[Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Frank Schmitt]

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

Re: [Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Kai Großjohann]

Frank Schmitt <usereplyto@Frank-Schmitt.net> writes:

> 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.

For this special case, I made it so that the subject can be included
in the %B output, I think.  But I forget how that works.  Hm.

[time passes]

Ah:

/----
| (defvar gnus-sum-thread-tree-root "> "
|   "With %B spec, used for the root of a thread.
| If nil, use subject instead.")
\----

So, just set this to nil and see what happens.

kai
-- 
Symbol's function definition is void: signature

Re: [Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Frank Schmitt <usereplyto@Frank-Schmitt.net> writes:

> 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.

See the "Tabulation" node in the manual.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: [Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Frank Schmitt]

Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

>>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.
>
>See the "Tabulation" node in the manual.

This sounds extremely promising but I'm either stupid or it is
broken. Shouldn't 

(setq gnus-summary-line-format ":%U%R %B %s %-70= |%4L |%-20,20f|%&user-date; \n")

give me a thread tree and 70-width_of_threadtree characters of the
subject? What I get is a thread tree, the full subject and then 70 space
characters.

I'm using XEmacs 21.4.6 and this evenings CVS Gnus by the way.

-- 
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.
19. Dezember 2001

Re: [Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Frank Schmitt <usereplyto@Frank-Schmitt.net> writes:

> (setq gnus-summary-line-format ":%U%R %B %s %-70= |%4L |%-20,20f|%&user-date; \n")
>
> give me a thread tree and 70-width_of_threadtree characters of the
> subject? What I get is a thread tree, the full subject and then 70 space
> characters.

Yup.  Fix in Oort Gnus v0.05 (i. e., CVS).

What's up with that %&user-date; thing, by the way?  Couldn't the
normal ~(thingamabob)@ syntax have been used?

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: [Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Frank Schmitt]

Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> writes:

>What's up with that %&user-date; thing, by the way?  Couldn't the
>normal ~(thingamabob)@ syntax have been used?

ShengHuo ZHU feared that we might run short of identifiers soon and so
it was decided to introduce a html-like syntax, &userdate is the first
on to use it.

-- 
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.
19. Dezember 2001

Re: [Suggestion] Groups of Format Variables

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Frank Schmitt <usereplyto@Frank-Schmitt.net> writes:

>>What's up with that %&user-date; thing, by the way?  Couldn't the
>>normal ~(thingamabob)@ syntax have been used?
>
> ShengHuo ZHU feared that we might run short of identifiers soon and so
> it was decided to introduce a html-like syntax, &userdate is the first
> on to use it.

~(thingamabob)@ is infinitely extendable...

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
   larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen