Glossary term list width

Question

I am using glossaries package in my document and I have some long term names. This breaks my layout. I tried to apply:

\setlength{\glspagelistwidth}{0.3\linewidth}

And it did not work at all. If I use:

\setlength{\glsdescwidth}{0.3\linewidth}

it will work on the description side, but I need the term side to have its width reduced not the description one. If I use:

\setlength{\glsdescwidth}{0.7\linewidth}

it will not give me the expected result either.

How can I fix this?

The minimum working example I could get (I tried to be the closest possible to my situation):

\documentclass{book}

\usepackage{lipsum}

\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}

\usepackage[acronym]{glossaries}

\renewcommand*{\glossaryentrynumbers}[1]{}

\newcommand{\dictentry}[2]{%
  \newglossaryentry{#1}{name={#1},description={#2}}%
  \glsadd{#1}%
}
\newcommand{\dictentryspec}[3]{%
  \newglossaryentry{#1}{name={#2},description={#3},sort={#1}}%
  \glsadd{#1}%
}
\newcommand{\acronentry}[2]{%
  \newglossaryentry{acro#1}{type=\acronymtype, name={#1},description={#2}, first={#2 (#1)}}%
  \glsadd{acro#1}%
}



\makeglossaries

\setlength{\glsdescwidth}{\dimexpr\linewidth-10\tabcolsep}
\renewcommand{\glsnamefont}[1]{\textbf{#1}}
\glstoctrue

\newglossarystyle{clong}{%
\glossarystyle{long}
\renewcommand{\glsgroupskip}{}
}
\begin{document}
My document.

\acronentry{AD}{Sample 1}
\dictentry{really long or long long long long term 1}{\lipsum[1]}
\dictentryspec{really long or long long long long term 2 in place}{used when I have é or â in glossaries}{\lipsum[1]}

\cleardoublepage
\renewcommand*{\arraystretch}{1.5}
\setlength{\glspagelistwidth}{0.3\linewidth}
\printglossary[type=\acronymtype,style=clong]
\cleardoublepage
\printglossary[type=main,style=clong]
\cleardoublepage
\end{document}

Answer 1

You are using the style long which is defined within the glossary-long.sty file (can be found in the glossaries folder in /tex/latex/glossaries)

It defines the style (partly) as

\newglossarystyle{long}{%
  \renewenvironment{theglossary}%
     {\begin{longtable}{lp{\glsdescwidth}}}%
     {\end{longtable}}%
  \renewcommand*{\glossaryheader}{}%
.
.
.

As you can see, indeed the description width is a p column with width \glsdescwidth but the first column is a simple l column.

It is easy to define a new style by simply copying the definition and creating your own style (you already did this basically to remove the group skip, this is just an extension). This should do the trick

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage[nomain,acronym]{glossaries}
\makeglossaries


\newglossarystyle{clong}{%
 \renewenvironment{theglossary}%
     {\begin{longtable}{p{.3\linewidth}p{\glsdescwidth}}}%
     {\end{longtable}}%
  \renewcommand*{\glossaryheader}{}%
  \renewcommand*{\glsgroupheading}[1]{}%
  \renewcommand*{\glossaryentryfield}[5]{%
    \glstarget{##1}{##2} & ##3\glspostdescription\space ##5\\}%
  \renewcommand*{\glossarysubentryfield}[6]{%
     & \glstarget{##2}{\strut}##4\glspostdescription\space ##6\\}%
  %\renewcommand*{\glsgroupskip}{ & \\}%
}

\usepackage{lipsum}
\newacronym{test}{Some very very long text that just wont break}{\lipsum[1]}

\begin{document}
\glsaddall
\printglossary[type=\acronymtype,style=clong]

\end{document}

Printing the glossay twice, one with long and the second time with the redefined clong style gives