Respect the desktop environment's default fonts

[j12i]

I’m dependent on serif fonts for accessibility reasons. Ultimately it’s best for me when all text on my computer screens is in the same font. (At this time I’m using Gentium Plus.)

So I wanted to look into how to make it the default in Calc. And the accepted best solution seems to be to make a template and start new documents from that. But that doesn’t work when I start a new spreadsheet by doubleclicking on a CSV and going through the import wizard, which is how I create most new spreadsheets.

That got me wondering: why does LO set its own default anyway? Why doesn’t it just respect the default fonts I set in KDE System Settings?

[EarnestAl]

@j12i

But that doesn’t work when I start a new spreadsheet by doubleclicking on a CSV and going through the import wizard, which is how I create most new spreadsheets.

If you don’t get the font you want on import, then right click Default in the Cell Styles pane of the Sidebar, select Edit Style and set the font there. All cells in the spreadsheet will then use that font (except where you have manually set the font for some cells).

[bantoniof]

@j12i

But that doesn’t work when I start a new spreadsheet

May be you must set your template as the default template

Calc Guide 25.2 - Chapter 4, Using Styles and Templates

[j12i]

@EarnestAl The problem is that I have to do that every single time.

@bantoniof Please read the rest of the sentence you’re quoting.

[j12i]

I’d really rather like to have a discussion about why LO sets its own default font at all instead of using the OS default. Why impose your font of choice on all users instead of respecting their agency and own choice?

[sokol92]

It’s possible to write a macro that will change the default cell style font in a document to the desired one.
This macro can be assigned to any convenient keyboard shortcut.
This will solve the problem with existing documents.

[sokol92]

An example of such a macro (we set the default font for the document to Gentium Basic, size 12).

Sub SetDefaultFont()
  Dim oStyle
  oStyle = ThisComponent.getStyleFamilies().getByName("CellStyles").getByName("Default")
  oStyle.CharFontName = "Gentium Basic"
  oStyle.CharHeight = 12
End Sub

[mikekaganski]

@j12i

I’d really rather like to have a discussion about why LO sets its own default font at all instead of using the OS default.

Because “Desktop environment” fonts are not designed to be used in documents. The design of screen fonts is very different to design of document fonts.

[j12i]

@mikekaganski

Because “Desktop environment” fonts are not designed to be used in documents. The design of screen fonts is very different to design of document fonts.

I see. That’s a somewhat satisfying explanation, thank you.

[j12i]

@sokol92 thanks, I implemented that.