[Pidgin] #4986: automatic chat input field resizing should be optional, regression from 2.3

[Pidgin]

#4986: automatic chat input field resizing should be optional, regression from 2.3
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  Reporter:  swbrown       |       Owner:                   
      Type:  enhancement   |      Status:  reopened         
  Priority:  minor         |   Milestone:                   
 Component:  pidgin (gtk)  |     Version:  2.4.0            
Resolution:                |    Keywords:  chat input resize
   Pending:  0             |  
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Comment (by grassmonk):

 Replying to [comment:184 deryni]:
 >
 > *Why* do you need manual control back? What about the auto-resizing (of
 the new 2.4.1 version, so minimum of two lines maximum of half the window
 and no zero-pixel bug) is unacceptable to you? Is there anything that
 could be done to it to make it acceptable to you?

 I have not yet tried the new version 2.4.1--I will soon--but I suspect
 that, based on your description of the improved behavior, that I will
 dislike it as well.

 I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I never found the max size of 4
 lines to be the problem.  I actually think 4 lines is pretty reasonable--I
 think I have my manually-sized input pane in 2.3.1 around 5 or 6 lines--
 and I think that I will find 50% of the window height to be excessive.  I
 don't mind having scrollbars appear if I type/paste some extra text here
 and there that exceeds the input pane size.  My problem with auto-resizing
 is that it is visually distracting to me, even jarring.  It may seem
 silly, but it is important enough to me that I went back to using 2.3.1
 after trying 2.4.0 for while.

 I do have a question: instead of making the input pane resizeable by using
 a drag bar, why not simply let the user edit the minimum and maximum sizes
 of the pane?  Even if a UI is not provided for it, couldn't the sizes be
 read from the prefs.xml file (and thus just be edited manually)?  I assume
 that the values for 2 lines and 50% of the window height are stored
 somewhere, so what is the problem with loading a dynamic value at runtime,
 and letting the auto-resizing continue to happen, albeit without any
 visual change?  Does that type of behavior run akin to the about:config
 abomination you mentioned?  (While I don't often venture into
 about:config, I have found the need to use it on a few occasions, and I do
 appreciate it being there.)

 At any rate, I ''do'' appreciate all the hard work that the Pidgin
 developers put into this project.  As I mentioned in my previous comment,
 I have used Gaim/Pidgin for the last 5 years or so and I am glad that such
 a great IM client is available.  I hope that this issue with the resizing
 can reach a satisfactory compromise for all involved.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/4986#comment:194>
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