diff --git a/darwin/CMakeLists.txt b/darwin/CMakeLists.txt
index 0fce3838..7d9ead75 100644
--- a/darwin/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/darwin/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ list(APPEND _LIBUI_SOURCES
 	darwin/alloc.m
 	darwin/area.m
 	darwin/areaevents.m
+	darwin/attrstr.m
 	darwin/autolayout.m
 	darwin/box.m
 	darwin/button.m
diff --git a/darwin/attrstr.m b/darwin/attrstr.m
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..49f0d20a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/darwin/attrstr.m
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+// 12 february 2017
+#import "uipriv_darwin.h"
+
+// unlike the other systems, Core Text rolls family, size, weight, italic, width, AND opentype features into the "font" attribute
+// TODO see if we could use NSAttributedString?
+// TODO consider renaming this struct and the fep variable(s)
+struct foreachParams {
+	CFMutableAttributedStringRef mas;
+	NSMutableDictionary *converted;
+	uiDrawFontDescriptor *defaultFont;
+};
+
+static void ensureFontInRange(struct foreachParams *p, size_t start, size_t end)
+{
+	size_t i;
+	NSNumber *n;
+	uiDrawFontDescriptor *new;
+
+	for (i = start; i < end; i++) {
+		n = [NSNumber numberWithInteger:i];
+		if ([p->converted objectForKey:n] != nil)
+			continue;
+		new = uiNew(uiDrawFontDescriptor);
+		*new = *(p->defaultFont);
+		[p->converted setObject:[NSValue valueWithPointer:new] forKey:n];
+	}
+}
+
+static void adjustFontInRange(struct foreachParams *p, size_t start, size_t end, void (^adj)(uiDrawFontDescriptor *desc))
+{
+	size_t i;
+	NSNumber *n;
+	NSValue *v;
+
+	for (i = start; i < end; i++) {
+		n = [NSNumber numberWithInteger:i];
+		v = (NSValue *) [p->converted objectForKey:n];
+		adj((uiDrawFontDescriptor *) [v pointerValue]);
+	}
+}
+
+static int processAttribute(uiAttributedString *s, uiAttribute type, uintptr_t value, size_t start, size_t end, void *data)
+{
+	struct foreachParams *p = (struct foreachParams *) data;
+
+	start = attrstrUTF8ToUTF16(s, start);
+	end = attrstrUTF8ToUTF16(s, end);
+	switch (type) {
+	case uiAttributeFamily:
+		ensureFontInRange(p, start, end);
+		adjustFontInRange(p, start, end, ^(uiDrawFontDescriptor *desc) {
+			desc->Family = (char *) value;
+		});
+		break;
+	// TODO
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static CTFontRef fontdescToCTFont(uiDrawFontDescriptor *fd)
+{
+	CTFontDescriptorRef desc;
+	CTFontRef font;
+
+	desc = fontdescToCTFontDescriptor(fd);
+	font = CTFontCreateWithFontDescriptor(desc, fd->Size, NULL);
+	CFRelease(desc);			// TODO correct?
+	return font;
+}
+
+static void applyAndFreeFontAttributes(struct foreachParams *p)
+{
+	[p->converted enumerateKeysAndObjectsUsingBlock:^(NSNumber *key, NSValue *val, BOOL *stop) {
+		uiDrawFontDescriptor *desc;
+		CTFontRef font;
+		CFRange range;
+
+		desc = (uiDrawFontDescriptor *) [val pointerValue];
+		font = fontdescToCTFont(desc);
+		range.location = [key integerValue];
+		range.length = 1;
+		CFAttributedStringSetAttribute(p->mas, range, kCTFontAttributeName, font);
+		CFRelease(font);
+		uiFree(desc);
+	}];
+}
+
+static const CTTextAlignment ctaligns[] = {
+	[uiDrawTextLayoutAlignLeft] = kCTTextAlignmentLeft,
+	[uiDrawTextLayoutAlignCenter] = kCTTextAlignmentCenter,
+	[uiDrawTextLayoutAlignRight] = kCTTextAlignmentRight,
+};
+
+static CTParagraphStyleRef mkParagraphStyle(uiDrawTextLayoutParams *p)
+{
+	CTParagraphStyleRef ps;
+	CTParagraphStyleSetting settings[16];
+	size_t nSettings = 0;
+
+	settings[nSettings].spec = kCTParagraphStyleSpecifierAlignment;
+	settings[nSettings].valueSize = sizeof (CTTextAlignment);
+	settings[nSettings].value = ctaligns + p->Align;
+	nSettings++;
+
+	ps = CTParagraphStyleCreate(settings, nSettings);
+	if (ps == NULL) {
+		// TODO
+	}
+	return ps;
+}
+
+CFAttributedStringRef attrstrToCoreFoundation(uiDrawTextLayoutParams *p)
+{
+	CFStringRef cfstr;
+	CFMutableDictionaryRef defaultAttrs;
+	CTFontRef defaultCTFont;
+	CTParagraphStyleRef ps;
+	CFAttributedStringRef base;
+	CFMutableAttributedStringRef mas;
+	struct foreachParams fep;
+
+	cfstr = CFStringCreateWithCharacters(NULL, attrstrUTF16(p->String), attrstrUTF16Len(p->String));
