[Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Frank Schmitt <usereplyto@Frank-Schmitt.net>]

In Format strings like gnus-summary-line-format one can give maximum and
minimum length for a specific variable, so you can for instance say
%-20,20f to get a 20 characters wide field containing the from.

It would be great if this was possible for several variables at once, so
something like {60,-60%B %s} would lead to a field containing the new
thread identifiers a blank and the subject, which would be exactly 60
characters wide.

This option would allow summaries with a table-like structure like this:

O  >  Verzeichnisse                     |   8  |Martin Koch           |15-Sep  |0 
OA +->  ...                             |  24  |Jens Bethkowsky       |15-Sep  |0 
O  | \->  ...                           |  15  |Frank Schmitt         |15-Sep  |9999 
R. |   \->  ...                         |  23  |Jens Bethkowsky       |15-Sep  |5000 
R. +->  ...                             |  25  |Volker Gringmuth      |15-Sep  |0 
R. \->  ...                             |  19  |Sven Gottwald         |15-Sep  |0 
OA >  gnus optisch anpassen (Summary)   |  20  |Marc 'HE' Brockschmi  |15-Sep  |0 
O  +->  ...                             |  36  |Frank Schmitt         |15-Sep  |9999 
R. | \->  ...                           |  54  |Marc 'HE' Brockschmi  |15-Sep  |5000 
R. |   +->  ...                         |  45  |Jens Bethkowsky       |15-Sep  |5000 
.  |   \->  ...                         |  62  |Patric Mueller        |16-Sep  |5000

that's how most graphical newsreaders do it and it looks much more
pleasant to me than the normal way.

Is there anybody out there who is able and willing to implement this?

P.S. I did the above by a dirty hack, but it's really nothing for the
public and a more general solution would be great.

-- 
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
20. Dezember 2001