Grid font size does not obey configuration with Tads 3 terp

[Nephar]

When I am using Spatterlight's Tads 3 terp, the grid window font size configuration only affects the app's window width, font size in the grid itself stays the same as text window font size. Here are two screenshots comparing the same game in both Spatterlight vs Gargoyle.

Both apps are configured the same way with regards to fonts and sizes, yet Spatterlight clearly uses Source Code Pro Medium at 20 pt.

Spatterlight 0.9.9, Source Code Pro Medium at 18pt in grid window, Fontin at 20pt in text window

Gargoyle 2023.1 RC, Source Code Pro Medium at 18pt in grid window, Fontin at 20pt in text window

[angstsmurf]

This is because the status window in Tads 3 is not technically a grid window. It is a second buffer window which can contain both proportional and fixed-width text. It is confusing, but Tads 3 never was a good fit with the Glk API.

You can change the size and font (and colour, and lots of other stuff) by adjusting the buffer Preformatted style in the settings, under the Styles tab.

[angstsmurf]

I'll reopen this if you don't mind. It is a nice reminder that this should be improved somehow.

The Tads runner at https://github.com/tads-intfic/tads-runner fixes this by turning banners into actual grid windows, but that causes other issues, such as cutting off text to the right if the window is resized.

[Nephar]

I think the same Tads 3 "grid" window weirdness also leads to a counter-intuitive behavior with regards to Games can set colors and styles checkbox. It somehow makes the button works in reverse logic. Here are some pictures, maybe they can illustrate my point better than words:

Games can set colors and styles makes my own style settings through Buffer->Preformatted effective.

Games can NOT set colors and styles makes status line style equal to the buffer normal style(not Preformatted).

[angstsmurf]

This is working as intended. If the box is checked, the Tads game will set the banner to the custom colours and fonts that makes it look like a status window. If the box is unchecked, the banner (which really is just a second buffer window) will have the default buffer window font and colour, just like the main window below it.

I suppose the button label could be "Enable style hints", which is what it actually does, but I thought that would be even more confusing, unless you know the finer details of the Glk API.

[Nephar]

I understand the source of the behavior, and no matter how you label that checkbox it will remain confusing I guess. The confusion stems from the fact that no matter how one sets that setting the resulting style is chosen from a custom user style, it just comes from a different part of user settings when you change the the checkbox (one comes from buffer->Preformatted, the other from buffer->normal).