[Kmymoney-devel] String pixel widths differ

[Cristian Oneț]

2014-09-23 15:52 GMT+03:00 Allan <agander93 at gmail.com>:
> On 23/09/14 01:26, Jack wrote:
>>
>> On 2014.09.22 18:12, Allan wrote:
>>>
>>> On 22/09/14 22:25, Jack wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 2014.09.22 15:17, Allan wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> On 22/09/14 19:04, Jack wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 2014.09.22 13:08, Allan wrote:
>>>>>> [snip....]
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't think it really matters what font the system is using, as
>>>>>>> long as that font is available.  I'm using DejaVu Sans at the
>>>>>>> moment, but I understand that if that is not available, the system
>>>>>>> will substitute a similar one.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm not sure you understand my question.  If the system is displaying
>>>>>> a font other than the one you specify but doing the size calculation
>>>>>> based on the font you specified, then the calculation may not match
>>>>>> the display.  I'm just trying to be sure the size calculations are
>>>>>> being done with whatever font is actually being displayed.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> As I specify the same font for both, wouldn't that avoid the situation
>>>>> you foresee?
>>>>
>>>> Not necessarily.  You specify font X for display, but the system uses
>>>> font Y.  You specify font X for doing font matrix calculations, and my
>>>> question is whether you know for sure that it is doing those
>>>> calculations on font X or on font Y.  Since those calculations are not
>>>> necessarily tied to the active display, I can imagine the system not
>>>> doing the font substitution.
>>>
>>>
>>> My non-expert view is that, if I specify font X, but the system
>>> substitutes font Y, then the system would only have cause to do that
>>> if font X was not available.  So, I don't see how, some nano-seconds
>>> later, font X has suddenly become available and now gets used.  I hope
>>> I don't need to keep checking?
>>
>> I'm no more an expert than you, but I take a slightly paranoid approach
>> here.  First, I don't know that non-availability is the only reason for
>> a system to use a font other than the one requested.  I can imagine a
>> use case where user preference takes precedence, for example.  (Think
>> css.)  I can also imagine that when asked for font metrics for a
>> non-available font, the system might use some defaults, and not
>> necessarily those for the font it substituted in a particular instance.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> So far, all looks well on both systems now.  The column widths are
>>>>> identical, and the only difference is in the overall width of the
>>>>> tableWidget.  That, I believe, comes from the margins, which do
>>>>> differ, but I have already taken that into account.  The aspect ratios
>>>>> of the two screens are different, too.
>>
>> Again, taking the paranoid view, I'm not sure "both systems" is a
>> sufficient sample.  I take Cristian's view here that it is generally not
>> a good idea to override the user's choice of system default font.  Think
>> of a vision impaired user who has chosen a particularly large font, or a
>> font chosen specifically for readability.  If you can query what font
>> was actually used, and then use that to request the metric calculations,
>> shouldn't that give equivalent results?
>>>
>>>
>>>> Are the fonts identical?
>>>
>>>
>>> I take it you mean between my two systems?  Again, my non-expert view
>>> is that if the two fonts have the same name, then the are identical.
>>> Otherwise, they would not be the same font.
>>
>> I accept that - but if those two systems are both using the font you
>> requested, then what happens when a system does not have that font
>> available?
>>>
>>>
>>>> If not, then why should the column widths be identical?
>>>
>>>
>>> If the columns contain the same data and use the same font, then that
>>> gives me the information needed to calculate/obtain the pixel width,
>>> and therefore I use that to set the column width.
>>
>> Again, the question is whether you can be sure that is the font that
>> will always be used?  New train of thought - what about non-Roman
>> character sets?  Greek?  Cyrillic?  Arabic?  It may be that the
>> procedure you use will set up appropriate column widths, but if that is
>> the case, then what have you actually gained from specifying a font?
>>>
>>>
>>>> I assume the point is for the column to display the text in it
>>>> without clipping and without wasting space.  To me, different fonts
>>>> are likely to need different column widths.
>>>
>>>
>>> Yes, that was exactly the problem I had, which led me to specify the
>>> actual font to use for both calculations and display, within the
>>> plugin, to avoid the idiosyncrasies of different distros.  It seems to
>>> be working.
>>>
>> While my argument is certainly more academic than practical, the
>> minimalist in me asks why you would specify more than you need to.  My
>> paranoid self asks whether your font specification has really done what
>> you expect, or if it simply happens to achieve the expected results in
>> the cases you have tested.  (Just for context, I have several friends
>> that would call this exchange a "violent agreement.")
>>
>> Jack
>
>
> To cut a long story short, perhaps we should "violently agree" on a font
> selector button on the first wizard page, opening a small window with
> suitable combo boxes?
>
> Allan
>
>
>
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