Re: LYNX-DEV FW: Formatting Problems For Lynx

[Al Gilman]

> X-URL: http://www.flora.org/lynx-dev/html/month1097/msg00688.html
>    
>      * To: "'address@hidden'" <address@hidden>
>      * Subject: LYNX-DEV FW: Formatting Problems For Lynx
>      * From: "Parker, Brenden" <address@hidden>


> >
> >I am a unix systems administrator (DEC OS/F 3.2D) trying to format LYNX on
> >Boral's
> >intranet, using vt100, vt220 and vt520 character terminals. Here are my
> >problems:
> >


> >1)     When lists of titles are displayed on the screen, say after a search,
> >the tables / columns are very disorganised. How can I format them so
> >they appear in straight columns on the screen ?

Don't try to use columns with Lynx.  You can do it but it's too painful.
Unless you are happy with what you get with a PRE markup.

For a PRE example that works

in

   TABLE samples off the Web
   http://www.access.digex.net/%7Easgilman/web-access/TABLE/bookmarks.htm

see

   Haverhill Weekday Schedule
   http://www.mbta.com/haverwk.html

But also look at the "economy at a glance" example that is over 80 columns
wide and does not work.

Review what you can do to present your information via a nest of lists.

Look at (compare link 17:18 19:20 etc. in)

 NewzBot's USENET Resources Page
 http://www.jammed.com/~newzbot/

for inspiration.

> >2)     The MAIN reason for putting lynx on the Boral intranet is so users can
> >fill
> >in various types of forms. In the graphics based systems, a word
> >document will appear on the screen, which the users fill in then send
> >back to the server using email.
> >       In the LYNX system, the users chooses the document <request for 
> > change>
> >(say). The option <fill in the form> appears. The next option should be a
> >form appearing on the screen to fill in, but instead there is a <download
> >file - save to disk > option. Sometimes there is a "cannot write to file"
> >message alert, sometimes the file is
> >downloaded into the current working directory. The file format becomes
> >totally unreadable.
> >       Basically, what I need to do is to make these forms appear on the VT 
> > sc
> reen
> >to be filled in then sent back to the server. It is of no use to me
> >downloading the files to disk; the users have no shell access anyway. What
> >can I do ?
> >

You have two choices.  You can make your form an HTML form in which case
the Lynx user fills in the fields in the form while running Lynx itself.

You can make the process parallel your Word-based GUI process if there
is an editor on your Unix host that your character-terminal users will
all be comfortable with.  If there is no such editor, stick to HTML
forms.  On the other hand, I myself prefer to rewrite a note than to
have to fill in form fields.  To do the editing method you use a mailto:
link in your page after you instruct your users "When asked if you
want to include the current document, answer 'yes.'"

You have to have installed the editor that your users will understand
(pico would be fine if they are using pine) -- see lynx.cfg for details.


> >3)     Is it possible to hide the [LINK] text on the screen ? It is confusing
> for
> >the users.
> >

Learn about the ALT attribute.  If there are links, you should
inform the text-user where the hyperlink goes to in the ALT
string.


> >If you cannot assist me, do you know anyone who can ?
> >

One good starting point you should bookmark is

 Best Viewed With Any Browser
 http://server.berkeley.edu/~cdaveb/anybrowser.html

-- Al Gilman

;
; To UNSUBSCRIBE:  Send a mail message to address@hidden
;                  with "unsubscribe lynx-dev" (without the
;                  quotation marks) on a line by itself.
;