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Thread: Font size - user control
Number of posts in this thread: 10 (In chronological order)
From: Wendy Mullin
Date: Fri, Sep 17 2004 10:40AM
Subject: Font size - user control
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Hi -
I've always assumed that, for accessibility when developing Web pages,
you should let the user be able to override your font size with browser
controls, such as using IE's View | Text Size controls, or using the
browsers accessibility features.
However, as I am preparing a presentation on accessibility for some of
my coworkers, I cannot find a 508 or W3C/WAI standard/guideline that
states that one should not override the users ability to control font
size.
The closest I could find is the W3C/WAI's: Priority 2: 3.4 Use relative
rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style
sheet property values.
* Will using relative rather than absolute units always allow the user
to manipulate font size?
* Are there any other applicable checkpoints/standards I'm
overlooking?
Thanks.
Wendy
Wendy R. Mullin
University of South Carolina, Web Developer
1244 Blossom Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
voice: 803-777-6785 | fax: 803-777-4149
From: Austin, Darrel
Date: Fri, Sep 17 2004 10:58AM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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> * Will using relative rather than absolute units always allow the user
> to manipulate font size?
Technically speaking, any font size spec'd by the developer can be
over-ridden by the browser owner.
That said, specifying type size in pixels can make it rather difficult for
users of IE/PC to resize the type.
So, the recommendation is correct in that using relative sizes is best if
you want the end-user to be able to resize type easily in their browser
(provided they know how).
The issue is that specifying ANY type size will over-ride the browser's
default type size setting. So there's the argument that you shouldn't spec
any default type size and let the browser us its own defaults.
The catch with this is that a) a lot of browsers default to a rather large
size and b) many folks have no idea/have never set a default type size.
In the end, it's the old 'there's no one right answer' to the problem.
This is how I solved it on our current site. Not sure if it's the 'best' or
even a good solution, but it seemed to accomodate the issues I have found:
- default type sizes are often very large and can
actually hinder usability for some folks
- many folks do not know how to resize type in their
own browser
- some folks DO know how to resize type in their own
browser and have set a default size
Based on that, I've added an on-screen font-resizer widget to our site:
http://www.courts.state.mn.us/
But, if you want to over-ride it (falling back on your browser's default
settings) you can by going to the ACCESSIBILITY page and selecting that
option.
-Darrel
From: Hall, Kevin (K.M.)
Date: Fri, Sep 17 2004 11:00AM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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Yes, that's exactly what that priority is talking about. In IE if you size your font with pixels users will not be able to resize it using the browser controls. If you use relative units like % or ems they will. In other browsers such as Safari or Firefox users can resize text regardless of what units you use.
Hope that helps,
-Kevin Hall
From: Hall, Kevin (K.M.)
Date: Fri, Sep 17 2004 11:06AM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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Darrel,
Nice job with the accessibility options on that site. I really like that users can choose to show/hide the skip links.
I think most folks will allow for setting text sizes with the understanding that browsers have some odd default settings. It's just important that we understand how using pixels will hose IE and potentially frustrate or confuse some users when it doesn't work.
-Kevin Hall
From: Jon Gunderson
Date: Fri, Sep 17 2004 11:34AM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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Wendy.
The W3C User Agent Accessibility Guidelines [1] requires user
control for rendering text. Notably the folowing
requirements:
Checkpoint 4.1 Configure text scale (P1)
http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/REC-UAAG10-
20021217/guidelines.html#tech-configure-text-scale
Checkpoint 4.2 Configure font family (P1)
http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/REC-UAAG10-
20021217/guidelines.html#tech-configure-font-family
Checkpoint 4.3 Configure text colors (P1)
http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/REC-UAAG10-
20021217/guidelines.html#tech-configure-text-color
Jon
[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG10
---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 12:37:21 -0400
>From: "wmullin"
>Subject: [WebAIM] Font size - user control
>To: "WebAIM Discussion List"
>
>
>Hi -
>
>I've always assumed that, for accessibility when developing
Web pages,
>you should let the user be able to override your font size
with browser
>controls, such as using IE's View | Text Size controls, or
using the
>browsers accessibility features.
