Fonts

The Map Editor allows you to use any available font in maps and their controls. You could, if you really wanted to, use a different font for every control on a map. You are advised, however, to exercise restraint. If too many fonts are used in the same map, it will appear cluttered, inconsistent and unprofessional. Also you need to bear in mind that not all machines will have the same fonts installed.

When you create a new map and give it a title, that title will appear in the map's default font. If you subsequently want to change the font for the map, you can do so within the Font page of the Map Properties.

Controls that you add to the map also have a default font, which may be the same as that for the map or may be different. As with the map, you can change the font for a control in the Font page of the control's properties.

The Font Dialog

The Font dialog for Map Properties is shown below. The dialog for controls is the same except the "Use as Control Default" checkbox does not appear.

The dialog provides the following options:

Option Description
Use Default Font

If this checkbox is cleared then an explicit font must be specified for the map or control.

If this checkbox is checked there is a slightly different meaning in the control properties dialog from the map properties dialog.

  • In Map Properties the appropriate default font will always be used. Usually this will be the DP4 default font, but at run time DP4 may substitute an appropriate font as specified by the Appearance Tab in the Display Properties. For examples menubars and pulldowns will use the menu font.

  • In Control Properties the DP4 default will be used unless an explicit font was set in the map properties and the "Use as Control Default" property is also set, in which case that font is used as the default font. This is not supported by the underlying map architecture - instead the Map Editor sets the fonts for the controls in the map. This means that you may have problems if you try to use shared controls in such a map.

    In either case the Map Editor displays the font that will be used as the default font, greyed out.
Use as Control Default 

This checkbox is only present in the Map Properties Dialog.

This affects the default font for controls in the map. Enable it, to use the Map font as the default; disable it, to use the DP4 default font as the default. As mentioned above, the Map Editor adjusts the fonts of all the controls that use the default font when posting the map to achieve this effect.

You can use this checkbox as a quick method of changing the font for all the controls in a map that use the default font.
Font

Select a font from the font list. The Map Editor allows you to use any installed font.
Script

Select one of the available scripts for the font. The Script will usually default to the script corresponding to the current default character set. Unfortunately the sample text will not always display properly. A bug in Windows NT/2000/XP causes the text only to display properly when using the normal character set, or the symbol set. The text will be displayed properly in the control when you asve your changes.
Size

Select a size in points. It is your responsibility to ensure that the point size is appropriate to the size of the map or control
Strikeout

Enable this to place a horizontal line through the text
Underline

Enable this to place a horizontal line underneath the text