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FEATURE REQUEST: Independently zoom page size and font size

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 8 views
  • Last reply by ewtoombs

ewtoombs
ewtoombs
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Firefox lets me zoom the page in and out, which is great, but usually useless. The problem I usually have is that font is the right size, but the text doesn't all fit in the window. What Firefox needs is a way to independently zoom text and page size. Then, I could fit all of the text in the window without making the text microscopic. Here's how it would work: CTRL+- ZOOMS JUST THE PAGE SIZE. The text size would remain the same. CTRL-SHIFT+- ZOOMS JUST THE TEXT. The page size would remain the same.

I know this is possible. The fact that Firefox can zoom the text only without affecting the page size is evidence of that. Firefox is always looking for good ideas that have never been done before. Well, this is one of them. Do it, and we would love you all forever!

Firefox lets me zoom the page in and out, which is great, but usually useless. The problem I usually have is that font is the right size, but the text doesn't all fit in the window. What Firefox needs is a way to independently zoom text and page size. Then, I could fit all of the text in the window without making the text microscopic. Here's how it would work: CTRL+- ZOOMS JUST THE PAGE SIZE. The text size would remain the same. CTRL-SHIFT+- ZOOMS JUST THE TEXT. The page size would remain the same. I know this is possible. The fact that Firefox can zoom the text only without affecting the page size is evidence of that. Firefox is always looking for good ideas that have never been done before. Well, this is one of them. Do it, and we would love you all forever!

All Replies (3)

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
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Web pages with a fixed width layout will always be a problem for any zoom feature. Assuming Firefox wants to adjust the layout so it can't exceed the width of the window, should it just do a proportional adjustment of widths or try to keep sidebars the same while reducing a main area, or wrap a sidebar to the bottom of the content (as though it were a floated element), etc., etc. Maybe the experience of programming zoom on mobile browsers will feed back some learning to desktop browsers, but UI designers have a long way to go there as well.

In the short run, maybe something like the Readability extension will help tame those unruly layouts?

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 10 Contributor
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It seems the Firefox source code and viewer model could in theory execute the ChangeFullZoom and ChangeTextSize functions independently in relation to the same content (in nsEventStateManager.cpp). Not sure there is any way to test that theory (e.g., using an extension).

ewtoombs
ewtoombs Question owner
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Well, the best part about this idea is that all of the itty bitty details regarding how to zoom a page in and out have been already solved. Firefox already handles page zooming very well. All that would have to happen is exactly what firefox already does with ctrl+-, only with the text size constant.