Improve quality of all strings

Do a pass on ALL text in the settings window to make sure its appropriate, informative, and user friendly. I'm talking about everything, so that includes titles, descriptions, check boxes text, insert piece textes, preset buttons, shortcuts, etc. do not change ones that are already ok, only improve ones that need it.

I tightened the settings-window copy in SettingsWindow.xaml (line 204) and left the strings that were already reading well alone. The changes focus on clearer section leads, better labels for token insertions and presets, less ambiguous checkbox text, more helpful sound/background hints, and cleaner shortcut wording. I also replaced a couple of raw option values with user-facing labels for letter case and image fit in the same window.

I cleaned up the related dialog/status text in SettingsWindow.xaml.cs (line 149), including the Notepad/settings-file messages, the “create new clock” confirmation, and the countdown parse status. To support clearer combo-box labels without changing behavior, I added a small option wrapper in SettingsWindow.xaml.cs (line 519).

DesktopClock/SettingsWindow.xaml

@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionTitleStyle}"
                                Text="Clock display" />
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionLeadStyle}"
-                               Text="Set what the clock says. Use a preset for a quick start, or build your own custom text and date tokens." />
+                               Text="Choose what the clock shows. Start with a preset, or build your own format with text and date tokens." />
 
                     <Border Style="{StaticResource MiniCardStyle}"
                             Background="#F6FAFD"
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
 
                                 <StackPanel Grid.Column="0">
                                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
-                                               Text="Format text" />
+                                               Text="Display text" />
                                     <TextBox x:Name="ClockFormatTextBox"
                                              Text="{Binding Settings.Format, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
                                              AcceptsReturn="True"
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@
 
                             <TextBlock Margin="0,16,0,0"
                                        Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
-                                       Text="Insert pieces" />
+                                       Text="Insert tokens" />
                             <WrapPanel Margin="0,8,0,0">
                                 <Button Content="Time"
                                         Tag="{}{h:mm tt}"
@@ -266,11 +266,11 @@
                                         Tag="{}{h:mm:ss tt}"
                                         Click="InsertClockFormatToken_Click"
                                         Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
-                                <Button Content="24h"
+                                <Button Content="24-hour time"
                                         Tag="{}{HH:mm}"
                                         Click="InsertClockFormatToken_Click"
                                         Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
-                                <Button Content="Day"
+                                <Button Content="Weekday"
                                         Tag="{}{ddd}"
                                         Click="InsertClockFormatToken_Click"
                                         Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@
                                         Tag="{}{yyyy}"
                                         Click="InsertClockFormatToken_Click"
                                         Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
-                                <Button Content="Zone"
+                                <Button Content="Time zone"
                                         Tag="{}{K}"
                                         Click="InsertClockFormatToken_Click"
                                         Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionTitleStyle}"
                                Text="Countdown" />
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionLeadStyle}"
-                               Text="Set when to count down to and customize how it displays. Leave the custom format blank to use a natural sentence." />
+                               Text="Choose a target date and time, then customize how the countdown is shown. Leave the custom format blank to use natural wording." />
 
                     <Grid>
                         <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@
                                                        Text="Target date and time" />
                                             <Button Grid.Column="1"
                                                     Command="{Binding ResetCountdownCommand}"
-                                                    Content="Turn off"
+                                                    Content="Clear target"
                                                     Style="{StaticResource GhostButton}"
                                                     Padding="8,4"
                                                     MinHeight="28" />
@@ -363,25 +363,25 @@
 
                                         <TextBox Text="{Binding CountdownTargetText, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
                                         <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource HintStyle}"
-                                                   Text="Type the countdown target directly, for example 3/14/2026 9:30 AM." />
+                                                   Text="Enter the target directly, for example 3/14/2026 9:30 AM." />
 
