Re: Request Opinion of my site

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 18:31:21 -0700, Randall Fox
<fox_no_spam-usenet001 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:

www.orbspinner.com

Thanks..

Randall Fox

Text will not resize in IE. Automatic fail. Users with vision problems
cannot access your content without getting into the 'guts' of the browser
or switching to another browser just for your site.

Set

body {font-size: 100%}

in your stylesheet, make sure you only size fonts for screen in % or em,
NEVER in pt or px, and only do this in the CSS, remove any font elements.

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 19:25:18 -0700, Randall Fox
<fox_no_spam-usenet001 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:

Specifying the font-size in points/pixels is bad? I originally did it
that way to control the appearence of my site, so that the appearance
would be consistent for all users.

Illusion. Different screen sizes, resolutions, OS's, etc. will make it
vary despite your efforts.

Also, printed matter can simply be moved closer of further from the eye.
Can't do that so easily with screen. Picture them picking up the monitor;
or leaning into it, with their tie dipping into their coffee. User must
retain the browser's ability to resize text, otherwise you risk their
inability to use the site.

This is, BTW, about the most common flaw in webpages. You see it all the
time. If the content is desirable enough, as many people who are able will
put up with a bit of eyestrain to get at it. If you're the new kid on the
block, no such luck in all likelihood.

I fear that a user selected font
size will make the site look bad. I.E. disproportionate increases in
text vs the other elements (highlight bars, and images)..

Then layout your page from that perspective. One way is to use % for
widths, that way the columns always have the same relationship - but this
can make the smaller column too small in large font sizes and/or narrow
viewports. If you can, use ems for the smaller column width. Then it will
flex with the text size. The other larger area can fill the remaining
space.

And BTW, if there is any such thing as a correct font-size, it's 100%, as
that matches the browser's setting - either the user has it set there for
a reason, or they haven't had a problem with that setting so far.

body {font-size: 100%}

% is less troublesome than ems because ems for font sizes can be buggy in
IE in certain situations, unless you have already set font-size: 100% on
the ancestor element. If you do, then use % or em as you desire. And
beware setting sizes below 100% or 1em, because that's the preferred
reading size and anything smaller should be relatively unimportant.

I will try what you suggest.. I am a programmer, web design seems
to be more of an art then a technical skill.

That's why they call it design, my friend. And it's not anywhere as easy
as the makers of FrontPage would lead one to believe. But plug away at a
design that will flex. It can be done, just test it at different viewport
sizes and different font sizes.

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 20:15:33 -0700, Randall Fox
<fox_no_spam-usenet001 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 22:40:13 -0400, Neal <neal413 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:
Then layout your page from that perspective. One way is to use % for
widths, that way the columns always have the same relationship - but
this
can make the smaller column too small in large font sizes and/or narrow
viewports. If you can, use ems for the smaller column width. Then it
will
flex with the text size. The other larger area can fill the remaining
space.

ems ? I am not familiar with that.. Could you explain? I
understand the % idea.. That can be used in a table, where each
column is specified as a percentage of the total screen space. But
you lost me on EMS..

em is a weird term, it doesn't match up to the traditional definition. But
a typical width of a small column is 12em. The number of ems is not the
same as the number of characters. I generally ry several values before I
decide.

If you're new to CSS, check out http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp -
a pretty good tutorial, but some find it a little short on explanations.
Also see http://www.htmldog.com but ignore the XHTML claptrap, the CSS
advice is generally good though. Just apply the CSS principles to HTML,
not XHTML. That site also has some excellent links regarding CSS worth
looking at once you have the basics.

So, setting the font-size: 100% sets the initial size to the
user/broswer text size selection, and then sizes everything as a
percentage of that?

Exactly. If I assign a paragraph font-size: 110%; then that text will be
1.1 times the size of the default text. If I then have the <em> element
styled font-size: 100% and I use it within that p, the resulting size is
110% of 110%, or 121% of the default size.

The math is a little tough, but the times you really need to worry about
it are rare. Most text is 100%, headings will be bigger, a copyright
notice a bit smaller. I'd never go below 80% even for a copyright notice
or other non-essential legalese, it'll look like fly shit.

Neal wrote:

I'd never go below 80% even for a copyright notice
or other non-essential legalese, it'll look like fly shit.

If it's a particularly cunning piece of legalese I always have it 4px
all caps 50% grey ;-)

--
Ben M.

Neal wrote:

ems ? I am not familiar with that.. Could you explain? I
understand the % idea.. That can be used in a table, where each
column is specified as a percentage of the total screen space. But
you lost me on EMS..

em is a weird term, it doesn't match up to the traditional definition.

It comes from the time of manual printing presses where the print was hand
crafted out of little rectangles of lead. An em is the height of a capital M
(or the width, as it is square) in the default or "boiler plate" font. A 2
em font would be twice as big and might be used for a heading. You will see
the clue in crosswords: A printers measure? em. <aside>A cloth weavers
measure? El. I don't know where *that* one came from </aside>

But
a typical width of a small column is 12em. The number of ems is not the
same as the number of characters. I generally ry several values before I
decide.

The column would usually be the left hand vertical nav bar or, in the case
of the OP, that right hand content bar.

Specifying its width in pixels is a poor choice. When the font size changes
the content can wrap in unfortunate ways. A wrapped link is nasty.
Specifying the width in % is equally bad. The width changes depending on the
width of the canvas, again causing either wrap problems or unused
real-estate.

Specifying ems is good. The width of the column is tied more or less to the
size of the font. Increase the font size and the column grows wider, exactly
(more or less) adusting to fit the text. The wrapping problems disappear.

Of course for font-size em is almost the same as %, with the important
difference that em is a specific font size whereas % is a % of the currently
inherited font size, giving the problems Neal mentions about compounding
percentages.

--
Cheers
Richard.