FontMetric(), SysMetric()

Everything you ever wanted to know about your fonts and the display subsystem, dredged right out of the heart of the Windows API.

Usage

nResult = FONTMETRIC( nFontAttribute 
                     [, cFontName, nFontSize [, cFontStyle ] ] )
nResult = SYSMETRIC( nScreenAttribute )

Parameter	Value	Meaning
nFontAttribute	Numeric, 1 – 20	An index to the specific attribute of the font you want returned. See the Help file for the list.
cFontName	Character	Name of the font to be examined.
cFontName	Omitted	Uses the current font in the active window.
nFontSize	Numeric	Size in points of the font to be examined.
nFontSize	Omitted	May only be omitted if cFontName, above, is also omitted. Uses the current font in the active window.
cFontStyle	Character	Font Style—see the Help file for the entire list.
cFontStyle	Omitted	If all of the optional parameters are omitted, uses the font style of the active window. If a font name and size are specified, uses the Normal style of the specified font.
nScreenAttribute	Numeric, 1 – 32	Returns information on the screen's measurements.

Use these functions to determine the characteristics of fonts and of the display in order to place your output most precisely. These functions are, for all practical purposes, identical to their Windows API counterparts, FontMetric() and GetSystemMetric(). These functions only deal with pixels, rather than the foxel measurement system available through the ScaleMode property.

Example

WAIT WINDOW "Current screen resolution is " + ;
        LTRIM(STR(SYSMETRIC(1))) + " by " + ;
        LTRIM(STR(SYSMETRIC(2)))
 
? FONTMETRIC(7,"Times New Roman",10,"B") && 17 pixels