On 11/09/2009 04:35 PM, andrew james wrote: > I think font metrics to automate size frames is useful when there is > some constants, especially for full page algorithmic automation when > multiple unknown sized articles are posed on a page. > > > Craig, you stated that you think there is too many variables to > automate frame size. I think that is wrong. > > I think two types of user want this function, graphic users, and > programmers. > > > For users of the interface graphic, automatic frame size is used as a > quick action that increases productivity. The users should define > their preferred constant, width or height. > > In scribus, the icon to show that text is too long for the frame is a > box with an X that appears in the corner of the frame low, right. For > example, the action to automate frame size is double click the box. > > On double click, the frame increases size at one dimension to fix all > the text in the frame. Width or height increase, that is a user > preference, the other dimension is a constant. > > If a control key (control, shift, or alt) is pressed on double click > then the frame increases to fit at the dimension opposite to the > preference. A user should find this preference in a dialog. > > I know of other interfaces graphic that have this function. It is > intuitive to use and sometimes useful. For example, spreadsheets, > presentations. > > > Another use for automatic size frame is as a programmer. I would like > to have font metrics in the API python, is it there? > > For example, someone could write a scribus script to get news from the > local news client (thunderbird) then design a news paper with some > favoured articles. No more need to read screen, you could wake to an > automated daily print of the news at your house. > > > Craig, part of your questions confused me > > Based on the current content's first line ending, or > the 2nd? last? Or the current number of lines and adjust the width? > I cannot reply for my confusion. I think, the only use to automate > frame size is to fit all text, or am I wrong? You implied that someone > wants to size the text frame small to make some text invisible, > unprinted? I think your response proves Craig's point...why should your suggestions be the ones to implement? Changing the size of a frame, changing the size of a font can easily affect the entire layout of a page, so it's hard to see that such a quick fix is what many/most users would want.
If there is anything that might be useful, it would be a less clumsy Scripter way to know when a frame has overflow and by how much, so that custom scripts could be more easily written. Greg
