How Firefox display web page in multiple columns automatically ; jor firefox
giovanni_re
,multiple columns on the display screen?
ie, this is something the user, the person viewing the page, would have
ff do for them, for some existing web page they are viewing.
For instance, this page:
https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-users/2010-September/thread.html
requires 26 pages/screens to display.
If FF could display 4 colums at a time, I'd be able to scan through it
visually with only 6 "page-down" keypresses, instead of 25.
This is similar to the concept of "multi column printout", where you
tell the printer output driver top print a long file in some specific #
of columns on the paper. But here, we will tell the FF sw how many
columns to display in the FF window. Not _tabs_. All in one tab. But,
the tab will have multi columns.
==
is this perhaps a question that should go to a different Mozilla mailing
list,
like a FF developer mailing list?
If so, what is that list name?
=====
PS: It was suggested in the irc below that I check out
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2108/
"Restyle the web with Stylish, a user styles manager. Stylish lets you
easily install themes and skins for Google, Facebook, YouTube, Orkut,
and many, many other sites. You can even customize Firefox and other
programs themselves."
So, I'll look at that shortly to see if that can solve the problem.
But, I'd greatly appreciate any other easy solutions to multi-column
video display in the Firefox window.
==
PPS: I'd asked here about this about a week ago - no response, so I'm
trying again here with some more details/info.
Thanks for any help :)
===========================================
Here is an IRC discussion in #firefox on irc.mozilla.org.
The questions asked to me, &
My answers to the questions
might provide you some additional clarification about what I'm hoping
Firefox would be able to do,
in displaying a web page in multiple columns on the screen.
=====
<dsfjkhaosf> Is there a way to get firefox to display a web page, automatically, in ,multiple columns on the display screen?
<dsfjkhaosf> For instance, this page:
<dsfjkhaosf> https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-users/2010-September/thread.html
<dsfjkhaosf> requires 26 pages/screens to display.
<dsfjkhaosf> If FF could display 4 colums at a time, I'd be able to scan through it visually with only 6 "page-down" keypresses, instead of 25.
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: You would have to tell it somehow how long each "page" is.
<WillPittenger> Try copying it to your word processor.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: 1)"have to", err, no. It just should display dolumn wrap, like any page layout program can do.
<WillPittenger> HTML doesn't define the length of a page.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: 2) copying it is not a way to get FF to do this task, that ff ought trivially to be able to do.
<WillPittenger> So there is no length to wrap to.
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: It isn't trivial as there isn't enough information in the page.
<WillPittenger> HTML requires that the format be kept separate from the content.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: seems trivial to me: 1) start displaying text for page, 2) when reach bottom of the display screen, start a new column, 3) repeat till #columns = maximumValue (like say, 4,6,8,etc).
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: And when you scroll, what was in Column 2 is now in Column 1.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: Oh, this is for the _user_ to set the columns at display time, not the page creator,
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: Did you pull up that long ubuntu page at the url I gave above?
<WillPittenger> Doesn't matter.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: Did you pull up that long ubuntu page at the url I gave above?
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: Doesn't matter.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: thanks for your info.
<augh> html doesn't define the width of a page, so how does it consistently end up the same width as the window?
<dsfjkhaosf> Anyone else here know how to get ff to display a page in multiple columns on the screen?
<WillPittenger> augh: That is for the Window to decide.
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: All I can suggest is looking into Stylish or Greasemonkey.
<augh> so the length is also for the window to decide, right?
<WillPittenger> Correct.
<dsfjkhaosf> augh: So, one solution to that which I can imagine is: FF should have a setting, available in the "View" menu, "# colums to display", with standard options like 2,3,4,6,8,10, etc,
<WillPittenger> augh: One alternative would be for the CSS to include width or height attributes.
<augh> the problem is that firefox can't easily decide where to cut, so you'd have to do some arbitrary amount of overlap, and you'd see the same data twice
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: I'm asking for a user controllable setting, not a setting the web page creator sets,
<augh> if you're ok with seeing the same stuff at the bottom of column 1 and the top of column 2, i think you could do it with frames and javascript
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: I know.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: so, I'm thinking CSS is irrlevant here.
<WillPittenger> Like I said, try Stylish or GreaseMonkey.
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: I was replying to augh.
<WillPittenger> And you can force CSS on a page.
<WillPittenger> firebot: tell dsfjkhaosf about Stylish
<firebot> WillPittenger: told dsfjkhaosf
<WillPittenger> firebot: tell dsfjkhaosf about GreaseMonkey
<firebot> WillPittenger: told dsfjkhaosf
<augh> you'd get the height of the window, set each frame to the same html page, and then advance each frame's scrollbar by ((height - overlap) * frameindex) pixels
<augh> no css involved, just frames and javascript
<WillPittenger> GreaseMonkey support is at #greasemonkey. They should be able to tell your if GreaseMonkey can help.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: "WillPittenger wanted you to know: Stylish is an extension for editing the CSS of other websites." - I don't want to have to edit the website - I just want in FF to be able to turn on the # of colums it will use to display a page on the screen,
<auscompgeek> you mean irc://freenode/greasemonkey
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: Stylish is about forcing websites to have CSS that the site designer left out.
<WillPittenger> It sounds exactly like what you want.
<WillPittenger> auscompgeek: Moznet does have a #greasemonkey channel. And your link works only for CZ users.
<augh> it sounds completely unrelated
<Callek> WillPittenger: irc:// links work for things other than cZ too
<auscompgeek> WillPittenger: we have a #greasemonkey here?
<auscompgeek> WillPittenger: No we don't.
