On Sun, Jun 25, 2006 at 02:44:10PM -0400, Jay R. Ashworth wrote:
On Sun, Jun 25, 2006 at 12:26:36PM -0600, Chad Perrin
wrote:
While we're at it, we might consider whether
to allow line wrapping, but
provide a line-wrap indicator syntax to show that what appears on a
separate line of the page is in fact meant to be part of the same
semantic line of code. I'm thinking of examples such as the plus-syntax
used on websites such as
perlmonks.org. An example of this usage might
look something like this:
|while (<>) {
| if ( $scalar_foo <= $scalar_bar ) && ( $scalar_bar <= $array_qux[2]
+|) {
| print;
| }
|}
. . . where the plus character is typically some differentiating color,
such as red. That may or may not be appropriate for something like
MediaWiki -- I only bring it up as something to consider.
Mutt does that with wrapped URL's in my mail. It's a pain because you
can't then paste the copied text in without having to fix it.
On one-line URL's, this is practical.
If it's a couple hundred lines of code, maybe not so much.
I, too, use mutt, and have the same issue from time to time. It's
easily solved with XHTML and CSS, though: use block elements and styles
to position the plus signs (or whatever) in a separate block from the
stuff you want to wrap, or use inline element styles to attach some
visual cue like a left-side or right-side thin and understated border,
or use a left-aligned background image on wrapped lines, or turn the
block of code with line-wraps into a link to a plaintext file without
linewraps, or . . .
One of the benefits of rendered markup with styles is that it allows you
to use something other than content characters within the same block of
content as visual presentation, thus allowing for visually associated
characteristics that are not associated as closely according to what
your mouse will highlight for copying and pasting.
--
CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [
http://ccd.apotheon.org ]
Ben Franklin: "As we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of
others we should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any
Invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously."