[opentype/STAT/ital_axis] Is reporting a FAIL on static fonts

[guidoferreyra]

Observed behaviour

When processing static fonts you get something like the following:

FAIL :
Font MyFont-Light.otf has no STAT table

FAIL :
Font MyFont-MediumItalic.otf has no STAT table

FAIL :
Font MyFont-Medium.otf has no STAT table

FAIL :
Font MyFont-LightItalic.otf has no STAT table

FAIL :
Font MyFont-Black.otf has no STAT table

I don’t think it should report this as a FAIL. AFAIK, static fonts can have STAT table but is not mandatory and, in fact, it looks like a bug since the code code tries to run the check only on a "vf_collection"

fontbakery/Lib/fontbakery/checks/opentype/STAT/ital_axis.py

Line 158 in 4cc71b3

for roman, italic in segment_vf_collection(fonts):

In addition, the function to find roman and variable fonts relies on file names, I know the "source of truth" has been debated many times but limiting this just to the presence of "-Italic" in the filename it’s too limited to be on the Opentype profile. Font makers uses many different names for Italics and slanted designs.

https://github.com/fonttools/fontbakery/blob/4cc71b39c73f6eb7033d82bf413b6fe96c763c96/Lib/fontbakery/checks/opentype/STAT/ital_axis.py#L97C1-L103C37

Expected behaviour

Ommit static fonts

[driehuis]

The rationale for this check is to make sure that if an 'ital' axis is present in the STAT table, it is last. Even actual VF's without an 'ital' axis get a SKIP.

From where I'm standing, the FAIL is an oversight and should be changed to a SKIP. I entered PR #5054 to do just that.