Fountain

Quick start guide

This guide will get you up and running with Fountain in under 10 minutes. You'll set up a Kirby site with Fountain, upload your first font, and see it in action.

What You'll Need

  • Basic command line knowledge
  • Docker Desktop or OrbStack (for Docker setup), OR
  • PHP 8.0+, Python 3.8+, and a local web server (for manual setup)

Choose Your Path

Option A: Quick Start with Docker (Recommended)

1. Clone or download Fountain

git clone [fountain-repo-url]
cd fountain

2. Start Docker containers

docker-compose up --build

3. Access your site

  • OrbStack users: Your site will be available at http://fountain.orb.local
  • Docker Desktop users: Visit http://localhost:8000

4. Log in to the Panel

Navigate to the panel (add /panel to your URL) and log in with the default credentials provided in the starter kit.

Option B: Manual Setup

1. Set up Kirby

composer create-project getkirby/starterkit my-fountain-project
cd my-fountain-project

2. Install Fountain plugin

# Clone Fountain into plugins directory
git clone [fountain-repo-url] site/plugins/fountain

3. Install Python dependencies

pip install fontbro

4. Start your local server

php -S localhost:8000

5. Access the Panel

Visit http://localhost:8000/panel and log in.

For detailed installation instructions and troubleshooting, see the Installation Guide.

Upload Your First Font

Now that Fountain is running, let's upload and process your first font:

1. Access the Fonts section

  • Log in to the Kirby Panel
  • Navigate to the Fonts section in the main menu

2. Upload a font file

  • Click "Add Font" or "Upload"
  • Select a .ttf, .otf, or .woff file from your computer
  • Click "Upload"

3. Process the font

Fountain will automatically:

  • Extract font metadata using Python/fontbro
  • Generate font specimens
  • Create web-optimized font formats
  • Store font information in SQLite

4. View your font

  • Browse the font details page to see:
    • Font family and style information
    • Character set and glyph coverage
    • Generated specimens and previews
    • Technical specifications

What's Next?

Now that you have Fountain running:

  • Explore features: Learn about payment solutions and font licensing
  • Customize templates: Modify the included templates to match your design
  • Bulk upload: Import multiple fonts at once
  • API integration: Use Fountain's API for programmatic access
  • Full installation guide for advanced configuration

Quick Troubleshooting

Docker container won't start:

  • Check if port 8000 is already in use
  • Ensure Docker is running
  • Try docker-compose down then docker-compose up --build

Python font processing fails:

  • Verify Python is installed: python --version or python3 --version
  • Check fontbro installation: pip list | grep fontbro
  • See the Installation Guide for details

Can't access the Panel:

  • Verify your server is running
  • Check the URL (should end with /panel)
  • Ensure file permissions are correct for site/ and content/ directories