Syntax for line-spacing

[jn_meter]

Am I right in thinking that options [in brackets] must all be on one line, as follows?

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IfTrueAction=
[!SetOption meter_value_networkDown MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficIn]
[!SetOption meter_value_networkUp MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficOut]
[!EnableMeasure measure_vpn]
[!ShowMeter meter_vpn]

If so - and certainly the above seems not to work, though neither my linter nor the Rainmeter log show an error - then that makes for some unreadable code!

Apologies if I've failed to find an existing answer to this question.

[mak_kawa]

To me, it seems to be not right. By your IfTrueAction expression, no action is set, because of no bangs between "=" and "line end"(CRLF).
I am not sure about your bangs, but I think you have to describe it as;

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IfTrueAction=[!SetOption meter_value_networkDown MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficIn][!SetOption meter_value_networkUp MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficOut][!EnableMeasure measure_vpn][!ShowMeter meter_vpn]

[jsmorley]

Correct. All options in any .ini file must be on a single line.

[jn_meter]

Thank you for the information. I think I should post a feature-request. Were line-splitting to become available, it would be like the joyous time that Conkys no longer had to be a single line.

[jsmorley]

Thank you for the information. I think I should post a feature-request. Were line-splitting to become available, it would be like the joyous time that Conkys no longer had to be a single line.

As long as Rainmeter uses the .ini file format, it will require that all options be on one line.

[jn_meter]

In that case, it seems to be that the it is the format specification that needs revising - or rather, extending. Actually, I take it that some versions of the format have multi-line support already.

[Yincognito]

In that case, it seems to be that the it is the format specification that needs revising - or rather, extending. Actually, I take it that some versions of the format have multi-line support already.

Yeah, but that can lead to backward compatibility issues. Not to mention including whatever the new format needs in the future builds.

[jn_meter]

I would like to stress the unreadability of something like the following - and it would be worse were it longer.

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IfTrueAction=[!SetOption meter_value_networkDown MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficIn] [!SetOption meter_value_networkUp MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficOut] [!EnableMeasure measure_vpn] [!ShowMeter meter_vpn]

And unreadability makes debugging harder and mistakes easier.

[Yincognito]

I would like to stress the unreadability of something like the following - and it would be worse were it longer.

Code: Select all

IfTrueAction=[!SetOption meter_value_networkDown MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficIn] [!SetOption meter_value_networkUp MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficOut] [!EnableMeasure measure_vpn] [!ShowMeter meter_vpn]

And unreadability makes debugging harder and mistakes easier.

True. My longest line in Rainmeter code is 39999 characters, LOL. It's a decoding character substitute used instead of the "built-in" method of decoding characters, as that fails on various occasions (like multiple encodings or rarely used characters, for example).

But then, you have a number of options to shorten them, if you want:
- use variables to store longer, repetitive bangs or substitutes, or even to create "shortcuts" / abbreviations to actual bangs
- use groups to shorten enumerating a list of meters / measures / skins
- use fake meter styles to store repetitive processes
- use @Include to store "modules" of often used code
- use any number of spaces to separate various parts of a long line
- and probably more ...

For example, using variables, your line would be "translated" as:

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[Variables]
SetNetDownStyle=[!SetOption meter_value_networkDown MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficIn]
SetNetUpStyle=[!SetOption meter_value_networkUp MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficOut]
EnableShowVPN=[!EnableMeasure measure_vpn][!ShowMeter meter_vpn]
...
...
...
[YourMeasureOrMeter]
...
IfTrueAction=#SetNetDownStyle##SetNetUpStyle##EnableShowVPN#

Or, you could just use Enter to separate parts of your long line in Notepad++ while "building" the aforementioned line's process, and then when you're done just select those lines and automatically replace the line feed / new line characters with the empty string, in effect making it one line. Won't improve readability or debugging the process afterwards, but it would improve the task of creating the process in the first place.

[jn_meter]

Thank you.

Having line spaces only whilst editing: yes, I thought of that, but, clearly, it is not ideal, especially since, as I wrote, Rainmeter throws no error if one forgets to do the reversion.

The variable trick I did not know. However, can one combine those declarations, thusly?

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SetNetDownStyle=[!SetOption meter_value_networkDown MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficIn][!SetOption meter_value_networkUp MeterStyle style_value_network_trafficOut][!EnableMeasure measure_vpn][!ShowMeter meter_vpn]

If not, then, well. Trying to work out what e.g. 'SetNetDownStyle' means (setting something called NetDown to some style? Doing something when the network is down?) is no fun. Indeed having to do that might be worse than the problem that I have at present! Also, even if one can do the above, it pretty much just moves unreadable code from one place in the script to another place!