Glyphs-Handbook-2013

3.4.1 Working with Layers
Font masters cannot be edited through the Palette. They are
controlled via the Font Info window.
Select an available master from above the separator and
click the Copy button to create a new layer. A copy of the
master will appear below the separator line, carrying the
name of the master and the creation date. Double click the
layer name to edit it. To delete a layer, select it and click the
minus button below. To exchange it with the glyph layer that
is used as an interpolation master, click the gear button and
select Use as Master from the menu that pops up.
3.4.2 Switching Glyph Shapes
In a Multiple Master font with a weight axis and no other
axes, you can let Glyphs exchange layers with masters
automatically for a range of weights. For this to happen,
create layer copies of the masters you want to exchange. Set
each layer name to the name of the corresponding master,
followed by a space and a number in brackets, e.g., ‘Light [96]’
or ‘Regular [210]’. For instances with weight values above the
bracketed number, Glyphs will use these layers as masters.
If the master shapes are not point-compatible with the
layer copies, you need to exchange both masters at the
same interpolation stage. In that case, the names of both
layer copies should carry the same weight value in brackets.
Otherwise an instance in between would end up with
incompatible masters.
A common usage example is the vertical bar that crosses
down through the dollar sign. In bolder variations of the
glyph, most designers choose to split it in two and reduce it
to whatever extends below and above the s-shaped part of the
sign. Keep the light variations as masters and put the bold
variants into the bracketed layers.
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This ‘bracket trick’ only works in single axis set-ups. If you
want to switch glyph shapes in multiple axis set-ups, you
can use separate glyphs and rename them at export with
Glyphs Handbook, May 2013 36