boxes_compare.py

import os
def boxes(title, text):
    t = []
    lines = text.split('\n')
    maxlen = max(len(line) for line in lines)
    t.append(' '+'_'*(len(title)+2))
    t.append('|'+' '*(len(title)+2)+'|')
    t.append('| '+title+' |')
    if len(title) < maxlen:
        t.append('|'+'_'*(len(title)+2)+'|'+'_'*(maxlen-len(title)-1))
    else:
        t.append('|'+'_'*(len(title)+2)+'|')
    t.append('|'+' '*(maxlen+2)+'|')
    for line in lines:
        t.append('| '+line+' '*(maxlen-len(line))+' |')
    t.append('|'+'_'*(maxlen+2)+'|')
    return t

short_title = boxes(\
'this is a short title',\
'''this is a bunch of text
which takes up more space than the title
and it goes on
and on
and on''')
long_title = boxes(\
'this is a long title',\
'''compared
with the
short text
in here''')
tablen = max(len(t) for t in short_title)+8
for i in range(max(len(t) for t in [short_title, long_title])):
    if i < len(short_title):
        t = short_title[i]
        t += ' '*(tablen-len(short_title[i]))
    else:
        t = ' '*tablen
    if i < len(long_title):
        t += long_title[i]
    print(t)

if 'win' in os.sys.platform:
    os.system('PAUSE')