                                         <TextBlock Margin="0,16,0,4"
                                                    Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
-                                                   Text="Quick add presets" />
+                                                   Text="Quick target presets" />
                                         <WrapPanel>
-                                            <Button Content="+1 hour"
+                                            <Button Content="1 hour from now"
                                                     Tag="plus_hour"
                                                     Click="ApplyCountdownPreset_Click"
                                                     Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
-                                            <Button Content="Tonight 6 PM"
+                                            <Button Content="Next 6:00 PM"
                                                     Tag="tonight"
                                                     Click="ApplyCountdownPreset_Click"
                                                     Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
-                                            <Button Content="Tomorrow 9 AM"
+                                            <Button Content="Tomorrow at 9:00 AM"
                                                     Tag="tomorrow_morning"
                                                     Click="ApplyCountdownPreset_Click"
                                                     Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
-                                            <Button Content="Next week"
+                                            <Button Content="Next week at 9:00 AM"
                                                     Tag="next_week"
                                                     Click="ApplyCountdownPreset_Click"
                                                     Style="{StaticResource EditorChipButton}" />
@@ -422,7 +422,7 @@
 
                                 <TextBlock Margin="0,16,0,0"
                                            Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
-                                           Text="Insert pieces" />
+                                           Text="Insert tokens" />
                                 <WrapPanel Margin="0,8,0,0">
                                     <Button Content="Hours and minutes"
                                             Tag="{}{hh}:{mm}"
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@
                                                Text="Status &amp; preview" />
                                     <TextBlock Margin="0,4,0,14"
                                                Foreground="{StaticResource MutedTextBrush}"
-                                               Text="Check the target text and view a live sample of the countdown display." />
+                                               Text="Check that the target was understood and see a live sample of the countdown." />
 
                                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
                                                Text="Target status" />
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionTitleStyle}"
                                Text="Appearance" />
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionLeadStyle}"
-                               Text="Customize the look of the clock text and its background surface." />
+                               Text="Customize the clock text, background, outline, and image." />
 
                     <Border Style="{StaticResource MiniCardStyle}"
                             Background="#F7FBFD"
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@
                                                Text="Clock text" />
                                     <TextBlock Margin="0,4,0,14"
                                                Foreground="{StaticResource MutedTextBrush}"
-                                               Text="Choose the font and color of the text." />
+                                               Text="Choose the font, letter case, color, and opacity." />
 
                                     <Grid>
                                         <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
@@ -529,9 +529,11 @@
                                         </StackPanel>
                                         <StackPanel Grid.Column="2">
                                             <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
-                                                       Text="Text transform" />
+                                                       Text="Letter case" />
                                             <ComboBox ItemsSource="{Binding TextTransforms}"
-                                                      SelectedItem="{Binding Settings.TextTransform, Mode=TwoWay}" />
+                                                      DisplayMemberPath="Label"
+                                                      SelectedValuePath="Value"
+                                                      SelectedValue="{Binding Settings.TextTransform, Mode=TwoWay}" />
                                             <TextBlock Margin="0,12,0,2"
                                                        Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
                                                        Text="Font weight" />
@@ -573,7 +575,7 @@
                                                 <TextBox Grid.Column="2"
                                                          Text="{Binding Settings.TextColor, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
                                                 <Button Grid.Column="4"
-                                                        Content="Pick..."
+                                                        Content="Choose..."
                                                         Click="PickTextColor"
                                                         Style="{StaticResource GhostButton}" />
                                             </Grid>
@@ -604,10 +606,10 @@
                                 <StackPanel Grid.Column="2">
                                     <TextBlock FontSize="18"
                                                FontWeight="SemiBold"
-                                               Text="Clock surface" />
+                                               Text="Background &amp; outline" />
                                     <TextBlock Margin="0,4,0,14"
                                                Foreground="{StaticResource MutedTextBrush}"
-                                               Text="Customize the background or outline." />
+                                               Text="Customize the background fill, outline, or image." />
 
                                     <Grid>
                                         <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
@@ -618,7 +620,7 @@
 
