Bug#213669: cdebconf-newt-udeb: progress bar dialog changes size all the time, which is ugly

[Richard Hirst <rhirst@linuxcare.com>]

On Thu, Oct 02, 2003 at 05:48:42AM -0700, Matt Kraai wrote:
> On Wed, Oct 01, 2003 at 10:55:17PM +0200, Steinar H. Gunderson wrote:
> > With the "progress bar status text wrapping" patch that was made at
> > debcamp, the dialog changes size all the time (it changes height) to
> > make room for the new text. When the text changes frequently (like
> > installing packages from a fast source) this makes the dialog box change
> > size back and forth all the time, which flickers and is really really
> > ugly.
> > 
> > I'd propose keeping it at a fixed height (say, three lines) and simply
> > cropping the text if it is larger than that -- alternatively, make the
> > minimum height three lines and making it expand above that, which at
> > least reduces the flickering considerably.
> 
> This isn't such a problem on my 128-column console.  :)
> 
> I'd prefer to only let it grow, rather than truncate the text.
> Here's the patch I'll commit if it passes testing.

It'll still look ugly, as it flickers between


Retrieving: http://beast/debian/pool/main/e/ef/ef_0.3_ia64.udeb


Retrieving:
http://beast/debian/pool/main/e/efi-reader/efi-reader_0.3_ia64.udeb


Retrieving: 
http://beast/debian/pool/main/l/long-efi-reader/long-efi-reader_0.3
_ia64.udeb



I accept that it isn't a problem for your wide console, which is why I
originally suggested that the frontend, which presumably knows the space
it has available, should truncate the start of the path name.  Giving
something like:


Retrieving: http://beast/debian/pool/main/e/ef/ef_0.3_ia64.udeb
Retrieving: ...debian/pool/main/e/efi-reader/efi-reader_0.3_ia64.udeb
Retrieving: ...l/main/l/long-efi-reader/long-efi-reader_0.3_ia64.udeb


where the one interesting bit on information, the package name, is in a
fairly consistent position on the screen.

It is a bit ugly from a technical pov having the frontend know it has to
truncate the start of the second component of the string, but it'll look
a whole lot nicer.

Richard