Preference setting for font size

[macness]

Paid customer, love this software...except for the small font sizes. It's difficult to work with on QHD and higher resolution monitors. Please consider adding a preference setting for font size.

[DanPristupov]

Paid customer, love this software...except for the small font sizes.

Same font size as in other native macOS applications.

The UI on macOS is not scalable.

This is a duplicate of https://github.com/fork-dev/Tracker/issues/1178 https://github.com/fork-dev/Tracker/issues/445

[macness]

Hi, not asking for a scalable UI like those tickets, just a preference to be able to set font size app wide so that it's easier to use Fork on very hi-res monitors. Thanks for considering!

[DanPristupov]

not asking for a scalable UI like those tickets

This one is about font: https://github.com/fork-dev/Tracker/issues/445

just a preference to be able to set font size app wide

It's not possible to change fonts and keep the element sizes and proportions.

[notrobpike]

text size is pretty critical. suggest that the UI elements need to be scalable then, to accommodate larger font size. the small text sizes that fork shows are very unfriendly.

even if not scalable, i have to say it would be better to use a single fixed size that is larger than current. i have to think that most folks are going to have a hidpi (retina) display.

@DanPristupov i'm not sure what you mean, same text size as other "native" apps. aren't all apps "native"? i'm having a hard time thinking of a native app that uses this tiny font size, with that being the only choice. please give an example? i mean, iterm2 is a native app (isn't it?) and the default font there is 12-ish vs the 9-ish I see in fork.

[DanPristupov]

aren't all apps "native"? i'm not sure what you mean, same text size as other "native" apps.

By native I mean the ones implemented using Apple's AppKit https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit

i have to think that most folks are going to have a hidpi (retina) display.

We use Retina displays ourselves (MBP 13, MBP 16).

i'm having a hard time thinking of a native app that uses this tiny font size, with that being the only choice. please give an example?

Finder, XCode, App Store, Contacts, Home, Music, Notes, Photos, etc

iterm2 is a native app (isn't it?) and the default font there is 12-ish vs the 9-ish I see in fork.

I didn't try iterm2, but I believe the native elements (like tabs) in it are not scalable. Same as in Terminal. It's possible that the document/output font can be changed, though.

For example this window is definitely not scalable: https://iterm2.com/features.html

[notrobpike]

indeed, some UI dressing elements do not scale. pref panes for example as you've shown. there is a system zoom that i believe would scale at least some of those (accesibility).

but let's look at Numbers. While the frame/chrome/UI doesn't scale, and toolbar doesn't scale, the main content is zoomable / "scalable". in #1178 and here you are just blowing it off saying native apps can't scale. clearly they can, at least in the way that folks are asking for it. The columnar view of commits, and the lower pane with commit details and diffs, should have scaling controls.

maybe you're using a default view/controller element that doesn't offer any scaling. if that's the case, that's different than, "my hands are tied. native apps can't scale".

[DanPristupov]

Diffs do have the ability to change the font (Fork -> Preferences).

maybe you're using a default view/controller element that doesn't offer any scaling. if that's the case, that's different than, "my hands are tied. native apps can't scale".

OK, if you wish, I can change the wording. Fork uses the default AppKit NSTableView, NSOutlineView and NSPopUpButton controls and they don't offer any scaling.

if that's the case, that's different than, "my hands are tied. native apps can't scale".

Honestly, I don't see the difference.

[macness]

For additional context, I work with Android Studio a lot. Yes the fonts are small in a lot of the UI elements, but in the main areas where I spend most of my time (code text editor pane mainly) I am able to set the font size separately and make it bigger. This is what I was trying to request (at a minimum) in Fork. As @notrobpike said above, if the columnar view of commits and lower pane could be set to a larger font, it would be very welcome and shouldn't interface with UI elements really. I don't need the left sidebar or buttons to have a bigger font because I don't spend much time looking at those (although that would be nice too).

