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    Invelos Forums->DVD Profiler: Contribution Discussion Page: 1 2 3  Previous   Next
How to deal with... indention in overviews?
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorT!M
Profiling since Dec. 2000
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And now for something completely different... 

I'd like to reach a consensus - please, don't stop reading now! - for a certain way of overview formatting. English not being by native tongue, I'm not exactly sure what the correct term for it is, so I'll refer to it as "tabbing" for now. I'll show what I mean - I have a number of back covers that show the overview formatted like this:

        Here is some random text that makes up the 1st paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 1st paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 1st paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 1st paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 1st paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 1st paragraph.
      Here is some random text that makes up the 2nd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 2nd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 2nd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 2nd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 2nd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 2nd paragraph.
      Here is some random text that makes up the 3rd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 3rd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 3rd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 3rd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 3rd paragraph. Here is some random text that makes up the 3rd paragraph.

So there are no empty lines between the paragraphs, but instead the start of every paragraph is identified by a TAB. Needless to say that we cannot reproduce these tabs in DVD Profiler. So there are, IMHO, two methods of dealing with this. Either we can ignore the tabs at all, resulting in a rather unattractive block of text. Or, we can choose to substitute the tabs for the only thing available to us: by inserting a single empty line in between the paragraphs. IMHO, the latter method does justice to the actual cover, because the cover clearly DOES try to visibly separate the paragraphs. I feel that intent is better served by substituting those tabs for empty lines, and IMHO the result is a lot more comfortable to look at as well.

Unfortunately, not all contributors/voters agree, so different profiles have such overviews handled in different ways. Can we reach a consensus on how to handle these? Either way, I'd like to finally be able to handle of all these consistently, and refer any no-voters to this thread.
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantJohan1FS
Registered: April 6, 2007
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I strongly second using blank lines between paragraphs. 

From PrintWiki:

Quote:
'Indention'. Paragraphs are the basic text-block units, and can be separated from each other in a variety of typographically acceptable ways. The most common is to end the paragraph with a hard return and indent the first line of a succeeding paragraph. Alternatively, two line spaces can be used to separate one paragraph from another, and in some cases all the paragraphs can be run together, separated only by the paragraph symbol (¶). The rules governing proper indention also need to be taken into account.
---
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorT!M
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'Indention', yes, that's word I was looking for. I'l change the thread subject line!
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributordee1959jay
Registered: March 19, 2007
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Either that, or emulate the tab by inserting several (e.g. three) spaces at the beginning of the second paragraph (which would more or less preserve the formatting on the cover).

Either of these would IMO be better than to just have one massive text block.
 Last edited: by dee1959jay
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorT!M
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Quoting dee1959jay:
Quote:
Either that, or emulate the tab by inserting several (e.g. three) spaces at the beginning of the second paragraph (which would more or less preserve the formatting on the cover).

I checked up on that. To begin with, DVD Profiler doesn't let you start the overview with a few spaces: just try it and save the profile: they're gone immediately. It does seem to let you do it on any other line, though, although the evaluation screen doesn't show the added spaces, so they might be automatically stripped off again. You'd be saying: "I've added spaces to match indention", but the voters would be shown two exactly the same overviews. And again: I'm not entirely sure what happens when such a contribution is accepted. In any case, the spaces also don't show up in your online collection here at the Invelos website. I'm certainly not asking for this to be "fixed", though: I'd much prefer adding a single empty line. It's simple, it's easy, it's consistent, and it looks good. If we actually could use the spaces, we'd have to fight over how many: some would do three, others five, and we still wouldn't have consistency.
 Last edited: by T!M
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributordee1959jay
Registered: March 19, 2007
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Didn't know about these contribution issues - you learn something new every day! 

It wouldn't be high on my priority list of necessary programme fixes either. It is odd (and certainly inconsistent) though that the programme will let you contribute these spaces at some places but not others, and that if it lets them through, they don't show up in the contribution screen.

I have no problems with the solution you suggested, I was just contemplating other possible approaches.
 Last edited: by dee1959jay
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Normaly, you type the phrases as they are, at the end of a paragraph follows (Enter key or Carriage Return (CR)). As you already mentioned for Titles we are not in to formating those as they would appear. The same should go for the overview text, we are not in to formatting the overview text. As the window box changes for the overview text, so changes the layout for its contents. The exact formating is on the back of the cover and should not be copied. If there is a blank line between paragraphs, you could give an extra (Enter key or Carriage Return (CR)). Adding Leading Tab's or spaces should not be done.
Sources for one or more of the changes and/or additions were not submitted. Please include the sources for your changes in the contribution notes, especially for cast and crew additions.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributortweeter
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I think you want the first option to be substitute the tabs with empty lines instead of substitute the tabs for empty lines.

No to Tabs.

Yes to Carriage Returns between paragraphs regardless of whether an extra line exists in the jacket text.  We are striving for readability, not recreation of the jacket.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorT!M
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Quoting tweeter:
Quote:
I think you want the first option to be substitute the tabs with empty lines instead of substitute the tabs for empty lines.

That bit I can't edit... 
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantkdh1949
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Inserting a blank line between paragraphs is a good way to make the overview easier to read.
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DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorTheMadMartian
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Quoting kdh1949:
Quote:
Inserting a blank line between paragraphs is a good way to make the overview easier to read.

Agreed.
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DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar Contributorm.cellophane
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Back in the old days when I learned to type on a manual typewriter, we were taught that an indent was 5 spaces.

BUT

Since we can't duplicate the spaces at the beginning of overviews, it seems best to use blank lines between paragraphs.
...James

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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorArdos
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If there's a gap between the paragraphs on the cover I separate them by a blank line, if there's not then I don't.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorcvermeylen
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I would prefer to have a blank line if paragraphs are indented. It would surely make them more readable.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorsurfeur51
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Rules say "Overviews should match the back of the DVD case exactly".

So I think it would not be correct to add a blank line. If it is not possible to reproduce exactly the overview, the best is to post in the features request. Waiting for a new version or new rules, it would be better not to contribute data that go against the rules.

Quoting Ken Cole in another thread :
Quote:
Although no director or producer is listed, the rules stand, so please leave these off from the contribution.


Here it would be : Although indentation is not yet possible, the rules stand, so please leave these off from the contribution.

Just an opinion 
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 Last edited: by surfeur51
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Quoting Forget_the_Rest:
Quote:
If there's a gap between the paragraphs on the cover I separate them by a blank line, if there's not then I don't.

This how it should be done. Indention is a start of a paragraph, first line after CR. If there is no blanc line between the paragraphs you should not enter one. You could ask this as a feature that the program formats a blanc line between each paragraph. We should not be formatting text to replicate layout.
Sources for one or more of the changes and/or additions were not submitted. Please include the sources for your changes in the contribution notes, especially for cast and crew additions.
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