Dialog View (formerly List Font) is a control panel that allows you to change the font and size used in directory dialog file lists, and display the real icons of files in such lists. It requires System 7. If you use it together with my Open-wide program (preferably version 3.5.7 or later), you will be able to use larger fonts without cramping the list.
Dialog View uses undocumented system information. I have tested it with System 7.0.1 and System 7.1, but it could break in the future.
Displaying the real icons requires querying the desktop database, which may cause noticeable delay and disk activity. This will be especially noticeable with slow disks such as CD-ROMs.
Icon Options
 
The basic icon options work much like the choices in Views control panel for the Finder. Choosing the setting above will display tiny generic icons in directory dialogs as usual. If you choose one of the two larger icon settings, you will get non-generic icons, in color if your hardware supports it.
The height of each line in the file list is adjusted to be big enough for both the icon size and the font size.
Certain additions to the system software (such as Macintosh Easy Open and Japanese Language Kit) provide small color icons in directory dialogs. In these cases, Dialog View does not offer alternative icon sizes. Furthermore, these additions unfortunately assume that the line height is 18 pixels, as would be appropriate for Chicago 12, and adjust the size of the list box accordingly. Therefore in this case Dialog View makes the line height a multiple of 18.
Compatibility
• Dialog View is compatible with my own Open-wide, and with Now’s Super Boomerang. Open-wide, version 3.3 or later, knows how to cooperate with Dialog View, so as to stretch the file list to a height that is a whole multiple of the line height, subject to certain constraints.
• Dialog View will not work with Norton’s Directory Assistance II.
• If you select a font and size that is provided by ATM 2.0.3, then greyed-out items (like file names in a Save dialog) will appear as grey scaled bitmaps. This appears to be an ATM bug.
• If you select a font that is 32nd or more in the font menu, then the little triangle in the popup menu will be gray. This is an Apple bug and seems harmless.
• Now WYSIWYG Menus 3.0.2 has a conflict with the Dialog View control panel. Either turn off the WYSIWYG Size Menus option, or upgrade to Now Utilities 4.0.1.
• This program is provided as is, and is not guaranteed.
Distribution
Dialog View is copyrighted freeware. Of course if you *want* to send me some money for it, you can.
Dialog View may not be sold or offered for sale, or included with another software product offered for sale, except with the express written permission of the author. Companies that distribute public domain/freeware/shareware software for profit are expressly prohibited from distributing Dialog View. This restriction does not apply to bulletin boards, commercial on-line services such as America Online, CompuServe and GEnie, and nonprofit Macintosh user groups which hold regularly scheduled public meetings.
Author’s address
E-mail:
CompuServe: 76367,2271
America Online: JWWalker
Internet: walkerj@math.scarolina.edu
Hard mail:
James W. Walker
3200 Heyward Street
Columbia, SC 29205
Acknowledgements
The idea for Dialog View was suggested to me by Susan Lesch. Thanks also to Lloyd Wood, Michael Hecht, Jeff Lauterette, Joe Vantaggi, Dave Lamkins, Susan Lesch, Donald L. Nash, and others who sent bug reports and suggestions.
