[WEB4LIB] the local users' large font setting

[Thomas Dowling]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Susanne Baker" <bakers at gov.on.ca>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2000 11:56 AM
Subject: [WEB4LIB] the local users' large font setting


> Hi all
>
> I am not at all sure this is actually possible, indeed, I'm reasonably
> sure it's not, but...here goes anyways <g>.
>
> Is there any setting that i can incorporate into my code that will
> override the 'large font' setting on a users' machine.  The context is
> that we have navigation buttons on our site
> (http://www.gov.on.ca/fin/) that are fine under the regular settings.
If
> a user chooses to have the large fonts on their machine in order to
see
> better, the buttons look horrid.
>

It looks like the real problem (IMO) is that you're trying to align text
in a TD with a background image for the TD.  Aligning foreground and
background is doomed to failure.  As an alternative, I recommend a
stylesheet that sets background colors for the TDs;  you could suggest
an even better button appearance with carefully constructed border
styles for each TD (not that NN4.x will ever see it, though...).

  TD.button {
    color: #FF0;
    background: #009;
    border-top: thin solid #DDF;
    border-left: thin solid #AAC;
    border-right: thin solid #666;
    border-bottom: thin solid #333;
  }

  /*Don't forget!*/
  TD.button A:link {
    color: #FF0;
    background: #009;
  }

You'll probably also get suggestions to make the buttons out of images
(or as a single imagemap), which definitely gives you pixel-perfect
sizing for users who see it at all.  The advantage of using styles on
the table cells is that the approach is totally resolution independent.
You'll actually be helping the people you otherwise stand to seriously
tick off (see Shirl Kennedy's note).

Thomas Dowling
OhioLINK - Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu