Register resizing

[Dave Peticolas]

James LewisMoss writes:
> >>>>> On Thu, 16 Nov 2000 12:44:46 -0800, Dave Peticolas <dave@krondo.com> sa
> id:
> 
>  Dave> James LewisMoss writes:
>  >>
>  >> The register seems to have this annoying behavior (described
>  >> below) let me know if it's a known bug or something that can be
>  >> fixed with a prefs change.
>  >>
>  >> If you widen a window containing a register the register widens
>  >> with the window.  If you then narrow that window the register
>  >> stays the same width as the widest point it attained.
> 
>  Dave> Yes, this is confusing. It's not entirely clear, though, what
>  Dave> it should do when it is resized smaller. What if the user wants
>  Dave> a small window that scrolls horizontally (maybe because of a
>  Dave> small screen?).
> 
>  Dave> What should happen when the register is resized smaller?
> 
> I don't know for sure.  All I'm sure about is the current behavior is
> annoying. :)
> 
> I guess I'd like better to know why and how things work now.

The way resizing works in the register has changed a lot over time.

It went from being pretty much fixed size to very automatic (try to be
smart about coming up with good column sizes for any register size),
and has recently moved towards being less automatic and more user
controlled. As Gary B. points out, the issues are subtle and the
requirements between ease-of-use and flexibility are sometimes hard
to reconcile.

The way it works right now (in CVS) is that the column widths and
window sizes are saved between sessions and restored the next time
you open the register (assuming you have 'save window geometry'
turned on).

When the window is resized larger, the 'description' field is enlarged
to take up slack if the resulting register would be smaller than the
window (to avoid an annoying white bar at the right edge).

When the window is resized smaller, no columns are adjusted, since
there is no danger of having the extra white space.

However, this does create an asymmetry between enlarging and reducing
the window size.

What if we reduced the 'description' field when the window is reduced,
but only if the register exactly fits the window?

dave