# getGlyphs(in:glyphs:characterIndexes:glyphInscriptions:elasticBits:) Extracts the information needed to lay out the glyphs in the given glyph buffer from the given glyph range. ``` func getGlyphs(in glyphsRange: NSRange, glyphs glyphBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!, characterIndexes charIndexBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!, glyphInscriptions inscribeBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!, elasticBits elasticBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!) -> Int ``` ## Discussion The `charIndexBuffer` contains the original characters for the glyphs. Note that a glyph at index 1 is not necessarily mapped to the character at index 1, since a glyph may be for a ligature or accent. The `inscribeBuffer` contains the inscription attributes for each glyph, which are used to layout characters that are combined together. The possible values are described in the `Constants` section of the NSLayoutManager reference. The `elasticBuffer` contains a Boolean value indicating whether a glyph is elastic for each glyph. An elastic glyph can be made longer at the end of a line or when needed for justification. A subclass can override this method to interact with custom glyph storage. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)