# 
# patch "format.cc"
#  from [89c8a712b18ef4b392a00244087be07a2678c7a6]
#    to [84e3fc07c09bd99df48e9c8da948b20fe4715a96]
# 
# patch "format.hh"
#  from [e2060fde3c8635c17e1c3d0cb164cebd6bfba6b2]
#    to [c5d8038ca6a05a784badf2fba25f08ec0975b787]
# 
# patch "monotone.1"
#  from [b4333b9f17ba604ca732d3de2e833c78bf0991a7]
#    to [2f053fc3c1b544dc2cfd523d443a4968966b721c]
# 
# patch "monotone.texi"
#  from [4ec8f99151eb98cd9058d5afaa31dd94fd4c2166]
#    to [1cd3647b4cc2c03fc45c6abfe8072a6ada288f8e]
# 
--- format.cc
+++ format.cc
@@ -102,6 +102,9 @@
   // final string  
   buf.assign(start_current_fmt, i);
   fmtstrs[current_fmt] = utf8(buf);
+
+  // assign the starting point for apply()
+  startpoint = fmtstrs[FMTIDX_REVISION]().begin ();
 }
 
 
@@ -349,7 +352,7 @@
   app.db.get_revision_certs (rid, certs);
   erase_bogus_certs (certs, app);
 
-  std::string::const_iterator i = fmtstrs[FMTIDX_REVISION]().begin ();
+  std::string::const_iterator i = startpoint;
   std::string::const_iterator e = fmtstrs[FMTIDX_REVISION]().end();
   while (i != e)
     {
@@ -405,6 +408,11 @@
               else
                 out << rid.inner()();
               break;
+            case '+':
+              N(!short_form, F("no short form for the '%%+' formatting specifier"));
+              startpoint = ++i; // predispone next starting point
+              N(startpoint != e, F("A format string can't terminate with '%%+'"));
+              return; // exit directly from the function, skipping the rest
             default:
               N(!short_form, F("no short form for changelog specifier"));
               // unrecognized specifier, perhaps is a changeset one ?
@@ -418,6 +426,9 @@
       
       ++i;
     }
+
+    // resets fmt str starting point
+    startpoint = fmtstrs[FMTIDX_REVISION]().begin ();
 }
 
 
--- format.hh
+++ format.hh
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@
 private:
   std::ostream & out; 
   utf8 fmtstrs[8];  
+  std::string::const_iterator startpoint;
 };
 
 
--- monotone.1
+++ monotone.1
@@ -328,7 +328,11 @@
 %m  : manifest id
 .br
 %sm : shortened manifest id
+.br
+%+  : terminates formatting for the current revision. The next revision
+will be formatted by the specifiers following %+
 
+
 The short forms have the following meanings:  For author, everything 
 before the first @ symbol.  For branch, everything after the last '.' 
 character.  For date, everything before the first 'T' character.  
@@ -360,6 +364,15 @@
 \\\\, \\% and \\@ are used to obtain the \\, % and @ char respectively.
 
 The default format string is '%i\\n'. 
+
+The specifier %+ is used to apply alternating format strings to
+different revisions. When found, a %+ specifiers terminates the
+formatting of current revision.
+The next revision to be formatted will 'see' only the format string
+following the %s.
+To have a two column author output you will use a '%a %+ %a\\n' format
+string.
+
 .TP
 \fB--xml\fP
 Generate an xml document based on automate output and containing full
--- monotone.texi
+++ monotone.texi
@@ -4875,6 +4875,8 @@
 %r : value of testresult certificate
 %t : value of tag certificate
 %[s]m : manifest id
+%+ : terminates formatting for the current revision. The next revision
+will be formatted by the specifiers following %+
 @end verbatim
 
 Changeset Placeholders:
@@ -4904,6 +4906,36 @@
 
 The default format string is '%i\\n'. 
 
+The specifier %+ is used to apply alternating format strings to
+different revisions. When found, a %+ specifiers terminates the
+formatting of current revision.
+The next revision to be formatted will 'see' only the format string
+following the %s.
+To have a two column author output you will use a '%a %+ %a\n' format
+string.
+Note: without the %+, the formatting specifiers could still be given
+multiple times, but their output will refer to the same revision.
+Consider as an example two commits, one by jim@@juicebot.co.jp and one
+by beth@@juicebot.co.jp. 
+
+The format string '%a %a\n' will give you
+
address@hidden
address@hidden
+jim@@juicebot.co.jp jim@@juicebot.co.jp
+beth@@juicebot.co.jp beth@@juicebot.co.jp
address@hidden group
address@hidden smallexample
+
+where '%a %+ %a\n' gives instead
+
address@hidden
address@hidden
+jim@@juicebot.co.jp  beth@@juicebot.co.jp
address@hidden group
address@hidden smallexample
+
+
 @page
 @node    RCS
 @section RCS
@@ -6577,8 +6609,8 @@
 data.
 Special changeset placeholders put in the common expression are
 substituted by the formatted changeset informations.
-The separate the common formatting expression is separated from  the
-changeset ones by apposite markers. 
+The common formatting expression is separated from the changeset ones
+by apposite markers. 
 
 Common formatting specifiers:
 @verbatim
@@ -6596,6 +6628,8 @@
 %t  : value of tag certificate
 %m  : manifest id
 %sm : shortened manifest id
+%+  : terminates formatting for the current revision. The next revision
+will be formatted by the specifiers following %+
 @end verbatim
 
 The short forms have the following meanings: for ids, the first 8