Anyways, I appreciate the dialog you keep with your customers (and the cross platform licensing), even if it can't be incorporated in a future update for various technical reasons. Thanks

[notrobpike]

Honestly, I don't see the difference.

The difference is, you could scale those things, and still be a "native app", by using some custom UI elements. I imagine you can just get them somewhere, ie you don't have to implement them from scratch.

The way you've phrased it, it can't be done, period. This sets the tone that it's not a question of effort or cost, it's something imposed upon you and out of your hands. That mindset means you won't even entertain it. I personally find this to be hostile towards paying users. I don't think that's your intent. I think you just have a blind spot here.

[johnmarshall4]

I am a long time SourceTree user. I went looking for a new Mac Git client because the fonts on SourceTree are too small and causing me eye strain. I found and dowloaded Fork today and those fonts are also too small and not adjustable. (So far the app seems nice otherwise).

I realize the difficulty of allowing the fonts to be adjustable, but at least some control over the History View would be nice - that is what I use the most.

I am running a 4k monitor at native resolution and yes some font sizes can be challenging, but for nearly all of my (native app) work flow I'm able to get 'content' font sizes I can use. This is even better with Sonoma. Xcode, Terminal, Notes and TextEdit (with .txt) all give me adjustable fonts / zoom levels. With accessibility settings, most of Apple's own Mac apps will scale up like calendar, Finder etc.

For what it's worth I also find the Fork fonts too small on my 13" MBA at default resolution.

Just my two cents.

[johnmarshall4]

Update: I found a compromise solution that I think is going to work for me. YMMV

I have a 43" 4k monitor that I have been running at native resolution. I use it for software development and want as much 'working space' as I can get. The trade off is small fonts in places.

I re-read what I posted and realized I was saying that pretty much everything I used could scale fonts UP for me and Fork could not. My epiphany was to drop my screen resolution until Fork looked good, and then scale DOWN my fonts in all my other Apps until the fonts were the previous size. And with a few other *tweaks I have 'nearly' the same working space as I had before. Oh and as a bonus the screen resolution I chose is a 'scaled' resolution making everything on the screen look sharper.

*Sonoma gives you a bit more font size control (under Accessibility) to help with some of the 'preferred font' size for some of the elements in built in apps - and sizing side bar icons (Appearance). Somethings are still chunky like toolbars and tab bars in many apps though.

p.s. I bought a Fork license today, it really is good stuff.

[rslobodian]

+1 to this issue. Using Fork on a 4k 27" monitor. Below is a screenshot for reference.

It's not great not having any alternative to scale the content or the fonts up without changing the entire resolution of my desktop (and losing most of the benefit of using a high-density screen).

[helenatxu]

It's terrible, I can't see anything of the description of my own commits unless I move my head real close to the screen 🤦🏽‍♀️

[zsolczai]

Completely useless on large monitors unless you are still 20y old and have perfect vision. Which will not last if you code.

[danwilliams]

I just moved to a Mac and one of the things I was very excited about was being able to use Fork. Previously I was mostly working on Linux, where Fork doesn't run. I hardly ever had cause to fire up Fork on Windows. So as soon as I got my Mac, I bought a Fork license! Wooo! 😄 ...and then I realised how small everything is. Not so wooo 😢 😞

Given that there is a setting to change the diff text size, I had at least expected to be able to change the commit message editor font size... Nope. And the history size? Also nope.

Another user on this thread went down the wrong path:

I have a 43" 4k monitor that I have been running at native resolution. I use it for software development and want as much 'working space' as I can get. The trade off is small fonts in places.

For many years I've been using a 49" 4K monitor, which was around the perfect size and dot pitch, and with upgrading my working setup I've moved to a 55" 8K. So very comparable - and also for software development.

I re-read what I posted and realized I was saying that pretty much everything I used could scale fonts UP for me and Fork could not.

