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Signature font colour (HTML)

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I have created a HTML signature, defining the font, size, color and bold - as below However, the color is not taking effect and remains black, despite it showing so in web based html editors.

EG:

My sig text here

I have created a HTML signature, defining the font, size, color and bold - as below However, the color is not taking effect and remains black, despite it showing so in web based html editors. EG: <p><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: #1080c3; font-weight: bold; font-size: 19px;"> My sig text here</span></p>

Chosen solution

I swapped over to a Light theme. I entered the html code into the 'Signature text' box in Account Settings.

Using my settings I get the 'Blue' colour.

Then I tried a few ideas and managed to reproduce a black text under certain conditions. If mail account has the following setting in Account Settings > 'Composition & Addressing' Select 'compose messages in html format' - so using HTML

Then Set:

  • Settings > General
  • under 'Language & Appearance'
  • click on 'Colours' button
  • Text = Black
  • Background = White
  • 'Override the colour.....' select 'Always' - if this is selected then I get Black text.

If I change it to 'Never' then I get Blue text.

So check to see what option is selected in that area.

Then there is also the assumption that you have html set up to use when composing, but is that true assumption ? If mail account has the following setting: Account Settings > 'Composition & Addressing' Uncheck 'compose messages in html format' So basically Write is using plain text and stripping formatting. then I get black text.

If you are seeing Blue text when composing in Write window but black text after sending then check: Settings > Composition Under 'Sending Format' section Make sure you have selected 'both HTML and Plain text'

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All Replies (20)

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Maybe if you create a screenshot of the HTML and post that.

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david said

Maybe if you create a screenshot of the HTML and post that.

I did post it above, but forgot it would run it and display that!

Attached now....

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I tried it, exactly as you posted, and it works fine. Is there an addon or special theme you are using?

Modified by david

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That's weird.

I've some, but I've tried turning them off, and the issue remains.

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I suggest you look at all the HTML, as you may be creating more than that. Send an email to me at davidthunderbird at gmx dot com and I'll look at it.

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Makes sense to think that. But if the one line alone isn't working, is not due to other lines of text added.

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I offered to check it if you send a sample.

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https://pastebin.mozilla.org/dS1ixSM8 I did an edit to extract the HTML and included it in Mozilla's pastebin for a few weeks https://pastebin.mozilla.org/dS1ixSM8

However I inserted the HTML into the signature block of an account, I opened a new message for that account and this is what I see.

I would therefore think that the issue is not so much as Thunderbird, but perhaps some other add-on you may have installed.

Have you tried restarting Thunderbird in Troubleshooting mode from the help menu and continuing when prompted. That should remove any add-ons and if I am right in guessing an add-on then you should see your signature.

Just as an aside, I have included another image showing what normal sized text look like beside yours. You choice of 19Px is about 14 points, which may suit your eyes, but will look unusually large, perhaps even clownishly so, for most folk who use 10 or 12 point when writing a letter. I know there is this idea that setting a font size is a good idea, but it is not. You have no idea what the person reading your email will read it on. For this reason Thunderbird sticks to "generic" sizes. With normal being "about" 14 points. See https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/font-size

But beyond my aversion to specifying sizes outside the "Thunderbird generic" small, medium, large, x-large et al which allows to reading device to scale things based on the environment in use. Generally a 30 inch desktop screen has differences to a 5 inch phone screen. There are other reason to avoid using pixels when scaling fonts. See https://joshcollinsworth.com/blog/never-use-px-for-font-size which I personally found rather interesting.

Modified by Matt

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david said

I offered to check it if you send a sample.

And much appreciate. But for now, I'm sticking with: If the one line of html fails, then is not the rest of the uninclcuded signature that's the issue.

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Matt said

https://pastebin.mozilla.org/dS1ixSM8 I did an edit to extract the HTML and included it in Mozilla's pastebin for a few weeks https://pastebin.mozilla.org/dS1ixSM8 However I inserted the HTML into the signature block of an account, I opened a new message for that account and this is what I see. I would therefore think that the issue is not so much as Thunderbird, but perhaps some other add-on you may have installed. Have you tried restarting Thunderbird in Troubleshooting mode from the help menu and continuing when prompted. That should remove any add-ons and if I am right in guessing an add-on then you should see your signature. Just as an aside, I have included another image showing what normal sized text look like beside yours. You choice of 19Px is about 14 points, which may suit your eyes, but will look unusually large, perhaps even clownishly so, for most folk who use 10 or 12 point when writing a letter. I know there is this idea that setting a font size is a good idea, but it is not. You have no idea what the person reading your email will read it on. For this reason Thunderbird sticks to "generic" sizes. With normal being "about" 14 points. See https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/font-size But beyond my aversion to specifying sizes outside the "Thunderbird generic" small, medium, large, x-large et al which allows to reading device to scale things based on the environment in use. Generally a 30 inch desktop screen has differences to a 5 inch phone screen. There are other reason to avoid using pixels when scaling fonts. See https://joshcollinsworth.com/blog/never-use-px-for-font-size which I personally found rather interesting.

Very odd still....

Troubleshooting mode makes no difference.

Font size issue noted.

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I am going to be o little help, as I can ot think of what might make you "special" as I can not replicate it

Just one last possibility from me. Goto the troubleshooting information in the help menu. In the third party modules. Is anything shown?

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In the add-ons?

Nothing really. Just states the add ons and whether true/false

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breakwater-coaching said

In the add-ons?

No

Nothing really. Just states the add ons and whether true/false

You went a bit far!

I mean Third-party Modules about:third-party as shown in the image above. You do have to click the link.

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None for me!.. problem?

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No, the tab it opens should say something like "no third party modules were detected" normally. But when you are grasping to find something different anything is a fair bet.

Do you do one of those other no no things, like copy and paste your message body from word? Did you add just that line to the signature as I did, or are you still working with a file?

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So there's just no entry at all for '3rd party modules'....

HTML editor used. But I've typed the line straight into TB, and the results the same - no color. No file, just online.

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Chosen Solution

I swapped over to a Light theme. I entered the html code into the 'Signature text' box in Account Settings.

Using my settings I get the 'Blue' colour.

Then I tried a few ideas and managed to reproduce a black text under certain conditions. If mail account has the following setting in Account Settings > 'Composition & Addressing' Select 'compose messages in html format' - so using HTML

Then Set:

  • Settings > General
  • under 'Language & Appearance'
  • click on 'Colours' button
  • Text = Black
  • Background = White
  • 'Override the colour.....' select 'Always' - if this is selected then I get Black text.

If I change it to 'Never' then I get Blue text.

So check to see what option is selected in that area.

Then there is also the assumption that you have html set up to use when composing, but is that true assumption ? If mail account has the following setting: Account Settings > 'Composition & Addressing' Uncheck 'compose messages in html format' So basically Write is using plain text and stripping formatting. then I get black text.

If you are seeing Blue text when composing in Write window but black text after sending then check: Settings > Composition Under 'Sending Format' section Make sure you have selected 'both HTML and Plain text'

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Is this in version 115.6.1?

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^forget that

So yes, as you've indicated, setting Override to NEVER, show the missing blue font color. Sending that signature in an email, shows it as blue for recipient