                                         <StackPanel Grid.Column="0">
                                             <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
-                                                       Text="Color" />
+                                                       Text="Surface color" />
                                             <Grid Margin="0,4,0,0">
                                                 <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                                                     <ColumnDefinition Width="Auto" />
@@ -641,12 +643,12 @@
                                                 <TextBox Grid.Column="2"
                                                          Text="{Binding Settings.OuterColor, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
                                                 <Button Grid.Column="4"
-                                                        Content="Pick..."
+                                                        Content="Choose..."
                                                         Click="PickOuterColor"
                                                         Style="{StaticResource GhostButton}" />
                                             </Grid>
                                             <CheckBox Margin="0,8,0,0"
-                                                      Content="Solid background fill"
+                                                      Content="Use a solid background instead of an outline"
                                                       IsChecked="{Binding Settings.BackgroundEnabled, Mode=TwoWay}" />
                                         </StackPanel>
 
@@ -680,7 +682,7 @@
 
                                         <StackPanel Grid.Column="0">
                                             <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
-                                                       Text="Corner roundness" />
+                                                       Text="Rounded corners" />
                                             <Grid>
                                                 <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                                                     <ColumnDefinition Width="*" />
@@ -741,12 +743,16 @@
                                                 Content="Clear"
                                                 Style="{StaticResource GhostButton}" />
                                     </Grid>
+                                    <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource HintStyle}"
+                                               Text="Leave this blank to use only the solid background or outline." />
 
                                     <TextBlock Margin="0,16,0,0"
                                                Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
                                                Text="Image fit" />
                                     <ComboBox ItemsSource="{Binding ImageStretches}"
-                                              SelectedItem="{Binding Settings.BackgroundImageStretch, Mode=TwoWay}" />
+                                              DisplayMemberPath="Label"
+                                              SelectedValuePath="Value"
+                                              SelectedValue="{Binding Settings.BackgroundImageStretch, Mode=TwoWay}" />
                                 </StackPanel>
                             </Grid>
                         </StackPanel>
@@ -778,14 +784,14 @@
                                            Text="Startup &amp; visibility" />
                                 <TextBlock Margin="0,4,0,14"
                                            Foreground="{StaticResource MutedTextBrush}"
-                                           Text="Control where the clock appears when Windows and the app start." />
+                                           Text="Choose how the clock appears when Windows starts and when the app opens." />
                                 <CheckBox Content="Launch automatically when I sign in"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.RunOnStartup, Mode=TwoWay}" />
                                 <CheckBox Content="Start with the clock hidden"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.StartHidden, Mode=TwoWay}" />
                                 <CheckBox Content="Show the clock in the taskbar"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.ShowInTaskbar, Mode=TwoWay}" />
-                                <CheckBox Content="Hide the clock from Alt+Tab"
+                                <CheckBox Content="Hide the clock from the Alt+Tab switcher"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.HideFromAltTab, Mode=TwoWay}" />
                             </StackPanel>
                         </Border>
@@ -800,14 +806,14 @@
                                            Text="Interaction &amp; protection" />
                                 <TextBlock Margin="0,4,0,14"
                                            Foreground="{StaticResource MutedTextBrush}"
-                                           Text="How it behaves when it shares space with other apps and display conditions." />
+                                           Text="Choose how the clock behaves around other apps and during fullscreen use." />
                                 <CheckBox Content="Keep the clock above other windows"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.Topmost, Mode=TwoWay}" />
-                                <CheckBox Content="Pass clicks through to windows behind"
+                                <CheckBox Content="Let clicks pass through to windows behind the clock"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.ClickThrough, Mode=TwoWay}" />
                                 <CheckBox Content="Allow dragging the clock"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.DragToMove, Mode=TwoWay}" />
-                                <CheckBox Content="Keep the right edge fixed as text changes"
+                                <CheckBox Content="Keep the right edge fixed when the text changes"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.RightAligned, Mode=TwoWay}" />
                                 <CheckBox Content="Shift the clock slightly to reduce burn-in"
                                           IsChecked="{Binding Settings.BurnInMitigation, Mode=TwoWay}" />
@@ -824,7 +830,7 @@
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionTitleStyle}"
                                Text="Sound alerts" />
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionLeadStyle}"
-                               Text="Optional. Play a WAV file when the countdown ends." />
+                               Text="Optional. Play a WAV file on a repeat interval or when the countdown ends." />
 
                     <Border Style="{StaticResource MiniCardStyle}"
                             Background="#FFF9F2"
@@ -834,7 +840,7 @@
                                       IsChecked="{Binding Settings.PlaySoundOnCountdown, Mode=TwoWay}" />
 
