---
 app.go           |  1 +
 config.go        | 11 +++++++++++
 doc/senpai.5.scd |  3 +++
 ui/buffers.go    | 10 +++++-----
 ui/draw_utils.go |  3 +--
 ui/ui.go         | 42 ++++++++++++++++--------------------------
 6 files changed, 37 insertions(+), 33 deletions(-)

diff --git a/app.go b/app.go
index 1144560..ca8b1d1 100644
--- a/app.go
+++ b/app.go
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ func NewApp(cfg Config) (app *App, err error) {
 
 	app.win, err = ui.New(ui.Config{
 		NickColWidth:   cfg.NickColWidth,
+		GapsColWidth:   cfg.GapsColWidth,
 		ChanColWidth:   cfg.ChanColWidth,
 		MemberColWidth: cfg.MemberColWidth,
 		AutoComplete: func(cursorIdx int, text []rune) []ui.Completion {
diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 35857ba..69efbf6 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	Highlights      []string
 	OnHighlightPath string
 	NickColWidth    int
+	GapsColWidth    int
 	ChanColWidth    int
 	MemberColWidth  int
 
@@ -95,6 +96,7 @@ func Defaults() (cfg Config, err error) {
 		Highlights:      nil,
 		OnHighlightPath: "",
 		NickColWidth:    16,
+		GapsColWidth:    2,
 		ChanColWidth:    0,
 		MemberColWidth:  0,
 		Colors: ConfigColors{
@@ -203,6 +205,15 @@ func unmarshal(filename string, cfg *Config) (err error) {
 					if cfg.NickColWidth, err = strconv.Atoi(nicknames); err != nil {
 						return err
 					}
+				case "gaps":
+					var gaps string
+					if err := child.ParseParams(&gaps); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					if cfg.GapsColWidth, err = strconv.Atoi(gaps); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
 				case "channels":
 					var channels string
 					if err := child.ParseParams(&channels); err != nil {
diff --git a/doc/senpai.5.scd b/doc/senpai.5.scd
index e75513d..fc221ab 100644
--- a/doc/senpai.5.scd
+++ b/doc/senpai.5.scd
@@ -113,6 +113,9 @@ pane-widths {
 		The number of cells that the column for nicknames occupies in the
 		timeline. By default, 16.
 
+	*gaps*
+		The number of cells separating the timestamps, nicknames, and messages. By default, 2.
+
 	*channels*
 		Make the channel list vertical, with a width equals to the given amount
 		of cells.  By default, the channel list is horizontal.
diff --git a/ui/buffers.go b/ui/buffers.go
index 1ccb921..4d400d0 100644
--- a/ui/buffers.go
+++ b/ui/buffers.go
@@ -555,15 +555,15 @@ func (bs *BufferList) DrawHorizontalBufferList(screen tcell.Screen, x0, y0, widt
 	}
 }
 
-func (bs *BufferList) DrawTimeline(screen tcell.Screen, x0, y0, nickColWidth int) {
-	clearArea(screen, x0, y0, bs.tlInnerWidth+nickColWidth+9, bs.tlHeight+2)
+func (bs *BufferList) DrawTimeline(screen tcell.Screen, x0, y0, nickColWidth int, gapsColWidth int) {
+	clearArea(screen, x0, y0, 5+gapsColWidth+nickColWidth+gapsColWidth+bs.tlInnerWidth, bs.tlHeight+2)
 
 	b := &bs.list[bs.current]
 
 	xTopic := x0
 	printString(screen, &xTopic, y0, Styled(b.topic, tcell.StyleDefault))
 	y0++
-	for x := x0; x < x0+bs.tlInnerWidth+nickColWidth+9; x++ {
+	for x := x0; x < x0+5+gapsColWidth+nickColWidth+gapsColWidth+bs.tlInnerWidth; x++ {
 		st := tcell.StyleDefault.Foreground(tcell.ColorGray)
 		screen.SetContent(x, y0, 0x2500, nil, st)
 	}
@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@ func (bs *BufferList) DrawTimeline(screen tcell.Screen, x0, y0, nickColWidth int
 			break
 		}
 
