Subj : How do you edit msg files
To   : Mindsurfer
From : Digital Man
Date : Wed Oct 22 2025 12:35 pm

 Re: How do you edit msg files
 By: Mindsurfer to Digital Man on Wed Oct 22 2025 12:24 pm

>   Re: How do you edit msg files
>   By: Digital Man to Mindsurfer on Tue Oct 21 2025 22:55:44
>
>  DM> So what I was suggesting was that the @-code itself can be the
>  DM> "placeholder" (so long as the @-code is the same length as the expanded
>  DM> string). --
>
> Thank you. I got that.
> So, not so good for displaying node number wich would be 1 digit only. Just
> as an example where it would not work, when there is not the space in the
> layout.

2 digit node numbers are not uncommon and 3 is even possible, but I get your point. You won't ever have a 4 character/digit node number.

> Short @codes like @NN@ would take 4+ chars in the layout display of the ansi
> editor. So that is the shortest it had to be to use @codes directly as the
> placeholder within the ansi layout. Maybe +1 empty space left and right of
> it, depending where it sits in the layout.

3 characters (e.g. @x@) is the short conceivable @-code, and you could have a 3 digit node number, at least theoretically, so maybe that'd work for that case.

> Everything that has some more characters in the expanded final display can
> be done with the recommended @code|R###@ without any further trickery.
>
> So depending on the complexity and length of the respective @code output, i
> can choose between @code|R###@ for example, the positioning of the @codes
> via ansi esc sequence at the end of the layout. or a file containing the
> @codes with ansi esc sequence for positioning that i will merge to the
> layout ansi.

Unfortunately, the ANSI cursor positioning trick isn't really going to work for non-ANSI terminals, so I wouldn't encourage it.
--
                                           digital man (rob)

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