Fix MapServer Error AGG error loading font

[PaulN]

If you are unlucky while rendering a map in Alteryx with a Carto base map, you may face the following error message:

Error: AGG error loading font (C:\WINDOWS\fonts\C:\Program)

Why is this happening?

Let's look at themapfiles used by MapServer - an open source third party application used for interactive mapping applications. They are located in .\Alteryx\bin\RuntimeData\MapServer.

A quick exam of filesCartoDark.map,CartoLight.map,default.map shows us that fonts Arial, Verdana and Verdana-bold are required. If MapServer can't findany one of these fonts an error will occur.

On modern versions of Windows, Arial and Verdana are available by default. But sometimes, to save some disk space, only shortcuts of the fontswill be available, causing the error.

Fonts status could be verified from %WINDIR%\fonts or Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Fonts:

The little blue arrow at the bottom left of the icon means that the font is a shortcut.

How to fix it

Fonts need to be available from %WINDIR%\fonts (ex: C:\Windows\fonts).

Toresolve this issue:

First, selectall fonts and click onFont Settings.

Then, untickAllow fonts to be installed using a shortcut (advanced), and click OK.

This should resolve the error on your machine.

Thank you.

[Eli_B]

Hi!

I'm using Windows 10, which has a slightly different path to get to fonts, see below:

Thanks for the tip!

[tonybursey]

I am using Designer 2021.1 and getting this MapServer error "Error opening fontset". All of my fonts are installed (none are shortcuts) and this is still an issue.

[neilmcg]

I am getting

Error opening fontsent

C:\Users\myusername~1\AppData\Local\Temp\Alteryx000.txt.

All my fonts are installed, none are shortcuts. This error just showed up after installing the latest US Business Insights.

[dbdirks]

I am receiving the same error. Has a solution been found for this issue?