I think the issue is how whiptail parses its command line options and posting the entire script would not add anything to the thread. While you can increase the size of the window to accommodate more text I don't know how to create a multi line option.

yad is a gtk based program whiptail is dialog replacement using curses, the two are not compatable, yad needs a graphical environment dialog does not.

Check the pdf download in the original post - he's in a graphical environment

YOU CHECK IT!
The OP is running in a terminal!

There isn't enough information to know either way.

We see a virtual terminal window and a Ubuntu desktop.

The OP mentions raspi-config which is a raspbian configuration script and does run Ubuntu but I don't think it is installed on the Pi.

While the posted PDF in the original post is a Ubuntu desktop I can't tell if it is running on the Pi. In fact the OP could be using ssh to connect to the Pi from a Ubuntu computer.

dialog uses curses but whiptail uses newt.

Sorry , I was asleep at the wheel - the success percentage is OPPOSITE! Very next post is in the 80% category! Why do people who have no intention to help waste their time editorializing ? NO you cannot see 5000 plus lines under construction code !

I did ask Cisco company to see if they can add "horizontal scroll " control.
The whiptail "control" has vertical scroll bar when needed.

I did posted a non working code ,an example of the usage. I had a hard time putting backslash n in as a text.

I just broke my OS and cannot try adding \\n on '\n' at this point.

Whiptail the company that was bought out by Cisco has nothing to do with whiptail the program.

I have not been successful either and as stated is a limitation of the program.

https://pagure.io/newt/blob/master/f/AUTHORS

I am not that good in bash and changing horses in the middle of the race does not help much.
But thanks for the suggestion.

Are you trying to modify the existing raspi-config script or create a new script using its code as a model?

Why do you need two lines for the description? I have posted that you can enlarge the window.

i had intentions to help, and i wasn't editorializing, how should i know you misphrased it?

however, you succesfully changed my intentions with that comment.

i'm beginning to see the truth in this statement:

1 members found this post helpful.

From my (short) experience with whiptail - I call it "temperamental" mainly for unpredictable display which depends on overall dimensions.
As an example - setting numbers of vertical lines makes --menu option text disappear.

I was actually trying to figure out how to add "tooltip" or "F1" type of help access.

Yes, I do agree there are many ways "to skin a cat" and I was concentrating on common "scroll bar control" - in horizontal way. Changing overall "window" dimensions is doable indeed.

And reason for multi line - some of the "commands" I use - first parameter - are pretty long , hence I run out of displayable text in description parameter.

It also depends on the size of the virtual terminal window. whiptail is only a bash command which is defined by its options. The only way I see adding help access would be to add the option and use a msgbox.

I just checked "yad" and it is not available in Raspian. It would probably be overkill anyway. I need to keep focus on the script purpose - to make RPi debugging easier, not a fancy GUI.
I have another project running in parallel with this debugging script project and I am NOT is favour to change OS.


I could add msgbox before I run the menu command.

Don't know which version you are running, but I saw yad here:

https://archive.raspbian.org/raspbian/pool/main/y/yad/

which is why I suggested it. I get not wanting to delve into a whole new application to create dialog boxes but instead focus on the bash script itself. However, in my personal experience, after struggling with whiptail and other applications for creating bash dialog boxes, I found yad to be pretty easy to pick up and the most flexible of the bunch. It all depends on your use case and priorities which only you can judge.

Could you shorten the first param?
I guess I don't see why the repeated text...I'm tinkering, but haven't got it to work yet...