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   Hi, Anton Shepelev!   
   I read your message from 20.10.2019 01:31   
      
    AK>> Just in case I remind people that long ago I had made a program   
    AK>> for making good quoting in Fidonet echos, USENET group, WEB forums   
    AK>> etc. Maybe it can be useful, or at least you can try it.   
    AS> I have never heard of it before.   
    AK>> The official page of the distributive is here:   
    AK>> https://www.facebook.com/ReformatorQuoter   
    AK>   
    AK>> or you can use the direct link to the zip at my google drive:   
    AK>> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zHjMdx2CUDWzsKH5YvhICjzxAd8cdXIT   
      
    AS> This is not a direct link, but one that leads to a page with   
    AS> a "Download" button. I trow Google Drive does not support direct   
    AS> links at all...   
      
   Well, I meant that the URL at my Facebook page points to the Google Drive URL,   
   but the second URL allows you get the zip without Facebook.   
      
   BWT, Google drive supports direct links; you can read about it here:   
   https://lifehacker.com/share-direct-links-to-files-in-google-dri   
   e-and-skip-th-1493813665   
   or   
   http://tinyurl.com/yxpwak2c   
      
    AS> The program is named "ReformatorQuoter" -- is it an intended pun   
    AS> with "refomrer"? I believe "QuoteReformatter" would be the proper   
    AS> English name, but yours is certainly more creative.   
      
   No, once I've made a multifunctional program "Reformator". I wanted to make a   
   utility which could easily reformat the formatted+justified e-texts to their   
   unformatted forms so that my e-books reader showed it neat, without broken   
   lines. Then, I realized that I can extend it and make a universal quoter for   
   fido, usenet and web. Actually both utilities are inside the program   
   "Reformator". ReformatorQuoter is the lite version -- it contains only a   
   quoter utility. That's why "quoter" should be second in the program name.   
      
    AS> The program is made in the best traditions of Windows 95, and even   
    AS> works on my Windows XP machine, which is rare in our days of   
    AS> bloated software written for virtual platforms such as.NET or Java.   
    AS> I was a little disappointed to see it distributed in the form of an   
    AS> installer that modifies the Windows registry, but found out that   
    AS> two files!?! reformator.exe' and!?! reformator.md5' constitute a   
    AS> working portable version that does not require any installation.   
      
   Windows users with little experience prefer app icons instead of file names.   
   They have a headache when they hear about file extentions. The modern windows   
   file explorer hides file extentions. It is not a bad idea, IMHO.   
      
    AS> In what language did you write and have you published the source   
    AS> code?   
      
   The app was made in C++ Builder 6.0, no sources have been released.   
      
    AS> Reformator supports only one font in only two sizes: 8 and 10 pt.   
    AS> Whereas using a fixed font, if it is available on all versions of   
    AS> Windows, is understandable, the limitation of font size cannot be   
    AS> justified, considering different resolutions, displays, and   
    AS> eyesight of the users. I suggest that you let them set an arbitrary   
    AS> integer font size.   
      
   Well, when you set up your windows system font Microsoft offers you three   
   steps to do it -- "little, medium, large". In most cases it is enough. So if   
   "little\medium is not enough it is possible to add "large". Also it is   
   important to use a monospaced font.   
      
    AS> What is your justification algorithm, how does it select spaces for   
    AS> stretching -- always from the right end of the line?   
      
   Yes, although it is more complicated. For instance, at first, spaces are added   
   between sentences, then after commas, and if it is not enough spaces are added   
   between words. Something like that, AFAIR.   
      
    AS> A lot of vertical space is wasted because of the "Quoter" tab.   
    AS> Since it is the *only* tab in the window, why not remove it   
    AS> altogether? It does not perform any function. Or do you plan to add   
    AS> more tabs?   
      
   As I said, it is a lite version of "Reformer" (it has 10 tabs).   
      
    AS> The "Format+level" button ignores the checkbox "A space after   
    AS> quoter's symbol" if the initials are empty. For example, I get   
    AS> this:   
      
   -----Beginning of the citation-----   
   > quotation   
      
   and cannot get this:   
      
   > quotation   
   ----- The end of the citation -----   
      
   Actually you should not format the message text with empty initials. You   
   should always put both initials for proper work.   
      
    AS> Would that be bug?   
      
   I think it is not.   
      
    AS> There is no "Format-level" button that could decrease the level of   
    AS> quotation, which I think would be very useful too.   
      
   I believe it is a very rare case to implement it. If, occasionally, you need   
   it you can use pop-up menu and remove initials from the text paragrapher. Then   
   you can use format+level to make the level you wish.   
      
    AS> When the initials are not empty, Reformator adds a space at the   
    AS> beginning of each line, e.g.   
    AS> Is that the intended behavior?   
      
   Yes - it is a fidonet standard - it must be a space before every line with a   
   quotation.   
      
    AS> I also have suggestions concerting the inteface, such as using   
    AS> postive statements ("Justify") instead of negative ones ("Do not   
    AS> justify"), and the English translation. I can share them too if you   
    AS> are interested.   
      
   Actually formatting fidonet messages with justification is a trick, made for   
   fun -- nobody like it. Although it looks cool. ;)   
      
    AS> By and large, Reformator is good program to supplement the   
    AS> deficiencies of text editors built into client software.   
      
   I used it at web forums it it was cool. You should however at first correctly   
   define the max length for the formatted line.   
      
    AS>  Outlook,   
    AS> for example, is so defective that it cannot quote at all and cannot   
    AS> be used without Reformator.   
      
   Yes, it uses the clipboard, and it makes it a universal tool.   
      
   PS: There are some shortcomings of course. The most unpleasant one - it can   
   undo only one operation. I planed to change the native RichEdit component with   
   more complicated one, but I felt I could live with it. ;-) And besides -   
   initially, it was designed for the following way of working -- you make   
   quoting with ReformatorQuoter and then you return the text to your original   
   text editor.   
      
   Bye, Anton!   
   Alexander Koryagin   
   english_tutor 2019   
      
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