Different text size (v4.0 vs v3.1)

[jonh]

I've recently upgraded from Flare v3.1 to v4.0 and have found something odd with my Webhelp output.
In my css I am using the relative font sizes: x-small, small, etc. so the browsers will scale them for accessibility.

In v3.1 when we were using x-small for body text and it looked fine in IE.
(It looked smaller in browsers like Firefox and Safari but all our users use IE so we kept it at x-small.)

However since moving to Flare v4.0 all body text size is now much smaller when viewed in IE:

textInFlare.gif

Am I missing something obvious or do I have to go through all my projects and change the font sizes in all my css files?

Thanks...

[NorthEast]

I'd noticed a change in font size in the editor window, but not the output.
I use relative fonts too, but I use ems, not x-small, etc.

Forgive me if this is obvious, but the first thing I'd check is that IE's font size setting (View > Text size) is medium.

If that's ok, then I'd get a v3 project and build it in v3, then make a copy of that project and build it in v4.
I'd then open both the v3 and v4 outputs in IE and check them side-by-side; if they're different, then something is definitely up!

[jonh]

Thanks Dave. Yep I checked the font size and both are set to medium.
The outputs in the image above are the webhelp output from the same project as viewed in IE7; one compiled by v3.1 and the other by v4.0 (both using the same css file).
I don't think it's anything obvious I've missed but you never know...

[LTinker68]

Did you always test it in IE7, or were you previously only viewing it in IE6?

[Paul Griffiths]

I noticed this too. The only thing I can think of is that it's something to do with the difference between IE7's Quirks and Standards mode and what Flare is writing out at the top of each .htm file. Look at the source of the same compiled topic from Flare 3.1 and Flare 4.0. Any differences at the top of the files?

UPDATE: I had a chance to check this out myself and Flare 4.0 now adds a DOCTYPE declaration to every topic. From what I've read elsewhere that's enough to put IE7 into Standards mode (or Almost Standards mode, anyway). I think this may account for the change.

[jonh]

Ah. Thanks for the heads up Paul. I'll take a closer look at my output files.

[Paul Griffiths]

The good news is I think you can disable the DOCTYPE declaration in the target file (under Advanced options).

[Richard Ferrell]

In the XML editor, Flare is handling the font generation differently then Flare v3, This should have no affect on your output.

[jonh]

I found the issue. In my Webhelp Target Properties (on the Advanced tab) there is an "Add DOCTYPE declaration to generated topics " option. If i have this checked (default) my fonts sudddenly become much smaller than they were in v3.1. If I uncheck this, then they are the same as they were in v3.1.
(I'm looking at changing my style sheet so it will produce the desired results with the DOCTYPE declaration on now.)