-		x1 := x0 + 9 + nickColWidth
+		x1 := x0 + 5 + gapsColWidth + nickColWidth + gapsColWidth
 
 		line := &b.lines[i]
 		nls := line.NewLines(bs.tlInnerWidth)
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ func (bs *BufferList) DrawTimeline(screen tcell.Screen, x0, y0, nickColWidth int
 			identSt := tcell.StyleDefault.
 				Foreground(line.HeadColor).
 				Reverse(line.Highlight)
-			printIdent(screen, x0+7, yi, nickColWidth, Styled(line.Head, identSt))
+			printIdent(screen, x0+5+gapsColWidth, yi, nickColWidth, Styled(line.Head, identSt))
 		}
 
 		x := x1
diff --git a/ui/draw_utils.go b/ui/draw_utils.go
index 45e81db..394523c 100644
--- a/ui/draw_utils.go
+++ b/ui/draw_utils.go
@@ -27,14 +27,13 @@ func printIdent(screen tcell.Screen, x, y, width int, s StyledString) {
 	if len(s.styles) != 0 && s.styles[0].Start == 0 {
 		st = s.styles[0].Style
 	}
-	screen.SetContent(x-1, y, ' ', nil, st)
+	screen.SetContent(x, y, ' ', nil, st)
 	printString(screen, &x, y, s)
 	if len(s.styles) != 0 {
 		// TODO check if it's not a style that is from the truncated
 		// part of s.
 		st = s.styles[len(s.styles)-1].Style
 	}
-	screen.SetContent(x, y, ' ', nil, st)
 }
 
 func printNumber(screen tcell.Screen, x *int, y int, st tcell.Style, n int) {
diff --git a/ui/ui.go b/ui/ui.go
index 7e02812..a16b296 100644
--- a/ui/ui.go
+++ b/ui/ui.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 
 type Config struct {
 	NickColWidth   int
+	GapsColWidth   int
 	ChanColWidth   int
 	MemberColWidth int
 	AutoComplete   func(cursorIdx int, text []rune) []Completion
@@ -315,7 +316,7 @@ func (ui *UI) InputBackSearch() {
 
 func (ui *UI) Resize() {
 	w, h := ui.screen.Size()
-	innerWidth := w - 9 - ui.config.ChanColWidth - ui.config.NickColWidth - ui.config.MemberColWidth
+	innerWidth := w - ui.config.ChanColWidth - 5 - ui.config.GapsColWidth - ui.config.NickColWidth - ui.config.GapsColWidth - ui.config.MemberColWidth
 	ui.e.Resize(innerWidth)
 	if ui.config.ChanColWidth == 0 {
 		ui.bs.ResizeTimeline(innerWidth, h-3)
@@ -332,38 +333,27 @@ func (ui *UI) Size() (int, int) {
 func (ui *UI) Draw(members []irc.Member) {
 	w, h := ui.screen.Size()
 
+	chanRow := 0
 	if ui.config.ChanColWidth == 0 {
-		ui.e.Draw(ui.screen, 9+ui.config.NickColWidth, h-2)
-	} else {
-		ui.e.Draw(ui.screen, 9+ui.config.ChanColWidth+ui.config.NickColWidth, h-1)
+		chanRow = 1
 	}
 
