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From: hey@mbcl.rutgers.edu
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: WordPerfect. column editing without COLUMNS?
Message-ID: <484.285f2c6f@mbcl.rutgers.edu>
Date: 19 Jun 91 14:05:35 GMT
Lines: 14

I have an editing problem. I would like to use WordPerfect (under DOS)
to edit files of DNA sequence data. These files have many very long rows
of letters.  Each row is similar, but not identical to the others. Editing
these files involves lining up the rows so that there is strong similarity
down the columns.  I need an editor that will let me define blocks, where
a block extends from row y1 to y2 and from column x1 to x2, and then move
this block as I  see fit (e.g. delete or shift it to another place).
A typical editing session might involve 100 such operations, all in
different places. 
Some text processors have exactly this capacity (e.g. WordStar is one I know 
of), but I would like to use Wordperfect. The Columns feature of WordPerfect
seems entirely inappropriate. Is there something I am missing in WordPerfect
that fits the bill? Is there a way to do the job with macros?
THanks      Jody Hey