On 2013-04-18 15:12 (GMT-0700) COM composed:
OK…so the 1em is just a starting point and you adjust to suit..or these are all
*relative* sizes because in the child elements you might spec font-size: .85em ?
..so that if User cranks up the sizes, everything sizes up (or down) in the
same relationship?
Essentially true.
Keep in mind that the browser default size is akin to having zoomed in
advance to the preferred or optimum personalized base text size. Zoom via
keyboard or mouse is a defense mechanism provided to browser users for the
purpose of combating designers' disrespectful (aka, rude or offensive)
styling methods, either sizing without regard to user defaults (by sizing in
px, pt, in, cm, etc.), or against them (declaring some fraction on body
and/or paragraph text, such as 70%, .8em or CSS small), both of which leave
most page text smaller (usually) than the user's preference or optimum.
Using CSS, and where necessary scripting, designers can set all the page
pieces in place to cause the visual results they desire via various
combinations of keyword, %, em, ex & rem, all in conjunction with the
browser's default @100%. If anything in their work is "wrong" sized using
100%/1em/1rem as the (body {}) foundation, they've neglected the very
important personalization of their own work environment so that unstyled text
is optimally sized for them. Object relationship perspectives should be the
closest thing to size they concern themselves with. They shouldn't and
needn't impose their ideas of what's an optimum absolute size in their own
environments on everyone using their work. That needlessly puts them on the
offensive and most of the world on the defensive.
You as designer choose the objects, and via em/rem/%/keyword, the
perspectives among them (e.g. bigger for headings or emphasis, smaller for
captions or footers or fine print). The user specifies the size of the (rem)
unit to implement those perspectives. Nobody needs defenses. Everybody's
happy, and by default, not by time wasting and responsive/defensive twiddling
after a page loads.
--
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)
Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!
Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/
______________________________________________________________________
css-discuss [css-d@lists.css-discuss.org]
http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d
List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/
List policies -- http://css-discuss.org/policies.html
Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/
