Xarab.shx - Autocad Font [portable]
If you cannot find xarab.shx , you can temporarily substitute it with another Arabic SHX font (like homa.shx or arabs.shx ), though this may change the layout of your text. 3. Change the Text Style Type STYLE in the command line. Find the text style that uses xarab.shx .
For advanced users looking to customize the font characters, the file must be converted from its compiled binary format ( .shx ) back to an editable text-based shape format ( .shp ) using tools like . Once modified, it must be recompiled using the COMPILE command within AutoCAD to be usable again.
The creation of fonts like Xarab.shx arose because, for many years, Autodesk did not officially support RTL languages, forcing the CAD community to develop "workaround" solutions. This guide is your complete resource for understanding, installing, and troubleshooting the Xarab.shx font. We will explore what it is, where it came from, how it works, and—most importantly—how to ensure your drawings display correctly, every time.
Xarab.shx was designed to allow Arabic text to be displayed natively within the classic AutoCAD environment. Before AutoCAD integrated full Unicode support and Bi-Directional (Bi-Di) text handling, standard fonts could not render Arabic characters correctly because they could not handle:
: These are standard Windows operating system fonts. Xarab.shx Autocad Font
Proper installation is the most straightforward way to fix the "Missing SHX" error. Here's how to do it:
Check if the specific text style using Xarab.shx has the or "Upside Down" properties checked in the STYLE manager dialog. 2. Plotting to PDF Shows Question Marks
It provides the specific glyphs and character connections required for right-to-left (RTL) Middle Eastern scripts. Common Issues Caused by Missing Xarab.shx
To display an AutoCAD drawing correctly, you must have the exact SHX font files used to create it. If you receive a drawing and only see gibberish, you will likely need to manually add the font. Fortunately, the process is straightforward. If you cannot find xarab
Do not create new drawings with Xarab.shx . Migrate your templates to Arial (TTF) or Simplified Arabic . Keep Xarab.shx only in your font folder as a "legacy viewer."
Look at the bottom font list and select an available Arabic shape font. Click to open the drawing with the substitute text. Best Practices for Sharing Drawings with Custom Fonts
This character mapping mechanism was likely chosen because early versions of AutoCAD had limited support for complex scripts, and this method provided a reliable workaround. Understanding this is crucial for editing text: the underlying file content will be English letters, even though the font makes them appear as Arabic.
Xarab.shx is not a bug; it is a solution to a complex linguistic problem engineered in an era before Unicode was universal. While modern Windows systems handle Arabic beautifully with TrueType fonts, the engineering world remains anchored by SHX for speed and stability. Find the text style that uses xarab
Ensure the or Upside Down orientation settings are unchecked unless explicitly required.
If you prefer to keep your custom fonts in a separate folder (e.g., on a company server):
Given the limitations of mapped SHX fonts like Xarab.shx, modern workflows prefer using TrueType Fonts (TTF). Here is how to manage RTL text in AutoCAD today:
