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Topic: Text size on HA (Read 9928 times) previous topic - next topic
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Text size on HA

The text size on HA is fixed.

It's always been like that, and has always been slightly annoying because of it.

Today I've lost my glasses, and have bumped windows DPI/scaling up to 200% to compensate.

Everything else works fine (though some website layouts are corrupted) - but HA remains at this tiny little font.

This is a real pain.

Is there anything I, or you, can do about it?

Cheers,
David.

P.S. Tried to upload a screen capture so you could all have a laugh, and also appreciate the problem (HA text is less than half the size of everything else) - but it won't work.

Text size on HA

Reply #1 –
I don't know which browser you use, but in Firefox, one can hold the Ctrl and turn the mouse wheel to zoom in and out the text on a page in small increments.

I'm doing it right now on this page and it works quite well
If age or weaknes doe prohibyte bloudletting you must use boxing

Text size on HA

Reply #2 –
Text scaling works fine in IE 7 and Opera 9 also.

However, if you look at the stylesheet - or use Firebug or IE's DOM Explorer - you will note that fonts are set using px - not % or em as expected.

Perhaps the browsers are "manually" doing the scaling, rather than using the stylesheet. 

This means that a browser or application that does not choose to do this won't scale I guess.

I didn't realise that new browsers did this (I always use %)! 

Edit: Actually I'm confused.  In IE 7, using Ctrl and the mouse wheel magnifies the whole page  (including images), not just the text (same as "Page" > "Zoom").  If you use "Page" > "Text Size" nothing happens.  Opera also magnifies the whole page.

Therefore IE and Opera are, in fact, magnifying the whole page, rather than changing the text size.  Firefox will only magify the text size - unless you check "View" > "Image Zoom" > "Zoom with Text".

Strange, that Firefox chooses to ignore fixed-size px settings...
I'm on a horse.

Text size on HA

Reply #3 –
I found my glasses!


The simple "text size" option in all browsers is well known, as are the CSS methods of preventing it from working. Using this approach is bad style IMO (though I've done it myself - once - using size=10pt IIRC). I think the windows DPI setting is less well known, but more useful.

It's interesting that so many web pages must break the two existing methods of scaling (usually because they don't scale pictures, though the windows DPI ought to) that new methods have been invented.

I didn't get on with IE7, so will stick with IE6 and glasses!

Cheers,
David.

Text size on HA

Reply #4 –
Quote from: 2Bdecided on
It's interesting that so many web pages must break the two existing methods of scaling (usually because they don't scale pictures, though the windows DPI ought to) that new methods have been invented.
Slightly OT here, but (IMHO) very interesting (in respect to 'content aware image resizing').

Video:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2swhh_re...gent-dimag_news

Download a prototype:
http://www.thegedanken.com/retarget/
I'm on a horse.

Text size on HA

Reply #5 –
Quote from: 2Bdecided on
The simple "text size" option in all browsers is well known, as are the CSS methods of preventing it from working.

It's indeed pain, and I find it more annoying in IE versus Firefox. Anyways in IE to force the issue of sizing that may be otherwise blocked you can temporarily disable Font sizes specified by pages by going into:
Internet Options->Accessibility->Ignore font sizes specified on webpages

The problem with enabling that though is it throws the size of other things out of wack such as System Restore, and any other program that relies upon IE core components for displaying HTML (I guess that's what it is) in programs.

Quote from: 2Bdecided on
I didn't get on with IE7, so will stick with IE6 and glasses!

IE7 is actually more tolerable using IE7Pro, I certainly wouldn't use IE7 without it.

Text size on HA

Reply #6 –
I've always had certain technical reservations about both the design here at HA and technical merits of the Invision Board.  That being said, there are always methods to get around poor design:  as a Firefox user, I'm so used to the Ctrl+Mousewheel text resizing that I'm always taken about when people ask how accomplish it.

Text size on HA

Reply #7 –
Ctrl + scroll wheel doesn't (just) change text size in IE.  It zooms the page - text, images and all.

For easy text sizing in IE7 using the afforementioned IE7Pro, I set up a hotkey (Ctrl+Z) to pop up the text size menu.  This way when I want to adjust only the text size without affecting the overall scaling, I can do so in two steps.  (Often preferable because increasing page zoom more than a little makes images blocky.)

Quote from: 2Bdecided on
Is there anything I, or you, can do about it?
Cranking down your screen resolution will make everything - including HA text - larger, while a DPI adjustment only affects things that are compatible with such scaling.

