Re: How to Modify Mathematica 7 Documentation Center Default Styles
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg106394] Re: How to Modify Mathematica 7 Documentation Center Default Styles
- From: David Reiss <dbreiss at gmail.com>
- Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:32:08 -0500 (EST)
- References: <hic35o$5bg$1@smc.vnet.net>
One small bit of advice to folks who make change to things within a Mathematica distribution. If, for example, you change a standard style sheet, in addition to working on a copy so that you can revert if something goes wrong, you should also save a copy of the one you modify. You should save it somewhere outside of the Mathematica distribution. If you upgrade to a newer version of Mathematica, generally everything that has been changed within the Mathematica distribution will be overwritten. With the copy you can then go in and place it where you want it to go (after, of course , making a copy of the standard stylesheet again....) --Davd On Jan 10, 3:29 am, cjg <chuck... at gmail.com> wrote: > This is dedicated to all the Old-Timer who has, for what ever reason, > downgraded to Mathematica 7 and suffered through the process. As > years go by and my eyes are getting older every day, computer screen > are getting better with ever smaller pixel size, default styles used > in Documentation Center, or DC, is absolutely unbearable. This post > give instructions on how to modify the default style sheet associated > with various part of the DC, which includes Function Navigator and > Virtual Book. Here I need to thank David Reiss for pointing out that > DC style is defined in Reference.nb. On a Mac, it is located at / > Applications/MathematicaV7.app/SystemFiles/FrontEnd/StyleSheets/ > Wolfram/. For a while, I was in vain modifying HelpBrowser.nb, which > defines the styles used in Mathematica 5.2 Help Browser. > > On a Mac, find Mathematica 7 in the Application folder. Right click > it and select show package contents. Go to the above location and > copy Reference and save it some where else for backup. Now, you can > double click Reference to open it. My goal here is not to completely > modify all the styles used in DC. I just want to modify enough of it > so that most of DC is more legible on a modern computer screen for a > pair of old eyes. The list of styles to modify is not intended to be > exhaustive. However, it already covers over 90% the DC that we use > most often. > > Once Reference is opened, you can modify each to your own liking. > Don't worry about messing anything up. You have the original to go > back to. In addition, you will not be able to save this notebook to > its original location. You have to use save as command to save it > some where else. Changes made at each style will be reflected > immediately in DC. So, it is a good idea to open the corresponding > part of DC to see if you like what you see. > > To change each style, locate it, open the cell group, select the first > cell, this one defines the style for the screen environment, unlock > the cell by selecting Cell\Cell Properties\Editable, go to the Format > menu to make the change that suit you, reverse above steps as > necessary and go on to the next. If you want to modify a part of the > DC that you don't know which style to change, just as I did in finding > the list below, you can start out by changing a suspected one to some > unusual color and look back at DC and see if you guess it right or > not. Change to Reference are reflected immediately in DC. Make a > note of what changes you made that suite your taste. > > Once you are happy with what you see in DC, save Reference. You can't > save it back to the original location, so save it in your own document > folder. Now, quit Mathematica and copy Reference you just modified to > replace the original in /Applications/MathematicaV7.app/SystemFiles/ > FrontEnd/StyleSheets/Wolfram/. Launch Mathematica and all the changes > you just made will be reflected in DC. > > Here is the list in Reference that I made change to suit my own need. > It should be a good starting point. > > Text > Text -> Verdana 14 > > Function Page Styles: define styles used in Function Navigator > Usage -> Verdana 14 > Notes -> Verdana 14 > 1ColumnTableMod -> Courier 14 > 2ColumnTableMod -> Courier 14 > 3ColumnTableMod -> Courier 14 > PrimaryExampleSection -> Verdana 12 > ExampleText -> Verdana 14 > ExampleSection -> Verdana Bold 12 > ExampleSubsection -> Verdana Bold 12 > SeeAlsoSection -> Verdana 12 > SeeAlso -> Verdana Bold 12 > Tutorials -> Verdana 14 > > Tutorial Page Styles: define styles used in Virtual Book > DefinitionBox -> Verdana 14 > DefinitionBox3Col -> Verdana 13 > Caption -> Helvetica 12 > MathCaption -> Verdana 14 > RelatedTutorialsSection -> Verdana 12 > RelatedTutorials -> Verdana 14 > TutorialMoreAboutSection -> Verdana 12 > TutorialMoreAbout -> Verdana 14 > TutorialRelatedLinksSection -> Verdana 12 > TutorialMoreAbout -> Verdana 14 > > I hope you like the new look of DC. I surely feel liberated. Now I > can change DC window magnification back to 100% which is a much better > use of screen real estate. Now, all I need to do is to figure it out > how to make DC windows remember its previous location and size so that > I don't have to change it every time!