The ScreenMode editor, illustrated in Figure 5-8, lets you select the display mode for the Workbench screen. Since the modes have different properties and hardware requirements, review the descriptions provided here and in Chapter 7 to determine which modes are available on your system and best meet your needs.
ScreenMode Preferences Editor Window
The available display modes are listed on the left; the properties of the mode selected are displayed on the right.
The available display modes are shown in the Display Mode list. Scroll through the list to see all modes available. The available modes reflect the currently active monitor drivers. Place the associated monitor files in the Devs/Monitors drawer to have its display modes available at all times.
Select a display mode from the list by clicking on it. The selected mode is highlights. Select Save to use the mode and save it as the default in future sessions. Select Use to use the mode for the current session only. When trying different display modes, select Use rather than Save when you exit ScreenMode. When you have settled on the display mode you intend to use, save it. This makes recovery easier if you select a mode that is not compatible with you monitor. Select Cancel to exit the editor without making any changes.
If you select Save or Use while an application or Shell window is open on the Workbench screen, a requester appears, asking you to close any open windows other than drawers. When you have closed the last open Shell or application window, the Workbench screen automatically rests to the new display mode.
Your chosen display mode pertains only to the Workbench screen. Applications opening their own screens supply documentation of the display modes they support.
The Mode Properties display box lists information about the display mode selected. It displays screen sizes and maximum displayable colors for the selected display mode and other mode properties.
Screen sizes corresponding to the currently selected display mode are given in pixels. The first number represents the width of the screen; the second number represents the height.
The possible mode properties that can be displayed include:
Use the Width and Height text gadgets to customize the size of your Workbench screen. Enter a number between, or equal to, the minimum and maximum width and height. Once the number is entered, that number remains constant no matter what display mode is selected until the corresponding Default gadget is selected.
Entering numbers larger than the maximum or smaller than the minimum is the same as specifying the maximum or minimum.
The Default check box to the right of each gadget lets you select the default setting for the width and/or height. This equals the Visible Size.
You can specify a Width and Height much larger than the visible size. This extra-large virtual Workbench screen lets you open larger and more non-overlapping windows than otherwise possible, limited only by available Chip memory.
The Colors slider gadget lets you select the number of colors that can be displayed on the screen. The fewer colors selected, the faster the screen can be redrawn and the less memory used.
When AutoScroll is selected, the screen automatically scrolls when the mouse reaches the edge of the screen's visible portion. This is useful when you have defined a Width or Height for the screen that is larger than the visible size.
