A simple, small calculator placed discreetly near the Windows Taskbar or anywhere on the screen
docs: spec + plan for 14pt display font and tighter padding
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
authored by
Marco Maroni
Claude Fable 5
and committed by
Tangled
(Jul 15, 2026, 1:16 PM +0300)
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docs/superpowers/plans/2026-07-15-display-font-size.md
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docs/superpowers/plans/2026-07-15-display-font-size.md
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# Display Font Size Implementation Plan
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> **For agentic workers:** Single-task plan; executed inline (superpowers:executing-plans). Steps use checkbox (`- [ ]`) syntax for tracking.
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**Goal:** Raise the display font to 14pt (single constant) and shrink the vertical padding so no white band remains under the digits.
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**Architecture:** `DISPLAY_FONT_PT` constant + points→logical helper in `VisualStyle.cpp`, applied in both `CreateFont`s; vertical padding in `CreateStandalone` drops from 14 to 8.
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**Spec:** `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-15-display-font-size-design.md`
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## Global Constraints
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- Build the `.vcxproj` directly: `msbuild TaskbarCalculator.vcxproj /p:Configuration=Debug /p:Platform=x64`.
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- Only `VisualStyle.cpp` and `CalculatorWindow.cpp` change.
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- Testing: build + `tests\build-and-run.cmd` 16/16 + user visual check (size iteration expected).
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---
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### Task 1: Font size constant + padding
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**Files:**
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- Modify: `VisualStyle.cpp` (top of file + both `CreateFont` methods)
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- Modify: `CalculatorWindow.cpp` (`CreateStandalone`, clientH line)
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- [ ] **Step 1: Add constant + helper in `VisualStyle.cpp`** (after the includes)
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```cpp
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// Point size of the calculator display; the one knob for readability tweaks.
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const int DISPLAY_FONT_PT = 14;
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static LONG DisplayFontHeight()
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{
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HDC hdc = ::GetDC(NULL);
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const LONG h = -::MulDiv(DISPLAY_FONT_PT, ::GetDeviceCaps(hdc, LOGPIXELSY), 72);
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::ReleaseDC(NULL, hdc);
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return h;
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}
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```
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- [ ] **Step 2: Apply in both styles**
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Classic (`CClassicVisualStyle::CreateFont`), before `CreateFontIndirect`:
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```cpp
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if(::SystemParametersInfo(SPI_GETNONCLIENTMETRICS, ncm.cbSize, &ncm, 0))
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{
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ncm.lfMessageFont.lfHeight = DisplayFontHeight();
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m_hFont = ::CreateFontIndirect(&ncm.lfMessageFont);
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}
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```
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Themed (`CThemedVisualStyle::CreateFont`), in the `SUCCEEDED(hr)` block:
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```cpp
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if(SUCCEEDED(hr))
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{
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lf.lfHeight = DisplayFontHeight();
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lf.lfWeight = 600;
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m_hFont = ::CreateFontIndirect(&lf);
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ATLASSERT(m_hFont);
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}
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```
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- [ ] **Step 3: Shrink vertical padding in `CalculatorWindow.cpp` (`CreateStandalone`)**
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```cpp
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LONG clientH = ideal.y + 8; if (clientH < 28) clientH = 28;
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```
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- [ ] **Step 4: Build** — `msbuild TaskbarCalculator.vcxproj /p:Configuration=Debug /p:Platform=x64` → 0 errors.
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- [ ] **Step 5: Engine regression** — `tests\build-and-run.cmd` → 16/16.
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- [ ] **Step 6: User visual check** — launch, judge size/spacing; iterate on `DISPLAY_FONT_PT` if needed.
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- [ ] **Step 7: Commit**
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```bash
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git add VisualStyle.cpp CalculatorWindow.cpp
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git commit -m "feat: 14pt display font and tighter vertical padding"
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```
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# Display Font Size + Vertical Padding — Design
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**Date:** 2026-07-15
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**Status:** Approved (brainstorming)
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## Goal
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Make the number display easier to read and remove the white gap below it: the themed
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font inherited from the DeskBand era (~9pt toolbar/REBAR theme font) is small for a
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standalone window, and the client area adds 14px of vertical padding that the top-aligned
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single-line EDIT leaves as white space at the bottom.
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## Behavior
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- **Font size:** a single constant `DISPLAY_FONT_PT = 14` in `VisualStyle.cpp`.
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Both styles override the height of the font they resolve
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(`lfHeight = -MulDiv(DISPLAY_FONT_PT, LOGPIXELSY, 72)` via a small shared helper):
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- Themed: theme REBAR band font family, weight 600 (unchanged), height forced to 14pt.
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- Classic: `lfMessageFont` family, height forced to 14pt (weight untouched).
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The constant is the single knob for later size iterations.
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- **Vertical padding:** in `CreateStandalone`, client height goes from `ideal.y + 14` to
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`ideal.y + 8` (covers the EDIT's ~4px `WS_EX_CLIENTEDGE` borders plus minimal
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breathing room). Horizontal padding (+24) and the min-size guards stay.
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- Window width/height adapt automatically: sizing is already computed from the text
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extent of the sample string `99.999,99` in the display font.
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## Accepted side effects
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- Window grows with the font; saved position anchors the client origin, so the bottom
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edge sits a few px lower than before — one manual re-drag fixes it if it bothers.
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- The app is DPI-virtualized (no DPI-aware manifest), so `LOGPIXELSY` is 96 and the
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point size is logical; this matches all existing metrics in the app.
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## Components touched
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- `VisualStyle.cpp`: `DISPLAY_FONT_PT` constant + height override in both `CreateFont`s.
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- `CalculatorWindow.cpp`: vertical padding constant in `CreateStandalone`.
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## Testing
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- Engine regression: `tests\build-and-run.cmd` → 16/16 (UI-only).
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- Manual (user): number readable at 14pt; no white band under the digits; window still
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compact above the tray; caption auto-hide and position persistence unaffected.
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- Iteration expected: if 14pt doesn't convince, change `DISPLAY_FONT_PT` and rebuild.
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## Out of scope (YAGNI)
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- Font family changes, user-configurable size, DPI-awareness work.