Why Does the Font Size Change When Running a LabVIEW Executable?

Issue Details

When I run a LabVIEW executable in Windows, the applications font size changes. Why does this happen and how do I prevent this from occuring?

Solution

Windows will resize all application fonts if your Windows font size is set to anything other than normal. This will only affect compiled executables and not code running in the LabVIEW development environment.

If using Windows XP, the font size can be changed in by navigating to Start Menu»Settings»Control Panel»Display»Appearance Tab and selecting the desired size from the Font Size drop down menu.

If using Windows 7, the font size can be changed by going to the Control Panel and navigating to Appearance and Personalization»Display where you can select the desired font size.

If using Windows 8, to change the font size navigate to Control Panel»Appearance and Personalization»Display.  The display window will give you customization options.  Be sure to click the Apply button after making the necessary changes

If using Windows 10, to change the font size go to your Desktop, right-click your mouse and go to Display Settings.  From this panel, you can change the size of the font with the slider.

Additional Information

Setting your font size to Large Fonts or Extra Large Fonts will cause Windows to override and increase the font size of all applications, including those compiled with LabVIEW. This is expected behavior, and the formatting of your front panel may be affected. By keeping scroll bars on your application front panels, you ensure that the user can always scroll to reach front panel objects that may have been displaced due to font reformatting.

Also, double check to make sure the font you have used in the executables is on the deployment computer. The fonts that are loaded can be checked by navigating to Start Menu»Settings»Control Panel»Fonts.  If the font is not loaded, then copy it from the development computer and install it on the deployment computer. You can install new fonts by going to the fonts folder, and choosing File»Install New Font.

It is also important to note that the application font default in LabVIEW is set to the message box font in Windows.

To check this in Windows 7, right click on the desktop and choose personalize. Then select the window color link at the bottom of the screen and then click on the advanced appearance settings link. Select Message Box in the item drop down menu. The font will display below.



To check the message box font in Windows XP, right click on the desktop and choose properties. Then select the appearance tab at the top. Click the advanced button. Select Message Box in the item drop down menu. The font will display below.



To check the message box font in Windows 8, navigate to the Display section referred to in the instructions for setting the font size, and select the Message Box category of the drop-down menu.

In Windows 10, this option does not exist anymore.

To enforce the sizing of a single object, a numeric control for example, create a property node for the object. Select the Numeric Text»Font»Size property, right click on the node and select Change all to Write. Wire a constant with the correct font size to the node. This property node will enforce the specific font size on the target computer regardless of windows settings. Individual components can be fixed in this manner, but there is not a property that will set all the front panel control sizes to a fixed value simultaneously.