HTML HELP font change

Mr Earl

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Jan 2, 2006, 2:40:49 PM1/2/06

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I have a working .hhp file which I recompiled for a minor change
and now the font sizes have all BECOME SMALLER. I havent
changed the font. I use for my normal text, which
would be equivalent to ariel 10, but now it's displaying like it
was ariel 6 or 8. What could have caused the change?

Rob Cavicchio [MVP]

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Jan 2, 2006, 10:06:24 PM1/2/06

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This is most likely related to Internet Explorer rather than HTML Help
directly. Are you viewing the new file on the same computer as the old one?
Has the version of IE changed? Have you modified your View/Text Size
setting in IE?

Another possibility: IE 6 does sometimes behave differently if you define
your font sizes with CSS font size keywords (e.g., "x-small", "small",
"medium"), depending on whether or not the HTML page is considered to be in
"standards-compliant" mode. (See
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnie60/html/cssenhancements.asp.)
That shouldn't change with the tag, but I'm wondering if some
combination of behaviors is producing a similar result.

"Mr Earl" <ladd...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
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Mr Earl

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Jan 3, 2006, 6:13:26 AM1/3/06

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Thanks Rob. None of the things you mentioned has changed, except for
the recent IE Security Update KB905915. Now I'm worried that if I
change the font sizes to make them larger, my help file will display
TOO LARGE for other users of my Help File. I have less than a year of
HTML and HELP experience so this is mysterious to me. Is there a
STANDARD for these font numbers? for example: would font size="2" be
the standard for the normal text?

Rob Cavicchio [MVP]

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Jan 3, 2006, 10:22:50 PM1/3/06

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Unfortunately I don't think there's a standard mapping between these size
values and actual point sizes; each browser does things its own way.

The tag is actually not recommended anymore; the better way to manage
fonts is through CSS. Is it an option for you to strip the tags and
use CSS to define something that may work better?

"Mr Earl" <ladd...@earthlink.net> wrote in message

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Mr Earl

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Jan 4, 2006, 7:38:14 AM1/4/06

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Thanks Rob. I will do whatever it takes to fix my file. My HELP File
is large, but simple in format, not an elaborate web page.
I'm not familiar with CSS, so before I dig in to learn all the details
I'd like to know that using it would solve my font problem. Is there a
quick & dirty, simple example I could use just to test that using CSS
will correct this font problem?

Ulrich Kulle

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Jan 4, 2006, 12:33:11 PM1/4/06

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Hello Mr Earl,

note again (Rob's posting) that the tag is actually not recommended
anymore.

Some (old) information you can find at:
http://www.annabella.net/fonts.html#size

To see how CSS is working copy following lines to a HTML file and follow the
steps below
*********************************************
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>Example</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<link href="design.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
</head>

<body>
This is a example text to migrate a font tag to CSS (here: without
format).
Example text to migrate a font tag to CSS (here: font size
2).
Example text to migrate a font tag to CSS (here: font size
3).
Example text to migrate a font tag to CSS (here: font size
4).
</body>
</html>
*************************************
Copy following lines to a file "design.css" in the same folder
*************************************
/* Default Style Sheet */
/* (c) Ulrich Kulle, Hannover*/
/*---------------------------------------------*/

p {
font-family: Arial;
font-size: 20pt;
line-height: 22pt;
}
/* note box */
p.note {
background-color : #FFFFCC;
border : 1px solid #FFCC00;
clear : both;
color : black;
margin : 12px 30px 12px 20px;
padding : 6px 6px;
}
*************************************

To see how it works delete e.g. one line and in your
HTML file.
To see how it works without CSS copy your HTML file and delete following line in
this HTML file:
\\\
<link href="design.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
///
To see how CSS works save design.css and open with notepad to edit following
line in the "p" section:
font-size: 20pt;
Play with this - 1 pt is 1/72 inch.

The "p.note" section is only one more example. You can try with 
in your HTML file.

HTH
Watch for word wrap for the copy.

Best regards
Ulrich Kulle
*******************************************
http://www.help-info.de
*******************************************
Click and zoom out to see my location:
http://tinyurl.com/c4fn6
*******************************************

Ulrich Kulle

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Jan 4, 2006, 12:57:09 PM1/4/06

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Some thoughts after sending:
better:
To see how it works delete e.g. and *in* one line of
your HTML file.

Annabella has a standard (I'm not sure -not for future use- but may be this is
solution for you to search for size="2" and replace with size="3"):
Font size="3" ...this is the default font size.
Remember Browser preferences: View | Text Size

It's not naturally:
When you are using CSS you have to add e.g "design.css" to the [FILES] section
of your HHP file in the right folder structure..

Mr Earl

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Jan 4, 2006, 4:40:10 PM1/4/06

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Thank you Ulrich for your comprehensive reply.
After further testing it seems that HELP Files in my purchased
applications also display TOO SMALL if the .chm file is on MY computer.
If the HELP File is ONLINE, it displays correctly. So it appears that
using CSS instead of "font size" will not make a difference. Is that a
clue? My lack of experience is showing.
Steve K

Ulrich Kulle

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Jan 4, 2006, 5:25:53 PM1/4/06

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Hello Steve,

> Thank you Ulrich for your comprehensive reply.
> After further testing it seems that HELP Files in my purchased
> applications also display TOO SMALL if the .chm file is on MY computer.
> If the HELP File is ONLINE, it displays correctly. So it appears that
> using CSS instead of "font size" will not make a difference. Is that a
> clue?

not really - seems more difficult.

