Index: trunk/src/main.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/main.c	(revision 426)
+++ trunk/src/main.c	(revision 427)
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@
 extern void stroke_init (void);
 #endif
 
+char *fontfile_paths[] = {"./default_font", PCBLIBDIR "/default_font", NULL};
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  * initialize signal and error handlers
@@ -1052,7 +1053,7 @@
 @end ftable
 %end-doc
 */
-  SSET (FontFile, "default_font", "default-font",
+  SSET (FontFile, NULL, "default-font",
 	"File name of default font"),
 
 /* %start-doc options "5 Paths"
@@ -1560,6 +1561,26 @@
     }
 }
 
+static void set_fontfile(void)
+{
+  if (Settings.FontFile == NULL) {
+    char **s;
+    for(s = fontfile_paths; *s != NULL; s++) {
+fprintf(stderr, "font: '%s'\n", *s);
+      if (access (*s, R_OK) == 0) {
+        Settings.FontFile= *s;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (Settings.FontFile == NULL) {
+    Message("Error: no font file found");
+    exit(1);
+  }
+
+}
+
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  * main program
  */
@@ -1690,6 +1711,8 @@
       exit (0);
     }
 
+  set_fontfile();
+
   /* Create a new PCB object in memory */
   PCB = CreateNewPCB ();
 
Index: trunk/src/parse_l.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/parse_l.c	(revision 426)
+++ trunk/src/parse_l.c	(revision 427)
@@ -2436,9 +2436,14 @@
 	yyFont = Ptr;
 	yyElement = NULL;
 
+        /* search through the font path for a font file */
+	if ((Filename[0] == '/') || (strncmp(Filename, "./", 2) == 0) || (strncmp(Filename, "../", 2) == 0)) {
+		r = Parse(NULL, Settings.FontCommand, NULL, Filename, NULL);
+		if (r != "")
+			return r;
+	}
+
 	path = strdup (Settings.FontPath);
-
-        /* search through the font path for a font file */
 	for (p = strtok (path, PCB_PATH_DELIMETER); p && *p;
 		p = strtok (NULL, PCB_PATH_DELIMETER))
 	  {
Index: trunk/src/parse_l.l
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/parse_l.l	(revision 426)
+++ trunk/src/parse_l.l	(revision 427)
@@ -352,9 +352,14 @@
 	yyFont = Ptr;
 	yyElement = NULL;
 
+        /* search through the font path for a font file */
+	if ((Filename[0] == '/') || (strncmp(Filename, "./", 2) == 0) || (strncmp(Filename, "../", 2) == 0)) {
+		r = Parse(NULL, Settings.FontCommand, NULL, Filename, NULL);
+		if (r != "")
+			return r;
+	}
+
 	path = strdup (Settings.FontPath);
-
-        /* search through the font path for a font file */
 	for (p = strtok (path, PCB_PATH_DELIMETER); p && *p;
 		p = strtok (NULL, PCB_PATH_DELIMETER))
 	  {