Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!ncar!csn!tramp.Colorado.EDU!lewis
From: lewis@tramp.colorado.edu (LEWIS WILLIAM M JR)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Aligning columns in vi
Message-ID: <1991Feb16.204003.22543@csn.org>
Date: 16 Feb 91 20:40:03 GMT
Sender: news@csn.org (news)
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Lines: 19
Originator: lewis@tramp.Colorado.EDU
Nntp-Posting-Host: tramp.colorado.edu

My friend Carl Brandauer of Daemon Associates (attmail!bdaemon!carl or
....!stcvax!bdaemon!carl) suggests the following vi map! command for
aligning end of comment markers:

	map! ^[OQ ^[80a ^[72^V|C*/^M

In this example PF2 on a VT100 is used for the command which must be
entered like:

	^V<ESC>80a ^V<ESC>72^V^V|C*/^V<RETURN>

The logic is simple: 

	1. Enter command mode
	2. Append 80 spaces
	3. Move to column 72
	4. Change to end of line with */ and new-line

The trick is that the pipe symbol must be preceded by two ^V's.