[Aptitude-devel] Bug#759772: Allow format strings to require fixed width for optional arguments

[Benny Baumann]

Package: aptitude
Version: 0.6.11-1
Severity: minor

Let's assume the following format string for package lists:

    %c%a%M%S %?i %p# %Z %10D %10I %4r %20v %20V %t

Now configure some packages with explicit preferences along the lines of:

    $ cat /etc/apt/preferences
    Package: linux-image-* linux-headers-* linux-firmware-* firmware-* *-firmware
    Pin: release a=experimental
    Pin-Priority: 1000

    Package: linux-image-* linux-headers-* linux-firmware-* firmware-* *-firmware
    Pin: release a=unstable
    Pin-Priority: 950

    Package: *
    Pin: release a=testing
    Pin-Priority: 900

    Package: *
    Pin: release a=stable
    Pin-Priority: 800

    Package: *
    Pin: release a=experimental
    Pin-Priority: 750

    Package: *
    Pin: release a=unstable
    Pin-Priority: 700

When browsing the various categories you will see various most packages without
any priority, as desired. But when looking into a section with kernel images,
development headers or firmware packages in them, mixed with other, you will
see stairs and other effects with misalignment of the columns.

It would be cool if you could ask Aptitude to skip the value as is now, but
still reserve a certain amount of space for it anyway.

Regards,
BenBE.

-- Package-specific info:
Terminal: screen
$DISPLAY not set.
which aptitude: /usr/bin/aptitude

aptitude version information:
aptitude 0.6.11 compiled at Jun  9 2014 20:46:57
Compiler: g++ 4.8.3
Compiled against:
  apt version 4.12.0
  NCurses version 5.9
  libsigc++ version: 2.2.11
  Gtk+ support disabled.
  Qt support disabled.

Current library versions:
  NCurses version: ncurses 5.9.20140712
  cwidget version: 0.5.17
  Apt version: 4.12.0

aptitude linkage:
	linux-vdso.so.1 (0x00007fffa67fc000)
	libapt-pkg.so.4.12 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libapt-pkg.so.4.12 (0x00007f1358d05000)
	libncursesw.so.5 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libncursesw.so.5 (0x00007f1358acf000)
	libtinfo.so.5 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtinfo.so.5 (0x00007f13588a4000)
	libsigc-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libsigc-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f135869f000)
	libcwidget.so.3 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libcwidget.so.3 (0x00007f1358398000)
	libsqlite3.so.0 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libsqlite3.so.0 (0x00007f13580d6000)
	libboost_iostreams.so.1.55.0 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libboost_iostreams.so.1.55.0 (0x00007f1357ebe000)
	libxapian.so.22 => /usr/lib/libxapian.so.22 (0x00007f1357ab3000)
	libpthread.so.0 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpthread.so.0 (0x00007f1357895000)
	libstdc++.so.6 => /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6 (0x00007f135758a000)
	libm.so.6 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libm.so.6 (0x00007f1357289000)
	libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1 (0x00007f1357072000)
	libc.so.6 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6 (0x00007f1356cc9000)
	libutil.so.1 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libutil.so.1 (0x00007f1356ac6000)
	libdl.so.2 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libdl.so.2 (0x00007f13568c1000)
	libz.so.1 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libz.so.1 (0x00007f13566a9000)
	libbz2.so.1.0 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libbz2.so.1.0 (0x00007f1356499000)
	liblzma.so.5 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/liblzma.so.5 (0x00007f1356275000)
	librt.so.1 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/librt.so.1 (0x00007f135606d000)
	libuuid.so.1 => /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libuuid.so.1 (0x00007f1355e67000)
	/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00007f135969b000)

-- System Information:
Debian Release: jessie/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (900, 'testing'), (800, 'stable'), (750, 'experimental'), (700, 'unstable'), (500, 'oldstable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 3.16-trunk-amd64 (SMP w/8 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=de_DE.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=de_DE.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages aptitude depends on:
ii  aptitude-common           0.6.11-1
ii  libapt-pkg4.12            1.0.6
ii  libboost-iostreams1.55.0  1.55.0+dfsg-2
ii  libc6                     2.19-9
ii  libcwidget3               0.5.17-1
ii  libgcc1                   1:4.9.1-4
ii  libncursesw5              5.9+20140712-2
ii  libsigc++-2.0-0c2a        2.2.11-4
ii  libsqlite3-0              3.8.5-2
ii  libstdc++6                4.9.1-4
ii  libtinfo5                 5.9+20140712-2
ii  libxapian22               1.2.18-1

Versions of packages aptitude recommends:
pn  aptitude-doc-en | aptitude-doc  <none>
ii  libparse-debianchangelog-perl   1.2.0-1
ii  sensible-utils                  0.0.9

Versions of packages aptitude suggests:
pn  apt-xapian-index  <none>
ii  debtags           1.12.1
ii  tasksel           3.20

-- debconf-show failed