Enhance error message boxes with filename wrapping in addition to elision

[ossilator]

Is there an existing issue for this?

• I have searched the existing issues

Midnight Commander version and build configuration

GNU Midnight Commander 4.8.33-187-gb03c830d9
Built with GLib 2.84.1 (using GLib 2.84.1)
Built with S-Lang 2.3.3 and terminfo database (using S-Lang 2.3.3)
Built with libssh2 1.11.1
With builtin editor
With subshell support as default
With support for background operations
With mouse support on xterm and Linux console
With support for X11 events
Virtual File Systems:
 cpiofs, tarfs, sfs, extfs, ftpfs, sftpfs, shell
Data types:
 char: 8; int: 32; long: 64; void *: 64; size_t: 64; off_t: 64; uintmax_t: 64;

Operating system

linux

Is this issue reproducible using the latest version of Midnight Commander?

• I confirm the issue is still reproducible with the latest version of Midnight Commander

How to reproduce

use the f6 dialog to rename a file into a fairly long but somehow bogus name.

Expected behavior

a helpful error message.

Actual behavior

the file name in the error message is elided ("foo~bar").

Additional context

eliding is absolutely not acceptable in error messages, because it can hide relevant information. when necessary, the file name should be wrapped and the dialog's text reflowed.

my specific case was that i was guessing how to use shell patterns in the rename dialog correctly (see #4691), and the resulting error message completely failed to convey what was actually wrong, because the actually interesting part was elided. the error being "no such file or directory" didn't help, either.

[mc-worker]

A duplicate of #4661.

[ossilator]

yeah, i thought i've seen something related previously, but i didn't find that issue. it approaches the problem from a different angle - which is valid, but not sufficient. i'd leave both issues open.

[zyv]

So what should be done on top of #4661?

Don't elide even if the filename doesn't fit on one terminal line? What if the reflowed box doesn't fit inside the terminal, introduce a scrollbar (which we don't have)?

I think the solution in #4661 is sufficient. If in doubt - reduce or maximise the font size in the terminal emulator. The rest really seems like going overboard. I would close this issue...

[ossilator]

Don't elide even if the filename doesn't fit on one terminal line?

yes. forcibly line-break it instead.

What if the reflowed box doesn't fit inside the terminal, introduce a scrollbar

that would be the correct solution indeed.

(which we don't have)?

given that the problem is kinda academic, it seems acceptable to elide the wrapped message in this case, just to have some defined behavior.

If in doubt - reduce or maximise the font size in the terminal emulator.

good luck doing that in a linux console ...

[zyv]

Don't elide even if the filename doesn't fit on one terminal line?

yes. forcibly line-break it instead.

You mentioned elsewhere that proper wrapping is a 10-line function. I'm somehow very skeptical about that, when you do it nicely with a break indicator and an elision (in the middle?) on overflow. But maybe if you can actually write such a function easily and some tests, then we can apply it on top of #4661 in this ticket...