# getGlyphs(in:glyphs:characterIndexes:glyphInscriptions:elasticBits:bidiLevels:) Extracts the information needed to lay out the provided glyphs from the provided range. ``` func getGlyphs(in glyphsRange: NSRange, glyphs glyphBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!, characterIndexes charIndexBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!, glyphInscriptions inscribeBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!, elasticBits elasticBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!, bidiLevels bidiLevelBuffer: UnsafeMutablePointer!) -> Int ``` ## Parameters `glyphsRange` The range of glyphs. `glyphBuffer` The glyphs to lay out. `charIndexBuffer` The original characters for the glyphs. Note that a glyph at index 1 is not necessarily mapped to the character at index 1, because a glyph may be for a ligature or accent. `inscribeBuffer` The inscription attributes for each glyph, which are used to layout characters that are combined together. `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. `bidiLevelBuffer` Contains the bidirectional level value generated by [`NSGlyphGenerator`](/documentation/AppKit/NSGlyphGenerator), in case a subclass chooses to use this value. ## Discussion 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)