>
>However, as I am preparing a presentation on accessibility
for some of
>my coworkers, I cannot find a 508 or W3C/WAI
standard/guideline that
>states that one should not override the users ability to
control font
>size.
>
>The closest I could find is the W3C/WAI's: Priority 2: 3.4
Use relative
>rather than absolute units in markup language attribute
values and style
>sheet property values.
>
>* Will using relative rather than absolute units always
allow the user
>to manipulate font size?
>* Are there any other applicable checkpoints/standards I'm
>overlooking?
>
>Thanks.
>
>Wendy
>
>Wendy R. Mullin
>University of South Carolina, Web Developer
>1244 Blossom Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
>voice: 803-777-6785 | fax: 803-777-4149
>
>----
>To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit
http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
>
Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP
Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Division of Rehabilitation - Education Services
MC-574
College of Applied Life Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
1207 S. Oak Street, Champaign, IL 61820
Voice: (217) 244-5870
Fax: (217) 333-0248
E-mail: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
WWW: http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/
WWW: http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~jongund
From: Chris Heilmann
Date: Fri, Sep 17 2004 11:44AM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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I covered that in an older article:
http://www.evolt.org/article/Learning_to_let_go/4090/60322/index.html
http://ltlg.icant.co.uk
You all are invited to use it :-)
--
Chris Heilmann
The mighty pen: http://icant.co.uk/
Learn to let go! http://ltlg.icant.co.uk
Binaries: http://www.onlinetools.org/
From: Laura Carlson
Date: Sun, Sep 19 2004 6:10AM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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Some more font sizing references:
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/type#size
Also some info on liquid design:
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/css#liquid
Laura
___________________________________________
Laura L. Carlson
Information Technology Systems and Services
University of Minnesota Duluth
Duluth, MN 55812-3009
http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/
From: lisa goostrey
Date: Sun, Sep 19 2004 9:17PM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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Whenever you have to specify the size of ANYTHING, you should use %
rather than fixed sizes (except for images, as they cannot utilize %
sizes).
-Lisa Goostrey
On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 07:08:12 -0500, lcarlson wrote:
>
> Some more font sizing references:
> http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/type#size
>
> Also some info on liquid design:
> http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/css#liquid
>
> Laura
> ___________________________________________
> Laura L. Carlson
> Information Technology Systems and Services
> University of Minnesota Duluth
> Duluth, MN 55812-3009
> http://www.d.umn.edu/goto/webdesign/
>
>
>
> ----
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
>
>
From: Terrence Wood
Date: Sun, Sep 19 2004 9:50PM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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Hi,
I'm new to this list so if this has been answered before just skip over
it =)
It is best to avoid sizing fonts in px or pt text can't be resized in
IE/PC... that leaves em's and % available for sizing.
Images can use % as a unit size either through CSS or directly in the
tag, however this technique is best used width min and/or max
height and width in your CSS to prevent the image from becoming overly
pixellated in large browser windows. Min/max width/height is not
supported by IE/PC.
There are work around's for max/min width and height using MS's
expression property, but they depend on javascript support.
../tdw
On 20/9/04 3:17 PM, lisagoostrey wrote:
> Whenever you have to specify the size of ANYTHING, you should use %
> rather than fixed sizes (except for images, as they cannot utilize %
> sizes).
From: Keith Patton
Date: Mon, Sep 20 2004 2:03AM
Subject: Re: Font size - user control
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Hi,
http://diveintoaccessibility.org/day_26_using_relative_font_sizes.html
I really like this approach and have been using it for a while.
It uses font-size keywords which when combined with using percentages where
necessary to adjust makes for an effective approach in my opinion.
Keith