Display of text in columns?

Display of text in columns?

[Jim Kalb]

Hello!

I'd like to display several columns of text using emacs, so that (for
example) if the screen is 120 characters wide, the fill column is 60,
and I'm using a 2-column display, the text at any point in the file
would display starting in the first column, reach the bottom of the
screen, and then continue in the second column. Possible? If so, how?

(The point is to be able to get more of something I'm writing on the
screen without using the very long lines I'd have to use if I simply
used a full screen display and increased the fill column to match.)

Thanks for any enlightenment,

jk

-- 
Jim Kalb

Re: Display of text in columns?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Jim Kalb <kalb@aya.yale.edu>
> Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:55:05 GMT
> 
> I'd like to display several columns of text using emacs, so that (for
> example) if the screen is 120 characters wide, the fill column is 60,
> and I'm using a 2-column display, the text at any point in the file
> would display starting in the first column, reach the bottom of the
> screen, and then continue in the second column. Possible? If so, how?

Is two-column.el what you are looking for?

Re: Display of text in columns?

[Jim Kalb]

"ez" == Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:

  >> From: Jim Kalb <kalb@aya.yale.edu> Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:55:05
  >> GMT
  >> 
  >> I'd like to display several columns of text using emacs, so that
  >> (for example) if the screen is 120 characters wide, the fill column
  >> is 60, and I'm using a 2-column display, the text at any point in
  >> the file would display starting in the first column, reach the
  >> bottom of the screen, and then continue in the second column.
  >> Possible? If so, how?

  ez> Is two-column.el what you are looking for?

Don't think so. t-c.el seems to display 2 different buffers. What I'd
like to do is display a single buffer, but in two columns, so that when
you get to the end of what fits in the first column the text continues
in the second.

-- 
Jim Kalb

Re: Display of text in columns?

[Oliver Scholz]

Jim Kalb <kalb@aya.yale.edu> writes:

> Hello!
>
> I'd like to display several columns of text using emacs, so that (for
> example) if the screen is 120 characters wide, the fill column is 60,
> and I'm using a 2-column display, the text at any point in the file
> would display starting in the first column, reach the bottom of the
> screen, and then continue in the second column. Possible? If so, how?
>
> (The point is to be able to get more of something I'm writing on the
> screen without using the very long lines I'd have to use if I simply
> used a full screen display and increased the fill column to match.)
[...]

C-h f follow-mode


    Oliver
-- 
2 Floréal an 214 de la Révolution
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité!

Re: Display of text in columns?

[David Kastrup]

Jim Kalb <kalb@aya.yale.edu> writes:

> "ez" == Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> writes:
>
>   >> From: Jim Kalb <kalb@aya.yale.edu> Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:55:05
>   >> GMT
>   >> 
>   >> I'd like to display several columns of text using emacs, so that
>   >> (for example) if the screen is 120 characters wide, the fill column
>   >> is 60, and I'm using a 2-column display, the text at any point in
>   >> the file would display starting in the first column, reach the
>   >> bottom of the screen, and then continue in the second column.
>   >> Possible? If so, how?
>
>   ez> Is two-column.el what you are looking for?
>
> Don't think so. t-c.el seems to display 2 different buffers. What I'd
> like to do is display a single buffer, but in two columns, so that when
> you get to the end of what fits in the first column the text continues
> in the second.

follow-mode is an interactive autoloaded Lisp function in `follow'.
(follow-mode ARG)

Minor mode that combines windows into one tall virtual window.

The feeling of a "virtual window" has been accomplished by the use
of two major techniques:

* The windows always displays adjacent sections of the buffer.
  This means that whenever one window is moved, all the
  others will follow.  (Hence the name Follow Mode.)

* Should the point (cursor) end up outside a window, another
  window displaying that point is selected, if possible.  This
  makes it possible to walk between windows using normal cursor
  movement commands.

Follow mode comes to its prime when used on a large screen and two
side-by-side window are used. The user can, with the help of Follow
mode, use two full-height windows as though they would have been
one. Imagine yourself editing a large function, or section of text,
and being able to use 144 lines instead of the normal 72... (your
mileage may vary).

To split one large window into two side-by-side windows, the commands
`C-x 3' or `M-x follow-delete-other-windows-and-split' can be used.

Only windows displayed in the same frame follow each-other.

If the variable `follow-intercept-processes' is non-nil, Follow mode
will listen to the output of processes and redisplay accordingly.
(This is the default.)

When Follow mode is switched on, the hook `follow-mode-hook'
is called.  When turned off, `follow-mode-off-hook' is called.

Keys specific to Follow mode:

Uses keymap "follow-mode-map", which is not currently defined.

[back]


-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum

Re: Display of text in columns?

