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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: vi - Is there a ruler line function?
Message-ID: <2004@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 22-Mar-86 19:40:04 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.2004
Posted: Sat Mar 22 19:40:04 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Mar-86 05:06:45 EST
References: <123@graffiti.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.ARPA
Distribution: net
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL)
Lines: 16

In article <123@graffiti.UUCP> bruce@graffiti.UUCP (Bruce Jilek) writes:
>I have used editors in the past that allow you to type a command and
>get a ruler line at the current position within the document you are editing.
>For example:
>
>         1         2         3         4         5         6         7         8
>12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
>
>This can be very helpful for lining up statements for readable blocks that 
>have extended beyond the bottom of the screen, etc.  It used to even be a 
>requirement if you were coding in FORTRAN and/or COBOL.  
>
>Doesn't vi have this capability?  I can't find it in the documentation.

Since one can read in a ruler (stored in a separate file) whenever
it is needed, why clutter vi with this as a built-in capability?