                             <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
-                                       Text="Alert sound file" />
+                                       Text="WAV file" />
                             <Grid Margin="0,4,0,0">
                                 <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
                                     <ColumnDefinition Width="*" />
@@ -854,6 +860,8 @@
                                         Content="Clear"
                                         Style="{StaticResource GhostButton}" />
                             </Grid>
+                            <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource HintStyle}"
+                                       Text="Choose a .wav file to play for countdown alerts or repeat chimes." />
 
                             <TextBlock Margin="0,16,0,0"
                                        Style="{StaticResource FieldTitleStyle}"
@@ -871,6 +879,8 @@
                                         Content="Reset"
                                         Style="{StaticResource GhostButton}" />
                             </Grid>
+                            <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource HintStyle}"
+                                       Text="Use HH:mm:ss. Leave it at 00:00:00 to turn off repeats." />
                         </StackPanel>
                     </Border>
                 </StackPanel>
@@ -881,7 +891,7 @@
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionTitleStyle}"
                                Text="Tools &amp; help" />
                     <TextBlock Style="{StaticResource SectionLeadStyle}"
-                               Text="Access advanced configuration, copy your settings, and view helpful resources." />
+                               Text="Open advanced settings, manage your settings files, and view helpful resources." />
 
                     <Grid>
                         <Grid.ColumnDefinitions>
@@ -926,7 +936,7 @@
                                             Style="{StaticResource GhostButton}" />
                                     <TextBlock Margin="0,10,0,0"
                                                Style="{StaticResource HintStyle}"
-                                               Text="Copy this clock and launch it with a new settings file." />
+                                               Text="Copy this clock and launch the copy with its own settings file." />
                                 </StackPanel>
                             </Border>
 
@@ -937,9 +947,9 @@
                                                FontWeight="SemiBold"
                                                Text="Shortcuts" />
                                     <TextBlock Margin="0,6,0,0"><Run FontWeight="SemiBold">Right-click:</Run><Run Text=" open the menu" /></TextBlock>
-                                    <TextBlock Margin="0,6,0,0"><Run FontWeight="SemiBold">Double-click:</Run><Run Text=" copy the displayed text" /></TextBlock>
+                                    <TextBlock Margin="0,6,0,0"><Run FontWeight="SemiBold">Double-click:</Run><Run Text=" copy the current clock text" /></TextBlock>
                                     <TextBlock Margin="0,6,0,0"><Run FontWeight="SemiBold">Drag:</Run><Run Text=" move the clock" /></TextBlock>
-                                    <TextBlock Margin="0,6,0,0"><Run FontWeight="SemiBold">Ctrl + Scroll:</Run><Run Text=" change the size" /></TextBlock>
+                                    <TextBlock Margin="0,6,0,0"><Run FontWeight="SemiBold">Ctrl + Scroll:</Run><Run Text=" resize the clock" /></TextBlock>
                                     <TextBlock Margin="0,6,0,0"><Run FontWeight="SemiBold">Ctrl + + / -:</Run><Run Text=" resize from the keyboard" /></TextBlock>
                                 </StackPanel>
                             </Border>

DesktopClock/SettingsWindow.xaml.cs

@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ public partial class SettingsWindow : Window
         if (!Settings.Default.TipsShown.HasFlag(TeachingTips.AdvancedSettings))
         {
             MessageBox.Show(this,
-                "Settings are stored in JSON and will open in Notepad. Save the file for changes to take effect. To start fresh, delete your '.settings' file.",
+                "Your settings are stored in a JSON file and will open in Notepad. Save the file after editing for changes to take effect. To reset everything, delete the '.settings' file.",
                 Title, MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Information);
 
