Tables: Interpret <N> as fixed width, not maximum width

Requested by Michael Brand

4 files changed, 20 insertions, 8 deletions

diff --git a/doc/ChangeLog b/doc/ChangeLog
index c03b493..7f9a514 100644
--- a/doc/ChangeLog
+++ b/doc/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2010-03-27  Carsten Dominik  <carsten.dominik@gmail.com>
+
+	* org.texi (Column width and alignment): Document that <N> now
+	means a fixed width, not a maximum width.
+
 2010-03-26  Carsten Dominik  <carsten.dominik@gmail.com>
 
 	* org.texi (Publishing options): Document the :email option.
diff --git a/doc/org.texi b/doc/org.texi
index 309f9a8..671df0c 100644
--- a/doc/org.texi
+++ b/doc/org.texi
@@ -1825,13 +1825,13 @@ The width of columns is automatically determined by the table editor.  And
 also the alignment of a column is determined automatically from the fraction
 of number-like versus non-number fields in the column.
 
-Sometimes a single field or a few fields need to carry more text,
-leading to inconveniently wide columns.  To limit@footnote{This feature
-does not work on XEmacs.} the width of a column, one field anywhere in
-the column may contain just the string @samp{<N>} where @samp{N} is an
-integer specifying the width of the column in characters.  The next
-re-align will then set the width of this column to no more than this
-value.
+Sometimes a single field or a few fields need to carry more text, leading to
+inconveniently wide columns.  Or maybe you want to make a table with several
+columns having a fixed width, regardless of content.  To set@footnote{This
+feature does not work on XEmacs.} the width of a column, one field anywhere
+in the column may contain just the string @samp{<N>} where @samp{N} is an
+integer specifying the width of the column in characters.  The next re-align
+will then set the width of this column to this value.
 
 @example
 @group
diff --git a/lisp/ChangeLog b/lisp/ChangeLog
index 2d18280..848c42c 100755
--- a/lisp/ChangeLog
+++ b/lisp/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2010-03-27  Carsten Dominik  <carsten.dominik@gmail.com>
+
+	* org-table.el (org-table-align): Interpret <N> at fixed width,
+	not as maximum width.
+
 2010-03-26  Carsten Dominik  <carsten.dominik@gmail.com>
 
 	* org-exp.el (org-export-author-info, org-export-email-info): Fix
diff --git a/lisp/org-table.el b/lisp/org-table.el
index 9614608..f26ad2e 100644
--- a/lisp/org-table.el
+++ b/lisp/org-table.el
@@ -662,6 +662,7 @@ When nil, simply write \"#ERROR\" in corrupted fields.")
     (while (< (setq i (1+ i)) maxfields)   ;; Loop over all columns
       (setq column (mapcar (lambda (x) (or (nth i x) "")) fields))
       ;; Check if there is an explicit width specified
+      (setq fmax nil)
       (when (or narrow falign)
 	(setq c column fmax nil falign1 nil)
 	(while c
@@ -687,7 +688,8 @@ When nil, simply write \"#ERROR\" in corrupted fields.")
 				       (list 'display org-narrow-column-arrow)
 				       xx)))))
       ;; Get the maximum width for each column
-      (push (apply 'max 1 (mapcar 'org-string-width column)) lengths)
+      (push (apply 'max (or fmax 1) 1 (mapcar 'org-string-width column))
+	    lengths)
       ;; Get the fraction of numbers, to decide about alignment of the column
       (if falign1
 	  (push (equal (downcase falign1) "r") typenums)