This is true - I've been able to adjust text size in all other apps, and most support full UI zoom.

My epiphany was to drop my screen resolution until Fork looked good, and then scale DOWN my fonts in all my other Apps until the fonts were the previous size. And with a few other *tweaks I have 'nearly' the same working space as I had before.

This is the tail wagging the dog...

Oh and as a bonus the screen resolution I chose is a 'scaled' resolution making everything on the screen look sharper.

This is not a bonus! This is not how scaling works on MacOS. The only sharp options are 1:1 or 2:1 (the latter using HiDPI for displays that qualify as Retina displays). Any other choices, i.e. using scaling, will NOT make things look sharper - quite the opposite! MacOS will render to a virtual buffer and then sample that to the actual output. This makes things less sharp, and was driving me crazy until I realised that MacOS does not handle such things like Windows and Linux. As a new Mac user, this article really helped me:

https://appleinsider.com/inside/macos/tips/what-is-display-scaling-on-mac-and-why-you-probably-shouldnt-worry-about-it

I previously had scaled so things were a little larger, and after reading that I changed to "Default" (which is "looks like" 4K on actual 8K) which is fabulously sharp and much clearer than my old 4K display. So I was at around 125% in system settings, and changed to 100%, relative to HiDPI (so actually 250% before, and now 200%, based on actual pixels), and then adjusted each app to show itself at 125%. On Windows I had been on 250% on 4K, so the outcome is that things are around the same size, but much clearer.

After making these changes the odd scrolling issues I'd had disappeared - scrolling is now super-smooth, and the test pattern in that article previously had moire colour fringing effects when scrolling, and now does not.

This is running on a Mac Studio M2 Max, so it's a fast machine.

In summary, the best option is to choose native resolution or "default" HiDPI resolution (i.e. 1:1 or 2:1 against pixels) and then adjust apps.

*Sonoma gives you a bit more font size control (under Accessibility) to help with some of the 'preferred font' size for some of the elements in built in apps - and sizing side bar icons (Appearance). Somethings are still chunky like toolbars and tab bars in many apps though.

This is true - at present only five Apple apps are supported/listed there, but it's how I was able to adjust the rendering size for Settings and Finder. Perhaps Apple are looking to expand this area in future updates.

@DanPristupov a number of users have commented here about small UI aspects, and I understand where you are coming from, but:

• Fork is the ONLY application I'm using for daily work that does not have the ability to adjust the "main content" size
• It should be possible to add options for commit message editor font and history font even without full UI scaling (which would be the ideal)

I know you have said:

Fork uses the default AppKit NSTableView, NSOutlineView and NSPopUpButton controls and they don't offer any scaling.

However, they DO allow you to alter the text size.

This problem is exacerbated because, as another user mentioned above, the default sizes chosen by Fork are smaller than everything else to start with. In comparing the Fork text to the text of some non-scaling elements in other apps, the Fork text is smaller.

It's not an option to scale the entire display and suffer reduced sharpness etc. just for one app... and neither is the font size usable. To give an impression, the default font size for the diff view is 11, and I have it set to 16. I could get away with 14, but 16 is comfy. I'm not all that young and even with glasses I just don't want to be peering at small text 😅

Surely it's possible - and relatively easy - to add an option for the commit message text size, at least...?

I don't at all regret buying the license, as I'm glad to support your work, but unfortunately despite now being on a system where I can use Fork, I still can't use it effectively due to this issue.

Fingers crossed you can do something! 🤞

[danwilliams]

@DanPristupov anything? 🙂

[DanPristupov]

@danwilliams

I already answered above.

I can’t increase a single font size because it will break the layout proportions. The commit graph will remain same size, buttons will remain same size, toolbar, sidebar, etc.

I don’t have a perfect vision myself and I do wear glasses. I also struggle to read the default macOS text size and I applied the ‘Large text’ scaling. Now fonts in Finder, Safari, XCode and Fork look the same and correspond the other UI elements sizes. It just looks the way it should be.