             Settings.Default.TipsShown |= TeachingTips.AdvancedSettings;
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ public partial class SettingsWindow : Window
         if (!Settings.Exists)
         {
             MessageBox.Show(this,
-                "Settings file doesn't exist and couldn't be created.",
+                "The settings file doesn't exist and couldn't be created.",
                 Title, MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Error);
             return;
         }
@@ -172,9 +172,9 @@ public partial class SettingsWindow : Window
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
             MessageBox.Show(this,
-                "Couldn't open settings file in Notepad.\n\n" +
-                "This app may have been stolen. If you paid for it, ask for a refund and download it for free from https://github.com/danielchalmers/DesktopClock.\n\n" +
-                $"If it still doesn't work, create a new issue at that link with details on what happened and include this error: \"{ex.Message}\"",
+                "Couldn't open the settings file in Notepad.\n\n" +
+                "DesktopClock is free and open source. If you paid for a copy, request a refund and download it from https://github.com/danielchalmers/DesktopClock.\n\n" +
+                $"If this keeps happening, create an issue at that link and include this error: \"{ex.Message}\"",
                 Title, MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Error);
         }
     }
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ public partial class SettingsWindow : Window
     private void CreateNewClock(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
     {
         var result = MessageBox.Show(this,
-            "This will copy the executable and start it with new settings.\n\n" +
+            "This will copy the app and launch the copy with its own settings file.\n\n" +
             "Continue?",
             Title, MessageBoxButton.OKCancel, MessageBoxImage.Question, MessageBoxResult.OK);
 
@@ -263,8 +263,19 @@ public partial class SettingsWindowViewModel : ObservableObject, IDisposable
         FontFamilies = GetAllSystemFonts().Distinct().OrderBy(f => f).ToList();
         FontStyles = ["Normal", "Italic", "Oblique"];
         FontWeights = ["Thin", "ExtraLight", "Light", "Normal", "Medium", "SemiBold", "Bold", "ExtraBold", "Black", "ExtraBlack"];
-        TextTransforms = Enum.GetValues(typeof(TextTransform)).Cast<TextTransform>().ToArray();
-        ImageStretches = Enum.GetValues(typeof(Stretch)).Cast<Stretch>().ToArray();
+        TextTransforms =
+        [
+            new NamedOption<TextTransform>(TextTransform.None, "No change"),
+            new NamedOption<TextTransform>(TextTransform.Uppercase, "UPPERCASE"),
+            new NamedOption<TextTransform>(TextTransform.Lowercase, "lowercase"),
+        ];
+        ImageStretches =
+        [
+            new NamedOption<Stretch>(Stretch.None, "Original size"),
+            new NamedOption<Stretch>(Stretch.Fill, "Stretch to fill"),
+            new NamedOption<Stretch>(Stretch.Uniform, "Fit inside"),
+            new NamedOption<Stretch>(Stretch.UniformToFill, "Fill and crop"),
+        ];
         TimeZones = TimeZoneInfo.GetSystemTimeZones();
 
         Settings.PropertyChanged += Settings_PropertyChanged;
@@ -281,9 +292,9 @@ public partial class SettingsWindowViewModel : ObservableObject, IDisposable
 
     public IList<string> FontWeights { get; }
 
-    public IList<TextTransform> TextTransforms { get; }
+    public IList<NamedOption<TextTransform>> TextTransforms { get; }
 
-    public IList<Stretch> ImageStretches { get; }
+    public IList<NamedOption<Stretch>> ImageStretches { get; }
 
     public IList<TimeZoneInfo> TimeZones { get; }
 
@@ -302,9 +313,9 @@ public partial class SettingsWindowViewModel : ObservableObject, IDisposable
     }
 
     public string CountdownTargetSummary => _countdownTargetHasParseError
-        ? "Couldn't read that date and time. Example: 3/14/2026 9:30 AM"
+        ? "Couldn't read that date and time. Try something like 3/14/2026 9:30 AM."
         : Settings.CountdownTo == default
-        ? "Countdown is off."
+        ? "Countdown is turned off."
         : Settings.CountdownTo.ToString("f", CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);
 
     [RelayCommand]
@@ -504,3 +515,16 @@ public partial class SettingsWindowViewModel : ObservableObject, IDisposable
         }
     }
 }
+
+public sealed class NamedOption<T>
+{
+    public NamedOption(T value, string label)
+    {
+        Value = value;
+        Label = label;
+    }
+
+    public T Value { get; }
+
+    public string Label { get; }
+}