Text size on HA

Reply #8 –
Quote from: Synthetic Soul on
Strange, that Firefox chooses to ignore fixed-size px settings...


But they're not fixed to any particular size.  A pixel size is relative to the viewing device.  And they may be a very good choice for a number of reasons not least:

Quote
Pixel units are relative to the resolution of the viewing device... With this in mind, .px may be the most portable unit of measure across devices.


http://www.bigbaer.com/css_tutorials/css_font_size.htm

And there's no particular reason why a user-agent can't resize them either.  Most user agents do and have done for some years.  (In Safari, which I'm using right now, I simply hold the "Command" key and press "+" (or "-") ... and, in fact, Hydrogen Audio pages re-jig themselves quite nicely when I do change the font-size like that.)  So, yeah, most user agents do and have done for some years.  IE is -- or perhaps was -- an exception.  That's why some webmasters prefer not to use pixels.  It's not about any inherent disadvantage of that sizing method but because of Internet Explorer's failings.

However, from what you're saying it sounds like IE 7 can now do re-sizing.  I'd thought it couldn't, and I had thought I'd checked IE7 when it was released, hoping things had changed and found they hadn't.  But I may be mis-remembering.  OTOH, from what you're saying IE may now be capable of page-zooming and maybe that's what you're seeing.  (As you say, Opera can page-zoom: Opera's had that capability for some years now.)  But I shan't boot up my Windows right now just to check what IE is currently doing.

Text size on HA

Reply #9 –
Quote from: Nick E on
Quote from: Synthetic Soul on
Strange, that Firefox chooses to ignore fixed-size px settings...
But they're not fixed to any particular size. A pixel size is relative to the viewing device.
Note that I am talking about size in pixels, not any other unit, which your point seems to assume.  I.e.: I am not saying that the pixel is a fixed size, but that the element is a fixed size in pixels.

Scaling a font that is specified to 12px to render using 24px is "wrong" on any hardware, IMHO.  Sure, browsers break standards, and it may help users in the short-term, but I think I'll stick with percentages all the same.  I don't have a problem with browsers being able to magnify whole pages; however, IMHO, increasing the text size should only affect text units that are supposed to be scalable, like ems, percentages, etc.  If I specify 12px I would expect 12px to be used, whatever the size of those pixels.

Quote from: Nick E on
OTOH, from what you're saying IE may now be capable of page-zooming and maybe that's what you're seeing. (As you say, Opera can page-zoom: Opera's had that capability for some years now.) But I shan't boot up my Windows right now just to check what IE is currently doing.
We appear to have covered this quite well now...
Quote from: Synthetic Soul on
Therefore IE and Opera are, in fact, magnifying the whole page, rather than changing the text size. Firefox will only magify the text size - unless you check "View" > "Image Zoom" > "Zoom with Text".
Quote from: S-12 on
Ctrl + scroll wheel doesn't (just) change text size in IE. It zooms the page - text, images and all.
I'm on a horse.

Text size on HA

Reply #10 –
Probably already been said but IE6 won't scale font sizes done in pixels....

Text size on HA

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Synthetic Soul on
If I specify 12px I would expect 12px to be used, whatever the size of those pixels.
Exactly, because if you specify it in pixels, it allows you to match it to specific graphics, which also exist in pixels. If someone wants to zoom the page, great. If they want to change the text size, "pixel" specified text shouldn't change.

Given this, pixels measurements should be use with care - IMO it's OK to use them for menus in fixed layouts etc which must stay within certain constraints, but it's very bad style to use them for body text.

Which brings us back to HA: why use pixel measurements to specify the body text?

You can suggest "page zoom" all you want; I don't want blocky images.

Cheers,
David.

Text size on HA

Reply #12 –
It seems to be an iPB thing - on other iPB boards I'm also unable to adjust font sizes, while I can on other forum platforms such as phpBB and VB.  Either a default board configuration setting (fixable) or something coded into the iPB software (not fixable)...?

Text size on HA

Reply #13 –
It's "just" a case of updating the stylesheet.  I say "just", as it is all time and effort that someone has to put in out of goodwill.  I certainly don't have the time or inclination at the moment, even if the admins were prepared to change the file.

FYI: The stylesheet that appears to be in use is here.

Edit: that said, I suppose it is possible that some elements have inline styles, set using the board control panel.  The stylesheet looks pretty comprehensive though.
I'm on a horse.