GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 239706
Settings window in Evolution 1.3.1 is HUGE, and cannot be resized
Last modified: 2013-09-10 14:03:10 UTC
Please fill in this template when reporting a bug, unless you know what you are doing. Description of Problem: The "Evolution Settings" window stretches all the way across my screen and beyond. My screen resolution is set at 1280x1024. Furthermore, it resists any attempt at resizing it. Steps to reproduce the problem: 1. Start Evolution 1.3.1 2. Open the "Evolution Settings" window from the Tools menu 3. Actual Results: Window stretches wider than my 1280x1024 screen can display. Clicking and dragging on the window border will not re-size the window. Expected Results: Settings window would open in a reasonably sized window, or at least allow me to re-size it to a saner width. How often does this happen? Every time Additional Information: XFree86 version 4.3.0 Gnome 2.2 Desktop, upgraded to the latest packages available via FTP at the time of posting this bug, using Metacity as the window manager. Font settings: Bitstream Vera Serif, size 14, for both Application and Desktop fonts.
Hm, my settings window fits in a 1024x768 screen. Are you using Evolution in a language other than English by any chance? Can you give me a screenshot?
Created attachment 42134 [details] Screen shot using Bitstream Vera Serif, size 12
Created attachment 42135 [details] Screenshot using Bitstream Vera Serif, size 14
I have done some more investigation into this, and the problem is definitely related to the application font size. I have attached two screenshots showing the settings window for two sizes of the Bitstream Vera Serif font: size 12 and size 14. My screen resolution is still 1280x1024 in both screenshots. For good measure, I also tried changing to the Times font, and experienced the same problem (I had to set a size of 18 for Times to stretch the window across my whole screen; screenshot not included). It seems that the window is being sized proportional to the font size. For now, I'm resetting my application font size to 12, but it would be nice if this Settings window could be manually re-sized.
*** bug 240036 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
I can confirm Trevor's suspicion that the font size might be important. Trevor says the window is too large for his 1280-wide screen at point sizes 12 and 14. I habitually run my desktop with Adobe New Century Schoolbook at 10-point size, so the fact that my Settings dialog turns up 1152 pixels wide would make the deviation proportional to what Trevor observes.
the settings dialog uses gtk_widget_size_request, from the docs: * Sets the minimum size of a widget; that is, the widget's size * request will be @width by @height. You can use this function to * force a widget to be either larger or smaller than it normally * would be. * * In most cases, gtk_window_set_default_size() is a better choice for * toplevel windows than this function; setting the default size will * still allow users to shrink the window. Setting the size request * will force them to leave the window at least as large as the size * request. Attached is a patch to use gtk_window_set_default_size() instead, which at least allows the user to shrink the default. IMHO the default forced size of 72 by 35 character cells is too large to start with, 60 x 30 would probably work nicer. Even 25 high fits all tab contents with the default font. The patch also includes that change, so it can be evaluated.
Created attachment 42164 [details] [review] patch
This is a definite improvement. I'm back to my favourite font of Bitstream Vera Serif @14-point size, and the settings window fits comfortably on the desktop at 1280x1024, though still looking a little too wide. I reduced the width multiplier to 50, and the results looked even better IMO, even at smaller font sizes.
i tried 50 and it was too narrow - the widget needed to resize for some of the pages. committing as 60 wide.