UI Patch - Add whitespace at top of MessageBox if it's a reply/comment

RT Users
1

Hi rt-users,

Here’s a quick patch I made to add some whitespace to the top of the message
when replying to a message. It makes it easier to just start typing if you
have FCKeditor set to StartupFocus.

— MessageBox 2009-01-28 21:37:01.000000000 -0500
+++ /usr/local/share/request-tracker3.8/html/Elements/MessageBox
2009-01-28 22:28:23.000000000 -0500
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
%# END BPS TAGGED BLOCK }}}

% $m->callback( %ARGS );
-<% $Default || ‘’ %><% $message %><% $signature %>
+<% $Default || ‘’ %><% $whitespace %><% $message %><% $signature
%>
<%INIT>

my $message = ‘’;
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@
$signature = “-- \n”. $text;
}

+my $whitespace = ‘’;
+if ( $message ) {

  • $whitespace = “\n\n\n”;
    +}
    </%INIT>
    <%ARGS>
    $QuoteTransaction => undef

BTW, I caught on that making changes in
local/html/NoAuth/RichText/FCKeditor/fckconfig.js doesn’t work; where’s the
best place to override the FCKeditor configuration to enable the option
FCKConfig.StartupFocus = true; ? Even better, how about making this the
default option, as no other fields seem to get the focus anyway.

…
Adam Tingle

2

Be careful. This patch will break rt’s empty reply detection.Adam Tingle adamtingle@gmail.com wrote:

Hi rt-users,

Here’s a quick patch I made to add some whitespace to the top of the message
when replying to a message. It makes it easier to just start typing if you
have FCKeditor set to StartupFocus.

— MessageBox 2009-01-28 21:37:01.000000000 -0500
+++ /usr/local/share/request-tracker3.8/html/Elements/MessageBox
2009-01-28 22:28:23.000000000 -0500
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
%# END BPS TAGGED BLOCK }}}

\ % $m->callback( %ARGS ); -<% $Default || '' %><% $message %><% $signature %>

+<% $Default || ‘’ %><% $whitespace %><% $message %><% $signature
%>
<%INIT>

my $message = ‘’;
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@
$signature = “-- \n”. $text;
}

+my $whitespace = ‘’;
+if ( $message ) {

  • $whitespace = “\n\n\n”;
    +}
    </%INIT>
    <%ARGS>
    $QuoteTransaction => undef

BTW, I caught on that making changes in
local/html/NoAuth/RichText/FCKeditor/fckconfig.js doesn’t work; where’s the
best place to override the FCKeditor configuration to enable the option
FCKConfig.StartupFocus = true; ? Even better, how about making this the
default option, as no other fields seem to get the focus anyway.

–
…
Adam Tingle

The rt-users Archives

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3

Thanks for the heads-up, but how does the empty reply detection work? It
doesn’t seem to do anything if I remove the patch. I click reply, click
update ticket, and my ‘empty reply’ is recorded. Is it an option I have to
turn on?

Be careful. This patch will break rt’s empty reply detection.

Adam Tingle adamtingle@gmail.com wrote:

Hi rt-users,

Here’s a quick patch I made to add some whitespace to the top of the
message
when replying to a message. It makes it easier to just start typing if you
have FCKeditor set to StartupFocus.

— MessageBox 2009-01-28 21:37:01.000000000 -0500
+++ /usr/local/share/request-tracker3.8/html/Elements/MessageBox
2009-01-28 22:28:23.000000000 -0500
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
%# END BPS TAGGED BLOCK }}}

\ % $m->callback( %ARGS ); -<% $Default || '' %><% $message %><% $signature %>

+<% $Default || ‘’ %><% $whitespace %><% $message %><% $signature
%>
<%INIT>

my $message = ‘’;
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@
$signature = “-- \n”. $text;
}

+my $whitespace = ‘’;
+if ( $message ) {

  • $whitespace = “\n\n\n”;
    +}
    </%INIT>
    <%ARGS>
    $QuoteTransaction => undef

BTW, I caught on that making changes in
local/html/NoAuth/RichText/FCKeditor/fckconfig.js doesn’t work; where’s
the
best place to override the FCKeditor configuration to enable the option
FCKConfig.StartupFocus = true; ? Even better, how about making this the
default option, as no other fields seem to get the focus anyway.

–
…
Adam Tingle

The rt-users Archives

Community help: http://wiki.bestpractical.com
Commercial support: sales@bestpractical.com

Discover RT’s hidden secrets with RT Essentials from O’Reilly Media.
Buy a copy at http://rtbook.bestpractical.com
–
Sent from my Android phone with K-9. Please excuse my brevity.

…
Adam Tingle

4

This is patching the wrong way, but it’s the right decision. I’m
hating having to manually move the cursor in front of the signature
and end a newline before typing.

I think the right patch would be to add the whitespace at the same
place that “-- \n” is added to the beginning of the signature. This
is only added if the signature exists, and thus would be the easy fix.On Jan 28, 2009, at 8:15 PM, Adam Tingle wrote:

Thanks for the heads-up, but how does the empty reply detection
work? It doesn’t seem to do anything if I remove the patch. I click
reply, click update ticket, and my ‘empty reply’ is recorded. Is it
an option I have to turn on?

  • Adam

On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 10:58 PM, Jesse Vincent <jesse@bestpractical.com wrote:
Be careful. This patch will break rt’s empty reply detection.

Adam Tingle adamtingle@gmail.com wrote:

Hi rt-users,

Here’s a quick patch I made to add some whitespace to the top of
the message
when replying to a message. It makes it easier to just start typing
if you
have FCKeditor set to StartupFocus.