<WillPittenger> Callek: It wasn't the link itself. It was the network. Other clients need the actual server in the link.
<auscompgeek> fine then
<WillPittenger> auscompgeek: #greasemonkey shows up in my IRC join list.
<auscompgeek> irc://chat.freenode.net/greasemonkey
<auscompgeek> happy?
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: "WillPittenger wanted you to know: greasemonkey is http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org/ or http://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/748" - I dont want to "Allows you to customize the way a webpage displays using small bits of JavaScript." - write javascript - II believe FF should have 1 simple setting to control how many columns it displays a page in. And, then for FF to _do_ that. ...
<dsfjkhaosf> ...Not: me have to "write small bits of javascript."!
<dsfjkhaosf> Are there any Firefox developers here, in this channel?
<auscompgeek> 179
<auscompgeek> Yes.
<Callek> dsfjkhaosf: whats the question; there certainly are some here
<auscompgeek> I believe so.
<dsfjkhaosf> Callek: Is there a way to get firefox to display a web page, automatically, in ,multiple columns on the display screen?
<dsfjkhaosf> For instance, this page: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-users/2010-September/thread.html requires 26 pages/screens to display.
<dsfjkhaosf> If FF could display 4 colums at a time, I'd be able to scan through it visually with only 6 "page-down" keypresses, instead of 25.
<Callek> "multiple columns on the display screen"
<auscompgeek> There's no point of doing so if it's going to use up the EXACT SAME SPACE!
<auscompgeek> 9_9
<dsfjkhaosf> seems trivial to me: 1) start displaying text for page, 2) when reach bottom of the display screen, start a new column, 3) repeat till #columns = maximumValue (like say, 4,6,8,etc).
<augh> auscompgeek: that's not what dsfjkhaosf is describing
<auscompgeek> augh: hm?
<augh> it would take up 1/4 of the space, obviously
<auscompgeek> fine then, I'll look at it
<augh> since it's 4 columns on 1 screen
<augh> i haven't even looked at it
<dsfjkhaosf> Callek: ?
<auscompgeek> augh: 2 columns wouldn't even fit on my screen
<Callek> dsfjkhaosf: basically I'm not certain what layout/view your looking for; are you a multiple monitor user
<augh> i think i understand what dsfjkhaosf wants: imagine a frameset with 4 frames side-by-side. same web page in all frames, but each frame is advanced by one page-down, so the screen shows 4 consecutive pages of data.
<augh> then when you hit page down again they all advance
<Callek> or do you want the space divided into four quadrants on your Monitor, or do you want literally, "A | B | C | D | E | F" to use up full verticle space each
<augh> second one Callek
<Callek> augh: I understand thats what you think dsfjkhaosf wants, I'd rather hear it from him.
<augh> i would like to hear it from him too
<dsfjkhaosf> Callek: only one monitor is necessary - it would be just like doing multi column paper printout on a piece of paper. Merely, the columns would display on the video display screen.
<Callek> dsfjkhaosf: the problem I'm having is you are using very ambiguous terms
<Callek> "video display screen" is confusing
<dsfjkhaosf> augh: you are correct in your description above of wjat O
<dsfjkhaosf> what I'm trying to describve
<Callek> dsfjkhaosf: using contentCss and -moz-column properties should do what you want
<dsfjkhaosf> Callek: video display. CRT. Monitor. LCD screen - all the same thing
* Callek doesn't have the knowledge of either of those first-hand enough to describe to you
<augh> i really like that -moz-column idea
\
<dsfjkhaosf> augh: 1) do you develop code for FF? 2) can you imagine a way to get accomplished this multi-column display of a web page, on the video displey?
<augh> can that be applied to the whole document with a javascript bookmark?
<auscompgeek> I believe augh != Fx dev
<WillPittenger> Callek: Would using usercontent.css take effect on websites without checking the site's URL?
<augh> i have mo idea how to develop even an extension
<WillPittenger> If so, I doubt he wants it.
<auscompgeek> WillPittenger: you can check the domain name using CSS.
<dsfjkhaosf> Callek: I want the option you described: "want literally, "A | B | C | D | E | F" to use up full verticle space each"
* auscompgeek is confused
<dsfjkhaosf> Thanks all for your thinking about my question,
<augh> stick around, i'm looking something up
<dsfjkhaosf> Is there perhaps a ff-developer channel where someone might have a more immediate comprehension of a quick way to get multi-column display accomplished, or suggest a path to progress on this issue?
<augh> huh, i really don't know enough to do this
<augh> my idea is to use a javascript bookmarklet to apply a -moz-column proprty to the entire document
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: Look into Stylish like I told you before.
<WillPittenger> It can apply CSS stuff on the fly to pages.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: will do, thanks :)
<WillPittenger> dsfjkhaosf: I still think you won't like what
you get.
<WillPittenger> When I see pages like that, I normally am looking for something specific and settle on CTR-F to find it.
<WillPittenger> :p CTRL-F
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: seems to me a multi-column display in a FF window should be 1) easy to do, & desired by _many_ people. ;)
<WillPittenger> It is easy--if you have more information. And I don't think many would use it.
<WillPittenger> Once you get it working, you may see what I am talking about.
<WillPittenger> Namely, I suspect as you page down, what was in Column 2
may simply appear in Column 1.
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: well, that is at least 1 step forward toward progress,
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: at least that might be able to get more page text onto the video monitor,
<dsfjkhaosf> WillPittenger: then, the pagedown key movement could be a next step problem to solve.
<WillPittenger> I also think there are some extensions that can save the page as a PDF. That might help you too.
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