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I'm using a docker file that builds an environment for robotics. It works great. I've attached a screenshot. enter image description here

As you can see it has a terminal window and a few other tools but it doesn't seem to have a normal desktop manager, at least I dont recognize it. Which is fine with me. I won't be using it in that mode. But the few times I do use it the font in the terminal window is too small and for the life of me I can't figure out how to do it.

What am I running here? How would I do something like making the font larger? Thanks!

pitosalas
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2 Answers2

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I recognize the xterm icon on those windows. There's a menu that probably offers a few more bitmap fonts in larger sizes, but it's not easily discoverable:

  • Ctrl + right click in the terminal, holding down the mouse button to keep the menu open

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ændrük
  • 78,496
2

Freetype fonts

You can not only use bitmap fonts but often there are also nicer 'freetype' fonts in xterm

xterm -fa default -fs 13

So if you put a shellscript with a content similar to the above command line in PATH before the executable file /usr/bin/xterm, for example in /usr/local/bin, we can hope that your tool will pick it up and provide a better font and size.

From man xterm:

   -fa pattern
           This option sets the pattern for fonts selected from the
           FreeType library if support for that library was compiled into
           xterm.  This corresponds to the faceName resource.  When a CJK
           double-width font is specified, you also need to turn on the
           cjkWidth resource.

   -fs size
           This option sets the pointsize for fonts selected from the
           FreeType library if support for that library was compiled into
           xterm.  This corresponds to the faceSize resource.

Otherwise you might be able to use the resources faceName and faceSize. (I have never done that. You can try according to the advice in the accepted answer to this AskUbuntu question.)

Edit: How to select font and size interactively

So there's no way to change the font of xterm once it's running, you have to do it when it is launched? I'm doing this in a docker image so it's a little convoluted to create that script to intercept the xterm command that is offered when I click on the "desktop".

Is that customizable at all?

Yes, you can modify the font and size interactively:

  • Put the cursor into the xterm window's main area.
  • Press ctrl and right-click to get a pop-up window
  • Move the cursor to select 'freetype' or if installed 'truetype'
  • Move the cursor to select the size you want

You will see tick marks at the selected options.

enter image description here

sudodus
  • 47,684