Re: [Nmh-workers] Re: Replace mh-format?

[Bill Wohler]

Jerry Peek <address@hidden> wrote:

> On 22 December 2005 at 14:57, Bill Wohler <address@hidden> wrote:
> > Which gives me another idea for nmh from MH-E: create a width format
> > that uses the widest value in the range given to it.
> 
> I'm not clear what you mean by "the range given to it", Bill. 

I'm talking about the width of the field, as in '%4(msg)'. Let's say you
say "scan 1-5", then the %4 would become %1, or you say "scan 1-100",
and then the %4 would become %3. And so on. This can be applied to any
field. Maybe a character such as `+' might be good to connote that it
grows as necessary, as in %+(msg). Minimums and maximums can be
specified as in:

  %17+(decode(friendly{from}))   Use the width of the largest name but
                                 no fewer than 17 characters
  %17+25(decode(friendly{from})) Use the width of the largest name but
                                 no fewer than 17 characters and no more
                                 than 25 characters
  %+17(decode(friendly{from}))   Use the width of the largest name but
                                 no more than 17 characters

> I'd like to see the -width option modified to have an "unlimited"
> setting, maybe "-width 0", that outputs all of whatever escapes
> we specify.

YES! I could have used that yesterday.

> The %{body} escape is handy; it lets you see the first few words of
> a message in a scan listing.  But it was designed before multipart
> MIME messages.  Now the scan listings often look like this:
> 
>   869 12/15 To:"Stark, Sandr  Re: Ireland via Iceland<<This is a multi-part
> 
> I'd like to see a new componemt escape, maybe %{bodyt} or something,
> that shows the first body text past the MIME body header.  That text
> might be base64-encoded gibberish, but that's no worse than what we
> see now...

I think %{body} should return the initial bit of the first text part, if
any. And you're right, you may get base64 or quoted-printable. That's
why you'd use usually use %(decode{body}).

p.s. There are a lot of good ideas in these threads. Would someone like
to volunteer to capture them in bug reports at Savannah (since there do
not appear to be feature requests available)? On the other hand, maybe
it's better for each of us to do that ;-).

-- 
Bill Wohler <address@hidden>  http://www.newt.com/wohler/  GnuPG ID:610BD9AD
Maintainer of comp.mail.mh FAQ and MH-E. Vote Libertarian!
If you're passed on the right, you're in the wrong lane.