Re: [csswg-drafts] [css-env][css-fonts] New `<meta text-scale>` tag to make UA initial font size respond to OS text scale setting (#12380)

> In general I hate these `<meta>` things, but I think for this use case it makes sense, and I agree 100% that letting `rem` units behave as intended is a better author experience.

Yeah I feel the same way. (I miss the `@viewport` at-rule.)

> > * Use `compat` or `fixed` and `user` or `adjustable` as the keyword values for the `<meta>`? Since that better reflects that the initial value is fixed at 16px for compat, and the new value is intended to match user adjustments.
> 
> Well, the initial value isn't always 16px. On desktop browsers it is 16px × UA-level scale (see [table](https://github.com/w3c/csswg-drafts/blob/main/css-env-1/explainers/meta-text-scale.md#comparison-of-legacy-and-scale))

I'm up for alternative names, though. I proposed `legacy` for the default value just so it captures the nuanced differences on mobile and desktop (like how on desktop the initial font size is 16px × UA-level scale but on mobile, it is indeed fixed to 16px).

> > * Remap the other absolute size keywords appropriately so that they also scale with `medium`.
> 
> Yes! We planned to do this but appear to have omitted it from the explainer by accident.

I guess I never thought it was worth mentioning, because [the other absolute size keywords are sized relative to `medium`](https://drafts.csswg.org/css-fonts-4/#absolute-size-mapping) anyway. But I completely agree this is worth calling out!!

> * Maybe also allow these keywords in `calc()` etc. so that authors can interpolate those sizes, too?

Ah, do you mean somehow doing something like: `calc(font-size-x-large * 2)`? I like the idea! I'm wondering, though, if authors would use it. These days, I only ever see things sized with specific `<length>` values.

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Received on Wednesday, 2 July 2025 11:17:37 UTC