Changing text size on search results


Some of you may use the text size links on the search results page to increase the font size when you scan a list of results:

Text size

This functionality is controlled by javascript, and is performance drag on the page. And you can control text size of an entire page through your browser much more efficiently. So on Wednesday we are pulling that functionality from the search results page.

If you want to control the text size on a page, here’s a quick how to:

Firefox

Firefox text size

In Firefox there are two options, you can go to your browser menu, choose View and then Zoom. You can can then choose Zoom In or Zoom Out to increase or decrease your text size.

Explorer

Text size in IE

In IE choose View and Text Size and then the size that best suits your needs.

Happy Searching.

About Anne Mitchell

Anne Mitchell is a product manager for search at Ancestry.com. Feel free to contact her with your thoughts about search. She can’t help you find your long lost ancestors – she’s still searching for her own, but thoughts on how to improve search functionality are always appreciated. Her email is amitchell at tgn.com.

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March 9th, 2009
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Reader Comments

Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Yvette Hoitink
Posted on:
March 9, 2009 at 1:44 pm

An easier way to change the text size in your browser is by holding the CTRL-button while using the scrollwheel of the mouse. Since you immediately see the results, it works more intuitively than using the menus. This feature works in most browsers.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Judy
Posted on:
March 9, 2009 at 4:43 pm

I can not do a websearch even after registering it states I am not connected to the net. It is the only program that does not read my connection.

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Mary Beth Marchant
Posted on:
March 10, 2009 at 7:56 am

There is a strange quirk too for AOL users. There is no way to set the text size with AOL. However, when you set the text size with IE, the text size with AOL corresponds to that. So if you set “largest” with IE you will get “largest” when you use AOL. My eye sight is not good so I have text set to “largest” on all browsers. If there is some type of functionality that Ancestry has been using that drags down the page, then by all means get rid of it. Enlarging the text is an easy fix.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Mary Beth Marchant
Posted on:
March 10, 2009 at 7:44 pm

Can you or anyone tell me just what is going on this afternoon and tonight. I have seen slow loading before with Ancestry but tonight is absolutely ridiculous. I am even getting timeouts using Firefox and I never get timeouts using Firefox. What ever is going on, please, please fix it or five us some kind of explanation. I use Genealogy.com and it is kind of slow at times, but even it is working tonight quite well-but Ancestry is like slow molasses. A turtle goes faster.

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
indian blogger
Posted on:
March 10, 2009 at 11:57 pm

I don’t know why it didn’t work for you but it worked for me.. New firebox 3.1.1 beta is out you may try that it has zoom in search

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
Apple
Posted on:
March 11, 2009 at 4:48 pm

In Firefox I prefer to change the font size using Tools rather than View.

Tools > Options > Content > choose the size you want. With my aging eyes I opt for 20 or 22.

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
Breckenridge
Posted on:
March 11, 2009 at 9:49 pm

Thanks for sharing it’s very important information.

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
Jerry Bryan
Posted on:
March 14, 2009 at 11:24 am

I applaud the change in managing text size. Much thanks for making it.

However, I have begun to run into the following since the change was made. On the main search page of New Search, the boxes where you type the name for which you are searching sometimes aren’t big enough. The boxes are wide enough, but they are not tall enough. You can only see half of each letter you type. The problem is not there every time, and I can’t figure out the conditions to make the problem repeatable.

Although it’s not repeatable, here’s how I made the problem happen just now. 1) shut down my browser, 2) start the browser and go to ancestry.com (I’m in the home page, not the search page), 3) click the search tab to go to the search page. The boxes on the search page are too short.

Actually, it’s not just the boxes for the first and last names, it’s all the boxes. What you see is the top half of the letters you type, and what you are missing is the bottom half of the letters you type.

I did a search typing into the boxes that are too short, and then I did a browser back arrow to return to the main search page. The problem cured itself (at least temporarily).

Comment Number:
9
Written by:
News from Ancestry.com
Posted on:
March 18, 2009 at 5:57 pm

[...] Changing text size on search results, posted by Anne Mitchell, Product Manager for Search [...]

Comment Number:
10
Written by:
Patricia Ann Gable
Posted on:
March 21, 2009 at 8:07 pm

looking for my son he was adopted I was trying to e-mail troy dunn the locators can you help me?