1854607 - Thunderbird font size preferences don't work in Settings (Advanced Preferences)

Status: NEW

(Thunderbird :: Preferences, defect, P2)

Description

[Elizabeth Mitchell]

Description

In 115, improvements were made for the user's font size to affect the entire application. The about:config page, which is the list of advanced preferences, is not picking up the font size set by the user. This might also be called Advanced Preferences and Config Editor.

One way to reach the config editor is to go Settings. Inside General, scroll to the bottom of the page. The Config Editor button opens Advanced Preferences.

Original related bug report

+++ This bug was initially created as a clone of Bug #1714186 +++

Steps to reproduce:

1. I have an astigmatism and can't read very small text on glowing screens.

Actual results:

2. I have tried using the Preferences > Language & Appearance to set a larger font size. I think this affects the Message Pane, but this doesn't affect the rest of the interface, leaving folder lists and message lists unreadable.

3. Standard advice is to use an add-on to fix this, but it periodically fails.

4. My current solution is to use userChrome.css to fix this, but it requires separate css for each part of the interface. When I run into a new section, such as add-on descriptions, I can't read them until I find a new css fix.

Expected results:

Preferences > Language & Appearance font preferences should work everywhere.

Conversation from bug 1714186 below:

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from bug 1714186 comment #3)

MarjaE,
With the version 115 front end redesign, does this issue still reproduce?
I tested with beta version 118 on Mac, where zoom, density and font size all work.

(In reply to MarjaE from bug 1714186 comment #4)

The main preferences, under Thunderbird > Preferences, do not affect these. The other corner menu preferences, if you know where to find them, do affect these. Neither affects about:config.

Comment 1

[sfhowes]

TB 115.2.3/W11. Settings/General/Language & Appearance/Fonts & Colours, Advanced..., set the 3 Sizes with Fonts for: Latin and repeat with Fonts for: Other Writing Systems. Uncheck 'Allow messages to use other fonts'. This affects the fonts in received and composed message bodies, and takes effect without restarting TB. It helps those who are content with interface fonts but have problems reading messages.

As you note, fonts for other elements such as Menu Bar, context menus, threads and folder panes etc. can be set individually with css, (panes can be set from View/Font Size), but the only way I know to change everything at once is to set layout.css.devPixelsPerPx to something like 1.5 in Config. editor. It would probably be helpful to many users to have this pref. managed in Language & Appearance with something like a slider widget.

Comment 2

[MarjaE]

That setting expands everything else, too. So if you need larger fonts, and some spacing between lines, but don't enough space for everythng else, it may not work.

Comment 3

[Anje]

There is a lot of confusion regarding setting up font sizes.
Basically people have no idea which method effects which areas and they end up setting up some very odd font sizes which conflict with what they desire.
Recently, I've managed to fix many users problems via the Support Forum.
In a nutshell:

• Config editor setting for increases the actual size of a pixel effects everything and this can be easy to fix using Windows but on a MAC it can be very different. Assuming all other settings are set up correctly then this setting will just increase everything generically.
• The Menu option 'Font Size' > increase/decrease effects everything by increasing the actual font size. So a font size of 12px when increased becomes 13px. But that can be overruled by other settings.
• The Settings/General/Language & Appearance/Fonts & Colours, Advanced sets up what is seen in the Message Pane and Composing Write window. This is where the font size eg: 14px = 'Medium' and minimum font size is set up.
• Settings > Composition should be set up to use Variable font and 'Medium', so it uses the settings set up as mentioned above.

When all set up correctly, everything does work.

Frequently I come across people who have not set up for both 'Latin' and 'Other Writing Systems' so western encoded messages may look as desired but unicode will not and a significant number of people for some unknown reason have set up a minimum font which is larger than any other setting, so they end up with huge font size in some areas overruling everything in the Message Pane and they can also experience a problem when wanting the select sizes in the composing Write window as the 'T' to increase/decrease will not work due the minmum font size setting. I've even had someone with a specific print issue due to poor settings relating to minimum font size.
Many people are happy to use a size 12px in the general UI, but prefer size 14px as the medium font when reading and writing mail; a one size fix does not always work.

So it's not just a case of making it easier to set up the 'pixel' setting currently accessed via Config Editor.
The user has got various preferences that display precisely what is set up and they do not know how to sort it out.
Font size can seem complicated.

Maybe a good Help Article can help people to a certain degree.

I'm trying to ask people who have a problem to use the Thunderbird Support Forum to ask for help because in all the cases I've handled a good outcome was obtained.

Comment 7

[Anje]

Confirm - using 119.0b3

All fonts work in all areas but not in the Config Editor > Advanced Preferences list.
It needs to be the same as set in 'Menu icon' > 'Font Size'