Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!panda!teddy!jpn
From: jpn@teddy.UUCP (John P. Nelson)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: <tab> to space under vi, VI SUMMARY COMING SOON...
Message-ID: <4596@teddy.UUCP>
Date: 22 Jan 88 21:16:48 GMT
References: <462@gordon.UUCP> <239@unicom.UUCP>
Reply-To: jpn@teddy.UUCP (John P. Nelson)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 18
Keywords: vi, tab, vi summary

>>Is there a way to force 'vi' editor to insert appropreiate number of spaces
>>when <tab> key is hit?
>
>Vi won't let you map the tab key, or I would suggest making a map! (input
>mode macro) for it.

Yes it will.  You can use the ^V (control V) character to suppress the
normal interpretation of tab as a seperator in a map.  From inside vi,
you can type the following keystrokes (^V is control v, ^I is tab):

:map! ^V^V^I ^V^V ^V^V ^V^V ^V^V

This will appear on the screen as the following.  Note that two control V
characters display as ^V.

:map! ^V	^V ^V ^V ^V 

Anyway, this will map tab to 4 spaces.