Although many of the fonts used in the graphical interface can be set from this panel, the main font, the one used for menu text and control labels, must be set externally (it must be available before the graphical interface is created).
In Windows releases, the base font can't be changed in present releases.
In non-Windows releases, the font is set from a file in the startup area, if the startup directory is accessible. If the startup directory is inaccessible, the font used is a GTK library default and can't be changed. However, if system themes are enabled, i.e., the XT_USE_GTK_THEMES environment variable is set, in any case the font can be set using GNOME controls or by modifying the user's $HOME/.gtkrc file.
Here is how to change the font, if it seems to big or too small, when using the standard startup. The font is set in the file ``gtkrc'' found in either the startup directory, or the startup/default_theme directory. The startup directory is usually /usr/local/share/xictools/xic/startup, and analogous for WRspice.
In the startup directory, there is a directory named ``default_theme'', containing the distribution file gtkrc (also see the README file for more information). Copy the gtkrc file from startup/default_theme into startup. Edit startup/gtkrc to change the font definition. Look for the ``font ='' line. You need only change the number in the X font description (default is 12) on the same line to a larger of smaller integer to effect a size change. The startup/gtkrc file will have precedence, and will not be clobbered when the software is updated.
The Dump Vector Font button in the Font Selection panel will dump the vector font used for text labels in the drawing areas to a file. The user will be prompted for the name of a file to use, the default name is ``xic_font''. Any existing file with the same name will be backed up with a .bak extension. A font file with this name found along the library search path will be read on program startup, and will define the label font, overriding the internal font. The user can start by dumping the internal font, and tweek this to their taste. The format of the vector font file is discussed in 4.9.7.
The drop-down font targets list contains the following entries:
The Font button in the Options menu of the text editor brings up a similar panel, as does the Font button in the Options menu of the help viewer.
These fonts can be set in the technology file, and are updated to the technology file when a Save Tech command is given.