From: NU013809@NDSUVM1.BITNET (Greg Wettstein) Subject: Re: Default font in X? Date: 14 Mar 1993 16:41:05 GMT
> Just a quickie here. How do I change the _default_ font size in X?
> And, related, where do I access the menus gotten from alt-mousebutton
> clicks? I would like to know how to change these.
If by _default_ font size you mean things like the font that the xterms
and emacs uses when they start go to the /usr/X386/lib/fonts/misc
sub-directory. In that sub-directory you will find two files, one called
fonts.alias and the other fonts.dir.
The fonts.dir file defines the names of the fonts in the directory. If
you examine this file you will see that it translates font file names
into the longer canonical names which things like the fontsel program use.
This file essentially maps long font names into physical files.
The file you really need to modify is fonts.alias. This file maps simple
names like 7x13bold into again the longer canonical filenames. At the
top of this file you will see two entries one for fixed and the other
for variable. Changing the canonical font name for fixed will alter the
_default_ font that many utilities such as emacs and xterm use. Note
that a valid value for fixed is important since most application programs
use this as their 'penultimate' font source. If the fixed font cant be
opened the utility will typically give up.
As to the question on alt-mousebutton menus it depends where the cursor
is when you press the button as to the origin of the menu. In emacs the
pop-menus are provided by emacs.
The menus you are referring to are probably the ones you get when you
press the mouse-buttoms while on the root (typically blue) window of the
display. If you are running stock X the window manager will probably be
twm. Look in the /usr/X386/lib/X11/twm subdirectory and you will find
a file called system.twmrc. This is the configuration file for the
window manager. Examine this file carefully and you will see how to
define simple pop-up menus. I would also suggest reading the man page
for twm as it goes into quite rigorous detail on the intricacies of
programming/customizing the window manager. Good luck.
As always,
Dr. G.W. Wettstein
Oncology Research Division Computing Facility
Fargo Clinic / MeritCare
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`The truest mark of a man's wisdom is his ability to listen to other
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