— MessageBox 2009-01-28 21:37:01.000000000 -0500
+++ /usr/local/share/request-tracker3.8/html/Elements/MessageBox
2009-01-28 22:28:23.000000000 -0500
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
%# END BPS TAGGED BLOCK }}}

http://lists.bestpractical.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/rt-users

Community help: http://wiki.bestpractical.com
Commercial support: sales@bestpractical.com

Discover RT’s hidden secrets with RT Essentials from O’Reilly Media.
Buy a copy at http://rtbook.bestpractical.com
–
Sent from my Android phone with K-9. Please excuse my brevity.

–
…
Adam Tingle

The rt-users Archives

Community help: http://wiki.bestpractical.com
Commercial support: sales@bestpractical.com

Discover RT’s hidden secrets with RT Essentials from O’Reilly Media.
Buy a copy at http://rtbook.bestpractical.com

Jo Rhett
Net Consonance : consonant endings by net philanthropy, open source
and other randomness

5

In specific, I believe that this would be the better patch:

— html/Elements/MessageBox_orig 2009-01-28 23:48:34.000000000
-0800
+++ html/Elements/MessageBox 2009-01-28 23:48:45.000000000 -0800
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@

my $signature = ‘’;
if ( $IncludeSignature and my $text = $session{‘CurrentUser’}-

UserObj->Signature ) {

  •   $signature = "-- \n". $text;

  •   $signature = "\n\n\n-- \n". $text;

    }

    </%INIT>

Jesse: I can’t find any place where the Signature and “-- \n” are
being used for empty reply comparison. Can you point me in the right
direction? The obvious fix is \s+--\s\n + Signature but I can’t
find where this should go.On Jan 28, 2009, at 11:43 PM, Jo Rhett wrote:

This is patching the wrong way, but it’s the right decision. I’m
hating having to manually move the cursor in front of the signature
and end a newline before typing.

I think the right patch would be to add the whitespace at the same
place that “-- \n” is added to the beginning of the signature. This
is only added if the signature exists, and thus would be the easy fix.

On Jan 28, 2009, at 8:15 PM, Adam Tingle wrote:

Thanks for the heads-up, but how does the empty reply detection
work? It doesn’t seem to do anything if I remove the patch. I click
reply, click update ticket, and my ‘empty reply’ is recorded. Is it
an option I have to turn on?

  • Adam

On Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 10:58 PM, Jesse Vincent <jesse@bestpractical.com wrote:
Be careful. This patch will break rt’s empty reply detection.

Adam Tingle adamtingle@gmail.com wrote:

Hi rt-users,

Here’s a quick patch I made to add some whitespace to the top of
the message
when replying to a message. It makes it easier to just start
typing if you
have FCKeditor set to StartupFocus.

— MessageBox 2009-01-28 21:37:01.000000000 -0500
+++ /usr/local/share/request-tracker3.8/html/Elements/MessageBox
2009-01-28 22:28:23.000000000 -0500
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
%# END BPS TAGGED BLOCK }}}

http://lists.bestpractical.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/rt-users

Community help: http://wiki.bestpractical.com
Commercial support: sales@bestpractical.com

Discover RT’s hidden secrets with RT Essentials from O’Reilly Media.
Buy a copy at http://rtbook.bestpractical.com
–
Sent from my Android phone with K-9. Please excuse my brevity.

–
…
Adam Tingle

The rt-users Archives

Community help: http://wiki.bestpractical.com
Commercial support: sales@bestpractical.com

Discover RT’s hidden secrets with RT Essentials from O’Reilly Media.
Buy a copy at http://rtbook.bestpractical.com

–
Jo Rhett
Net Consonance : consonant endings by net philanthropy, open source
and other randomness

Jo Rhett
Net Consonance : consonant endings by net philanthropy, open source
and other randomness

6

In specific, I believe that this would be the better patch:

Jo,

lib/RT/Interface/Web.pm sub ProcessUpdateMessage is the code I was
thinking of.

-jesse

8

Jerrad Pierce wrote:

I don’t think this should be merged into base, as it promotes top-posting.

Not to be a “me-too” or anything, but I want to whole-heartedly agree
with the above. Top-posting has seriously gotten out of hand (thanks
Outlook(!!)) and should be discouraged at all times.

Kind Regards,

Mike Peachey, IT
Tel: +44 114 281 2655
Fax: +44 114 281 2951
Jennic Ltd, Furnival Street, Sheffield, S1 4QT, UK
Comp Reg No: 3191371 - Registered In England

9

I don’t think this should be merged into base, as it promotes top-
posting.

The patch adds blank lines before the signature. The signature is at
the bottom of the message…

The only time this would qualify as “top-posting” is when the reply or
comment is done without any previous comment, and which case it’s not
really top-posting.

Jo Rhett
Net Consonance : consonant endings by net philanthropy, open source
and other randomness

10

I don’t think this should be merged into base, as it promotes top-posting.

The patch adds blank lines before the signature. The signature is at the
bottom of the message…

The only time this would qualify as “top-posting” is when the reply or
comment is done without any previous comment, and which case it’s not really
top-posting.

I think you guys convinced me that top-posting is a bad idea when it comes
to RT: I didn’t clue in right away that the reply link at the top of the
ticket creates a reply without quoting anything. Since the ticket has the
entire history, usually there’s no need to reply with previous messages
quoted.

I think Jo is on the right track though. I didn’t have signatures enabled
before, but now that I do I see the problem. When you click ‘reply’ to a
message, the blank lines are inserted between the end of the quoted message
and the signature, but when you click ‘reply’ at the top of the ticket or
create a new ticket, the signature is the only text in the message. It would
be handy to have the whitespace included there instead.

…
Adam Tingle