Re^2: Formatting CGI script error messages

Just specifying a fixed-width font doesn't address the problem of wanting to preserve whitespace -- HTML collapses multiple consecutive spaces to single spaces, and also treats newlines as spaces.

Using <pre> tags after "hard-wrapping" the text to a reasonable width is certainly an option, but I thought it would be nicer if it wrapped to the browser's window size. A fixed paragraph width can't account for variations in the font size in each user's browser.

- Steve

Comment on Re^2: Formatting CGI script error messages

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Re^3: do it dynamically by ww (Archbishop) on Nov 17, 2004 at 14:00 UTC
You don't have to use just one "fixed paragraph width." Set it, per user, dynamically. Browser detection provides you a basis to infer a maximum char_count that should be useable on the narrowest_likely screen. And in some cases, ENV detection can give you the info to set your max_line_length more precisely. Alternately, have user supply a desired width as a CL argument. ('course then, you'd better check their input for safety too.) Either or both are "doable," but add complicatations. Duh! I'd forgotten the answer is in the original~~, so out of curiosity: why do you want to preserve multi-spaces?~~ If it's solely for readability that's one thing; if you need the info, is there some good reason not to `t/\s{2}/~/; t/\r/(something else)/;` [download] to catch whatever you really need? Questions are likely to be IGNORANCE_based	[reply] [d/l]

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Re^3: do it dynamically
by ww (Archbishop) on Nov 17, 2004 at 14:00 UTC

Set it, per user, dynamically. Browser detection provides you a basis to infer a maximum char_count that should be useable on the narrowest_likely screen. And in some cases, ENV detection can give you the info to set your max_line_length more precisely. Alternately, have user supply a desired width as a CL argument. ('course then, you'd better check their input for safety too.)

Either or both are "doable," but add complicatations.
Duh! I'd forgotten the answer is in the original~~, so out of curiosity: why do you want to preserve multi-spaces?~~

If it's solely for readability that's one thing; if you need the info, is there some good reason not to

t/\s{2}/~/;
t/\r/(something else)/;
[download]

Questions are likely to be IGNORANCE_based

[reply]
[d/l]