What happens when you browse a single uncompiled HTML file in your HTMLHelp
project structure?
ONLINE Browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer) and CHM Viewer on the same
computer?

ONLINE? You mean a URL I can see (send the URL of the HTML file) or a local
uncompiled HTML file?
Can you send your CHM *before* and *after* recompiling/compiling to me?
Give a hint to the difference (snapshots).

--

Best regards
Ulrich Kulle
*******************************************
http://www.help-info.de

webmasterREMOVE##THIS at help-info.de
*******************************************

Mr Earl

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Jan 5, 2006, 6:27:39 AM1/5/06

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Hi Ulrich,

Thank you for investing so much of your time to my problem.

First let me give you a little background so you know more about my
experience. I am an experienced assembly language programmer, but a
novice with html and the internet. My html experience is self-taught
from simple examples, enabling me to create a working HTML HELP file
for a current project of mine. I consider myself a "slow learner",
with any success I've had coming from dogged determination.

The reason I'm telling you this is that you should not assume that I am
familiar with ANYTHING beyond simple, basic html.

Your questions:

1. What happens when you browse a single uncompiled HTML file in your
HTMLHelp project structure?

I get the same SMALL results. I had to change my to
"5" to get the normal text size.

2. ONLINE? You mean a URL I can see (send the URL of the HTML file) or

a local uncompiled HTML file?

When I view the online help file from the program "FULLSHOT 9" it
displays normally. I don't know how to get the URL. I have neither
the compiled nor uncompiled html for that program on my computer.

3. Can you send your CHM *before* and *after* recompiling/compiling to

me? Give a hint to the difference (snapshots).

I don't quite understand this question. If I go back to an OLD,
unchanged, version of my HELP file, which used to work, now ALSO
displays too SMALL. So it appears something OUTSIDE of my html has
changed to ause this problem.

My Help File is simple, but very large (.chm = 1,067kb). I can send
you 1 page of my File. Can I send it as an email attachment to
"in...@help-info.de" ?

Thank you again for your help.

Steve

Ulrich Kulle

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Jan 5, 2006, 7:43:03 AM1/5/06

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Hello Steve,

> 1. What happens when you browse a single uncompiled HTML file in your
> HTMLHelp project structure?
>
> I get the same SMALL results. I had to change my to
> "5" to get the normal text size.

So - this means it's not a CHM recompiling problem.
Have you modified your View/Text Size setting in IE? Rob asked this before.
Please check again from the Microsoft Internet Explorer menu.

> 2. ONLINE? You mean a URL I can see (send the URL of the HTML file) or
> a local uncompiled HTML file?
>
> When I view the online help file from the program "FULLSHOT 9" it
> displays normally. I don't know how to get the URL. I have neither
> the compiled nor uncompiled html for that program on my computer.

You wrote ONLINE in the posting before so I thought you have your HTML files
on a web server and I'd have a look over internet. So we having misunderstood.
I don't use FULLSHOT 9 but I mean it's a screen shot software to snap the
browser window. So I don't know how to view online help with FULLSHOT. I
think you can use a browser or the CHM viewer.

> 3. Can you send your CHM *before* and *after* recompiling/compiling to
> me? Give a hint to the difference (snapshots).
>
> I don't quite understand this question. If I go back to an OLD,
> unchanged, version of my HELP file, which used to work, now ALSO
> displays too SMALL. So it appears something OUTSIDE of my html has
> changed to ause this problem.

Again - have you modified your View/Text Size setting in IE? Rob asked this
before. Please check again from the Microsoft Internet Explorer menu.

> My Help File is simple, but very large (.chm = 1,067kb). I can send
> you 1 page of my File. Can I send it as an email attachment to
> "in...@help-info.de" ?

Large ZIP files are no problem (e.g complete HTMLHelp project). I forgot the
word "project". But I think we should check only one HTML file. You can send
to the address above. Please attache some screenshots to see the difference
in font size.

--
HTH
Best regards
Ulrich Kulle
**************************
http://www.help-info.de
**************************

Mr Earl

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Jan 5, 2006, 9:57:35 AM1/5/06

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Hi Ulrich,

Sorry to cause all this work for NOTHING. Rob had it right in the
first reply, however it was my lack of knowledge about IE that caused
my problem.

When looking for a way to change the size of text I was looking under
"Internet Options". I never looked at the "View", "Text Size" which
was set to "smallest". When I set the "text size" to "medium" all was
back to normal.

The question now is, how did that get set to "smallest"? I suppose one
of my other applications could have set it, I sure didn't! unless by
accident.

Sorry. You did solve my problem, but it should have only taken one
reply. I appreciate your and Rob's efforts.

Steve

Rob Cavicchio [MVP]

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Jan 5, 2006, 11:11:14 PM1/5/06

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I'm glad you got it resolved.

"Mr Earl" <ladd...@earthlink.net> wrote in message

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