[Nikos Apostolakis]

David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org> writes:

> Jim Kalb <kalb@aya.yale.edu> writes:

>> What I'd like to do is display a single buffer, but in two
>> columns, so that when you get to the end of what fits in the
>> first column the text continues in the second.
>
> follow-mode is an interactive autoloaded Lisp function in `follow'.
> (follow-mode ARG)

I don't know if the OP will be satisfied with follow-mode but often
(eg when reading Gutenberg ebooks) I would like to have a
follow-like mode that treats the text as a book.  With follow-mode
if you have a file that consists of four "pages", say A,B,C,D and
you start with the configuration

          |-----|-----|
          |     |     |
          |  A  |  B  |
          |     |     |
          |-----|-----|

if you hit "C-v" you get 

          |-----|-----|
          |     |     |
          |  B  |  C  |
          |     |     |
          |-----|-----|

I would like to get 

          |-----|-----|
          |     |     |
          |  C  |  D  |
          |     |     |
          |-----|-----|

instead.  Does such a mode exist?

Thanks in advance,
Nikos

Re: Display of text in columns?

[Tassilo Horn]

Nikos Apostolakis <absent@sdf.lonestar.org> writes:

Hi Nikos,

>           |-----|-----|
>           |     |     |
>           |  A  |  B  |
>           |     |     |
>           |-----|-----|

Put this into your ~/.emacs:

,----
| (defun scroll-up-two-pages ()
|    (interactive)
|    (scroll-up)
|    (scroll-up))
| 
| (define-key follow-mode-map (kbd "C-v") 'scroll-up-two-pages)
`----

Then `C-v' in follow-mode will result in book-like scrolling.

>           |-----|-----|
>           |     |     |
>           |  C  |  D  |
>           |     |     |
>           |-----|-----|

This doesn't need a separate mode.

Bye,
Tassilo
-- 
A morning without coffee is like something without something else.

Re: Display of text in columns?

[Nikos Apostolakis]

Nikos Apostolakis <absent@sdf.lonestar.org> writes:

> I don't know if the OP will be satisfied with follow-mode but often
> (eg when reading Gutenberg ebooks) I would like to have a
> follow-like mode that treats the text as a book.  With follow-mode
> if you have a file that consists of four "pages", say A,B,C,D and
> you start with the configuration
>
>           |-----|-----|
>           |     |     |
>           |  A  |  B  |
>           |     |     |
>           |-----|-----|
>
> if you hit "C-v" you get 
>
>           |-----|-----|
>           |     |     |
>           |  B  |  C  |
>           |     |     |
>           |-----|-----|
>
> I would like to get 
>
>           |-----|-----|
>           |     |     |
>           |  C  |  D  |
>           |     |     |
>           |-----|-----|
>
> instead.  Does such a mode exist?
>

Answering myself, all I need to do is to (localy) bind "C-v" to 
"C-vC-v" and "M-v" to "M-vM-v" (perhaps in a trivially modified 
derived mode). 

Sometimes one has to ask the question in order to realize that they
know the answer or (as is the case here) that the solution is trivial.

Nikos

Re: Display of text in columns?

[Nikos Apostolakis]

Tassilo Horn <heimdall@uni-koblenz.de> writes:

> Nikos Apostolakis <absent@sdf.lonestar.org> writes:
>
> Hi Nikos,
>

Hello.

>[snip]
>
> This doesn't need a separate mode.
>

Yeah, I know.  I figured it out almost as long as I finished
posting :{.  I guess I didn't have enough of ... something this 
... something else.

Nikos

> Tassilo
> -- 
> A morning without coffee is like something without something else.

Re: Display of text in columns?

[andlind]

Follow-mode contains a number of functions for scrolling the display
the way you want, see follow-scroll-up and follow-scroll-down.

By default they are bound to C-c . C-v and C-c . v, but there is
nothing that would prevent you from biniding them to C-v and M-v (in
fact, if follow-mode is not active they will behave just like the plain
scroll commands).

    -- Anders (author of Follow mode)

Re: Display of text in columns?

[Nikos Apostolakis]

andlind@gmail.com writes:

> Follow-mode contains a number of functions for scrolling the display
> the way you want, see follow-scroll-up and follow-scroll-down.
>
> By default they are bound to C-c . C-v and C-c . v, but there is
> nothing that would prevent you from biniding them to C-v and M-v (in
> fact, if follow-mode is not active they will behave just like the plain
> scroll commands).
>

Great, thanks!  I should have looked at the documentation.  

BTW, there are a few misprints on the help texts: the key 
"C-c . C-v" is not displayed when I do "C-h m", and 

,----[ C-h k C-v ]
| C-v runs the command follow-scroll-up
|    which is an interactive compiled Lisp function in `follow.el'.
| It is bound to C-v, <menu-bar> <tools> <follow> <follow-scroll-up>.
| (follow-scroll-up &optional arg)
| 
| Scroll text in a Follow Mode window chain up.
| 
| If called with no arg, the `next-screen-context-lines' last lines of
| the bottom window in the chain will be visible in the top window.
| 
| If called with an argument, scroll arg lines up.
| Negative arg means scroll downward.
| 
| Works like `scroll-up' when not in Follow Mode.
|            ^^^^^^^^^^^ 
| [back]
`----

The underlined text should be `scroll-down' instead.

Thanks

-- 
Nikos