[danwilliams]

@DanPristupov but you already allow font size to be changed for diffs. Why can't that be done for the commit message editor too?

[DanPristupov]

@danwilliams because you are the only one asking to increase the commit editor text size.

[danwilliams]

@DanPristupov 😂 wow, okay

So you're ignoring the history of this ticket thread... the scope of this thread is wider than just the commit messages, but is clearly referred to e.g.:

• https://github.com/fork-dev/Tracker/issues/1955#issuecomment-1710656885
• https://github.com/fork-dev/Tracker/issues/1955#issuecomment-1879731140

Let's be honest here... the ideal we're all looking for is for all UI elements to be scalable, which is the correct way to do things, and supported by Swift UI and UIKit. As I mentioned, Fork is the only MacOS app I use for daily work (well, did use briefly - I've given up on it for now until this is fixed) that doesn't allow UI scaling or at least "content" scaling.

What I was trying to do was suggest a seemingly-easy (certainly less far-reaching) step whereby the commit message area could be scaled, given that it's similar to the diff, which already allows this.

I would love for the tree to be scalable too. As would lots of others it seems.

Although I have some sympathy for the situation you've described, I don't really understand why it's a problem. But my suggestion was intended to try and help work out a step forward that would make things slightly nicer for those of your customers who are experiencing this issue (more than just me on this thread, and indeed the other tickets created about this).

Don't get me wrong - Fork is awesome. It's my preferred tool, and as I mentioned before, I was very excited when moving to MacOS to be able to use it. But right now it's not usable, and so I'm stuck using tools I don't like as much until I can actually read stuff clearly. I don't in any way regret buying a license, as I appreciate you are a two-person software developer and I like to be able to support you in some small way. But usability is a huge deal, and this is only going to start coming up more and more frequently as people adopt high-resolution displays, plus with Sonoma allowing system-defined app UI scaling (albeit narrow in initial applied scope, but expanding) you'll just end up being left behind.

[DanPristupov]

@danwilliams

Fork is the only MacOS app I use for daily work (well, did use briefly - I've given up on it for now until this is fixed) … right now it's not usable, and so I'm stuck using tools I don't like … I don't in any way regret buying a license

That’s not right. People should pay for Fork only if they like it. I requested a refund for your purchase.

[rslobodian]

@DanPristupov your attitude in these posts is really adversarial. Not encouraging at all.

[danwilliams]

@DanPristupov I've delayed writing back, as I have taken the time to muse and reflect first. My initial feelings upon reading your reply were of surprise and disappointment, and I didn't want to say the wrong thing.

I can look at this from the perspective of you caring about customer service a lot, and not wanting people to be unhappy. Taken on its own, that's great. However, I didn't request a refund, and I had already indicated that I was happy to be supporting you. Throughout this conversation I have only expressed enthusiasm for your product and your efforts, and so your response has not come across well - despite it being ostensibly friendly.

Ultimately your action feels petty and passive-aggressive, even with me allowing a couple of weeks to settle. I don't think that's healthy, and the approach demonstrated throughout this thread will have the long-term effect of putting people off and damaging your product, company, and reputation. That's something neither of us wants. I can imagine that you were trying to do the right thing, though, and I'll choose to see it in that light.

The irony is that it doesn't change anything at all - in the meantime the world marches on, and support for HighDPI displays, including adjustment of font sizes, is growing. One day you will find you have to make changes to accommodate this. It's all very well saying that you don't have a need for it, but your product is not for you - it's for us, or it wouldn't be a product. I'm clearly not the only person wanting/needing this. I guess the day you upgrade your hardware is the day this suddenly becomes a "real" issue.

So... thank you for your refund, which I didn't want, and good luck with Fork. If you are able to fix these issues at some point then I will happy come back to Fork and re-purchase, but until then I guess I have to use something else.