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From: farmer@ico.UUCP (David Farmer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Text file tab utility
Message-ID: <888@ico.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 2-Apr-87 11:22:48 EST
Article-I.D.: ico.888
Posted: Thu Apr  2 11:22:48 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Apr-87 04:48:09 EST
References: <8704010701.AA20834@cory.Berkeley.EDU>
Reply-To: farmer@ico.UUCP (David Farmer)
Organization: Interactive Systems Corporation, Boulder
Lines: 35

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In article <8704010701.AA20834@cory.Berkeley.EDU> dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) writes:

>>I think all editors should support settable tabs. The tabs should be stored
:>as tabs in the file. I hate editors that changes what I type in, because I
:>always end up in the situation of not being able to produce a file of
:>exactly what I want. Vi does not commit that sin, aside from NULs, you
:>can get anything into the file.

Actualy it does mangle characters with the HI-BIT set.

:>
:>If your printer doesn't support settable tabs, your print program should.
:>If your print program doesn't, use "detab" or "expand" (they are also trivial
:>to write).
:
:       I disagree.  Editors such as VI, EMACS, ED, and DME writeout files
:as normal text files, and thus there is no way for the printer driver to
:know what tab size to use unless *you* tell it.. for each file.  I think
:find it a bi#$@ch to have to 'expand -4' 40 source files before sending them
:to the printer.
:
:                               -Matt

Exactly.  But I would suggest that with VI you set your shift-width (sw) to
4, and leave you tab-stops (ts) set at 8.  This way if you make use of the
auto indent, and << and >> VI will automaticly  use tabs, or 4 spaces where
appropriate.  The only drawback is when I am typing an indented line,
sometimes I hit the TAB key, and then BACKSPACE, and 4 spaces since a TAB
put me in too far.

I hope this discussion doesn't continue forever, but nobody seems to have
mentioned this so far.

David Farmer.
Disclaimers?