[Fontconfig] Newbe Question: How to use Fontconfig in general?

[devman at gmx-topmail.de]

Hello to all group members and developers,

while searching for a possibility to improve the quality of truetype
fonts rendered by libfreetype I stumbled over the fontconfig software.

It's said to be able to provide font specific information for instance
regarding hinting or antialiasing and to workaround broken fonts.

I've read the manuals, looked over the recent mailing list entries, but
my basic questions still remain:

1. How can I access the information contained in the configuration files
from a program? (There are functions provided by libfontconfig, but I
don't undersand their usefulness - even not with description.)

2. Does fontconfig deliver this information or is it generated from my
installed fonts or must I enter the configuration data by myself?

And by the way:

- Can be or is font size dependent information configured?
- Do any command line tools exist for working with Fontconfig?
- Is there a FAQ?
- What's up with the announced Wiki?

Regards,
Devman