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My eyes are weary and my sight grows dim, so I used the zoom control bottom-right in the palette. Unfortunately, having zoomed in the palette window cannot be resized - so I can't see the rhs - and there is no horizontal scrollbar.

I'm also bemused by the fact that I can expand and collapse sections within palettes, but the overall palette size still doesn't change. What's the point of a "palette" in which everything you choose to be visible isn't? (screen limitations aside?

Is there a way to resize palettes? (Mma 9 BTW)

Update & followup question to my own answer

Palettes can be made to respond as desired, but the Options dialog settings don't persist. How might I ensure that the options are reset each time I start Mma?

Update 2

I intended place copies of the relevant palette files in $USerBaseDirectory\SystemFiles\FrontEnd\Palettes and edit them in the hope that they would override the installed palettes. To check that the override works, I restarted without any mnodifications and found that lo-and-behold the zoom control works as it should do - and no editing seems to be required. The failure of the zoom control previously therefore seems linked to the palette files' location. Hmmmmmm.

Eh? And then it doesn't work as I just described and I've edited all the relevant palette notebooks in $UserBaseDirector to make them editable, saveable, etc. Clearly I am missing something or this is very strange... probably the former, but palettes now come back where I left them (Screen 2) with the previous zoom (mostly, apart form Special Characters (?)

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Reset to default
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Yes, the desired window size change can be achieved on zoom change if in the Options Explorer, Notebook Options (select the name of a palette), Window Size is changed from Automatic to All. This has the side effect of showing all sections expanded, but they can easily be collapsed. A horixontal scroll-bar could probably also be enabled undcer WindowElements but I didn't explore this.

As a beginner I would hesitate to assert it, but the failure of the automatic setting to respond to zoom changes looks to me like a bug.

Update: strangely, having only adjusted the Classroom Assistant settings, all Palettes respond correctly to zoom change. I am confident in my original observation that they did not respond, but I am now unsure what I have done to affect them all.

The effects do not persist through Mma restart, and following a restart, each palete now seems to require individual resetting.

Update

The incorrect behaviour of the palettes on zoom change has been reported to WRI.

A safe (not changing installed palettes in place) workaround for correct behaviour, and persistence of e.g. zoom between sessions is as follows:

1/ Copy default palette from \$InstallationDirectory (noting the detailed sub-path) to \$UserBaseDirectory (creating target sub-path as necessary). Copied palettes will be used in preference to default palettes on restart. Restart Mathematica.

2/ Use the options Explorer (Ctrl+Shift+O, or menu Edit->Preferences->Adanced->open Option Inspector), select the palette to work on beside "Show option values"

3/ Ensure the notebook is editable and saveable (Notebook Options->File Options)

4/ Set Notebook Options->Window Properties->WindowSize to all

5/ If necessary, add a MagnificationPopUp under Notebook Options->Window Properties->WindowElements

6/ Close options, and save notebooks for the modified palettes.

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  • $\begingroup$ To make this persist, you would have to make the change in the Global options instead of Notebook options. It is ok to ask and answer your own question :) $\endgroup$
    – rm -rf ♦
    Mar 17, 2014 at 14:08
  • $\begingroup$ @rm-rf Thanks! I actually knew it was OK to answer my own question, the meta-question was, should I have done so if I want the followup to be seen - or should I have just added an update the original question (neither seemed entirely satisfactory) I'm also confused about the persistence answer you gacv: I can't see how to set a "global option" for specific windows (palettes). I've just looked and I don't see any "Window Properties" under "Global Options". Did you mean Show Option Values = "Global Preferences" and then window properties under Notebook Options? Should I report it as a bug? $\endgroup$
    – Julian Moore
    Mar 17, 2014 at 14:34
  • $\begingroup$ Ah sorry, not global options. I believe the notebooks have Saveable -> False which makes the changes not stick. I haven't tried your example, but this probably is the case. Generally, it's not advised to modify built-in notebooks, but if you know what you're doing, you could perhaps remove this attribute. Re: your meta question, since they're very closely related, you could've just updated your question. If they're sufficiently different or if others have put in significant time into the first version of the question, either inform them that it has changed or ask a new question. $\endgroup$
    – rm -rf ♦
    Mar 17, 2014 at 14:49
  • $\begingroup$ Re: Artes' comments, he deleted them himself. Please don't use flags to have conversations with the moderators... it is generally used to alert us to something that needs immediate attention or to take some action that regular users cannot. For such questions, please drop in to chat. I'm there fairly often, and even if I'm not, there are plenty of other experienced users that can answer such questions :) $\endgroup$
    – rm -rf ♦
    Mar 17, 2014 at 14:49
  • $\begingroup$ @rm-rf Thanks for the clarification re saveable & the meta-Q: duly noted. I really can't see the palettes clearly @100% so will probably risk modding something built in - I shall even see whether I can make then saveable, make the changes, save them and unmark saveable so that they can't get "accidentally" corrupted... $\endgroup$
    – Julian Moore
    Mar 17, 2014 at 14:54

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