Modifying the window metrics and fonts

What the heck are window metrics? Well, it is the fancy way of talking about how big everything is. There is actually a whole lot that you can adjust that will affect the size of user interface elements such as the title bar of a window and other window elements such as buttons. Almost everything on a window has a size that can be adjusted. This section will show you how to alter your visual style or classic Windows interface look by fine-tuning the different components of the window.

Another possibility is to fine-tune the fonts that are used. You can change the size of the font displayed, the style, and even the actual font that is used. To get started, you will be using Display Properties again to make the changes:

1. Right-click the desktop and select Properties.

2. Click the Appearance tab and hit the Advanced button located on the bottom-right of the window.

3. The Advanced Appearance window will show up. This location is where you can change the size as well as the font for all of the different aspects of a window. You can make changes in two different ways. The first way is to use the Item drop-down box. Just expand it and select the item that you want to modify. The other way is to click the object that you want to customize on the Preview picture. This will automatically select the item from the Item drop-down box for you. Either way, select an item that you want to change. For purposes of demonstration, I suggest that you click or select Active Title Bar.

4. Once you have selected an object that you want to change, use the Size, Font, and Color settings to customize your window. The Active Title Bar is a good item to experiment with the size. Try playing around with this one and see how you can change the way a visual style looks by adjusting this value.

5. When you are finished changing the sizes of the window items, try changing the fonts and colors as well. If you are using the new Windows XP look, then adjusting the colors on this screen will not matter, because visual styles ignore these color settings and use their own that are built into the visual style file. However, if you are using the classic Windows XP look, then these color settings are critical to customizing the look of Windows XP because this is where the classic look gets its color information. Once you are done, click OK to save your changes.

6. You will have to click OK once more to activate your changes and close the Display Properties window.

You can do a lot of interesting things to make your computer look unique. One thing I always like to do is decrease the size of the Active Title Bar so that it is as small as it will allow me to make it. Doing so makes the Maximize, Minimize, and Close buttons smaller too. It is a nice look that makes your windows look like they have lost some weight. Of course, you could increase the size as well and make the buttons so big you could operate your computer 10 feet away from your monitor.