            char_weight = 30

        Case 34, 40, 41, 42, 47, 48 To 57, 63, 91 To 94, 97 To 104, 106, 107, _
            110 To 118, 120 To 123, 125, 131, 132, 134 To 136, 139, 147 To 150, _
            152, 154, 155, 158, 162 To 164, 167 To 169, 171, 172, 176, 178, 179, _
            181, 182, 187, 191, 215, 224 To 229, 231 To 255


            char_weight = 56



          Case Else
                char_weight = 80
        End Select
        
    
    
End Function

edit: reassigned weights based on close photoshop analysis of character glyphs