This is a list of all the Windows Graphical Items listed in the Appearance section of the Display options. Changing the settings of each object has an effect on the Windows operating system and the majority of the programs that run on this platform. Sometimes these effects don't tally up entirely with the name of the Item given by Microsoft. This document explores each item and how it can be changed and where else these changes can be seen.
To find out more about the benefits of fine-tuning the Windows display, including a step-by-step guide please see this accompanying tutorial. For a more global overview of the possibilities of the Windows Display, including third-party accessibility programs, please see my overview of the Windows display.
GRAPHIC |
TEXT |
||||||
Size |
Color1 |
Color2 |
Font |
Size |
Color |
Bold |
Italic |
X |
X |
||||||
Changing the colour scheme of '3D Objects' has a dramatic effect on the Windows Display.
Areas affected by both the background and foreground (text) colours include all buttons and compatible toolbars, including the System Tray (the bit down by the clock). The combination also affects Status Bars, Tabs, ScrollBars and the Close / Minimise / Restore buttons that can be found in the top-right of most windows. I have also found that colours affect some of the information in Windows XP's Task Panels that appear when exploring files (Others are affected by the 'Active Title Bar item')
Many other parts of Windows are affected only by the background colour. Most noticeable are the menus across all Windows programs as well as window borders. Also some programs' toolbars are affected by background colour.
GRAPHIC |
TEXT |
||||||
Size |
Color1 |
Color2 |
Font |
Size |
Color |
Bold |
Italic |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Unlike some of the display items, the Active Title Bar options really do affect only active Title Bars. These are the coloured strips that run along the top of windows, usually displaying the name of the programs you are using. In the screenshot on the left you can see two title bars, a main window title bar ("ACER (C:)") and a dialog title bar ("Project 1"). The screenshot also shows that the colour scheme of some of Windows XP's Task Panels are affected by changes made to Active Title Bar, and that the font style and size also affects the Windows Start Menu and Task bar buttons.
The graphic options you can change include the "Size" (vertical height of the title bar), "Color 1" (colour to the left of the bar) and "Color 2" (the colour to which Color 1 makes a gradual change as it fades right).
The text options you can alter include the font style, font size (the vertical height of the bar will automatically increase to allow larger fonts) and font colour. You can also set the font to be bold and/or italic.
GRAPHIC |
TEXT |
||||||
Size |
Color1 |
Color2 |
Font |
Size |
Color |
Bold |
Italic |
X |
X |
||||||
You can adjust the colour and the 'thickness' of window borders. The colour affects only one window at a time (the active window) but the thickness of the border affects all windows simultaneously. Notice in the screenshot that the Start button on the Windows task bar has a thick border surrounding it. The thick border also applies to 'child windows' (these are smaller windows which appear within other windows, such as when one has multiple documents within older versions of Microsoft Word or pictures within Adobe Photoshop).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
Privacy Policy. Contact Me. Charlie Danger MMVI.