How to Check FontForge Python Module Version

Checking the installed version of the FontForge Python extension requires only a few basic commands. This guide provides quick, practical methods to determine your FontForge module version directly through Python code, command-line one-liners, and system package managers.

Method 1: Using the Python Interpreter

The most direct way to check the version is by querying the module directly in Python. Unlike many Python packages that use a __version__ attribute, FontForge exposes a dedicated version() function.

Run the following command in your terminal for a quick one-line check:

python3 -c "import fontforge; print(fontforge.version())"

Alternatively, you can open an interactive Python shell:

import fontforge
print(fontforge.version())

This returns a string indicating the release build date (for example, 20230101), which corresponds to the official release version of the FontForge library.

Method 2: Checking the FontForge Binary

Because the Python module is typically built and distributed alongside the core FontForge application, the Python extension version matches the installed binary version. You can check the application version from your terminal:

fontforge --version

The output will display the copyright details and the build date version number.

Method 3: Using Your System Package Manager

If you installed FontForge via a package manager rather than compiling it from source, you can query the system repository to find the version details.

Debian / Ubuntu:

dpkg -s python3-fontforge | grep Version

macOS (Homebrew):

brew info fontforge

Python Pip: If you installed a community-maintained wheel via pip, run:

pip show fontforge