font-size stopped working in firefox

[proboscis]

I have this in the body

font-size: 74%;

It has worked fine for a long time, years I guess. But this morning it stopped working and only in firefox. The font size just stays at 100% no matter what I change it to, even if I try using em instead of percentages.

Other websites in firefox look like they always have, only mine is changed, and there are no errors in my css according to the error console.

If I restart firefox my page appears normal until I click on something then it changes back to the bigger font.

What causes this and how can I fix it?

Thanks!

[rainborick]

Try running both your CSS file and the HTML file through a validator. The fact that the font size doesn't respond to changes to your CSS would lead me to suspect that there might be a subtle problem that MSIE tolerates, but Firefox doesn't. If you're testing the changes live on your site (as opposed to testing locally on your computer), you might be on a shared server that has started to cache CSS files. When that happens, it can take several minutes for a new CSS file to propagate through their system.

Another (admittedly remote) possibility is that there's a problem on your computer. Ask a friend who uses Firefox to see if they can verify the issue.

[proboscis]

Thanks rainborick, I'm still stuck.

CSS validates, I have some small errors in my HTML but I was able to correct all errors on one page and it still doesn't work.

I can change the font color but not the size. I was able to check the site on two other computers running firefox (but a newer version) and the site displays correctly.

And it was displaying correctly on my computer too - for a long time, now suddenly the font is big.

[rainborick]

If the code works properly on other computers, but not yours, then you have to start to suspect that your system has a problem. It would certainly be a good idea to upgrade to the latest version of Firefox, if only to make sure there isn't a bug in the version you're running that has since been corrected. Failing that, you should run a couple of anti-virus/anti-malware programs that you don't normally use to make sure there isn't a problem that your current security software doesn't detect. Also check to see if it's the CSS file caching issue I mentioned previously. That can make it very difficult to test in a live environment.

[proboscis]

I don't think it's the css caching because I am able to make other changes just fine, like font color.

And I thought maybe it's just my computer but other sites look normal, only my site has the big font.

I actually have 5 different sites on one domain, they all have their own separate css file but all of them have been affected in the same way.

Anyway, thanks again. Running some new anti-virus software is a good idea. I'll try that now.

[jdMorgan]

Look at the Firefox "Tools->Options->Content" menu and its sub-options. There are several settings in there that can enforce a minimum allowable font size and override CSS, and these can override any HTML or CSS font-size settings.

There may also be additional settings at the pseudo-URL "About:config" that can override CSS on any/all Web sites.

Maybe one of these options was accidentally enabled.

Jim

[proboscis]

I checked my "Tools->Options->Content" and I use the default font size, minimum font size is none, and I allow sites to choose their own fonts but I don't know what this is: pseudo-URL "About:config"

I have this in the body

body {
font-size: 74%;
}

I can change that to 100% or 10% and nothing happens, I also have this for my navigation

table.navigation {
font-size: 84%;
}

That does work.

[tangor]

As a test try .7em instead of 74%. See if that makes any difference.

[Fotiman]

When in doubt, run Firebug. Inspect an item to see what styles are being applied. It's possible you have a style that's overriding what you set.

[proboscis]

It doesn't change even if I use em instead of percents, but I can change the color and everything else just fine.

I tried to install firebug but my version of firefox is not compatible because it is too old.

In the other browsers that I have tested including newer versions of firefox the site looks fine, so I guess people with old firefox will just have to look at big font...or again maybe it's a setting on that one computer that I cant find.

Anyway thanks for your help, if anyone thinks of anything else let me know. I'm just going to upgrade firefox on that computer and forget it.

[Fotiman]

How old? Anything older than FF 3.5 doesn't really have enough market share.

[tangor]

proboscis... how did the FF upgrade do? Solve your font problem?

[proboscis]

Oh thanks for that, I guess I don't need to worry about it, I was still using 3.0.19 and I upgraded and everything looks great now!