-	ui.bs.DrawTimeline(ui.screen, ui.config.ChanColWidth, 0, ui.config.NickColWidth)
-	if ui.config.ChanColWidth == 0 {
-		ui.bs.DrawHorizontalBufferList(ui.screen, 0, h-1, w-ui.config.MemberColWidth)
-	} else {
-		ui.bs.DrawVerticalBufferList(ui.screen, 0, 0, ui.config.ChanColWidth, h, &ui.channelOffset)
-	}
+	ui.e.Draw(ui.screen, 5 + ui.config.GapsColWidth + ui.config.NickColWidth + ui.config.GapsColWidth, h-1-chanRow)
+
+
+	ui.bs.DrawTimeline(ui.screen, ui.config.ChanColWidth, 0, ui.config.NickColWidth, ui.config.GapsColWidth)
+	ui.bs.DrawHorizontalBufferList(ui.screen, 0, h-chanRow, w-ui.config.MemberColWidth)
+
 	if ui.config.MemberColWidth != 0 {
 		drawVerticalMemberList(ui.screen, w-ui.config.MemberColWidth, 0, ui.config.MemberColWidth, h, members, &ui.memberOffset)
 	}
-	if ui.config.ChanColWidth == 0 {
-		ui.drawStatusBar(ui.config.ChanColWidth, h-3, w-ui.config.MemberColWidth)
-	} else {
-		ui.drawStatusBar(ui.config.ChanColWidth, h-2, w-ui.config.ChanColWidth-ui.config.MemberColWidth)
-	}
+	ui.drawStatusBar(ui.config.ChanColWidth, h-2-chanRow, w-ui.config.MemberColWidth)
 
-	if ui.config.ChanColWidth == 0 {
-		for x := 0; x < 9+ui.config.NickColWidth; x++ {
-			ui.screen.SetContent(x, h-2, ' ', nil, tcell.StyleDefault)
-		}
-		printIdent(ui.screen, 7, h-2, ui.config.NickColWidth, ui.prompt)
-	} else {
-		for x := ui.config.ChanColWidth; x < 9+ui.config.ChanColWidth+ui.config.NickColWidth; x++ {
-			ui.screen.SetContent(x, h-1, ' ', nil, tcell.StyleDefault)
-		}
-		printIdent(ui.screen, ui.config.ChanColWidth+7, h-1, ui.config.NickColWidth, ui.prompt)
+	for x := 0; x < 5 + ui.config.GapsColWidth + ui.config.NickColWidth + ui.config.GapsColWidth; x++ {
+		ui.screen.SetContent(x, h-1-chanRow, ' ', nil, tcell.StyleDefault)
 	}
+	printIdent(ui.screen, 5 + ui.config.GapsColWidth, h-1-chanRow, ui.config.NickColWidth, ui.prompt)
+
 
 	ui.screen.Show()
 }
@@ -381,7 +371,7 @@ func (ui *UI) drawStatusBar(x0, y, width int) {
 
 	x := x0 + 5 + ui.config.NickColWidth
 	printString(ui.screen, &x, y, s.StyledString())
-	x += 2
+	x += ui.config.GapsColWidth
 
 	s.Reset()
 	s.SetStyle(tcell.StyleDefault.Foreground(tcell.ColorGray))
-- 
2.34.1

Hi thanks for the patch.  IIUC you want gaps to be one cell wide, is 
that right?

The gaps have been set to 2 originally because highlight nicks have 
padding.  This padding would need to take the gap width into account, 
and senpai hasn't the kind of UI that is made for narrow windows anyway. 
  I don't think it makes sense to add all this code just for 2 cells.

On Wed Dec 15, 2021 at 10:06 AM EST, Hubert Hirtz wrote:
> Hi thanks for the patch. IIUC you want gaps to be one cell wide, is
> that right?
Right now I'm using it with gaps set to 0. (the different style of the columns is enough to tell them apart).
> The gaps have been set to 2 originally because highlight nicks have
> padding. This padding would need to take the gap width into account,
Is this padding really necessary?
(e.g. if it was used to have something besides a space printed in that column then my changes to printIdent would be invalid)

> senpai hasn't the kind of UI that is made for narrow windows anyway.

(I also was planning to add a patch to reduce / expand the width with different date formats, like 🕞
(which would remove the last hard-coded width value: `5`))

You're right, the grid-based timeline is not *ideal* for narrow screens. (mine is 38 columns).
But this patch has already made this program usable for me (I can discern nicknames at width 7, and the wrapping isn't too much to bear).

If there's another approach you think would be better, I would be happy to try it out,
but I think this change is in line with the current configuration options of senpai.

> I don't think it makes sense to add all this code ...
If you like, I could probably refactor some option code so there's a net negative in lines (rather than +4 new lines). ;)

-Zach