+	if (cfstr == NULL) {
+		// TODO
+	}
+	defaultAttrs = CFDictionaryCreateMutable(NULL, 0,
+		&kCFCopyStringDictionaryKeyCallBacks,
+		&kCFTypeDictionaryValueCallBacks);
+	if (defaultAttrs == NULL) {
+		// TODO
+	}
+	defaultCTFont = fontdescToCTFont(p->DefaultFont);
+	CFDictionaryAddValue(defaultAttrs, kCTFontAttributeName, defaultCTFont);
+	CFRelease(defaultCTFont);
+	ps = mkParagraphStyle(p);
+	CFDictionaryAddValue(defaultAttrs, kCTParagraphStyleAttributeName, ps);
+	CFRelease(ps);
+
+	base = CFAttributedStringCreate(NULL, cfstr, defaultAttrs);
+	if (base == NULL) {
+		// TODO
+	}
+	CFRelease(cfstr);
+	CFRelease(defaultAttrs);
+	mas = CFAttributedStringCreateMutableCopy(NULL, 0, base);
+	CFRelease(base);
+
+	CFAttributedStringBeginEditing(mas);
+	fep.mas = mas;
+	fep.converted = [NSMutableDictionary new];
+	fep.defaultFont = p->DefaultFont;
+	uiAttributedStringForEachAttribute(p->String, processAttribute, &fep);
+	applyAndFreeFontAttributes(&fep);
+	[fep.converted release];
+	CFAttributedStringEndEditing(mas);
+
+	return mas;
+}
diff --git a/darwin/drawtext.m b/darwin/drawtext.m
index bae7326d..9fbe5bed 100644
--- a/darwin/drawtext.m
+++ b/darwin/drawtext.m
@@ -35,83 +35,6 @@ struct uiDrawTextLayout {
 	size_t nUTF16;
 };
 
-static CTFontRef fontdescToCTFont(uiDrawFontDescriptor *fd)
-{
-	CTFontDescriptorRef desc;
-	CTFontRef font;
-
-	desc = fontdescToCTFontDescriptor(fd);
-	font = CTFontCreateWithFontDescriptor(desc, fd->Size, NULL);
-	CFRelease(desc);			// TODO correct?
-	return font;
-}
-
-static const CTTextAlignment ctaligns[] = {
-	[uiDrawTextLayoutAlignLeft] = kCTTextAlignmentLeft,
-	[uiDrawTextLayoutAlignCenter] = kCTTextAlignmentCenter,
-	[uiDrawTextLayoutAlignRight] = kCTTextAlignmentRight,
-};
-
-static CTParagraphStyleRef mkParagraphStyle(uiDrawTextLayoutParams *p)
-{
-	CTParagraphStyleRef ps;
-	CTParagraphStyleSetting settings[16];
-	size_t nSettings = 0;
-
-	settings[nSettings].spec = kCTParagraphStyleSpecifierAlignment;
-	settings[nSettings].valueSize = sizeof (CTTextAlignment);
-	settings[nSettings].value = ctaligns + p->Align;
-	nSettings++;
-
-	ps = CTParagraphStyleCreate(settings, nSettings);
-	if (ps == NULL) {
-		// TODO
-	}
-	return ps;
-}
-
-static CFAttributedStringRef attrstrToCoreFoundation(uiDrawTextLayoutParams *p)
-{
-	CFStringRef cfstr;
-	CFMutableDictionaryRef defaultAttrs;
-	CTFontRef defaultCTFont;
-	CTParagraphStyleRef ps;
-	CFAttributedStringRef base;
-	CFMutableAttributedStringRef mas;
-
-	cfstr = CFStringCreateWithCharacters(NULL, attrstrUTF16(p->String), attrstrUTF16Len(p->String));
-	if (cfstr == NULL) {
-		// TODO
-	}
-	defaultAttrs = CFDictionaryCreateMutable(NULL, 0,
-		&kCFCopyStringDictionaryKeyCallBacks,
-		&kCFTypeDictionaryValueCallBacks);
-	if (defaultAttrs == NULL) {
-		// TODO
-	}
-	defaultCTFont = fontdescToCTFont(p->DefaultFont);
-	CFDictionaryAddValue(defaultAttrs, kCTFontAttributeName, defaultCTFont);
-	CFRelease(defaultCTFont);
-	ps = mkParagraphStyle(p);
-	CFDictionaryAddValue(defaultAttrs, kCTParagraphStyleAttributeName, ps);
-	CFRelease(ps);
-
-	base = CFAttributedStringCreate(NULL, cfstr, defaultAttrs);
-	if (base == NULL) {
-		// TODO
-	}
-	CFRelease(cfstr);
-	CFRelease(defaultAttrs);
-	mas = CFAttributedStringCreateMutableCopy(NULL, 0, base);
-	CFRelease(base);
-
-	CFAttributedStringBeginEditing(mas);
-	// TODO copy in the attributes
-	CFAttributedStringEndEditing(mas);
-
-	return mas;
-}
-
 // TODO this is wrong for our hit-test example's multiple combining character example
 static uiDrawTextLayoutLineMetrics *computeLineMetrics(CTFrameRef frame, CGSize size)
 {
diff --git a/darwin/uipriv_darwin.h b/darwin/uipriv_darwin.h
index 336f5bcf..c9ab1c34 100644
--- a/darwin/uipriv_darwin.h
+++ b/darwin/uipriv_darwin.h
@@ -143,3 +143,6 @@ extern void doManualResize(NSWindow *w, NSEvent *initialEvent, uiWindowResizeEdg
 // fontmatch.m
 extern CTFontDescriptorRef fontdescToCTFontDescriptor(uiDrawFontDescriptor *fd);
 extern void fontdescFromCTFontDescriptor(CTFontDescriptorRef ctdesc, uiDrawFontDescriptor *uidesc);
+
+// attrstr.m
+extern CFAttributedStringRef attrstrToCoreFoundation(uiDrawTextLayoutParams *p);