1. The method of managing a large plurality of electronic fonts in a text-processing system having a computer and data storage, each said font having a plurality of symbol-representing font symbol-representing data suitable for creating visual images of the represented symbols, respectively, said represented symbols all having a plurality of typeface attributes common to all represented symbols in a font the fonts being in families of fonts; in said text-processing said text-processing system executing the machine-executable steps of: in said data storage, addressably storing sets of said symbol-representing data as addressable electronic font objects and such that said symbol-representing data sets are individually addressable within any electronic font object by a symbol ID; in said data storage, storing a plurality of addressable code tables, each said code table having two sections, a first section storing a set of code points identifiable within an expected test stream to be received and each code table having an arbitrary set of such code points, and having a second section storing a subset of said symbol IDs of an electronic font and arranged such that each of said symbol IDs in said subset correspond to a one of said code points in the respective one of said code tables such that receipt of a code point in a text stream identifies a symbol ID in accordance with the code table being addressed for said text stream addressing such code table; defining and storing in said data storage, coded fonts including giving each coded font an address of a one of said code tables and an address of a one of said addressable electronic font objects such that each includes one address of a one of said code pages and an address of one of said electronic font objects, giving each coded font a name for making each of said coded fonts addressable as a separate entity for selecting it as a currently electronic font; selecting a one of said coded fonts as said current electronic font for processing said expected text stream for selecting one code table and one electronic font object; selecting a second electronic font only by identifying a one of said common typeface attributes and making said selection a second electronic font definition; in said data storage an index of a large plurality of said common typeface attributes and addresses of associated ones of said electronic font objects; receiving from said expected text stream said second electronic font definition and combining said one selected typeface attribute and said current electronic font, then searching said index to find an address of an electronic font object having said one common typeface in an electronic font within the family of fonts to which the current electronic font is a member; and building a coded font using the address of the same code table as said current electronic font and the address of the electronic font object identified via said index.
3. The method set forth in claim 1 including the further steps of: after receiving said second electronic font definition, storing said second electronic font definition and refrain from using said second font definition; receiving additional text signals in said text stream and processing same; receiving a begin font command which refers to said second electronic font definition and after receiving said begin font command doing said combining step which combines said common typeface attribute of said current electronic font and said index to identify a new current electronic font.